Over the last decade, I’ve been feeling more and more out of step with my fellow suburbanites. I recently came to the regretful conclusion that I am seriously “old fashioned”. This was not an easy admission since I’m still in my 40s and working hard to stay as fit and mentally capable as I was in my 20s.  Flashbacks brought me to my grandmother’s kitchen where there were all kinds of weird things on her drying rack and in bowls by her sink that she intended to reuse or compost. Uh oh, why do I have three plastic baggies on my drying rack and a jar full of rotting fruit and vegetable peels by my sink right now?  Am I becoming, not my mother, but my grandmother?

Imagine my relief when I heard Slate writer, Farhad Manjoo, interviewed about the new frugality movement on NPR earlier this week.  That’s me, I realized!  I’m not “old fashioned” after all – I’m into frugality. I couldn’t wait to get back home and check out the Slate article and its links to frugality groups. I wasn’t surprised to read that frugality is different than being cheap or economical. It is a more deeply held conviction that we can live smarter, less wasteful lives.  So, I can continue washing all my reusable bottles and plastic bags, drinking tap water, saving scraps, and using reusable bags at stores proudly now that I know I’m part of a new movement, even if it’s all about getting back to the smart ways of the “olden” days.