an entire blog post about GARBAGE CANS
November 18th, 2007 @ 9:19 pm | Comments
Filed Under: homeowners, life, nablopomo
On Friday, I spent 2 hours shopping for a garbage can for our kitchen.
I know. I never imagined that garbage cans could be so complicated as to require that amount of time shopping for one. Now granted, I wasn’t shopping for a garbage can the whole time, but it was the primary reason for the trip to Bed Bath and Beyond (and later, Linens and Things, where I finally found one, THANKTHELORD.)
For the past couple of months, we’ve been having issues with our choice of kitchen trash disposal. Our old garbage can was a simple plastic one from Target (I think?) with a foot-pedal that was perfect. But after a year or so, the foot pedal broke. So I went searching for a new one, and couldn’t find a pedal-one at Target or Wal-Mart (why, I have no idea??) I ended up buying a tan plastic one with one of the lids that swings back and forth- I figured it would be fine.
Well, Dan hated it, and every time he threw something away, he would swear and curse at the thing. The lid would fall off nearly every time, and if it stayed on, you still had to lift it up to put things inside because the swinging motion would touch the garbage inside the can if it was even getting close to being full. I started getting pretty irritated at it myself, so when we were out one night at Target, we thought hey, let’s pick up a new garbage can while we’re at it!
That’s when we realized we were entering an entire new world. A world filled with over-priced, over-featured cans FOR USED BABY DIAPERS AND FOOD.
Pretty much all they had were either open-top cans (which isn’t an option, given our oh-so-curious kitties and soon-to-be-crawling daughter), cans that were too small, or cans that were the same annoying kind we were trying to replace. But, they also had some nice stainless steel ones that Dan liked right away. And they were great- but they were all at least $70!!!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes- $70 for a garbage can? Jeez, surely I can find something better somewhere else.
Which brings me to Friday. I had some gift cards for Bed Bath and Beyond (credit card points!!) and I wanted to pick up a couple of things for my new kitchen organization, so Maggie and I headed out for some shopping. What I found there was even more disturbing than what I found at Target.
People: There was a kitchen garbage can for $200.
If I ever ever ever pay $200 for a garbage can, it better be one that also carries itself outside onto the deck, down the steps, and deposits itself into the outside cans. And THEN it also better drag those cans out to the curb on garbage day.
Needless to say, I did not purchase the $200 can. Sure, it was pretty, all shiny and metallic with its stainless steel sides. But special, custom-fit garbage bags? I can’t just use my Glad bags I bought on sale at Target? That’s lame. And spring-loaded lids that close ever-so-slowly and silently? That’s nice and everything, but is it really necessary? My old $20 garbage can wasn’t all that loud, anyway.
I searched through the other cans they had there, but nothing struck my fancy. Everything was either too expensive, too cheaply-made and overpriced, or just not what I wanted. And I was so flustered by learning of the existence of the $200 garbage can that I forgot to use my 20% off coupon for the things I did end up buying. GRR!
But I was determined not to come home without a new garbage can. I was on a mission now, a mission against the companies who make us think we need all these fancy features on something that should really be so simple. I just wanted something that would stay together, not feel like it was breaking every time I opened it, and not be hundreds of dollars. It didn’t have to be stainless steel or nickel plated or have a hydraulic system. IT JUST NEEDS TO HOLD OUR CRAP.
I found similar crazy cans at Linens and Things and started getting very frustrated. I already knew what they had at Target and WalMart, so I wasn’t going to waste my time going back there. So after spending what was probably way too much time deciding, I finally chose a black, heavy-duty plastic can with a foot-pedal and a neat little bag-lock feature to keep the bag from slipping down inside the can. It cost $40. I still totally feel like I got ripped off, but I also resisted buying the $200 one, so I guess that’s something. I dragged the black can behind me to the checkout while pushing Maggie in her stroller (she had fallen asleep in the car and I didn’t want to transfer her to a cart- so I just put her carseat in the stroller. I’m thinking she was just exhausted by all of the comparison shopping that was going on. I know I was.)
The good news is: the new garbage can is a hit. Dan is happy and not swearing every time he throws something away. And it’s a sexy black color that matches my new countertops.
I still cannot believe I just wrote this much about shopping for a garbage can.
More posts like this:
- more gushing about my kitchen November 3, 2007
- air fresheners and other frightening tales from inside the home July 3, 2008
- just two things November 19, 2007
- merry go round …androundandround November 7, 2005
- home office in my backyard July 31, 2006
November 18th, 2007 @ 9:46 pm
OMG we had this same problem after we moved. I refused to spend more than like $25 so we ended up with an open top plastic one and we keep it under the sink in the cabinet. hells no I was not buying an infrared $$$$ one!
November 19th, 2007 @ 12:34 am
I remember going through the same thing when I was shopping for my “first bin” when I moved into my apartment. I wanted one of those stainless steel bins SO BAD - so pretty and sleek. (Um.. it’s a rubbish bin. Gotta get my priorities straight). But $70+ for a bin seemed a little too OTT. In the end, I got one from KMart - stainless steel, foot-pedal, amazing!!! And it only cost like $30!
HOWEVER, stupid me bought one that was tall. Tall bin = fills up less quickly = empyting less frequently = BAD IDEA IN A STUDIO APARTMENT. Now I don’t know what to do with it. :(
November 19th, 2007 @ 6:12 am
Argh, I don’t understand why garbage cans are so stinkin expensive. I wanted one of those stainless steel ones too but I refuse to pay all that money for a garbage can.
We use a huge one that restaurants use. It’s open top but then Chuck made a lid for it and we use that. It’s ghetto looking but it serves its purpose.
November 19th, 2007 @ 8:02 am
One year for Christmas, I made my brother buy us a stainless steel one, because I was sooo not going to spend the money on one. Then my mom wanted one too, so he had to buy us both one. It’s like, 5 years old now and pretty beat up. I want a new one, but won’t spend the money on one. My dog has figured out the pedal and so has Aivlene. I do love it though.
November 19th, 2007 @ 10:03 am
We have a stainless steel one… I broke down and bought one… it was right after we moved, and we didn’t move our old nasty garbage can from our old house.. I needed something quick… Then about a year later the nasty plastic one for recycling sitting next to it drove me nuts… so we broke down and bought another smaller stainless steel one for our recycling… now the paper bag for the paper recycling is driving me crazy! It’s a nasty cycle!!
November 19th, 2007 @ 10:30 am
I broke down and bought a stainless steel foot pedal one over a year ago. It was $100!!! I still think of it as ridiculous. Though I did do it with a store credit from some organizational store where we bought shelves, decided we didn’t like them, tried to return them and (of course) COULDN’T FIND THE RECEIPT. So we used it on that. I still feel weird about it. $100 for TRASH. Shouldn’t there be some sort of correlation between the value of the things you put in a container and it’s price!??! And I don’t mean inversely proportional.
$40 is awesome. Good buy.
November 19th, 2007 @ 10:36 am
“If I ever ever ever pay $200 for a garbage can, it better be one that also carries itself outside onto the deck, down the steps, and deposits itself into the outside cans. And THEN it also better drag those cans out to the curb on garbage day.”
Hahaha! I couldn’t imagine paying $200 for a garbage can. But we did put that $70 stainless steel one on our wedding registry at Target, and I couldn’t believe it when my bridesmaids got it for us! hehe. We haven’t used it yet though, we are still busy trying to finish the house.
November 19th, 2007 @ 10:38 am
I refuse to spend more than $20 myself on one. But these days even the plastic ones aren’t cheap. :p I would love a stainless steel one, however, we have an open topped one (the lid with the flippy thing sucks). But we are lucky enough to have an extra closet off the kitchen next to the pantry (kind of a cleaning supplies closet) where we can put it, so the dog doesn’t get into it. At my apartment, the dog would have it knocked over at least once a week.
November 19th, 2007 @ 11:19 am
I think I went through exactly the same dilemma a few months back. (I was sans baby, though — woman you are to be admired!)
To boot, I think I ended up with the same trash can you did in white. The little bag-lock feature turned out to suck, so we use the Gripper bags. It is totally worth the extra few cents not to have to pull an overstuffed bag from the edges of the overstuffed can.
November 19th, 2007 @ 6:26 pm
God, garbage cans! I am so glad someone else has this problem too! I used to have a nice stainles steel one, but it was WAY too small to hold all our crap and the bag kept falling to the bottom so I had to bleach the inside like every freaking week! So, when we did our kitchen remodel last year, we ditched the garbage can… Guess what? We still don’t have one! That is 22 months without a garbage can! I have a nice black bin bag by my kitchen door. I have nice gooey marks on the floor when it is moved which I spend my life bleaching and scrubbing! I refuse to pay £50+ for a nice garbage can… so, I just won’t have one… Grr
November 19th, 2007 @ 9:09 pm
I just did this a few months ago. I was looking at The Container Store for one. I ended up going to Wal-Mart and getting two, one for recycling and one for garbage. I think I spent less than $25 on both. It’s tiring for sure!
November 19th, 2007 @ 10:25 pm
I can’t believe that there are $200 garbage cans out there. That’s sickening, really.
November 19th, 2007 @ 11:21 pm
Nothing with the word ‘garbage’ in it should cost $200!