The Art of Deprivation

Being frugal is one of those things that sounds good to some people but sounds really hurtful to others. I don't know where we got the attitude, but some of the people in my life act as if it would be a serious act of deprivation--I mean pain--if they had to economize a little.

I recently brought in some cake for a group meeting. I also brought plastic forks and plastic plates. It was one of those indefinable group things where you don't know if five people will show up or 25, and I was not sure what plates and forks might be available. It turns out the facility had plastic forks, did not have plates, and everybody (only 14 of us) scarfed down all of the cake.

I wash plastic forks normally. You can really use them over and over. Now some people would say that washing them defeats their purpose. They were meant to be disposable.

Same thing with the cake pan. It wasn't that expensive, maybe a buck and change, but it was perfectly serviceable.

Everything got tossed out by the people who were helping with the group. I didn't say anything, because I know they were kind enough to help me and they were just doing what they always did. It's waste in the pursuit of convenience.

The only reason I can think that people rush to dispose of things is that they perceive the act of re-use as a form of inconvenience. However, if you really do use something twice (like a cake pan), it's not nearly as inconvenient as you think. In fact, look at it this way. If I had saved the pan and washed it out, I would not be inconvenienced by having to buy another one the next time I brought cake to a meeting.

Shopping is not an inconvenience; washing is. Where did we get that idea?

Furthermore, a lot of folks consider the very art of having to wash and re-use stuff as a form of deprivation. We want to new things!

A long time ago, somebody (not me) brought this up to a mutual friend, who hooted and hollered that the "somebody" was so off his rocker that he washed plastic utensils. Although meant in good fun, the attack was so shattering that several people in the room warned me in hush tones not to ever try to re-use anything in front of this particular guy.

He felt that it was just not appropriate for people of his particular station to have to contend with such trivialities as washing and re-using items. Did he go out and buy new? Yes. That was not an inconvenience, that was suitable to his station.

Can a person slash debt by washing plastic forks? Of course not. But it's a mindset thing. The kind of person who washes and re-uses plastic forks is the kind of person who thinks boldly past issues of convenience and deprivation and values money more than her own "pride."