Unnecessary buying?

Question

i noticed that when my family runs out of milk they go drive off to walmart to buy just 2 cartons of milk.

i think its a waste of gasoline.

i notice that a lot of people do this, example: jerry had to buy toothpaste,soap and toilet paper and nothing else.

he drives off to some store and burns like maybe $10 worth of gas.

do you think its worth it?

Answer 1

Well, it depends how much you care about gas prices. If your family just pays for gas with no second thought then what the heck, it's their money. But maybe you should tell them what you think.

Answer 2

I think that if it is possible to wait any longer than wait.  But if you are in desperate need for food or whatever, than just go.  But its also great if you live near a grocery store or wherever you need to go.  'Cause if you do, dont be lazy, just walk!

Answer 3

Yes, it's a titanic was of fossil fuels.  We have at least a years worth of food storage.  I also cook from scratch.

We go to the grocery store about twice a year, and do major stockups.  

That alone is an enormous savings in fossil fuels!  Baking bread from scratch would be another example.  I grind my own wheat, and bake totally from scratch.  That means I buy wheat in 50-100 burlap sacks.  (NO bread wrappers!)  The only thing a years worth of my baking produces, which cannot be recycled, is the plastic foil pouch the bulk yeast comes in.  There was no delivery truck having to drive my bread to the store either.  

Everyone could bake their own bread, even people in city apartments.  What a huge savings to the earths fossil fuels that would be!

I milk my own goats too (NO milkcartons!!).  That's another huge savings to the environment.  However I totally realize not everyone could have a farm animal.

Most people truely do not know how much money they could save, and how much they could save in fossil fuels by having a large pantry, and doing food storage.

I also cannot imagine running out of anything, EVER.  Some items, like toothpaste, soap, and toilet paper keep dang near forever.  Why would someone not stock up when it goes on sale, and buy at least a years worth?

~Garnet

Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 4

They need the milk - when they buy they probably don't have enough fridge space to buy a larger quantity.  They may enjoy the outing to the store and justify it by 'saving' at Wal-Mart. By the way milk is cheaper at many gas station convenience stores. They sell it at cost to get you to go to them.  Shopping thrifty is an art which takes planning,  organization, and the shortest comodity in today's society - time. Spending gas & time more wisely is the question.

Answer 5

My husband will go to 3 stores to save a few dollars, but burns it off in gas.

People need to plan ahead, maybe even stock some powdered milk for emergencies, that sort of initiative, to avoid the kinds of  wasteful errands you mention.

It's not worth it unless your child is sick or there are extenuating circumstances.  You can save time and money by being organized and green.

Answer 6

I think you hit the nail on the head.  People are only as green as is comfortable.

Like the lady who keeps her reusable grocery bags in her SUV so she wont forget them.  Thanks lady, in the future try being really green rather than politically green.