Simple frugality by the hourly rate

re: Simple frugality by the hourly rate

Neontha B. — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:37:48 GMT

I have always washed some ziplock bags. Some I don't wash if I am going to store the same thing in them, such as bread or cookies, etc. I also wash them when I do the dishes and hang them to dry. I also cut zippers out of pants to reuse, as some are much better than I can buy today, and I always save the buttons off clothes I am discarding.

re: Simple frugality by the hourly rate

Keith — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:16:30 GMT

Instead of washing and reusing bags, why not invest in containers that will last a lot longer and are designed to be washed and reused? One can get cheap containers for about what a box of bags costs.

re: Simple frugality by the hourly rate

Tiffiney — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:45:02 GMT

I reuse my bags too! I hate to think of all those bags going into the landfill...

re: Simple frugality by the hourly rate

Carl — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:29:07 GMT

Reusing plastic...what happened to the news that said reusing plastic releases the cancer causing agents in to your food! Particularly if it changes temperature alot!

The rest is fine, but reusing plastic & potentially shorten my life...no thanks!

re: Simple frugality by the hourly rate

Pam — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:38:17 GMT

I wash my ziploc bags when I wash my dishes - that way I don't use any extra soap and hot water - just rinse water which is minimal - and then let them air dry.

I would like that hot chocolate recipe, too!!!

re: Simple frugality by the hourly rate

Jennifer — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:08:08 GMT

I've been washing bags for years...unless there was raw meat, or peanut butter sandwiches, which is too difficult to remove. It takes very little time, and turned inside-out on the counter, it is usually dry by the time I need it. It definitely cuts down on the amount of bags I buy, as well as the amount I throw away into the garbage.

re: Simple frugality by the hourly rate

erik — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:02:34 GMT

If you are outting the same item back in, say crackers for the next days lunch, why even wash it?

re: Simple frugality by the hourly rate

Jeff — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:23:12 GMT

Do you use hot water when you wash that bag? Do you use soap? Count in the cost of the water,cost of the power it took to heat that water, the cost of the soap and what have you saved? Nothing. You are wasting your time and causing the water company to use more power to clean that water.

You need to look at the bigger picture. You might think you are saving money.

re: Simple frugality by the hourly rate

Philip — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:22:18 GMT

It is intriguing, but I am afraid that the time it would take to get a ziploc bag cleaned that I would want to use it again is rather more than that, if you use water to wash it out, then dry it out, I expect about 30 seconds or so, possibly if all you had was dry goods like chips in there it would work. But at 30 seconds - 6 for the new one, that is at 24 seconds each, that is 4 times your estimate, taking it down to $30/hr of my free time, when I am not at work, my time is valuable to me, I don't think that it would be that useful.

If you truly can take a ziploc that you put anything moist into and clean it in 12 seconds then more power to you

re: Simple frugality by the hourly rate

Beth — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:59:03 GMT

I was just hoping you'd post your hot chocolate mix recipe...