Wasteful people (rant)

[kgtest]

Have a neighbor who wastes just a ton. I remember the phrase (waste not, want not). Its not all my neighbors just one in particular.

Runs the A/C when its a beautiful 72-75 degree day with a perfectly slight breeze. In fact, they don't shut the A/C off ever, never open the windows and say they have "allergies". Must be allergic to beautiful weather.

Trash- it's overflowing at every pick-up day, many times they leave extra stuff on the side of the bin as its too full to hold. They have 1 less person in their family then we do, and they

Water- They run their sprinkler system when its raining. Always boggled my mind.

Lights- They light up the outside like a christmas tree and leave lights on all throughout the house in the rooms they don't use all night long. Told me they have blacked out sheets over the windows, so the lights don't bother them, but they bother us.

Gas- They let their vehicles run for about 20 to 25 minutes before they head out in them. I am guessing to warm them up/cool them down...but I just start the vehicle and leave. They park outside in the summer because they have so much stuff in their 2 car garage they can't fit both vehicles..and actually own 3 vehicles which means they are paying extra insurance on the "sports car" that is rarely driven. IN fact it doesn't have wiper blades so it cant be driven in rain...and he doesn't drive it in the winter. Just parks it in the one stall that's available in the 2 car.


I don't know why it bothers me so much but it seems to. DW says move along and just worry about us. I get it but man the waste I am seeing there is appalling.

 

[Amethyst]

Everything you cited, describes every upscale neighborhood I have known. I am with your DW on this.

 

[Gumby]

I just periodically go out in the yard and light a hundred dollar bill on fire.

Actually, except for the excessive outside lighting, none of it really affects you, so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Car-Guy]

I hear you... Of course those items are trivial when you see/consider the ultra rich/privileged levels of abuse/waste.

 

[kgtest]

Everything you cited, describes every upscale neighborhood I have known. I am with your DW on this.

Fair enough.

 

[kgtest]

I just periodically go out in the yard and light a hundred dollar bill on fire.

Actually, except for the excessive outside lighting, none of it really affects you, so I wouldn't worry about it.

True, true. I guess its my frugal/thrifty upbringing. I definitely feel like a poor man living in a rich neighborhood sometimes. Its really just my particular blvd as we live amongst a neighborhood of mostly blue-collar folks. Our street was put in a bit later after someone sold a bunch of land and they built a bunch of two-stories.

 

[kgtest]

I just periodically go out in the yard and light a hundred dollar bill on fire.

Actually, except for the excessive outside lighting, none of it really affects you, so I wouldn't worry about it.

I would be stomping that fire out real quickly and turning it into a salvage ops!!!

 

[Amethyst]

Relatively speaking, we are the "poor" folks in the neighborhood, and have been for 30-plus years. I figured our frugal ways allow us to live here. [/B]

True, true. I guess its my frugal/thrifty upbringing. I definitely feel like a poor man living in a rich neighborhood sometimes. Its really just my particular blvd as we live amongst a neighborhood of mostly blue-collar folks. Our street was put in a bit later after someone sold a bunch of land and they built a bunch of two-stories.

 

[Major Tom]

I do get it. For those of us who are conservative in our use of resources, it can be a bit demoralizing. It would have the effect on me, of making me wonder if my efforts are even worth it. The answer is one that I have employed for most of my life. I concentrate mainly on myself and those close to me, paying little attention to what those not in my inner circle are doing. It's a little myopic, and not a particularly appealing part of my personality, but it makes for a content life.

The only person whose behavior you can control is yourself. Don't cause yourself any unnecessary grief over it.

 

[Aerides]

The trash would bother me. I have new neighbors who start putting it out the day before, and never take their cans in till the day after, and then just store them up the driveway, in plain sight. Took them 3 months to figure out which day is for recycling/bulk/yard waste, so they used to put everything out all the time...

I think most of the waste is just laziness. They have the sprinkler on a timer and don't bother to override. Same for AC - no bother opening and closing windows, etc.

 

[ER2B]

I actually envy you for having a neighbor that lights up. Our neighbor is a scrooge on steroids. No lights at all. He says the street light on our side of the street is bright enough. I set an example by having lights on both sides of our garage and front door. We also have landscape lighting. His house looks abandoned at night, a welcome sign to thieves.

 

[CoolRich59]

I’m with your DW. Compared with some neighbors, your should be grateful for yours.

 

[kgtest]

I’m with your DW. Compared with some neighbors, your should be grateful for yours.

You are right! It could be way worse. Our neighbors are pretty cool in all respects. Nobody is perfect and differences make this planet great! I just needed to rant a bit I haven't been getting out much lately LMBO!

 

[Lakedog]

I do wonder how people can generate so much trash -- a couple of homes in my current neighborhood have multiple trash containers (one has three and a couple of them have two). Of course, it's just me rather than a family but I typically only fill about 1/4 of my trash container each week.

 

[Sojourner]

Trash- it's overflowing at every pick-up day, many times they leave extra stuff on the side of the bin as its too full to hold.

This is also something I've noticed at numerous households in my neighborhood, and I find it really appalling. Not just one, but, in many cases, TWO large overflowing bins of trash nearly every single week of the year. Yes, most of these homes have kids or multiple adults (not just a single person or couple), but still... it's astonishing the amount of garbage some families can generate. If they put even some minimal effort into trying to recycle more or be somewhat conscientious about waste, I'm sure they could reduce their garbage volume by at least 50%. All I can do is shake my head, though.

 

[Sojourner]

I do wonder how people can generate so much trash -- a couple of homes in my current neighborhood have multiple trash containers (one has three and a couple of them have two). Of course, it's just me rather than a family but I typically only fill about 1/4 of my trash container each week.

Yep, same here. DW and I don't even put out our trash bin every week, and when we do it is rarely more than half full. Typically, it's about 1/3 full. We recycle pretty much everything that our local recycling center accepts.

 

[street]

I see those same things and wonder why someone would waste money like that also. Just have to shake your head and say why. Lol

 

[Sojourner]

One other category of wastefulness that I've noticed, and found truly astonishing, is leftover food. A close friend of mine has had me over for dinner at his house numerous times over the years, and I have seen jaw-dropping incidents of nearly inconceivable food waste. Once, we were in the kitchen helping him clean up after dinner, and he scraped an entire plate of perfectly edible food (an untouched chicken breast, broccoli, etc.) into the sink disposal. I said, "You didn't want to save that and have it tomorrow", and he shrugged and said "Nah. I don't eat leftovers, so I'm pretty sure I'd end up just throwing it away." To this day, when I think of that incident, it makes me both angry and sad that (smart, good-natured, otherwise considerate) people can be so horribly, blatantly wasteful.

 

[Amethyst]

Not that we should go around analyzing other people's trash (I mean, there are spies whose job is to do that!), but we put out very, very little household waste - I even compost all the vegetable and fruit peels. Our normal weekly trash consists of two 13-gal kitchen bags, plus assorted recyclables e.g. cardboard, glass, plastic.

Yet, with all the online ordering these days, our recycling bin often isn't big enough to contain all the flattened cartons - not just the mailing containers, but the cereal boxes, and on and on. And we are not strong enough to fold and compress the biggest boxes to fit the bins exactly.

So, there are times when the trash pushes open the bin lids. But it's not like dirty, smelly trash spilling out.

This is also something I've noticed at numerous households in my neighborhood, and I find it really appalling. Not just one, but, in many cases, TWO large overflowing bins of trash nearly every single week of the year. Yes, most of these homes have kids or multiple adults (not just a single person or couple), but still... it's astonishing the amount of garbage some families can generate. If they put even some minimal effort into trying to recycle more or be somewhat conscientious about waste, I'm sure they could reduce their garbage volume by at least 50%. All I can do is shake my head, though.

 

[RunningBum]

Pretty much all of this would bother me too. i doubt I'd do anything about it, but it would bug me.

 

[Sunset]

Our neighbor that has moved away would put out double our garbage. I really think most of it was take out containers from restaurants. They are bulky.

As for the A/C on all the time, it won't really run much if the temp outside is cool, and if they really have allergies, there are various times in the Spring/Summer/Fall where it causes issues for folks.

It could be worse for you, we are living next to a registered sex offender.

 

[Amethyst]

We are great leftover-eaters. Not even from frugality - we just like the food.

But I have known a number of people, who think eating leftovers is next door to being in poverty.

Then there is all the trash associated with fast food and ordering-in.

One other category of wastefulness that I've noticed, and found truly astonishing, is leftover food. A close friend of mine has had me over for dinner at his house numerous times over the years, and I have seen jaw-dropping incidents of nearly inconceivable food waste. Once, we were in the kitchen helping him clean up after dinner, and he scraped an entire plate of perfectly edible food (an untouched chicken breast, broccoli, etc.) into the sink disposal. I said, "You didn't want to save that and have it tomorrow", and he shrugged and said "Nah. I don't eat leftovers, so I'm pretty sure I'd end up just throwing it away." To this day, when I think of that incident, it makes me both angry and sad that (smart, good-natured, otherwise considerate) people can be so horribly, blatantly wasteful.

 

[Gumby]

One other category of wastefulness that I've noticed, and found truly astonishing, is leftover food. A close friend of mine has had me over for dinner at his house numerous times over the years, and I have seen jaw-dropping incidents of nearly inconceivable food waste. Once, we were in the kitchen helping him clean up after dinner, and he scraped an entire plate of perfectly edible food (an untouched chicken breast, broccoli, etc.) into the sink disposal. I said, "You didn't want to save that and have it tomorrow", and he shrugged and said "Nah. I don't eat leftovers, so I'm pretty sure I'd end up just throwing it away." To this day, when I think of that incident, it makes me both angry and sad that (smart, good-natured, otherwise considerate) people can be so horribly, blatantly wasteful.

My mother, having gone through the war without enough to eat, would smack us silly if we wasted food. To this day, I still save my leftovers and work hard to not let anything go to waste.

 

[Time2]

I have neighbors, I wish they would waste their money, on getting the lawn mowed, trimming their bushes, repairing the soffits around their house, getting the trashed carport tents removed along with all the junk that they have acquired, finish the fence they started, cut the extra 5 ft off of the 16ft posts they used for a 6 ft fence.

 

[steelyman]

It could be worse, you could be living next to a registered sex offender like we are.

Surely you mean your neighbor? You seem very reputable to me.