Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Using Less

I love the suggestion from Tightwad Gazette author, Amy Dacyczyn, to see how little you can get away with using.

For example, we all know we don't need the always photographed amount of toothpaste on our toothbrush to get our teeth clean!

I have recently discovered that I can use only 1 Tbsp. of dishwasher detergent per load and it has no effect on the cleanliness of the dishes. I started out using 2 Tbsp. (which is about half of what the container holds) and then tried 1 Tbsp. I'm hooked! I poured my box of detergent into a jar and included a scoop so that it is easy to get just a little. When I stand over the container with the box and just pour, it takes almost 1/4 cup to fill that thing!

Another discovery I have made is that white vinegar can be used to fill the rinse aid in my dishwasher. It helps keep the inside of the dishwasher clean and vinegar is a known help in keeping glass looking nice anyway!

In the laundry room, I keep a mug in my cabinet for used dryer sheets (like my Mom does). Then, when I have a couple in there, I use them together for another load. Just experiment to see how little you can actually use.

I'm sure there are other things I've gotten in the habit of doing that I forget about right now, but I'm interested in hearing how you use less as well! Please share your ideas so we can all enjoy stretching those everyday consumables to last lots longer!

1 comment:

Mary Ann said...

Let's see- I use about half of the laundry soap. I also use only a little dishwasher soap-if I use more it just cakes in and isn't used anyways.:-) I cut the 5 pound rolls of ground beef into 6 pieces to freeze instead of 5-1 pounders. I never really notice the difference in casseroles and such. Also along that line, I cut the amount of meats called for in soups and casseroles. I try to use the amount (size of a quarter)on the back of the bottle of body wash. Also a small amount of shampoo. I am still clean though! Like you, I get so used to doing things that I don't really think about it! There are probably other ways that I use less, but can't think of them right now.