paradigm shift

Okay, people, I know I can be annoying and slightly smug about the environmental stuff lately. Reuse, recycle, yada yada yada. And yet it has been made very clear to me lately that a lot of the stuff we throw away doesn't even make our lives easier.

I was talking to a friend of mine who is a pro mommy (2 kids, still sane). She was explaining how she has to go to several stores every week because they need groceries from Henry's and paper goods from Ralphs. No storage space=weekly trips for paper towels=Hours of Shopping!
I've always hated buying paper goods--especially because I, too, shop at your crunchy Henry's/TJ's/Jimbos locales, where the paper goods are "green" (bringing to mind Frost: "Nature's first green is gold", ie expensive). So they required an Extra Trip to Target.
Then I decided a while ago to only use cloth napkins. We have some that I treat super badly and decided I didn't care if they got stained.
Then, a few months ago, I decided not to buy paper towels, either, and just use rags. (Don't worry, we're still using toilet paper. No plans to switch just yet).
It means I don't have to go to Target very often at all.
And it occurred to me, with all the time my poor friend was spending shopping for paper goods (with two kids, it's got to be considerable) and the lack of storage space, it might make more sense for her to cut out the paper and just use cloth. When I mentioned it, she blinked, and started to agree. Even if it means an extra load of laundry a week (not having two kids, or kids that eat, I know I'm unacquainted with true Mess), it's probably still easier than a trip to the store.
I wonder whether some of these time-saving things we use really save time, after all. Even if you leave the environmental angle out, perhaps sometimes it's worth not buying stuff, if it means you don't have to shop as much.

On a similar note, I made the switch to cloth grocery bags a while ago.
I did this with much hesitation, since I have a tendency to do the idealistic thing and drive myself (and everyone else crazy).
But I hated plastic grocery bags. I knew throwing them away was BAD, but I did it anyway. There were just too many! At the grocery store, they put about one item in each bag. So you have six zillion bags. And then they have babies when you take them home! I tried to get paper, which I could at least drop in our recycling can, but it's still using trees (and I've heard, even recycled, they're not much better than plastic)
But surprise! I love my cloth grocery bags. I use them all the time, for:

1. Grocery shopping, obviously. It took a while to get used to putting them back in the car afterwards, but only a few weeks. I keep them in the back seat, next to Lucy, so I don't forget to bring them in. Every so often I forget anyway, which is a pain, but it's becoming more automatic. Big bonus: they don't fall apart, and you can sling them over your shoulder, making them easier to carry. They're a lot more comfortable to carry than paper or plastic, too.
   
2. Picking up the veggies from the CSA. I always had to remember to bring bags before. Now I don't.
3. Beach/park. Now we have easy-wash, easy-carry bags that are right there for toting whatever.
   
4. Library. God, it's lovely having bags at the library. I use one to bring in the books to drop off, while I'm browsing to hold my purse, and then to hold my books before I check out (since I get way too many).
   
5. Bringing junk in from the car. I just stuff trash into the bag and have an easy way to clean out the car in one trip.
6. Getting the mail while holding Lucy.
   
7. Generally any time I need an extra hand. Which is all the time.
   

Plus I get kind of a laugh bringing cloth bags into Target. Perhaps I should be embarrassed, bringing competitor-logoed bags (mine are from TJ's) into a store, but hey, I'm saving them money, too, right?
Anyway, I wish I had switched years ago and saved the environment all that plastic.

It sort of reminds me of our penchant for super-toxic, expensive, 'targeted' cleaning products (one product for bathroom glass! Another for kitchen windows! Another for cleaning your computer screen!). A while ago, I realized plain vinegar and water works pretty much just as well. And doesn't worry me if Lucy gets hold of the bottle. Or using a little shampoo or hand soap in my toilet to clean it, instead of trying to burninate the bacteria into oblivion. Or regular soap to clean the bathtub, while I'm sitting in it, rather than spending an hour on a Saturday with a gas mask on, trying to nuke off soap scum.

I guess sometimes "convenient" isn't really.