Author Topic: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)  (Read 5086901 times)

Megma

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 744
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1100 on: March 16, 2015, 09:23:44 PM »
I've had a $20 gift card to target for at least 3 months and it still has money on it, I think around $8 but I have nothing I want to buy there...it was free from my credit card rewards. I suppose I could buy groceries but Aldi is across the street and food is cheaper there....

I go so long between Target visits that I forget I have GCs hanging out in my wallet. Went there for some household basics last weekend (laundry detergent, dishwashing powder, etc.) and completely forgot I had a GC.

That's what I get for not getting excited about shopping anymore :)

I used to have this problem. Then I started putting a sticky note on the cc that I would normally use at Target, reminding me that I have a Target gc.

That's why I normally just get Amazon gift cards, they ship to my house do free and remember that I have a gift card for me. This is what I get for trying to mix it up!
« Last Edit: March 16, 2015, 09:27:00 PM by Megma »

dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9918
  • Registered member
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1101 on: March 17, 2015, 12:00:37 AM »
I just got the alert for the 3-month, 4,000 mile service on my car.

My car has 700 miles on it.

But I think to keep the warranty I still have to take it in :(
What the hell do you need a check for after 3 month? cheking the cooling water? If the windows are still clean?

Yeah. I'm calling to find out if it is warranty required.  Because BS. 

(And yeah, I know a new car isn't really mustachian. But I kept my last car for 14 years and plan to do the same for this one.  I wanted something shiny.)

You don't have to take it in.  You just have to show that you did the required service.  For example, buy the oil and a filter.  Keep the receipt.  After the warranty period is over, you may have enough oil and filters in your garage to last a decade.  But that's none of my business.

Le Barbu

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1058
  • Age: 52
  • Location: Québec
  • I really didn’t say everything I said - Y. B.
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1102 on: March 18, 2015, 06:10:51 AM »
Buying a car under warranty? hum, I tought most of those last for 3-5 years...

I'm a red panda

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8186
  • Location: United States
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1103 on: March 18, 2015, 07:20:12 AM »
Buying a car under warranty? hum, I tought most of those last for 3-5 years...

It's a brand new car, and it was paid for in cash.  Everyone has their exceptions.

Used cars in this area are way over priced. And I was unable to find one that had specific safety features I required.

And this way I can go another 10-15 years without the hassle of shopping for a car.

DeepEllumStache

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4133
  • I came, I saw, I made it awkward
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1104 on: March 18, 2015, 07:41:03 AM »
Buying a car under warranty? hum, I tought most of those last for 3-5 years...

It's a brand new car, and it was paid for in cash.  Everyone has their exceptions.

Used cars in this area are way over priced. And I was unable to find one that had specific safety features I required.

And this way I can go another 10-15 years without the hassle of shopping for a car.

Mustachian problem - you bought a new car either before you converted to MMM and don't see the purpose in selling since the market isn't right for it or you bought a new car after converting to MMM because of the economics/features issues.

This is the only place where you'd have to justify owning a car you bought new - "I paid cash", "I had the last one for 15 years and I'll have this one for 15+ too.", "It's a manual and gets great mileage"

Completely feel you iowajes.

I'm a red panda

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8186
  • Location: United States
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1105 on: March 18, 2015, 08:02:39 AM »
This is the only place where you'd have to justify owning a car you bought new - "I paid cash", "I had the last one for 15 years and I'll have this one for 15+ too.", "It's a manual and gets great mileage"


So true. Guess that's a mustachian problem too.  Have to defend myself for a totally reasonable purchase :)

Our insurance company actually called yesterday to make sure we really do drive less than 10,000 miles a year, or if the policy needs to be updated to reflect our actual driving.  Based on 3 months 700 miles, I'm on track to be less than 3,000 miles this year...  To bad there is no rate drop for that.

DeepEllumStache

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4133
  • I came, I saw, I made it awkward
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1106 on: March 18, 2015, 08:29:47 AM »
This is the only place where you'd have to justify owning a car you bought new - "I paid cash", "I had the last one for 15 years and I'll have this one for 15+ too.", "It's a manual and gets great mileage"


So true. Guess that's a mustachian problem too.  Have to defend myself for a totally reasonable purchase :)

Our insurance company actually called yesterday to make sure we really do drive less than 10,000 miles a year, or if the policy needs to be updated to reflect our actual driving.  Based on 3 months 700 miles, I'm on track to be less than 3,000 miles this year...  To bad there is no rate drop for that.

Another Mustachian problem...

immocardo

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 54
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1107 on: March 18, 2015, 08:42:22 AM »
My mustachian problem is that I love keeping track of everything I'm spending/investing and putting it all into fancy detailed spreadsheets.

Problem is, outside of weekly groceries everything is pretty much automated :(

johnny847

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3188
    • My Blog
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1108 on: March 21, 2015, 04:23:57 PM »
My friend asked me for a ride yesterday. This is the first time anybody's asked me for a ride since I got my car.

I wanted to give him one, but my car's got a dead battery (needs to be replaced, it's about six years old now). It died sometime in February. I only noticed this when I wanted to drive on 2/28, and it wouldn't start.

The problem is because I have virtually no need for my car anymore (I'm contemplating getting rid of it), I'm not motivated to replace the damn battery.

I'm sure I'll get it fixed sometime....might take another month =P

horsepoor

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3497
  • Location: At the Barn
  • That old chestnut.
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1109 on: March 21, 2015, 10:20:58 PM »
Iowajes, I have the same issue with my car.  It's a Honda, and I've been driving it about 8,000 miles per year.  The dealer said it was fine to do the oil changes every 5,000 miles so I do less than 2x/year; I doubt they'd count it by time between changes for warranty purposes, but I've read that at least 1x/year is a good idea.

By the time we get around to thinking about going out to a restaurant, all of the restaurant coupons we've clipped and stuck to the fridge have expired. 

Tried to splurge on a nice bottle of Pinot Noir... and don't find it any better than Bota boxed wine, but do resent that it's like $3/glass instead of $1.


1967mama

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2164
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Canada
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1110 on: March 22, 2015, 03:24:00 AM »
Chai tea that husband bought me as a surprise was a total disappointment ... my homemade chai is way, way better. I didn't tell him that, though .. didn't want to hurt his feelings :-/

Adventure Chick

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 17
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1111 on: March 22, 2015, 06:38:23 AM »
Problem: When you walk past a shop full of crap (gift shops, decor stores, etc) and think wow -- there wouldn't be a single thing in there that I would want for free! ...and then think about how sad that it's able to stay in business for so long.

Malaysia41

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3311
  • Age: 51
  • Location: Verona, Italy
    • My mmm journal
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1112 on: March 22, 2015, 07:42:04 AM »
My mustachian problem is that I love keeping track of everything I'm spending/investing and putting it all into fancy detailed spreadsheets.

Problem is, outside of weekly groceries everything is pretty much automated :(
LOL

boarder42

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9332
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1113 on: March 22, 2015, 07:56:20 AM »
I save so much money, I have to use taxable accounts.

Haha awesome. Same problem here

ria1024

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 19
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1114 on: March 22, 2015, 10:09:13 AM »
Even though I am front loading my 401k and have various other deductions from my paycheck, I still have too much money accumulating in my checking account.

My roommate/ tenant asks me every week if I need something from the grocery or if I want a ride because she can't fathom that I would prefer to walk a mile.

I have given myself a $10 a week budget for eating lunch out of the office. Despite there being 10+ food trucks and 50+ restaurants in the area I can't think of something I want.

My aunts and uncles get upset every year when I can't think of gift requests.

I've started keeping a running private wishlist on Amazon of things which I want for my favorite hobbies (mostly gardening) and home repair projects.  It's things which I look at and go "that would be nice, but I could make do with what I have now / I could make one cheaper".  Then, when it's birthday or Christmas time, I just go through and move some of them over to my public wishlist.  The Christmas haul this year included:
  • a plastic tool for marking where to plant seeds in the garden (it will be faster than a ruler, and sturdier than the wood version I've been meaning to make for 3 years)
  • a nice LED grow light for my plants (too expensive for me to just buy it)
  • bike hanging things so that the bikes don't take up garage floor space anymore (would have bought them in the spring anyhow)
  • a shelf to go over the toilet in our bathroom (it's nice to have more storage space)

2ndTimer

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4607
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1115 on: March 22, 2015, 11:05:40 AM »
Used some fancy pre-mustachian cooking sauce on my pork roast the other day.  Not nearly as good as the sauce I make from scratch.  Gotta use it up though.

1967mama

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2164
  • Age: 57
  • Location: Canada
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1116 on: March 22, 2015, 11:18:44 AM »

I've started keeping a running private wishlist on Amazon of things which I want for my favorite hobbies (mostly gardening) and home repair projects.  It's things which I look at and go "that would be nice, but I could make do with what I have now / I could make one cheaper".  Then, when it's birthday or Christmas time, I just go through and move some of them over to my public wishlist. \

This is a GREAT idea, @ria1024! Thanks for posting!

caliq

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 675
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1117 on: March 22, 2015, 04:23:15 PM »
I did too much bulk cooking trying to use up a ton of stuff we've had around the house forever and just had to spend 10 minutes rearranging my freezer...there's still two things in the oven and I'm not sure how I'm going to fit everything!

Edit: Oh crap, and something in the crock pot...
« Last Edit: March 22, 2015, 04:25:22 PM by caliq »

Sunnymo

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 103
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1118 on: March 22, 2015, 05:06:40 PM »
I did too much bulk cooking trying to use up a ton of stuff we've had around the house forever and just had to spend 10 minutes rearranging my freezer...there's still two things in the oven and I'm not sure how I'm going to fit everything!

Edit: Oh crap, and something in the crock pot...

I have done this recently too. I call the resulting activity 'freezer Tetris'. I made some satay chicken and bulked it up with extra veges to clear out the pantry and then ended up with seven servings to try and squeeze in to the already full freezer.

KiwiMust

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 24
  • Age: 2019
  • Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1119 on: March 22, 2015, 05:40:19 PM »
I won a $500 Westfield voucher, thought I could buy some new clothes without guilt, also had a free styling session. Got some ideas from the styling session, but thought I could get the same look with items already in my wardrobe. Following the styling session I wandered around the mall for an hour, nothing appealed, left empty handed. Guess I will end up using it on groceries.

caliq

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 675
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1120 on: March 22, 2015, 06:27:04 PM »
I did too much bulk cooking trying to use up a ton of stuff we've had around the house forever and just had to spend 10 minutes rearranging my freezer...there's still two things in the oven and I'm not sure how I'm going to fit everything!

Edit: Oh crap, and something in the crock pot...

I have done this recently too. I call the resulting activity 'freezer Tetris'. I made some satay chicken and bulked it up with extra veges to clear out the pantry and then ended up with seven servings to try and squeeze in to the already full freezer.

Haha, I call it freezer Tetris too!  It's a good thing I used up 90% of our frozen raw foods (chicken, beef, veggies, etc) and freed up all that space, because if I hadn't, I would have counteracted my money-saving activities by having to give away the food I made.   It's not good to want but I am considering a chest freezer...I'd like to be able to buy quarter or half cows and other bulk meat products, and we could never fit that in our normal fridge/freezer combo.

ria1024

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 19
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1121 on: March 22, 2015, 07:11:27 PM »

Haha, I call it freezer Tetris too!  It's a good thing I used up 90% of our frozen raw foods (chicken, beef, veggies, etc) and freed up all that space, because if I hadn't, I would have counteracted my money-saving activities by having to give away the food I made.   It's not good to want but I am considering a chest freezer...I'd like to be able to buy quarter or half cows and other bulk meat products, and we could never fit that in our normal fridge/freezer combo.

I have to say, I love my chest freezer!  It's much more energy efficient than an upright, and it lets me make major bulk purchases and save garden produce, as well as doing large batches of soup and ready-to-eat food.  I figure that the cash saved by always having a frozen soup available for work lunches and dinner when I don't want to cook has more than payed for it.

If you want to get crazy mustachian, I've heard of people who don't pay for a fridge - they just have a chest freezer and a cooler, and use the chest freezer to freeze half gallon jugs for cooler ice.

Daisy

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2263
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1122 on: March 22, 2015, 09:27:15 PM »
I did too much bulk cooking trying to use up a ton of stuff we've had around the house forever and just had to spend 10 minutes rearranging my freezer...there's still two things in the oven and I'm not sure how I'm going to fit everything!

Edit: Oh crap, and something in the crock pot...

I have done this recently too. I call the resulting activity 'freezer Tetris'. I made some satay chicken and bulked it up with extra veges to clear out the pantry and then ended up with seven servings to try and squeeze in to the already full freezer.

Haha, I call it freezer Tetris too!  It's a good thing I used up 90% of our frozen raw foods (chicken, beef, veggies, etc) and freed up all that space, because if I hadn't, I would have counteracted my money-saving activities by having to give away the food I made.   It's not good to want but I am considering a chest freezer...I'd like to be able to buy quarter or half cows and other bulk meat products, and we could never fit that in our normal fridge/freezer combo.

+2

Never used the term before, but I have played freezer tetris. Entering my vocabulary as of now...

DesireeD

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 79
  • Age: 52
  • Location: Pacific NW
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1123 on: March 22, 2015, 09:49:08 PM »
So I googled the efficiency of just having a chest freezer and using it to make jugs of ice for a cooler, and I would come out way ahead in reducing energy cost, plus I would have much more space to store frozen food! Thanks for the great mustachian idea! I so love this forum!

dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9918
  • Registered member
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1124 on: March 22, 2015, 10:12:04 PM »
Shouldn't a chest refrigerator work just as well or better than a chest freezer+cooler?  Basically the kegerator concept.

johnny847

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3188
    • My Blog
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1125 on: March 22, 2015, 10:18:34 PM »
Shouldn't a chest refrigerator work just as well or better than a chest freezer+cooler?  Basically the kegerator concept.

I only just started reading into this, but isn't the problem that you want to maintain two different temperatures, one for frozen items and one for general food?

EmEmEm

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 22
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1126 on: March 22, 2015, 10:43:36 PM »
I did too much bulk cooking trying to use up a ton of stuff we've had around the house forever and just had to spend 10 minutes rearranging my freezer...there's still two things in the oven and I'm not sure how I'm going to fit everything!

Edit: Oh crap, and something in the crock pot...

I have done this recently too. I call the resulting activity 'freezer Tetris'. I made some satay chicken and bulked it up with extra veges to clear out the pantry and then ended up with seven servings to try and squeeze in to the already full freezer.

Solution to "freezer Tetris"... freeze your meals in ziplock bags, laying flat. Then you can stack them on top of each other & fit a heap more than using containers.

johnny847

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3188
    • My Blog
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1127 on: March 22, 2015, 11:08:43 PM »
I did too much bulk cooking trying to use up a ton of stuff we've had around the house forever and just had to spend 10 minutes rearranging my freezer...there's still two things in the oven and I'm not sure how I'm going to fit everything!

Edit: Oh crap, and something in the crock pot...

I have done this recently too. I call the resulting activity 'freezer Tetris'. I made some satay chicken and bulked it up with extra veges to clear out the pantry and then ended up with seven servings to try and squeeze in to the already full freezer.

Solution to "freezer Tetris"... freeze your meals in ziplock bags, laying flat. Then you can stack them on top of each other & fit a heap more than using containers.

Yup, definitely makes for more space.
If your meat isn't chunky, one word of caution: If you put ziploc bags at the bottom of a "wire" shelf, put a piece of cardboard or something underneath. The first time I froze meat like that I didn't do this. Unfortunately, the meat froze around the shelf itself. I had to remove the shelf and wait for it to thaw enough to get the meat off the shelf.
By wire shelf I mean something like http://www.dappz.com/5303282284-oem

11ducks

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 573
  • Location: Duckville, Australia
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1128 on: March 23, 2015, 12:29:14 AM »
Haha, my old freezer would ice up like mad, and anything you put on the bottom shelf would eventually be engulfed in the growing iceberg that was the bottom 4 inches of my freezer.

caliq

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 675
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1129 on: March 23, 2015, 06:06:14 AM »
These are great suggestions!  I do freeze as much as possible in ziploc bags, I just made like 6 or 8 meals with 10+ servings each! :D   Plus a big motivator for freezing meals, at least for me, is the convenience factor of just popping something in the microwave for lunch at work or in the oven for dinner -- so I kind of rotate glass containers, if that makes sense, for work lunches, and then a lot of the dinners end up half cooked (ie. only oven left to do) and in the disposable metal pans (which I do try to re-use, but DH is stupid about it). 

DH is also not very mustachian and the idea of only having a chest freezer and using a cooler for a fridge would likely prompt hysterical laughing :(

Roots&Wings

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1555
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1130 on: March 23, 2015, 06:43:35 AM »
I did too much bulk cooking trying to use up a ton of stuff we've had around the house forever and just had to spend 10 minutes rearranging my freezer...there's still two things in the oven and I'm not sure how I'm going to fit everything!

Edit: Oh crap, and something in the crock pot...

I have done this recently too. I call the resulting activity 'freezer Tetris'. I made some satay chicken and bulked it up with extra veges to clear out the pantry and then ended up with seven servings to try and squeeze in to the already full freezer.

Solution to "freezer Tetris"... freeze your meals in ziplock bags, laying flat. Then you can stack them on top of each other & fit a heap more than using containers.

Great idea, though I'd go insane trying to wash/reuse those ziplock baggies!  Containers can easily go in the dishwasher, plus "freezer Tetris" is kinda fun :)

ria1024

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 19
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1131 on: March 23, 2015, 06:44:16 AM »
DH is also not very mustachian and the idea of only having a chest freezer and using a cooler for a fridge would likely prompt hysterical laughing :(

You'll notice I said that I'd heard of people doing it, not that we've actually implemented it in my household . . . I'm not going to try to negotiate that one anytime soon.  My big goal for this year is to switch him over to line drying, possibly by just taking over the household laundry and doing it all myself for a while until he gets used to the idea.

Daisy

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2263
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1132 on: March 23, 2015, 08:34:49 PM »
These are great suggestions!  I do freeze as much as possible in ziploc bags, I just made like 6 or 8 meals with 10+ servings each! :D   Plus a big motivator for freezing meals, at least for me, is the convenience factor of just popping something in the microwave for lunch at work or in the oven for dinner -- so I kind of rotate glass containers, if that makes sense, for work lunches, and then a lot of the dinners end up half cooked (ie. only oven left to do) and in the disposable metal pans (which I do try to re-use, but DH is stupid about it). 

DH is also not very mustachian and the idea of only having a chest freezer and using a cooler for a fridge would likely prompt hysterical laughing :(

I use glass Pyrex containers mostly in the freezer. Mostly for convenience reasons (easy to plop in oven to heat up), but also for environmental reasons. A lot of waste can be created by using Ziploc bags. But for some things, such as veggie burgers or fritters, ziplocs work well.

dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9918
  • Registered member
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1133 on: March 23, 2015, 11:22:10 PM »
These are great suggestions!  I do freeze as much as possible in ziploc bags, I just made like 6 or 8 meals with 10+ servings each! :D   Plus a big motivator for freezing meals, at least for me, is the convenience factor of just popping something in the microwave for lunch at work or in the oven for dinner -- so I kind of rotate glass containers, if that makes sense, for work lunches, and then a lot of the dinners end up half cooked (ie. only oven left to do) and in the disposable metal pans (which I do try to re-use, but DH is stupid about it). 

DH is also not very mustachian and the idea of only having a chest freezer and using a cooler for a fridge would likely prompt hysterical laughing :(

I use glass Pyrex containers mostly in the freezer. Mostly for convenience reasons (easy to plop in oven to heat up), but also for environmental reasons. A lot of waste can be created by using Ziploc bags. But for some things, such as veggie burgers or fritters, ziplocs work well.

California is in a drought, so the fewer things we have to wash, the better. 

mohawkbrah

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 272
  • Age: 28
  • Location: Herefordshire, UK
  • every day they see me hustling those pennies away
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1134 on: March 25, 2015, 02:11:52 AM »
was given a £20 amazon gift voucher. struggled to find something to spend it on that was of any use
(i bought a mini doughnut maker for £19.98 , i now feel terrible)

bludreamin

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 82
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1135 on: March 25, 2015, 04:51:28 AM »
Take home paycheck keeps going down......due to increasing 401k and HSA withholdings.

Pooperman

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2880
  • Age: 34
  • Location: North Carolina
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1136 on: March 25, 2015, 05:21:27 AM »
Maxing retirement accounts leaves me with just enough to survive, but fiancée wants to do stuff (strange, I know). So now I'm trying to find ways to bring in a few hundred more a month between the two of us, because not maxing is not an option!

Gerard

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1566
  • Location: eastern canada
    • Optimacheap
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1137 on: March 25, 2015, 06:35:43 AM »
Chai tea that husband bought me as a surprise was a total disappointment ... my homemade chai is way, way better. I didn't tell him that, though .. didn't want to hurt his feelings :-/

He bought you the gift of appreciating what you have! :-)

I'm a red panda

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8186
  • Location: United States
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1138 on: March 25, 2015, 06:57:24 AM »

I use glass Pyrex containers mostly in the freezer. Mostly for convenience reasons (easy to plop in oven to heat up), but also for environmental reasons. A lot of waste can be created by using Ziploc bags. But for some things, such as veggie burgers or fritters, ziplocs work well.

California is in a drought, so the fewer things we have to wash, the better.
[/quote]

You probably use less water washing the pyrex than the manufacturing process for all the ziplock bags. 
I don't know how to determine that exactly.

johnny847

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3188
    • My Blog
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1139 on: March 25, 2015, 08:59:06 AM »

I use glass Pyrex containers mostly in the freezer. Mostly for convenience reasons (easy to plop in oven to heat up), but also for environmental reasons. A lot of waste can be created by using Ziploc bags. But for some things, such as veggie burgers or fritters, ziplocs work well.
Quote
California is in a drought, so the fewer things we have to wash, the better.

You probably use less water washing the pyrex than the manufacturing process for all the ziplock bags. 
I don't know how to determine that exactly.

If you want to add in the water use for manufacturing ziploc bags, then you have to add in the water use for manufacturing the pyrex also. That water cost should go to zero over the life of the pyrex on a per use basis, but you also have to consider that people do break the pyrex containers occasionally. The per use cost is still probably close enough to zero after taking that into account that we can still ignore it, but without knowing any of this data, we can't actually reach any conclusions.

But the notion of including the environmental cost of manufacturing something in addition to it's environmental cost is an important one. I vaguely remember a study that alleged that at the time the study was published, the then current hybrid cars were so much more environmentally costly to manufacture that you could not recoup that cost over the expected lifetime of the vehicle, meaning it was actually more environmentally friendly to just buy a gasoline powered car.
However, I can't seem to find this study. I also remember seeing a couple months later a study that contradicted these findings. It all depends on how they model this data.

There have been studies on this for solar panels too.

KithKanan

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 11
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1140 on: March 25, 2015, 12:03:55 PM »
California is in a drought, so the fewer things we have to wash, the better.

You probably use less water washing the pyrex than the manufacturing process for all the ziplock bags. 
I don't know how to determine that exactly.

The ziplock bags are likely manufactured elsewhere (possibly somewhere with no water supply issues). The concern in this case isn't minimizing global water use so much as preserving extremely limited local water supply.

dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9918
  • Registered member
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1141 on: March 25, 2015, 12:53:29 PM »
California is in a drought, so the fewer things we have to wash, the better.

You probably use less water washing the pyrex than the manufacturing process for all the ziplock bags. 
I don't know how to determine that exactly.

The ziplock bags are likely manufactured elsewhere (possibly somewhere with no water supply issues). The concern in this case isn't minimizing global water use so much as preserving extremely limited local water supply.

Yep.  I was joking, but my point was "that's someone else's problem."  We use few enough plates that we usually have some empty space in the dishwasher before it starts to get really nasty and need to be run.  So throwing a couple extra containers in the dishwasher doesn't consume any more water.
« Last Edit: March 25, 2015, 12:55:03 PM by dragoncar »

KithKanan

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 11
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1142 on: March 25, 2015, 01:54:57 PM »
California is in a drought, so the fewer things we have to wash, the better.

You probably use less water washing the pyrex than the manufacturing process for all the ziplock bags. 
I don't know how to determine that exactly.

The ziplock bags are likely manufactured elsewhere (possibly somewhere with no water supply issues). The concern in this case isn't minimizing global water use so much as preserving extremely limited local water supply.

Yep.  I was joking, but my point was "that's someone else's problem."  We use few enough plates that we usually have some empty space in the dishwasher before it starts to get really nasty and need to be run.  So throwing a couple extra containers in the dishwasher doesn't consume any more water.

Fair enough. I hadn't really considered the effect of a dishwasher on the water use, since I don't have one.

Daisy

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2263
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1143 on: March 25, 2015, 09:20:09 PM »
Interesting discussion on the environmental benefits of Pyrex vs Ziploc. I guess I was more focused on the waste created by throwing away single use ziplocs. There's definitely an argument to be made either way.

BTW, I've never broken a Pyrex container. They seem to be indestructible. A couple have fallen and just roll around and don't break.

There's also a food snobbery aspect to this all when I first switched from plastic containers to Pyrex. I couldn't stand the infinitisemal amount of plastic taste that creeped into my food when heated in plastic containers, but I am picky in that way.

I just thought about the water issue a little more and realized when freezing in ziplocs the food eventually needs to be reheated in another container that would need to be washed anyways. Maybe Pyrex does win after all. Unless you are using disposable plates which would be even more waste. Altough many times I freeze 2-3 portions in one Pyrex container and then transfer to an individual plate for reheating and/or serving.
« Last Edit: March 25, 2015, 09:22:24 PM by Daisy »

innkeeper77

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 357
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1144 on: March 25, 2015, 10:34:32 PM »
We use both pyrex and ziplock- and we use each ziplock 4-10 times before throwing it away. (6 average- roughly) They usually don't take much water to clean, and we are in Colorado so water use is somewhat of a concern. I wonder how the math works out in this case..

Bracken_Joy

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8927
  • Location: Oregon
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1145 on: March 26, 2015, 07:58:11 AM »
Another aspect to the ziploc vs pyrex debate: what will you use, and how does the offset environmental cost? For example, if you'll use single use ziploc and throw them away, but that means you eat absolutely no processed foods and can buy your foods not in plastic containers and throw that away, does that offset the ziploc? (Ie, if you were going to eat steam-in-bag veggies, but then you buy fresh veggies and use a ziploc instead, does that offset the ziploc?)

dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9918
  • Registered member
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1146 on: March 26, 2015, 11:25:26 AM »
Another aspect to the ziploc vs pyrex debate: what will you use, and how does the offset environmental cost? For example, if you'll use single use ziploc and throw them away, but that means you eat absolutely no processed foods and can buy your foods not in plastic containers and throw that away, does that offset the ziploc? (Ie, if you were going to eat steam-in-bag veggies, but then you buy fresh veggies and use a ziploc instead, does that offset the ziploc?)

Interesting... Some stuff I definitely use ziplock for.  I usually buy cheese in bulk and split it into portions in plastic bag, which I vaccum seal.  I don't reuse these bags because cleaning cheese out is way more than a simple rinse, and I find it increases chances of mold.  I guess I could use Saran Wrap too.  But overall I think I'm coming out ahead vs buying smaller resealable cheese packages

Prairie Stash

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1795
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1147 on: March 26, 2015, 01:51:42 PM »
http://users.humboldt.edu/afolkerts/project_folkerts.html

It's an overly simplified analysis of Ziploc bags vs. reusable sandwich bags. To compare relative environmental friendliness of products its standard to do a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Yay science!

If you want to get people riled up start the diaper debate.

http://www.appropedia.org/Cloth_versus_disposable_diapers
http://www.pg.com/de_DE/_pdf/LCA_Publication_Dry_Max.pdf             

Notice the water usage is higher for reusable. It's a neat comparison because most people assume that reusables are always better; except perhaps where you have water shortages.

dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9918
  • Registered member
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1148 on: March 26, 2015, 03:19:28 PM »
http://users.humboldt.edu/afolkerts/project_folkerts.html

It's an overly simplified analysis of Ziploc bags vs. reusable sandwich bags. To compare relative environmental friendliness of products its standard to do a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Yay science!

If you want to get people riled up start the diaper debate.

http://www.appropedia.org/Cloth_versus_disposable_diapers
http://www.pg.com/de_DE/_pdf/LCA_Publication_Dry_Max.pdf             

Notice the water usage is higher for reusable. It's a neat comparison because most people assume that reusables are always better; except perhaps where you have water shortages.

How can reusies be "100% cotton" if they include hook and loop closures, eh?

Prairie Stash

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1795
Re: Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)
« Reply #1149 on: March 26, 2015, 03:56:07 PM »
http://users.humboldt.edu/afolkerts/project_folkerts.html

It's an overly simplified analysis of Ziploc bags vs. reusable sandwich bags. To compare relative environmental friendliness of products its standard to do a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Yay science!

If you want to get people riled up start the diaper debate.

http://www.appropedia.org/Cloth_versus_disposable_diapers
http://www.pg.com/de_DE/_pdf/LCA_Publication_Dry_Max.pdf             

Notice the water usage is higher for reusable. It's a neat comparison because most people assume that reusables are always better; except perhaps where you have water shortages.

How can reusies be "100% cotton" if they include hook and loop closures, eh?
No idea, probably some sort of conspiracy. More importantly, why would you want to put a sandwich in a bag? Subway is just around the corner; no Ziploc, no reusies and no water wasted.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!