Waste Not Want Not

Somewhere along the way I picked up an aversion to waste. If I can recycle it or give it to Goodwill, then I feel much better about getting rid of stuff. What this means is that often there are stacks of magazines waiting to be recycled or piles of stuff kicking around in the trunk that need to be dropped off. When it comes to food, I'm one of those people who feels a need to finish that last bite even if I'm stuffed, because I can't let anything go to waste.

Bananas are my biggest struggle. I like my bananas just a shade softer than crunchy, but as soon as they start to develop brown spots, I can't eat them anymore, unless I turn them into something else. So, in an effort to not waste a single banana, I started using them to make banana bread or banana bars, but really that's a last resort because often I don't have the time to do anything with bananas within the first few days that they've become ripe. I used to extend their life by putting them in the freezer, but then I started noticing that my freezer was filling up with bananas. I also started buying fewer bananas to make sure that we could eat them before they become soft and squishy.

But my efforts at conservation backfired on me. It seems that my strategy to avoid waste has only encouraged it. Last week, I said to Dan, "Hey, why don't you have a banana for breakfast?"

"Nah, I don't think so," he said. "Because if I eat all the bananas, then you won't make banana bars." I guess I'm just going to have to start buying fewer bananas, but for now I'm off to make banana bars. Seems like I hear a bell ringing.