Container Conundrum

After reading my last blog about cleaning, my friend Rachel commented about shopping in the bulk section of the grocery store. This is truely a money saving tip, as well as a green one. By purchasing from our bulk sections, we are getting the things we need without all of the unnecessary packaging. Think of the packaging that you see in the supermarket - styrofoam, plastic, metal, cardboard, celophane, etc. Some of these things cannot be avoided because you cannot purchase them in bulk or are 'impossible' to make from scratch. However, if you take a good look at the offerings in the big bins you may find that many of the pantry staples are right there. Of course what comes with buying in bulk and passing on the excess packaging is the need to contain the product somehow. Rachel told a story of her pickle jar experience, and this sparked my curiosity into what I already have in my house. I have started my own collection of butter, sour cream, cream cheese, spaghetti sauce and baby food containers. I wash out the containers ( and in the case of the spaghetti sauce, rinse with baking soda to get rid of the herb smell ) and put them right into the cupboard with the other food storage items. This will help me to avoid buying plastic containers ( though the plastic containers ARE recycleable, why buy something new when I already have a glass or plastic item I can use? ) and use two of the three R's of environmental stewardship - Reuse and Reduce. I encourage you to look around your kitchen to see what containers you can reuse for storing extra food or bulk items. Here's to being creative, frugal and resourceful! :)