I think almost all of the disposable type things are a complete waste of money, and horrible for our environment. I can understand a few Clorox wipes for portability or something, but do you really need to clean your whole house with disposable wipes? Is it that hard to spray something and wipe it with a rag? I also don't understand those disposable face wash cloths. It's not that hard to use a darn washcloth to wash your face. I think a lot of "individual size" things are wasteful also. This weekend at Walmart I saw a 4 pack (or maybe 6 pack) of peanut butter in little individual cups. And they were very expensive compared to the price of a full jar. Why?? How hard is it to put a spoonful or 2 into a small Gladware container or even a Solo cup? It's peanut butter - not like it needs to be refrigerated. There are so many of these things I could go on and on about. It's a growing trend of waste, environmental damage, and laziness that seems to be growing and growing. I guess there are more and more people who have more money than time (not that these things save much, if any time). It's also creating a very lazy society by offering everything done for them. Can you tell this is a sore subject with me? I'll get off my soapbox now.

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Jennifer
dd Sarah 1/4/02
ds Brady 1/15/07

I agree that most things marketed for convience are a waste of money and not cost effective. I will buy jello and pudding cups that don't need refrigeration for snacks on the go but try really hard to avoid other "convience" or "single-serve" things. If I can find it on sale and get a great coupon so it's super cheap then I will buy some things. I will do it for the soup at hand for example if it's on sale and I have a coupon because it is the right amount for just me. If it's not on sale and/or no coupon then I'll buy the regular can and waste whatever I don't eat. I've never bought those pb and j's with the crust cut off and had a diaper genie that I got for gift but agree that it was a waste and switched to grocery sacks that are free.

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Well, as a mother of three in diapers at one point, I loved my Diaper Genie. I think it is one of the best inventions ever. I would have spent half my day running outside. As it was, it had to be emptied everyday.

I agree about the hotdogs. I saw that and thought how silly. My thing is those saran wrap covers for containers. They are expensive shower caps is all! Talk about silly.

I also think wipe warmers are a bit over the top. It cracks me up when people get those.

Okay I like the disposable baby washcloths. The lavender ones smell good, and helped to make my baby calm at nighttime when he got his bath. I don't know if I just had ghetto washcloths or what, but those things were so much softer than the cloths that I had. I don't use them anymore (DS is almost 2) but when he was younger, I did. I didn't use the whole thing though -- I cut them in half. They sudsed up really well, and held soap a lot better than baby washcloths, which are NOT soft! Maybe I have harsh water or something, but I couldn't bear to wash my son with those. He has super sensitive skin and the washcloth would scratch him. (It'd scratch me too) I don't know. Maybe I was a freak, but I loved them.

Now, I do agree that the individually wrapped hotdogs are GOOFY. My mom buys them all the time, and I just don't get it. I'm like um why do you pay that much for 8 individually wrapped hotdogs that shrink to nothing when you micro them? She told me when she freezes them, they don't stick together in a big mess. Okay.... so, buy a 5 lb package of hotdogs (for the same price as a box of the indiv. wrapped ones!), throw them in the freezer on a cookie sheet and then when they're almost frozen, chuck them into a bag.. voila -- hotdogs that don't stick together.

I know that people take advantage of modern-day conveniences for many reasons. Who am I to judge people, but some things ARE goofy. LOL

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I like the Huggies washcloths with the soap already in them. I get them very cheap at Target with coupons though or I don't buy them. I too cut them in half just like I do my Olay face cloths. My face isn't that big that I need the whole thing, just like my 15mo old isn't that big that a half size washcloth wont clean him, and they do suds up real well.

We used the Diaper Genie with my first ds but pitched it after he was out of diapers and did not want a new one with my second ds. I buy a box of 100 scented plastic diaper bags at the Dollar Store and use them, which I also use to scoop the litter box and clean up after the dog.

The wrapped hot dogs are a bit overboard! Like flybygrace said, just freeze them individually on a cookie sheet (I line it with wax paper first) and when they are frozen throw them in a freezer bag. I do this with chicken breasts and tenders and thighs too.

I have got to get to bed so I will think of some more in the morning!

Some people might not agree with me on this one... but I find to be very expensive in my area, are they trays of snack sized servings of goldfish, teddy grahams etc. I just by a big box of goldfish or crackers and divide them up into snack bags and the kids still enjoy them.

Leah

VERY true... same here. I let the kids decorate a small container w/lid (cheap tupperware) and then refill them from a big bag when they are empty. Kids love'em more than the individual ones.

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Actually I can see the point of a lot of these things - for traveling. Soap in a washcloth? Perfect when you don't want to pack baby wash and a soft cloth and you are traveling or on the road. Peanut butter? Well, I keep a few in my bag for in the car, that and a few packages of individual servings of crackers and a knife = peanut butter/jelly crackers in the car if ds is starving and we're not close to home. Sure beats stopping off at McDonalds in my book.

I agree on a daily basis most of these things are silly and wasteful, but have been invaluable to me while on the road with ds. We are on the go all the time and I like to be prepared. I only bought the premade pbj's once, we were again traveling or maybe moving... anyway IMO they were horrible (we eat wheat bread and these were white bread). There are a lot of things I do when moving or traveling I wouldn't think of using any other times!

I use alot of those wasteful individual servings. Mostly because of convience and coupons. I weigh out cost per ounce and sometime with coupon the individual is cheaper because alot of the coupons in my area target these items. I will NOT buy the hot dog and bun combos. Even I am not that lazy. I am usually in a mad dash in the morning to get me and a 6month old out the door in time and the convience items are easy to pitch into lunch bag for work. I am trying not to eat lunch at restaurants if at all possible. Great for waistline and budget. I have when cost is better for regular size item brought them home and placed into individual containers for convience as well.

I got two packs of them when my second son was born. He's so chubby that I couldn't get him in a baby tub after 2 months, so I would have to hold him in the tub with one arm and the pre-soaped washclothes made it SO nice to get him all clean while my toddler played at the other end of the tub. I would consider buying them if I have another baby but of course on sale with a coupon. Oh and I would only use them when the baby was little after they can sit up on their own I would prefer a regular cloth.

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Mommy To Brody(3 years) Mason(20 months) Orin (3 Months)

"It's easy to pass judgement, it's more difficult and more meaningful to love someone" Big Love


"Cholesterol won't stick if you have the right attitude"