Things You Don’t Need – Convenience Items
| June 10, 2010 | Posted by Issa under Simple-Eco-Happy |
I’m a firm believer in the idea that you can’t spend money to save money or to save time. An individual purchase might seem like a good idea, but in the long run, some types of small purchases add up to a more complex life that doesn’t benefit you. I also hate products that try to fix problems you don’t have.
On a recent grocery store trip, I spotted two items that really struck me in how silly they were. I’m not even going to link to them, because they bother me so much. Also, sorry about the not-great photos; I was using my camera phone.
First up, we get Avo Saver, which holds your half-used avocado. Apparently, it’s a huge issue to have used up half an avocado and not have a good way of preserving the other half. Now, I only ever use avocados for guacamole, which
leaves no bit of avocado un-utilized. Maybe there are people who put them on salads or sandwiches who have this huge problem. But surely there’s a good solution that doesn’t involve buying a gadget. How about a Tupperware-type container? Or rubbing lime juice on the surface to prevent browning?
Next up is a banana-slicer thingie. It’s quick! It’s easy! It’s safe for children! It’s dishwasher safe! It says so right on the package! You know what else is quick, safe, safe for children and dishwashers, and doesn’t cause you to spend more money or go digging for a single-use tool? A fork. Or a spoon. Or a butter knife. Ugh.
I used to laugh when I saw all these pointless items lining the shelves of stores. Then they started to make me mad once I started realizing that someone (or many someones) spent their precious time formulating and making these products. Not to mention the poor saps who really think that this avocado shaped tupperware container will ensure the quality of their avocado better than the obviously inferior square shaped tupperware (which, for the record, have never failed me or made my leftover avocado halves brown).
But Issa, maybe it is you and I who are the ignorant ones here? I’m sure we would realize the benefits of the Avo-saver as soon as we purchased them, and we are only shunning the idea because we don’t know any better. *sarcasm*
Given my disdain for gadgets, you might be surprised to know that I’ve actually run across one or two that were super cool. It’s just that the avocado thing it’s one of them! I worked in a home once that had this nifty apple peeler-corer thing. It was a huge contraption where you slid the apple onto these blades that cored it, then turned a big handle so other blades peeled it in one long strip of peel. It was a lot of fun to operate! I still would never buy one, though. I was happy someone else spent the money on it and it was taking up space in someone else’s kitchen!