Like this:

At least once a month, I gather all my recyclables together and take them to the appropriate donation centers.  I’ve done well lately and my piles of recyclables have become quite manageable.  This month, I thought I was finished when Mike asked me for the umpteenth time (more like begged) if he could please, please, please recycle all the plastic bags that had accumulated in the pantry.

Me:  “Don’t be silly.  We don’t recycle them.  For every bag of bags that I take to the thrift store, they give me a coupon for a dollar off my next purchase.”

Mike:  “And when was the last time you took bags to the thrift store?”

I had no idea.  The last time the bags had crossed my mind was in July when I took a picture of the pantry and then lost all interest in the project.

Four months later, it was worse.  No wonder Mike was complaining, there were so many bags, plastic and paper, stacked against and beside the wire shelving that they had completely blocked all the appliances stored there.

I left the paper bags and brought the plastic bags into the living room.

When Kat stopped by, I grabbed a bag for her and one for myself and down to the thrift store we went.

When we arrived, Danny, the cashier, informed us that the store had discontinued the bags for coupons policy until January 2012.

Danny suggested that I keep my stash of bags until then.  I wavered for a moment and then realized how silly it would be to even consider it.  Especially since I would have to cram them right back into the pantry from whence they came until January.

But it would be very easy for me to do and I was disappointed that I thought about it longer than I care to admit.  It bothered me enough that I took the rest of the bags down to the thrift store except for two bags that I saved for my sister-in-law (she uses them for her pets).  And when they’re gone, I don’t think that I will allow myself to keep bags anymore.  After all, they are an extreme example of my sometime questionable judgment when it comes to items that have so little value.

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