the year of the 5 cent bag tax
Montgomery County Maryland is just plain expensive to live in, folks. Don't move here unless you are called by God! Our little apt. costs 1/3 more than our home we owned in Lancaster. The groceries are hiked up considerably and gas is at 4.10-4.20 a gallon right now. They have traffic cameras at every intersection just hoping to catch someone pull up over the "stop" line so they can make $50 on a traffic violation. And the icing on the cake is : the 5 cent bag tax....the latest way the local goverment has seen fit to make some moola. Yep, try not to shudder. What does a 5 cent bag tax encompass? You frugal Lancasterinians will gasp when I tell you.... Each little flimsy plastic bag you take away from a store costs you 5 cents in this county. Yep. Add it up. You know those bags you use to line your bathroom trashcans? 5 Cents. Those bags you use to put dirty diapers in while out and about? 5 Cents. Those bags you use to pack in around loose items you are mailing? 5 cents a pop. Doggy doo-doo- bags you use for...well, doo-doo? 5 Cents a pop. It's like throwing a nickel in every bag you use and saying, "bye-bye."
But today as I decided, spur of the moment, to hit the grocery store for some much needed provision, I found myself just willing to fork out that extra 25 cents for five bags. After all, it was raining, and it's a long walk from my parking lot to my apt. AND...if I don't get these bags, what am I going to line my small trashcans with? AND I figured it out...while these flimsy bags cost me 5 cents a piece, the similarly sized "small trash can" bags you can buy in the cleaning aisle are about 10 cents a piece. So in a way, I rationalize, I'm getting trash can bags for half price. Hmmm. Well, you know that saying, "You don't know what you've got until it's gone"? Yep. I didn't. Free bags, people of America. Don't take 'em for granted. And the next time a bagger at your grocery store "double-bags" your stuff, thank them. And count the nickels you didn't have to fork over.
But today as I decided, spur of the moment, to hit the grocery store for some much needed provision, I found myself just willing to fork out that extra 25 cents for five bags. After all, it was raining, and it's a long walk from my parking lot to my apt. AND...if I don't get these bags, what am I going to line my small trashcans with? AND I figured it out...while these flimsy bags cost me 5 cents a piece, the similarly sized "small trash can" bags you can buy in the cleaning aisle are about 10 cents a piece. So in a way, I rationalize, I'm getting trash can bags for half price. Hmmm. Well, you know that saying, "You don't know what you've got until it's gone"? Yep. I didn't. Free bags, people of America. Don't take 'em for granted. And the next time a bagger at your grocery store "double-bags" your stuff, thank them. And count the nickels you didn't have to fork over.
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