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Saturday, March 5, 2011

Waste not, want not...eat all those brownies!

Still dedicated to the many small economies that make it possible for us to continue to save money though living on one fixed income...while traveling and generally living as we wish.
   The brownies shown here are just the Baker's chocolate One Bowl Brownie recipe, so quick and easy to make when a brownie craving hits. I prefer a thicker brownie and use a 9"x9" square pan (bake time: 45 minutes). The smaller pan means using less foil, but I do wash and re-use any foil not used for cooking meat.
   The soaps here are what we brought home from the hotel on our recent trip. Last thing we do before leaving a hotel room is to pack up any used soap. Housekeeping will just toss them, so why not bring them home? Besides, something Practical Parsimony said made me realize that my Dove soap slivers don't easily adhere to each other. I now use other soap brands to meld my Dove slivers so no soap is wasted.
   Not wanting to generate more plastic waste, I don't generally use the shampoo/conditioner/lotion in a hotel room, leaving them for the next guest. However with the airline rules on liquids, we did use these items this time but brought home the partly used containers.
   Wasting less is just one of many frugalities that helps our budgets but also contributes less waste to the Great Garbage Patches of our world. Besides reusing foil and using up soap slivers, care to share any little "waste not, want nots" going on in your home these days?

8 comments:

here we are together said...

Living in a farming village many of our neighbours are grateful for our food waste to feed to their pigs.
When we go to a shop that has a coffee shop we ask for any coffee grounds for gardening, they are usually happy to hand you a few bags.
we re-use paper that my children have drawn on and scrapped to make new handmade paper which makes a fancy gift , gift-tags or just fun little hand-sewn notebooks.

secret agent woman said...

There is an organization I read about that gets hotels to donate partially used soaps which are then sanitized and re-molded into new bars and given out at homeless shelters. I love that.

Practical Parsimony said...

May I borrow and use that phrase "many small economies"? That is just exactly what my blog is all about. I am living on disability, less than rent or mortgage payment for most people. I never claim to save a bundle on each of my savings claims.

For the Dove that you might waste because it will not adhere to itself, try this. My friend throws the tiny slivers into her hamper and uses it to aid in washing clothing. Personally,I use it until it melts through my fingers. When it is really too small to rub the washcloth on, just fold the washcloth over the soap and rub. Then, remove the miniscule sliver for tomorrow.

Dmarie said...

@Here we are: love the idea of the coffee shops for compost stuff...and making your own paper? impressive!
@Secret: oh, I love that idea too!!
@Practical: unlike those UrbanHomesteading people, I'd never think to copyright a term, so help yourself! ;) And I never do throw away soap slivers, they ALL meld to a bar eventually...with patience.

Anonymous said...

Bringing home used hotel soaps and shampoo is a great idea. If I ever leave my house and get to stay in a hotel I will be sure to do this.

Guillaume said...

Brownies certainly have to be all eaten.

Eatomaniac :) said...

Brownies must be polished :D Thanks for stopping by Eatomaniac :) Hope to see you often!

singlemama said...

just send me some brownies if you don't eat them all :-)

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