unsinkable Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 There is so much toothpaste you can't squeeze out. It feels so wasteful to throw the tube away when I know so much more is in there. I cut them open (or DH does) and can probably get 4-6 more 'servings' out. Only one of us will do it, to prevent spreading germs, just in case. Are we the only ones who do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowing Brook Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 where's the I don't use toothpaste option? :cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 where's the I don't use toothpaste option? :cool: coming right up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I can understand WHY you would do it. However, I must admit to being too lazy right at bed and right when I wake up to care enough to locate a pair of scissors and chop a corner off, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 In the course of a lifetime, I can't imagine this effort saving me more than one or two tubes of toothpaste. I say the juice ain't worth the squeeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 I can understand WHY you would do it. However, I must admit to being too lazy right at bed and right when I wake up to care enough to locate a pair of scissors and chop a corner off, LOL! Oh, we flay it open. Cut off the end and up a side. Most of the paste is stuck in the folds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Toothpaste isn't that expensive for us to worry about that last little bit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyco Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I don't do this with toothpaste but I recently did it with a lotion tube, and was amazed how much was still in there...but after 2 days or so it kind of got dried out and icky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 No. I use the handle of my toothbrush to squeeze all the toothpaste to the top and will sometimes roll up the tube and clip it with a binder clip so the toothpaste doesn't get squooged back down. Then we squeeze and squish until we can't get anymore toothpaste out of the tube. Then we finally toss it out. It's so much easier to do this now that the tubes are plastic. But back in the day when the tubes were . . . what, aluminum? . . . it was easier just to cut the tube open. I'm not sure my parents did that, though. We just used one of those tube-squeezer thingees that everyone had. Remember those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 No. I use the handle of my toothbrush to squeeze all the toothpaste to the top and will sometimes roll up the tube and clip it with a binder clip so the toothpaste doesn't get squooged back down. Then we squeeze and squish until we can't get anymore toothpaste out of the tube. Then we finally toss it out. It's so much easier to do this now that the tubes are plastic. But back in the day when the tubes were . . . what, aluminum? . . . it was easier just to cut the tube open. I'm not sure my parents did that, though. We just used one of those tube-squeezer thingees that everyone had. Remember those? My grandmother had a metal one. I have the new, plastic kind. I will cut open the tube when I don't have a backup yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 No but I do take off the pumps on any kind of lotion or shampoo with a pump top. There is always a ton more in the bottle when the pump stops working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 No but I do take off the pumps on any kind of lotion or shampoo with a pump top. There is always a ton more in the bottle when the pump stops working. Oh, for shampoo, I rinse the bottle with water and can get 2 or 3 washes from the stuff stuck to the sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Oh, for shampoo, I rinse the bottle with water and can get 2 or 3 washes from the stuff stuck to the sides. You win! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 You win! :) I was sharing, not trying to one up you. I'm sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I was sharing, not trying to one up you. I'm sorry. I knew that, I didn't take it as one-upping. But you do win. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I do the same thing...right down to one user to avoid germs! I figure that eventually it means a little less trash created by our family...if this was standard practice it would add up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Oh, for shampoo, I rinse the bottle with water and can get 2 or 3 washes from the stuff stuck to the sides. Now, I do do this. It is easy, unlike cutting the toothpaste tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Nah. Life's too short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I don't normally do it, but I would if I'd forgotten to buy a new tube and didn't feel like making a special trip to the store just for toothpaste. I do try to squeeze out every last bit from the tube, though. My dh doesn't, and he opens a new tube days before I'm ready to toss the old one. It's so stupid, really. I waste money on other stuff and I'll trade in a car with 15,000 miles on it, but I hate wasting the last of the toothpaste. And soap. I use that right down to the end, too. And liquid dish detergent. I like to think I'm quirky, but it's more likely that I'm just plain nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Oh, we flay it open. Cut off the end and up a side. Most of the paste is stuck in the folds. Even more effort required there lol. We do try to get as much as possible out but we stop once it seems flat and none can be forced out by rolling the tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 No. I don't feel the need to be that frugal. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Sometimes. Usually if I forgot to buy it and we're just about out, but sometimes when I'm feeling like we're spending too much money and being wasteful. Not that a tube of toothpaste makes much difference but overall those sorts of things can add up. "Pennies a day" can become quite a few dollars in a month. I also rinse out shampoo, conditioner, dish soap etc., to get more out of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 I know I'm wasteful in other ways, but I really couldn't believe how much toothpaste is left in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 We use a plastic tube squeezer thingie (that's the technical term), and then take the cap off and squeeze the rest out until there is really nothing left. I also rinse the shampoo and conditioner bottles to get a couple more uses... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I consider myself very thrifty, and I have never cut a toothpaste tube to get more of it out. (Thrifty defined as I have a lip balm on which the turning thingie broke off so the only way I can use it is to shove my finger up into the tube and push it up. It is almost gone anyway, so I scrape my lips against the plastic trying to get some lip balm out. After I post this, I am SO throwing this in the trash because what I am doing is ten times cheaper and worse in every way than cutting open a tube of toothpaste.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I do have a favorite kind of pricy lip gloss that I about break my fingers trying to get more out of...I have a thing for lip products.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Also, my dh and I shared an electric toothbrush for about ten years so no worries about spreading germs with toothpaste. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 And I'm so cheap that rather than replace a toothbrush after a child has strep throat, I dip it in bleach and then rinse thoroughly! (Can I please win a prize here? You see how hard I am trying, right?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I buy toothpaste that's in a bottle, not a tube--but I wouldn't cut it if I did use a tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weddell Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I haven't cut one open yet, but I did buy a toothpaste tube squeezer thing at the dollar tree ($1!). It does get quite a bit more out than just squeezing the tube myself. I'm not sure how many years it will take me to "earn" back that dollar in saved toothpaste... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 And I'm so cheap that rather than replace a toothbrush after a child has strep throat, I dip it in bleach and then rinse thoroughly! (Can I please win a prize here? You see how hard I am trying, right?) Yes! You win! I will give you bonus prizes for sharing the electric toothbrush AND you shall be awarded the Ultimate Prize, if, while sharing the toothbrush, you dipped it in bleach if either you or your DH got strep throat! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 I haven't cut one open yet, but I did buy a toothpaste tube squeezer thing at the dollar tree ($1!). It does get quite a bit more out than just squeezing the tube myself. I'm not sure how many years it will take me to "earn" back that dollar in saved toothpaste... Is it time for toothpaste math? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Yes! You win! I will give you bonus prizes for sharing the electric toothbrush AND you shall be awarded the Ultimate Prize, if, while sharing the toothbrush, you dipped it in bleach if either you or your DH got strep throat! :lol: Oh yay! I win! I win! No, I don't think I dipped it in bleach while we were sharing it. I never get strep...darn the luck. Sadly, if one of us was sick, the other used a different toothbrush until the illness subsided. Now, we each use our own - he uses the electric, and I use a manual. I was overbrushing my gums and causing issues with the electric! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 Oh yay! I win! I win! No, I don't think I dipped it in bleach while we were sharing it. I never get strep...darn the luck. Sadly, if one of us was sick, the other used a different toothbrush until the illness subsided. Now, we each use our own - he uses the electric, and I use a manual. I was overbrushing my gums and causing issues with the electric! Ouch. Sounds painful. Your electric brush had only one head? I thought you could get more heads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Ouch. Sounds painful. Your electric brush had only one head? I thought you could get more heads? I guess I was too cheap to buy more than one and too lazy to continually change them out. :D So yes, we used the exact same toothbrush for ten years. Ewwwww, gross. For whatever reason, this did not skeeve out my germ phobic dh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 I guess I was too cheap to buy more than one and too lazy to continually change them out. :D So yes, we used the exact same toothbrush for ten years. Ewwwww, gross. For whatever reason, this did not skeeve out my germ phobic dh. Awwww....wuv, true wuv! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Awwww....wuv, true wuv! Mawwage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 Mawwage... Exactly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I guess I was too cheap to buy more than one and too lazy to continually change them out. :D So yes, we used the exact same toothbrush for ten years. Ewwwww, gross. For whatever reason, this did not skeeve out my germ phobic dh. Eh, you kiss. Same thing as sharing a toothbrush! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in FL. Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I don't cut the tube, but I do mangle it pretty badly. I've also been known to suck the last bit out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Eh, you kiss. Same thing as sharing a toothbrush! No. No it's not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Eh, you kiss. Same thing as sharing a toothbrush! This is our thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Oh, we flay it open. Cut off the end and up a side. Most of the paste is stuck in the folds. My tube doesn't have any folds. I squeeze and flatten from the bottom, no rolls or folds. I pay 97 cents for a tube of toothpaste. I don't think I would even save a tube over a lifetime. I think you have me beat on being frugal. Dh would be shocked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 I don't cut the tube, but I do mangle it pretty badly. I've also been known to suck the last bit out! Toothpaste sucking also earns a prize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2samlibby Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I guess I was too cheap to buy more than one and too lazy to continually change them out. :D So yes, we used the exact same toothbrush for ten years. Ewwwww, gross. For whatever reason, this did not skeeve out my germ phobic dh. I think I'm going to barf now. Just reading that grosses me out so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 No, but I admit to doing this with shampoo and conditioner. There seems to be a lot left that is hard to get out. I use really expensive shampoo and conditioner, so I work very hard to get every.little.bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I use really expensive shampoo and conditioner, so I work very hard to get every.little.bit. Now I do this. I add just enough water to get every last bit off the sides and bottom. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeontheprairie Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I can honestly say it has NEVER occurred to me to do this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama27 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Ours is always watery and icky by the time we get to the end. I have a hard enough time using it then let along cutting open the tube (which I never thought of). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I use the handle of my toothbrush to squish the tube completely flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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