Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Cutting Corners and Being Penny Wise


Oh, the good old days. We were young, in love and in college. We would spend $10 a week on groceries, eat at A&W on Tuesday for .15 Coney with .15 mug of root beer, on Sunday night, hit MacDonald's for their yum cheeseburgers which were made of real meat back then. We were so broke that we did not buy paper towels or napkins. Gas was about .25 a gallon. My husband sold pots and pans to put us both through college.

Now, I am wondering if we will be living on a similar budget as we think about retiring.

I have always cut corners and watched my pennies because we have never made a huge salary plus we had three children at home to love and raise.

Here is a surprise that I discovered recently. It may surprise you, too. This is not a reflection on the product in the picture because about the same amount came out of a very expensive All Free & Clear.

It is what is left in the bottle, which would normally be trashed. I removed the plastic pour spout by using a butter knife and a dishtowel. You will need the towel because the spout is slippery. Push the edge of the spout up with the knife until it is completely off of the bottle. Turn the bottle upside down into a cup and let it all drain out overnight.

The result was over 1/2 cup of detergent. It was enough to do one more load. Are you wondering now how many loads you have missed?

Try it. There is no use in throwing your money away or putting it in the recycle bin.

2 comments:

Dinahsoar said...

I do that too, only I just stand it on end for a couple of days..next time I'll take the spout out and see if I get more.

Also with toothpaste...when it is 'empty' open a new one for hubby, save the 'empty' one, and cut off the end..then when its time to brush, dip your toothbrush in..I've gotten a week or longer out of an 'empty' tube. You can cover it with some plastic wrap.

Same deal with lotions..cut the top off the bottle/tube..there is a lot of lotion inside.

Carol said...

Yep, we can squeeze lots of things. Remember the old saying 'squeeze a nickle till the buffalo squeals'?