I recently had a long conversation about being frugal with my partner when I was in Los Angeles. The dialogue spanned the gamut of ideas and things we could each do to cut down on waste and save some money in the process. Packing lunches, spending less on entertainment, and enjoying the company of others (a free activity) dominated the list. Then, the conversation turned to ways that I frugally make money.
She had long noticed I kept different piles in the recycling, and assumed that I sorted it. In a way, she was right – I did sort it. I told her the purpose was to take advantage of Iowa’s bottle deposit/refund of five cents for each one.
Her grin turned to a smirk and then to a chuckle and then into uncontrollable laughter. “You’re really saving the cans for the bottle deposit?” She said. In that moment I wondered who was the crazy one. How could she pass up five cents? Why wouldn’t I try and get that refund? I get money back and recycle in the process! I began to explain how I had grabbed cans from classmates and out of trash cans to get the bottle deposit when I was at school, too.
This was when I realized: I’m insane. Here I am spending precious time in my life – collecting cans. I get paid about $20-25 an hour at work, and I’m grabbing cans from people and places for five cents. It would take 400 cans to equate to my one hour of work. The math wasn’t adding up.
Sometimes it takes a mirror to realize how comical you look. 400 cans would easily take hours of time to collect, and then I’d be stuck transporting them to a designated refund location. Again, the math didn’t add up in time or money. Here I was trying to be frugal, but between the loss of time and the harm on the environment of driving to a collection facility, it was undermining my ambitions.
There are better ways to make five cents. Frugaling means more than scavenging for cans, doesn’t it?
But some habits die hard… As I flew back from Los Angeles to podunk Iowa, the stewardess handed me a full can of orange juice. As I poured the cold beverage into my single-serve cup, I wondered whether I should save the can. It’s worth five cents. Every little bit counts, right?
Looks like I can’t comment on the checking account post anymore, but I want to do it here:
One thing you didn’t mention about online banks is whether they’re FDIC insured. The maximum amount one can have insured tends to not matter to those of us who don’t have 100K or more in savings, but in an era where banks actually do require bailout from the federal government, you don’t want to lose your money because your bank was irresponsible. As much as I hate the “free” coffee that’s not so free and all of the fees, I may not be alone in thinking that “standard” banks are possibly more credible. Even when they roll over and need rescuing.
Or maybe it’s this attitude that “eh, the government will save me” that causes poor investing on the part of banks in the first place?
I appreciate your ideas both on being frugal, and on being green. Actually, you are with the majority on this one, because the redemption rate for containers in Iowa is 86%. Because of the bottle bill, deposit containers are recycled at a rate nearly triple that of states without a deposit program. Deposit programs also net much higher quality material than other recycling programs because the material streams are kept separate. This is especially important with glass, but also important with plastic and metals. Most folks return containers while they’re already going by the redemption center, so it should be a combined, not wasted, trip. If you don’t feel it’s worthwhile to return them, many organizations, scouts, little league, schools, etc…would be glad to take your containers. It’s a great way for kids to learn to do some work, earn some money, and do the right thing for the environment. Bottle bills are the most effective way to increase recycling and reduce litter, these programs are in place around the world because they work. In the US, ten states have deposit programs, and these states recycle more containers than the other 40 states combined! More info at bottlebill.org
Steve,
Thank you for your comment and researched information. I, too, believe that bottle deposits are an important part of recycling.
I’ll look forward to your continued comments and feedback.
All the best,
-Sam
P.S. Haven’t stopped searching cans, yet.
Well I do not go out of my way to collect cans, but I do save my beer cans and coke cans .Why wouldn’t you .