Chipmunks are Frugal!!

I know, I know...it's a Friday night and I must be drinking or something to write a post title like that. But I am as sober as sober can be. And I am pretty serious about my title because I saw something today that amazed me.

I was outside and I heard a rustle from the neighbor's yard. I looked, and I saw a grocery store plastic bag moving around. At first I thought it was the wind, but it was moving around too much. Then it hit me - the chipmunk that hangs around there probably trapped himself in it. I was just about to get my shoes on to give the little fellow a hand when I saw him outside of the bag. He wasn't in it...he was dragging it around!

Then, the funniest thing happened. He went into a hole into the ground and drug that bag right in there with him. It took him a while to get the whole thing in the hole, but he did. I watched in amazement the entire time. When the bag disappeared, I couldn't help but wonder what value that little guy saw in a plastic bag. Oh how I wish I had a way to see into the ground to take a peek at his home.

Then, I realized something - he/she is being frugal. Not frugal in the sense of spending less than you make but in the sense of utilizing old things for new uses. Thinking about it more, birds do this a lot with using "human" things they find to help build their nests.

Maybe I'm stretching the meaning of frugal a little bit, but that plastic bag sure seemed like an inexpensive treasure to that little guy. I'm thinking that he/she ended up making a nice lounge chair with that plastic bag. Admit it - you are envisioning it now :)