Disposable

What does this word mean to you? I've gotten into trouble with my family for using this word too much. I remember I was at a friend's apartment and we were talking about cleaning and she was showing off her new disposable bathroom gadget. I just innocently asked why everything had to be disposable now, what was wrong with a toilet brush you reused? I got icy stares from that one.

Another way to think of disposable is buying things that you don't take care of. I have a wonderful friend who loves thrifting, and she's amazing at it. But she treats everything she owns like crap, she says everything can be replaced for a quarter. It blew her mind when I bought something cheap and then treated it like gold. I love getting things cheap, I also like having things last a long time.

I'm not saying I reuse everything I should or could. I use disposable tissues because the idea of a hanky grosses me out, but not as much as it used to. I've been using cloth pads for a decade and used cloth diapers on my children (full disclosure my daughter has not been cloth diapered since the current living situation started). When I had my own house I used cloth napkins, and we still clean the kids up with washcloths after meals.

I think a lot these days about ways to save money. I'm trying to pay off some debt so my family can have their own space again. It seems to me, that one of the best ways is to buy good quality stuff, and less of it that will last longer. Maybe I am the crazy radical environmentalist my parents are always apologizing for.