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SKL

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Everything posted by SKL

  1. They are included. It is always fine to take them. What I don't totally agree with is that some people take them and give them to charity - that part is fine - but then they claim that THEY made a donation. This was recommended for one of the drives in my previous job. "When you're on company travel, take all the soaps etc. from the hotel bathroom and donate them here." I'm not really sure what to call that, but it doesn't seem like charity on the part of the employee. Not that it's wrong to do it, just wrong to claim charity cred for it.
  2. Yep, you are right, and as a coffee drinker, it is likely I have paid about $0.50 extra over the course of my life due to people being pigs about sugar packs. It's just awful. Of course if I was actually so poor that that $0.50 over the course of 50+ years was going to make a difference to me, I would certainly not be buying prepared coffee, so maybe that is why this isn't really a thing on anyone's radar. And I guarantee we have spent a lot more resources than that just chatting about this "issue" on the internet.
  3. Forgot to add: take out the garbage. And clean the car. And make a grocery stop. Done, done, and done. My alarms went off on time this morning, but I must have been dreaming that they were something else, because all I remember is yelling at them and smacking them until they shut up. Luckily, my kid came and got me 16 minutes before time to leave for the chiropractor. I got the other kid up, got myself ready, did some cleaning, made coffee, took out the garbage, and got the mail all in 20 minutes. We were "only" 5 minutes late for the chiropractor. Cleaned the car (kid-reasonable) on the way to pick up the kids' friend. Dropped all 3 girls off at the grocery store to buy snacks. I told them to grab one of those variety bags of chips. They came out with $44 worth of chips, candy, drinks, and a pumpkin roll. Back home, I am "working" and they are playing. I have a lot of reports due today, so here's hoping. 2 more kids will arrive when convenient for their guardians.
  4. I go one further and let my kids cut their own hair AND mine. 😛 I do try to take them in to the budget hair salon each August before school starts.
  5. And who knew some of our kids were natural-born environmentalists. From now on it shall be a point of pride. 😛
  6. I've been up all night again until 4am, this time because of online birthday and Christmas shopping. I did pretty good, but I should have been sleeping or working! Today: Christmas shopping online in the wee hours. Sleep a couple hours. Some house cleaning for the kids coming to visit, though the kids say they did most of it last night. Kids to chiropractor. Pick up kids' friend. Home and welcome two more friends. I might end up having to let parents in the house, so I hope it isn't too gross. Work while the kids play. Friends get picked up. Kid's eye appointment. Kid to gymnastics. Work or walk or be lazy at gymnastics. Kids to bed. Work or sleep.
  7. Yeah, if I brush before bed I don't necessarily use toothpaste, but I always use it in the morning. It's not a frugal thing for me, but a comfort thing. Toothpaste feels like wake up, not go to sleep. I agree it probably does not make much of a difference health wise, but I would worry about bad breath if I didn't use toothpaste in the morning. As for flushing, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one whose kids can't seem to remember to flush every time. 😕
  8. Here they don't put the sugar in for you. Either they throw some packets in your carry-out bag or you go over to the side counter where they have the napkins, straws/stirrers, and condiments. The stuff on that counter is not policed. You take what you want and nobody cares how many sugars you take. The employees periodically check and re-fill the bins.
  9. Well, I can imagine some butt wads would say no to the sugar request. But that is because they are butt wads. Most people would be amazed the person doubted enough to ask. I mean it's out there in a bin for people to take. Take some.
  10. So I don't think it's unethical to take an accessory that "comes with" the product you are buying. Suppose you are buying a dress and it comes with a hanger. You don't need the hanger as you have another kind that you use at home, but your sister is always happy to have more hangers for her growing kids' clothes. Is it unethical to take the hanger since you are taking it for your sister? What about a purse that includes a wallet or key chain that you plan to give to someone else who will use it? Or a coat that comes with a scarf your sister will like more than you do? On a plane is it wrong to take the bottle of water you didn't drink, or the cookie you didn't eat? I don't think so.
  11. Well I think you might have given me a Christmas gift idea if I can find them. (Not gonna make them.) I don't need them back, and maybe the bag itself (if not strictly a Christmas design) could be a gift.1
  12. I mostly use (re-use and re-use) gift bags, except for some of the Christmas presents for little kids. I like the idea of the cloth drawstring bags for kids. It adds a little excitement if you have to open it up to see what's inside.
  13. I would probably start with Mystery Science since you indicated that this is something you are already doing and they love it. I think you can keep doing it even while they are starting school, but move it to a time like Saturday when it isn't right up against school stuff. How much else you can do, and when, depends on so many factors. But I think it is a good idea to do "something" just so they know to expect that as a part of life. I was able to do quite a lot with my kids when they were younger, but very little now. If I had it to do over, I probably would have done a little less in the younger years so they could have more free time. And I would have focused on the things that would help them most in school. But that is my individual situation based on my own kids.
  14. OK here's one I've heard but even I would never do this. (I do like cleanliness!) "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down." I am so glad that I've never been in that tight of a water situation.
  15. I used to wash baggies when I had time for that. Now I use washable plastic stuff. I use certain cloth personal products for comfort reasons more than anything else. (The ones I use are now about 12 years, old so they did work out to be economical too.) On the other hand, when I travel I use disposable underwear rather than fill up my suitcase with cloth ones. I don't impose many of my frugal rules on my kids. So I buy them the personal products they want (within reason of course). I guess I'm just glad they use them at all, LOL. I'm sure they will learn to economize when I hand over the purchasing responsibility to them.
  16. My kids were 5 when they started 1st. Eldest turned 6 in October. Youngest has a January birthday.
  17. His karma will be to have to use one that has no paper when he really needs some. I have been guilty of filling my pockets with TP when traveling, because some places don't have any. Learned that lesson the hard way.
  18. I agree with you on that. Sometimes, though, I need the caffeine too much to be picky.
  19. 2 school weeks plus the surrounding weekends - December 22 to January 6. Not sure but I think it's similar to when I was a kid.
  20. OK but how would you know why I have a Starbucks sugar packet? Most likely some person at Starbucks threw it in my to-go bag without my asking. You prefer me to waste it? Really, I've seen it all so I rarely judge ... unless the person is a general a$$hole. In that case I will judge his looks, voice, handwriting, and everything else including his spending habits. 😛
  21. Yes I know they existed, but like microwaves and ataris, not everyone had them and the working class family with the pile of kids was the last to spend money on that sort of thing. It is not necessary. My younger sister had a two-handled "baby cup," but never used the lid part (if we ever had the lid).
  22. Well I slept until 2:something after getting the kids out the door this morning. Got some more work out and now I'm in temporary down time mode, though I am wondering what I'm forgetting to do! Now that I was up all night and slept half of the day, that will probably be my schedule for the next week. It's rough since I still have to get up early for the kids. The kids are at activities tonight, but they need to clean the house once they are back, as they are having friends over tomorrow. (Most likely I will be cleaning in the night also.) I want to get a load or two of laundry done. No more school this week, so at least I don't have that to worry about.
  23. Well some of these are funny, but I don't think I'd better post, because some people consider a number of my choices to fit this category. 😛 I think it happens when you grew up poor and now you are moving in a different circle. I'll give you an example - I rip paper towels into ~4/4 squares AND re-use them until they can't be re-used any more. First use is as a dinner napkin, then once visibly soiled, they can be used to clean up messes before being thrown into the garbage. I do agree with the sippy cup thing above - sippy cups were not really a thing when I was little. For my tots, I let them practice eating shirtless so they would notice dribbles and theoretically learn to eat neatly (with mixed results). I didn't cut baby wipes, but I used grown-up small flushable wipes rather than big baby wipes. Mostly I made my kids use the potty (once they could sit), and if the diaper was not nasty, it went back on. (FTR neither of my kids ever had a diaper rash or bladder infection.) I could go on all day as this sort of thing was almost a hobby for me for many years.
  24. Funny thing is that the cost of the wi-fi those people are probably using for free at Starbucks to diss people who take sugar is probably a lot more than the cost of said sugar .... But that is ethical kuz that's what the wifi is there for, right?
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