Ridiculous

[Roses]

I haven't used paper in the kitchen for a long time. I forget paper towels exist. We use old socks and rags!

This is something I am still struggling with - I haven't figured out how to drain bacon (any cooked meat, really) on anything besides paper towels. Any suggestions?

I use tea towels for bacon.  Yes, they get grease stains on them that don't come off but that doesn't bother me.  I do wash all my kitchen towels, napkins, rags separately from our laundry otherwise our clothes will get oil/grease stains on them.  I have enough that I can wait until I have a full load to run the machine for that. 

But again, if there is something very dirty that I know is going to be a pain to clean I use my secret roll of paper towels that I keep stashed in the back of a drawer.  Like when we accidentally tracked dog poop in the house.  I think that's an ok use for them.  I go through one roll in about a year.

[Jomar]

When I finish off a 4 L jug of milk, I rinse it out, fill it water and stick it outside (in the winter) to freeze solid, then stick it in the fridge or freezer! Probably saves me a nickle a year in electricity...

[SisterX]

Lol I remember going anywhere with my grandma. At the first sign of a runny nose she would pull a Kleenex out of her pocket that was more than likely weeks old. Just get a hanky if you don't want to use paper tissues.

People talk about spending money on hankies. I have literally 2 bandanas I use for handkerchiefs. You can fold and refold them so many times that you can use like 1 a week and wash them with the rest of your laundry. (Unless you have a cold or something.)

I'm so glad somebody else uses hankies. I thought it was just my grandpa, john Wayne, and me.

I use 'em too!  I tend to have four (all bandanas--or you could even get quilting squares from the craft store and just sew around the edges) in various spots of the house so that I don't have to carry them with me all the time.  (Too big for lady pockets.)

This one doesn't save me any money (we don't pay for water) but I empty any un-drunk water over the plants.  I'm also really bad about remembering to water them on a set day, so this works to keep them alive despite my forgetfulness.  :)

For those of you who don't use plastic baggies, what do you do with leftover pizza?  That's the one thing I haven't been able to do without them for.  Sometimes we use foil but that tends to break over the edges, especially when put into a purse or bag for lunch.  I've tried putting them in cloth but the slices dry out and get all hard and unappetizing.  Anyone got a solution?  And don't say "make less pizza" because leftover pizza is a gift of the gods.

[uppy]

I haven't used paper in the kitchen for a long time. I forget paper towels exist. We use old socks and rags!

This is something I am still struggling with - I haven't figured out how to drain bacon (any cooked meat, really) on anything besides paper towels. Any suggestions?

Well if you're at all a "green" person you will have a recycle bin somewhere in your house with scraps of paper in it. I have one under the sink in the kitchen. Just go in there, grab a few pieces of scrap paper (you'll want to double them up at least) and drain your cooked bacon on them! Then you toss them (again). I've found that paper shopping bags if you have them work pretty well for this. Just like a paper plate or something.

Alternatively you can "hang" your bacon to drip. The way I do this is with chopsticks. If your pan is the right size you can put a few sticks across the top when the bacon is done and drape the bacon on them. Even better because you can save the fat for use in recipes, etc.

[Roses]

For those of you who don't use plastic baggies, what do you do with leftover pizza?  That's the one thing I haven't been able to do without them for.  Sometimes we use foil but that tends to break over the edges, especially when put into a purse or bag for lunch.  I've tried putting them in cloth but the slices dry out and get all hard and unappetizing.  Anyone got a solution?  And don't say "make less pizza" because leftover pizza is a gift of the gods.

Do you mean for the fridge or freezer?  I do freeze some things in foil but if it's just to keep in the fridge stick a plate over it!  Or put it in glass or plastic tupperware if you prefer.  My method of storing all kinds of food in the fridge is to use clear bowls with plates as lids.  I have a mismatched collection of mostly clear plates too because I like to see through them and easily identify the contents.  If things are hidden I tend to forget to use/eat them.  I've also purchased some larger dishes, like glass lasagna pans, that come with their own lids. 

[sheepstache]

For those of you who don't use plastic baggies, what do you do with leftover pizza?  That's the one thing I haven't been able to do without them for.  Sometimes we use foil but that tends to break over the edges, especially when put into a purse or bag for lunch.  I've tried putting them in cloth but the slices dry out and get all hard and unappetizing.  Anyone got a solution?  And don't say "make less pizza" because leftover pizza is a gift of the gods.

Unless you're against plastic entirely, what about putting them on a regular plate and putting plastic wrap over them?  Cheaper and less landfill use than baggies.  For carrying in a purse, I think you just need to consider pizza slice size when buying your tupperware.

[Rachelocity]

I got this from my dad, when the ketchup is low to run a tiny bit of hot water in the bottle and shake it up really good and like magic you have more ketchup.

What my mom did was to fill the almost-empty bottle 1/3 full, shake it like a Polaroid picture and use it as either a baste for roast chicken or as the foundation for sweet and sour meatball sauce. 

[galliver]

... if it's just to keep in the fridge stick a plate over it!

My family did/does this and my boyfriend thought it was weird (but clever)! Instead of transferring to tupperware, we put a plate over whatever the thing was served in and call it a day. You can even stack them! Or, if it was something on a plate, we sometimes put tupperware over it.

In my own fridge, I mostly store in tupperware, or pyrex bowls/casserole dishes that came with lids. But that's partly because (a) they're single servings packed to take to campus and (b) I have them and cook in them, so it's the obvious option.

Oh, and I throw in another vote for pizza in tupperware for transport. Sometimes I stack two slices face-to-face (top-to-top?).

[nikki]

 I cut apples around the core and freeze the core. When I have enough cores, I make applesauce.

O___O what?!

I've never heard of anyone doing this, but it seems legit. Except for apple seeds being poisonous in super large quantities?

I am intrigued...

[ginastarke]

Forgetting to send back a modem until it was too late. $100 in stupid tax, D'OH!

[TomTX]

 I cut apples around the core and freeze the core. When I have enough cores, I make applesauce.

O___O what?!

I've never heard of anyone doing this, but it seems legit. Except for apple seeds being poisonous in super large quantities?

I am intrigued...

You're eating the apple wrong.

If you eat the apple from one end to the other (instead of "around the midde") there is hardly enough core fiber to matter. Just spit out the seeds. Voila. No core to throw away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vdCGnuccRv0

Works for pears as well.

You are probably also eating the banana from the wrong end

[uppy]

 I cut apples around the core and freeze the core. When I have enough cores, I make applesauce.

O___O what?!

I've never heard of anyone doing this, but it seems legit. Except for apple seeds being poisonous in super large quantities?

I am intrigued...

You're eating the apple wrong.

If you eat the apple from one end to the other (instead of "around the midde") there is hardly enough core fiber to matter. Just spit out the seeds. Voila. No core to throw away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vdCGnuccRv0

Works for pears as well.

You are probably also eating the banana from the wrong end

I do this when I know the apple is organic, otherwise it freaks me out a little. But when I eat the core I just swallow the seeds too. :)

BUT that is a great idea about the applesauce! Does it really work?

[Hedge_87]

You can't swallow the seeds!! You'll have a tree growing inside you

[kolorado]

Unless you're against plastic entirely, what about putting them on a regular plate and putting plastic wrap over them?  Cheaper and less landfill use than baggies.

My mom uses waxed paper and makes little folded envelopes around her foods for traveling.

Oh, and draining bacon....use a cake/cookie cooling rack over a plate. The excess grease drips through and then you can just pour it off the plate.

And yes, the core applesauce works great. It may not be bright yellow like fresh applesauce since I don't treat the cores with anything, but the sauce is wonderful for baking and apple butter. I developed this trick when I notice my first child would leave a lot of apple on the core after snacking on a whole apple. I don't eat after my kids so I decided the way to conserve their waste was to get to it before they even got the apple.

[SisterX]

For those of you who don't use plastic baggies, what do you do with leftover pizza?  That's the one thing I haven't been able to do without them for.  Sometimes we use foil but that tends to break over the edges, especially when put into a purse or bag for lunch.  I've tried putting them in cloth but the slices dry out and get all hard and unappetizing.  Anyone got a solution?  And don't say "make less pizza" because leftover pizza is a gift of the gods.

Do you mean for the fridge or freezer?  I do freeze some things in foil but if it's just to keep in the fridge stick a plate over it!  Or put it in glass or plastic tupperware if you prefer.  My method of storing all kinds of food in the fridge is to use clear bowls with plates as lids.  I have a mismatched collection of mostly clear plates too because I like to see through them and easily identify the contents.  If things are hidden I tend to forget to use/eat them.  I've also purchased some larger dishes, like glass lasagna pans, that come with their own lids.

I've been trying to avoid buying anymore Pyrex storage containers, but I guess that's the best solution for this (admittedly very, very tiny, first world) problem.

Yes, I hate plastic.  I'm trying to rid our kitchen of it pretty much entirely, especially for single use items or items that will wear out with only a few uses.  Also, trying to go, if not zero waste, then as little wasteful as possible so I don't store parchment paper or waxed paper either. 

And yes, the core applesauce works great. It may not be bright yellow like fresh applesauce since I don't treat the cores with anything, but the sauce is wonderful for baking and apple butter. I developed this trick when I notice my first child would leave a lot of apple on the core after snacking on a whole apple. I don't eat after my kids so I decided the way to conserve their waste was to get to it before they even got the apple.

I'm totally trying this, starting today.  I always cut up my apples before eating them (true story, I once dislocated my jaw while eating a whole apple) so getting enough cores should be no problem.  I'll also store any pear cores we have and make pear/applesauce.  Since I have an infant at home who will be starting solid foods at some point, this is going to be an awesome (and economical) thing to feed her! 

[CommonCents]

 I cut apples around the core and freeze the core. When I have enough cores, I make applesauce.

O___O what?!

I've never heard of anyone doing this, but it seems legit. Except for apple seeds being poisonous in super large quantities?

I am intrigued...

You're eating the apple wrong.

If you eat the apple from one end to the other (instead of "around the midde") there is hardly enough core fiber to matter. Just spit out the seeds. Voila. No core to throw away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vdCGnuccRv0

Works for pears as well.

You are probably also eating the banana from the wrong end

Ha.  We are on a car trip, my mom hands out an apple apiece to us 3 kids to keep us fed and quiet.  After a bit she offers a bag to put our cores in.  We ask my little brother (~3?) for his, he hands in the stem.  And looks puzzled when we ask him what he did with the core.  We still joke about this years later.

[DollarBill]

The only thing that stands out for me is:
- Food shop at Aldi's (saves about $50 a month)
- Buy the 64 ounce bottle of hand soap to refill the soap to wash my body (Saves about $12 per bottle)
- Cut my own hair, since 2001 (Saves about $10 a week)
I mostly stick to the basics:
- Do my own maintenance on my car, house
- Only buy the necessities
 

[zinnie]

Wow, great ideas in here. I don't know if any of mine qualify as ridiculous, but I also stick the little soap slivers together and use them to wash my face at the sink. That bar keeps growing though, and eventually I think I can recycle it as body soap again. I also cut plastic containers up to get the end of whatever was in it, out. Especially for lotions and sunscreens and more expensive things. And I add water to extend things in the first place.

I haven't used ziplock bags in years except for my liquids and gels while flying; glass containers seem to work for anything I would have used a bag for. I do save the bags from the bread I buy and use them for storing lettuce and herbs. I wash the lettuce and then wrap in a cloth then bag; they last a long time in the refrigerator this way. 

We have a tankless water heater that takes a while to get hot water in the shower, we put a bucket under the faucet while we are waiting for our shower to heat up. Bucket water is used to water the garden.

I give all fruit and veggie scraps to my dogs (like apple cores and lettuce rinds), as I figure it saves money on the amount of dog food I have to buy and is good for them.

[Basenji]

But again, if there is something very dirty that I know is going to be a pain to clean I use my secret roll of paper towels that I keep stashed in the back of a drawer.  Like when we accidentally tracked dog poop in the house.  I think that's an ok use for them.  I go through one roll in about a year.

+1 we have the special, sacred paper towel roll, as well. When a paper towel is used it's to wipe something really gross, otherwise we use rags or dish towels.

Bacon can also be drained on junk mail paper slightly crumbled up to elevate the bacon above the paper. Or newspaper works too.

I cut open all my makeup and toiletries tubes, as well.

Dog toys: after going through tons of crap made in China dog toys, I took an old pair of jeans, cut them into strips, braided them, and made a pull rope. I feel silly pride when they play with it.

[galliver]

Dog toys: after going through tons of crap made in China dog toys, I took an old pair of jeans, cut them into strips, braided them, and made a pull rope. I feel silly pride when they play with it.

OMG. I have so many old jeans with so much good material (some are fixable, some aren't worth it) and my roommate's dog who does like toys but goes through them like crazy (rips 'em up). I feel like this would be a great solution! Jeans get a good use, zero sadness about her destroying the free toy, and zero regret later throwing it away since I get the benefit of space! Awesome!

[Mama Mia]

I mostly use cloth grocery bags but there are times when I have forgotten them over the years and I have a decent stash of paper bags that I also reuse for groceries.  Once the handles are shot I will cut pieces off for draining bacon.