The Great Singapore Sit-out

Our newspapers are full of ads touting bargains to be had all over our island. The great Singapore Sale is on again.

I must say I was sorely tempted when I accompanied someone into Isetan to exchange a blouse. There were tops, bottoms, undies and what-have-you galore, and at such affordable prices too!

But though I saw a nice blouse that would have suited me perfectly at $10, I managed to make it out of there with my wallet unscathed, thanks to something my sis-in-law Sophia once said. We’d been whining about not having enough space for our stuff when she noted: “Just because something fits you, and looks good on you, and is cheap, doesn’t mean you have to buy it.”

That gave me pause. Until then, I think that if all those factors were present, and I was not actually broke, I would automatically buy the item. ... And would later moan about not having enough space to store all my clothes.

Sophia lives in Rwanda, where she gets exposed to more have-nots than we do in Singapore – can you believe that books and colour pencils there are luxury items? No kidding. Also, she moved house in Singapore 20 months back, and had to contend with loads of stuff, so I respect her pronouncements about movable property.

Actually, I should have known even without her prompting, since I do get exposed to some of the less fortunate, since I volunteer for the Touch Community Services’ Meals on Wheels scheme. Every week or fortnight, I drive around delivering lunch or dinner to old or infirm people.

It’s good exposure – the first time I did it, I was traumatised because I’d thought that one-room flats belonged to our ancient past, and had all been torn down. Nope.

Back in those interior corridors, with the neighbours’ televisions blaring, and other neighbours in various states of undress, all visible through open doors, I felt a blast from the past. I was a kid again, following my parents to visit some old friend or relative. I’d be perched on a stool, with a cup of very dilute syrup, wondering when we could go home. I was generally a rambunctious kid when I was in familiar territory, shouting, running around and tearing up the place, but this was alien territory indeed.

Delivering food makes me more content with what I have – instead of reacting to all the stuff marketing people dangle in front of me, I feel very lucky for what I have. That is, until the GSS rolled around again.

While the GSS offers are supposed to be really great, I plan to buy only according to my need, rather than the good deal being offered.

And since I have pretty much what I need, I think I’ll be sitting out most of the GSS this year.

How to make a plastic bag eco-friendly

I picked up a jute bag from a pile that was being thrown out near a friend’s place, and it had pretty leaf designs on it. Very much in the vein of the “I’m not a plastic bag” fashion statement. Unfortunately, though its eco credentials were impeccable, it still had its tag attached, a strong indication that it had never been used before being thrown away.

I retrieved the bag, gave it a little wash, and plan to use it. I’m pleased with it, along with another shopping bag, lined with foil, meant for frozen meats, which I found in that same pile.

However, I’m even more pleased to report that I’ve never bought myself a re-usable, eco-friendly shopping bag. The way I see it, every bag that currently exists is reusable, and will be an eco-friendly bag, if only you’ll use and re-use it. Its manufacture has already taken up resources. Why take up more resources by clamouring for an “I’m not a plastic bag”?

Some of the stouter plastic bags they give you can be re-used very easily and conveniently. Just fold it up (plastic bags fold pretty small) and put them in your handbag. I don’t carry a huge handbag, but it accommodates two or three plastic bags quite well. I try to use these bags whenever I buy anything. They are generally sufficient for any sudden shopping bouts. If I plan to go grocery shopping, I bring more bags specially, which don’t have to fit into a handbag.

This saves on the the obligatory ten cents a bag if I happen to pop into a supermarket on Wednesdays, or if I get something from Ikea. NTUC Fairprice has a good attitude in going green, as it offers a ten-cent rebate on every purchase over $10 if you bring your own bag – it gives me a kick to think of my plastic bags earning their way. I hope that as the recession bites, more people take advantage of this green scheme.

The only exception is Mustafa’s, where it’s a company rule that they pack your stuff in their bags – the only thing I find negative in an otherwise admirable institution.

How to make a much-maligned but often unavoidable plastic bag eco-friendly? Re-use it so you won’t need to get more plastic bags, and when it finally comes to the end of its usefulness to you, either by breaking or getting dirty, give it a proper send-off – throw it in the recycling bin.