My mother, my self.

Years ago I swore I would never, EVER have a leftovers container collection like my mom had. The bottom shelf of her cupboard was filled with assorted yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, and various and sundry other containers. They did not nest well, and therefor the entire cupboard was a little chaotic. The lids were almost as bad, although they were contained in a larger bowl. Finding a lid could be a challenge, because sometimes lids from different brands didn't fit the container you were trying to use. In that case you either had to just accept it (but loose lid = big mess when someone bumps it in the jostle of looking for something to eat) or find another container that fit the lid you found, in which case you had to transfer the food into the second container and re-wash the first. I eventually learned to find the lid before filling the container, but it still irritated me to no end. And can we just talk about finding something in the fridge? A dozen assorted cottage cheese/yogurt/sour cream containers, any of which might contain the leftover funeral potatoes you want (leftover gold at my house.) They might also contain the leftover creamed spinach experiment from last month, slimy and fungus-ridden. No way to tell. How much would it cost to have a nice, matching set of containers from some lovely name brand company like Tupperware or Rubbermaid? Containers that would all nest neatly, stack nicely, look neat and organized in the fridge as well as in the cupboard. Containers that actually allowed you to see the contents at a glance. They are not that expensive. Really. "This will not happen at my house," I swore to myself a million times, eying my mother's messy cupboard with a jaundiced eye. "Never."

So I grew up and moved out of my mother's house. For many years I didn't have a household, so no issues. In college I used roommates dishes and contributed some of my own. Plastic containers were indeed plentiful and cheap. The few I had matched. In NYC, I had no kitchen whatsoever, so no problem. When I moved to St. George, I used the Tupperware my grandmother had in the trailer. I rarely had leftovers anyway, so I don't remember it being an issue. When I got married we were given some rather nice sets and we have used those for many years. But they are slowly falling apart and going by the wayside. The time had come to put my money where my mouth was, lo those many years ago. But I've learned a thing or two in the intervening years. One: There are many places for the money to go each month. Worthy places, like soccer, and Barbies, and food. It's hard to turn down a free source of containers so that I can spend money on containers that nest. Two: We are a society drowning in plastic refuse. Our landfills are full of it, and will be for thousands of years to come. Our oceans contain vast swaths of plastic, floating lifeless islands of the stuff. I cannot in good conscience throw plastic containers in the trash while going to Target and purchasing plastic containers that match. I will not contribute to the destruction of my budget nor my earth by demanding the production of more plastic to satisfy my vanity. Surprisingly, it is way too expensive. Really. I have invested some money into a couple of sets of nice glass containers for things I know I will be warming up in the microwave, but for the most part, I have a leftovers container collection worthy of my mother. Yogurt and sour cream containers fight for space alongside the various and sundry others that have come my way, some brand name, some not, but almost all second-hand one way or another. And I feel great about it. I find myself a little frustrated at times, that little OCD corner of my brain rearing it's ugly head, but I wait until it passes. It always does.

Just another thing about which my mother was right. And I'm not ashamed to admit it.