Feelin’ Frugal: Why I use Trash Can Chapstick
I can’t stand throwing things away. Â If there is any good that can come from the item, then it must be saved from my trash can.
My mother would tell you that I have been this way since birth.  However, I think it really got serious for me when I was living in Guatemala.  The phrase “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” became a reality for me the day my host mother said she wanted my ziploc bags that I was about to throw out.
When I saw a tube of my chapstick that hubby had “borrowed” from me in our trash can, I instantly picked it up.
What!??! Â He is throwing away my chapstick??
Does he realize that this is Burt’s Bees? Â This is the good stuff!
I opened the lid to verify that the chapstick was indeed empty.
Oooohhh, Nate….
Hubby washed my chapstick. Â All of the wonderful, waxy goodness melted into an unusuable form.
But wait! Â There is a significant collection of gloss in the lid!
Will my pinky finger fit in this lid?
YES! Â Yes it will! Â SCORE!
And that, folks, is why I’ve been using chapstick out of a trash can for the last 3 months.
One reader contacted me with this great tip: If you get a paper cut put chapstick on it. Your cut will heal really quickly and will not hurt as bad. Chapstick heals cracked lips so why wouldn’t hit heal a cut?
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What crazy thing have you dug out of a trash can?
I dig paper that has only been written on one side out of the trash. It makes great scrap paper on the other side. Great for grocery lists. Those envelopes that you get in junk mail also makes great grocery lists plus you can put your coupons in the envelope to go to the store. I also use the used paper on one side to copy scrapbook layouts from the internet. Why use good paper when you have a perfectly good side on the used paper?
Kathy, I thought I was the only one who used junk envelopes for grocery lists! HAHA!
I used to be like that. But now I have so much crap in my house I need to stop saving stuff and start throwing. Declutter and reorganize. The big thing for me is, since I have so much crap, I don’t even know where to start.
And I’ve used chapstick from the washer before, except it tasted like soap, so I had to throw it out (but it was the cheap kind).
Beth, you are so right! There is a fine line between saving things from the trash and simply saving trash. It can be really hard for me to let go of things that I think I might use or should use someday. Lately, I’ve been inspired to actually get rid of things that I’m not using. I’m still using my chapstick though. 🙂
I’ve done that! we don’t use chapstick much anymore, we usually use coconut oil. I also am not good at throwing things away, but I heard on the radio that “if you might use it” that you should just throw it away because you probably won’t use it. But, it’s great to make use of those things you really will use!
Rachel, I haven’t jumped on the cocunt oil bandwagon yet. I feel a little behind! 🙂 I’m really trying hard to keep only want I will use and actually use what I have. It is an on going struggle for me!
Just wanted to say hi. I’m a blogger named Rebecca with a husband named Nate who stays at home with my three boys. Oh and I’m also willing to fish things out of the trash too!
Oh what fun, Rebecca! Welcome to Simply Rebekah! 🙂 It sounds like we might be soul mates. haha!
I usually stop thing before they go in the trash can. Why? I guess because I hate to waste and I like to save money. Is it so wrong really? My mom always looks at me like I’m crazy. I didn’t exactly grow up in a money saving or green conscious family, but some how I ended up that way wanting to give my family healthy food and get the most for my hubby and my hard earned dollar. Next great step after fishing your chapstick out of the trash can is making your own and sticking it back into the container thinggy. 🙂
Becky, I love that idea! Do you have a “recipe” for homemade chapstick?
yep, I do! I’ll have to post it soon! Better yet. Blog about it. I’ll have to let you know when I post it!
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!