Five Dollar Decor - Cardboard

Today, I'd like to talk about cardboard.

Mr. Scrimp and I have an entire closet that is filled from top to bottom with cardboard boxes from moving. We can't bring ourselves to throw them away (I have packrat tendencies). After all, the cardboard is perfectly good, and if we don't use it for a project, we'll need it again eventually anyway.

Well, I think it's time to break into the closet, because I've put together a list of some really great ways to use cardboard in your home.

Most of these involve a fair amount of DIY effort from you, but if you're like me, cardboard is going to cost you nothing because you have already accumulated so darn much of it. So it's a fair trade-off, I think.

Unpackaged, London

So I got a link today to an article about a small grocery shop in London that doesn't sell packaged food. Just about everything they have is sold in bulk, and customers are responsible for bringing their own packaging, eliminating waste and long-term plastic storage of food. This is brilliant, and I desperately want a store like this to open here in Ohio so that I can shop there.

In the world of my daydreams, someday shopping will universally go back to this--recognizable food, sans plastic or styrofoam, that you can buy in exactly the increments you need, no more, no less, from a small store.

Totally apart from whether hardcore environmentalists have got it right, it seems to me that this is just a more desireable way to live, and it's what really lies behind the Scrimpalicious ethos. I have no problem with home-processed, dried, frozen, or otherwise stored food, but it's time to do away with all of this fake, processed stuff, wrapped in plastic, sterilized, and totally disconnected from its source.

You can read the full article about Unpackaged and see more photos at the Inhabitat website.

My Nemesis

I hate wearing pantyhose. Still, sometimes there just isn't another option, so I sigh and pick up a pair at the store, and wear them once or twice. Maybe they get a run. Maybe they don't. Maybe they accidentally end up going into the dryer and turning into a mess of horrible static. Maybe I just get sick of them and throw them away.

From  now on, though, I think I'm going to try and use them around the house. WiseBread put together a list of 20 money-saving ways to reuse old pantyhose and I'm going to give it a shot. I feel guilty throwing anything away when I can still get good use out of it, even if that use has no connection to the item's original purpose.

Not Just Commercialism?

The newest issue of Martha Stewart Living arrived in our mailbox a few days ago. This being the middle of January, it is covered with hearts and chocolate and full of things that won't be relevant for another month. The problem with getting Martha Stewart Living is that is sometimes tricks my brain into believing that time is moving faster than it really is.

Still, it got me thinking--Mr. Scrimp doesn't particularly like or see the point of Valentine's day. He views it as being more or less completely commercial, all about spending money, and I think he's vaguely offended by the idea that there is one day where he is supposed to love me more or be somehow more demonstrative and romantic than he is the rest of the time. I get the distinct impression that he resents that.

I, on the other hand, love Valentine's day. In my family, we celebrated it as a family holiday, with small gifts, exchanging cards, a special, traditional Valentine's day breakfast, and decorations. It never occurred to me that Valentine's day was a commercial holiday. In my mind, Valentine's day is to love--and not just love of your significant other, but love of all the people in your life--as Christmas is to generosity. We're supposed to be that way every day, but it's good to have one day set aside every year in which to be reminded that we're supposed to be that way every day.

Plus, I like to get flowers.

This year will be our first married Valentine's day, and only our second Valentine's day ever, and I'm not sure exactly how it's going to go. We didn't really do much for it last year. Mr. Scrimp has always viewed it as a strictly romantic holiday, but I don't see it quite like that. To me, it involves romance sometimes, but really it's just about remembering to affirm your love for people around you who are meaningful to you, no matter who they are.

One of the questions I try to ask myself a lot these days is, why are we doing this? A lot of times the answers are manifold. Do you celebrate Valentine's day? Why, or why not?