How to Save Money on Trash Bags

Trash bags are usually not seen as an expense to worry about, but why not save money wherever you can? Pennies add up, so follow these tips to save money on trash bags.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 
    
   plastic bags

   The best thing to do is to save plastic bags from shopping to use as trash bags. The smaller ones work well for small trash cans in bedrooms and bathrooms. The larger ones, like from Target when you buy large items, can replace kitchen trash bags. (You can use small ones too if you are willing to take out the trash more often.)

2. 
    
   garbage can

   Throw away raw meat, rotten foods, and dairy products in a small grocery bag and immediately take it to the dumpster or garbage can outside. These things make your kitchen smell bad quickly and attract bugs, making you have to take out the trash perhaps before the bag is completely full.

3. When possible, use your garbage disposal to get rid of food waste, which accounts for a lot of trash and odors.

4. 
    
   recycling bin

   Recycle what you can to make more room in your trash and help the earth. Put recyclables in a separate small trash can (no bag necessary) and empty often if you have recycling pickup or take to your local recycling center.

5. Flatten or crush large items before throwing them away to make more room in the trash can. Tissues especially seem to fill up trash bags fast, but when pressed down take up very little room.

6. If trash cans are mostly filled with harmless items (such as paper, plastic, and other non-germy junk), then empty the trash cans into one bag or straight into the dumpster/outside garbage can and reuse the bags until they need to be thrown away.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy odor-eliminating trash bags to prevent having to take the trash out a lot due to odors. These trash bags may be a little pricier than regular trash bags, but you will use less of them.
• Of course, look for coupons online, in your Sunday paper, and in your junk mail.

Resources

• eHow Home and Garden Topic Guide

[jaredsgirl]

on 11/6/2009 I always save grocery shopping bags to use in my small garbages around the house. Great tips for saving money on garbage bags! Anywhere I can save money is a good thing! 5*

[soanyway]

on 6/21/2009 Great tips! I hate it when I run out!

[waters]

on 6/21/2009 Good tips on how to save money on trash bags.

[luv2laugh]

on 6/19/2009 Excellent tips!! It had never occurred to me to use the big target bags as trash bags. Most people don't realize how little things add up. Trash bags are a perfectly easy thing to be save money on.

[godfather25]

on 6/13/2009 Excellent advice on saving money on trash bags. 5*