Waste Not Want Not...

Like my new bin? £1.99 cheapest bin I've ever bought. And I love it! I should mention my fab Dad bought it for me when I saw it in The Works. I don't know what it is about this new logo that has come out but it's been everywhere and lots of people love it including me. This is the first item I own and I want more!
It is a great bin as far as bins go! Enough about the bin already, yes indeed apologies!

I've been thinking of not wasting so much a lot recently. It's made me really aware of both my attitude and other peoples attitudes towards waste. I'm thinking food, rubbish,recycling and yes, even the pennies!
I used to be really picky about what I chose in the store, I guess it came from my Mum as that's who I always went grocery shopping with. Thing is what I grew up doing was not unlike most others. If something isn't the right shape, it's put back. If a tin is dented or a box ripped it's immediately pushed to the side and ignored as if whatever is inside has been somehow changed. I used to pick these items up and they'd be inspected for dents and what not. I'd be told to put it back on the shelf and get a 'better one.' Why?

Now I still see this except I decided to change. I mean, if these 'imperfect' items are not sold, where do they go? Well, I'd imagine in the waste direction no? So what if your cereal box is ripped, the plastic is still there, the cereal is still fresh. So what if your bean tin is dented, okay sometimes it's harder to open but I have a laugh acting like a right lemon dancing around the room with my tin of beans and a can opener in the air occasionally bashing the tin on the side...Ah and then there's the mishapped fruit and veg! Who doesn't find a carrot shaped like a mans 'special area' funny? (please don't be just me) fruit that has grown entwined, a vegetable with a nose or whatever else you can picture!

Image from Google

Image from Google

The other thing I'm keen to do is to record where my money goes. I know, I know, I should have been doing this ages ago. I want to do it more for curiosity than anything to be honest, and I bet I am still being really wasteful with my pennies. Everyone deserves a treat but I know for a FACT that last week I bought 3 jacket and beans from my local bakery for £2.25 a go. Madness! I have bought a huge tub this week of Heinz Beans that last 5 days which is doing me well and although it's Monday, I don't shop until Thursday so I've already been doing well. I think tomorrow I'll purchase a book I've had my eye on which has all the little extra details in a money section.

Also was very proud this morning to see I couldn't actually get out of my front door due to how much I recycled! Obviously this was pleasing because I feel having that much means I can feel like I'm making a real difference. It's just a shame on my street there's only a handful of us recycling. WHY!!?? It's so easy, the council give you free bags and boxes, you pop all your cardboard, glass,plastic and tins in the correct bag (which my 3 year old even understands!) and plonk it outside every fortnight! I really hope government can get more strict on this recycling issue, it really bothers me.
Anyway rant over!

Have a good Tuesday!

My Collections:

I have stumbled upon a new meme which I am very pleased to get stuck into every fortnight. This meme is called The 'Writing Workshop' by Sleep Is For The Weak which looks a lot of fun.

I'm from a long line of collectors. My Gran collects crystals. She has all sorts dotted about the place and I find her home a very calming place to be. My Mother has collected teapots for as long as I can remember. In fact she has so many that now her teapots are the homes of some rather lovely flowers placed in her courtyard. I notice how she has placed them near the window so as to not feel she has banished them from her collections!
My Dad collects guitars. It started off with a couple of them in their cases, sat abandoned in the corner of his bedroom. One day a couple of years ago he decided to pick them up again and now he has a little row if guitars standing proudly on their stands waiting to be played...

I collect memories. I used to collect stamps, I collected thimbles many years ago but they went to the charity shop when I was 14. Then there are my diaries. I have tonnes of diaries from when I was 10 up till now. I love writing, and what is better than writing about my day, about getting out my thoughts, venting my anger and frustrations?

Something I have always done and will continue to do, especially for my children, are memory boxes. My box is a documents box I bought from W H Smiths at the beginning of the year. Before then it has been several shoe boxes and once I managed to cram everything into a tiny thing, I'm not sure I know how I did that looking at the picture I took tonight!
Little Miss's Box happens to be a very good size and already near the top and she's only 3 and a half! Her box had my artificial flowers in that I am using for my wedding.
Mr's box is a simple shoe box, nice and big as Other Half has size 13 feet!

My special box of memories

Little Man's Box

Little Miss's Memories

As you can see the children have their tiny baby suits which always make you gasp 'You couldn't have once fitted in that?' they have their Christening candles,tiny nappies and cards from their birth. The collection for both continue to grow.
My memory box has tickets from travels, receipts I have kept,photos of me when I was a child, my friends from school, letters my best friend and I exchanged between classes,art I drew,stamps I collected and much more. I love occasionally going through my memory box and  being instantly transported into my past just by reading a sentence or looking at a picture where you can remember exactly where you were when you drew it. It's a wonderful feeling.

These days I also collect postcards. I think they're great and pick one up when ever I go to a different place. Other people also buy me them. My mum came to mine the other week with 2 postcards. One was a lovely one from her recent trip to Devon to see her Brother. The other was one her work colleague had given her whilst away on her trip to Greece! How thoughtful.

A couple of favourites

Cupcake Mummax