The Thrifty Wife
I may have
mentioned in the past that my wife, Mrs. C, is very thrifty. That is, at least, a nice way to put it. I think she has a weird value system.  |
| Sort of |
We pay each
month for several years now, for a storage unit which stores crap. This drives me nuts, but I try and let it go
for the sake of the marriage. I do, however, mention it from time to time when the “thrifty” one chastises me for
occasional wastefulness.
Tonight was
just one such time.
I make a
milkshake for my son who is home from college.
Yes, he could make his own, but I spoil him sometimes. I use several large scoops of chocolate ice
cream, a little milk, and a packet of chocolate instant breakfast. Very tasty!
Last week
Mrs. C specifically told me to use the instant breakfast packets from the box
that was already open.
Why would I
open a box when there was one already opened?
Well the already open box I saw was vanilla. Oh, she wants me to use up the vanilla before
opening the chocolate. Ok, it still
makes a good shake.
Tonight I mentioned there was only one more
packet of vanilla left.
“What, why are you using MY vanilla?”
“Because you told me to use up the
packets from the open box first.”
“The open box of chocolate!”
“The open box I saw was vanilla, of
course if I was going to use chocolate I would use the open box first.”
“Well you didn’t”
“The open box I saw was the vanilla,
I assumed you wanted that used first.”
“Don’t assume!”
“Well you assumed I would open a new
box of chocolate when there was already a box opened…why assume I’d be stupid!”
“Because you are!”
“I’ll buy you a new box of vanilla!”
“That is a waste!”
Here it
comes.
“Maybe there are some vanilla packets
in the STORAGE UNIT!!”
“You’re a jerk!”
So now on my
way downstairs I see a half-finished bottle of water. This drives me crazy because no one ever
admits to leaving it half empty.
“If no one claims this water bottle,
I’m chucking it!”
Now here
comes the comment from the woman who pays monthly for a storage unit, which is
where old worthless shit goes to die, that totally cracked me up. In all seriousness, she hollers,
“Don’t throw it away, water the
plants with it!”
Clearly the
logic train missed her station…and yet I still love her.
I do see her logic about the water bottle. I've been known to empty them on grass instead of just down the drain. Used to empty them in the dog's bowl when we had a dog. Now I want a shake; sounds delicious.
ReplyDeletebetty
Sure sounds better than water!!
DeleteThat is something that I too do - water the plants with the left over water.
ReplyDeleteSo this time I am on her side :-)
If she wanted you to use the chocolate instant breakfast packet, she should have hidden it under a towel.
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHAHA! I would've totally said the same thing about the storage unit! Honestly it popped right in my head. Omgosh. Hilarious. And I'm with you on those half bottles of water. Drives me nutso and yet, like Mrs. C, I water the plants with it. :) Funny stuff.
ReplyDeleteMostly I find myself agreeing with Mrs C Joe, but not in this, I don't understand long term storage. Short term, if your moving house or something yes but what's the point in having stuff locked away that you never use and never see? Does Mrs C even know what's in there? SD scares me with his talk of all the stuff he has stored at the farm where they have spare rooms, barns and a paddock - one day he thinks it's all coming to my house with my tiny garden and no off road parking. Maybe I'm going to have to learn to love storage at that point!
ReplyDeleteGone are the days when we drank tap water; thinking back it was a lot easier and cheaper than buying bottled water. I have a cupboard full of water bottles and hubby used to tell me to drink tap water. Why would I when bottled water tastes better? Wish I could make milkshakes.
ReplyDeleteI'd water the plants with that bit of water too, well, maybe ONE plant, that's sound environmental thinking. But keeping foodstuffs in a storage facility for god knows how long? That seems wrong to me. Stuff, yes, food? no. Keep that in your kitchen.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I'd go through a storage facility if I had one, maybe once a year and toss out anything I saw that made me think "what the heck did I keep this for?" On the other hand, regularly tossing stuff as I do, I've never had a need for a storage facility.
Probably if everything in there has memories for Mrs C, it would be worth keeping.
I think it's funny that most of the commenters would water the plants, too. Our society has ingrained that we save the planet, but nobody gives AF about saving money anymore.
ReplyDeleteStorage units amaze me. Another commodity sold to the American public. Once there were no storage units and people did not hoard things. They figured out how to make them do, use them up. Now they just buy, buy, buy and put it out of sight in the storage unit. Bottles of water annoy me, too, but that' another matter.
ReplyDeleteI take it you weren't listening when she said she preferred vanilla or something like that.
ReplyDeleteSpit out my tea at the "What, why are you using MY vanilla?”
ReplyDeleteYour life is a challenge but it will never be boring. Be grateful for that, we are.
A storage unit is a waste of money if you have a home. If you are living in an apartment waiting for your home then fine, but otherwise it's a waste of money. This time I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing with unclaimed water, but I live in a desert.
Have a fabulous day. ☺
We paid for a storage unit for years - then moved to a bigger place and I donated most of it to Goodwill. It made the husband "cranky" but he loves me too. I also don't like to waste water. So do what Mrs C says about the water -
ReplyDeleteWell, Joe, I must say I agree with her logic about that water bottle. No sense wasting it.
ReplyDeleteHeeheehee! Yes, i use the rest of the water for the plants, but i don't buy bottled water. When i see water left in the bottle at places i clean, i just can't throw it out.
ReplyDeleteBecause it is wasteful is the reason i don't give in and get a storage unit, i just keep working on clearing things out here.
We don't waste much, but the minute an expiration date is reached out it goes, no matter what.
ReplyDeleteIt's those 'little quirks' that make us so adorable. I should know, I've got a gazzilion of them lol.
ReplyDeleteNo vanilla shake or ice cream or breakfast powder would ever cross the threshold to my house. Vanilla is for wimps; it's chocolate all the way here!
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah...don't waste water. There are thirsty children in Biafra.
What is it about the leftover water from glasses during meals, or 12 oz bottles? My husband is obsessed with using it for the plants, too. I'm with you on this one. Sorry Mrs. C. :)
ReplyDeleteMost of us will run the shower two minutes waiting for the water to get hot before we get in. And then there's the running water while brushing the teeth. And my 21 year old daughter (when she's home from college) washes dishes practically with the water running the whole time because a sink full of water has germs in it(according to her), so she'd rather not submerge the dishes. Now THAT bothers me, but my husband says nothing. How many GALLONS have we wasted each day?
And while I'm ranting, "I" had to take control and empty (several days and trips) my husband's dead parents' storage unit while he was at work. We must have sunk 3 grand in rent into it. What a waste. But, for him, I guess that's how long it took him to grieve and not get rid of the stuff. So... it's all good. I feel better now and I still love him. :)