About a year or so ago, I got into couponing, big time. I lived for the Saturday weekend paper so I could get my coupons one day earlier than everyone else. It was great to look at the ads and coupons a day earlier and get my grocery planning started one day earlier. During this time I acquired quite a stash of toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, toothbrushes and other toiletries, such as shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and razors. I really loved knowing that I had toothpaste for 6 months or that whenever I ran out of laundry detergent, I had 10 more bottles waiting in the wings. My friends thought I was a bit crazy but I know they secretly wished they had what I had. It really did cut down on staples you get at the store weekly, and no, I wasn't buying stuff I wouldn't use, because I did have a need for it, just not an immediate one.
About 6 months ago my husband looked me in the eye and said i had to stop buying toothpaste because we couldn't bring it all with us. The shock set in, holy crap how was I going to use up my stash? I hadn't thought about NOT bring it with us, but it made sense. I at least know I can use up the laundry detergent and had enough on hand to get us through the 6 months until we moved. But all the other items, paper towels, napkins, shampoos and conditioners, body wash, deodorant, how were we going to use those up? Then I came up with a plan.
The kids and the dog. Yes the kids and the dog were going to play an important part in the consumption of our items. My girls don't really understand the concept of placing a shampoo bottle on the side of the tub or in a metal holder on the side rather than leaving it on the bottom of the tub, open, and running out all over the tub. I don't know how they don't know this concept because i swear I have told them about a million times when I tell them to clean up the bathroom. But it just falls on deaf ears. I think all they hear is "wah-wah-wah-wah, shampoo, wah-wah- wah." It has to be, because I haven't started speaking my broken Italian to them yet. At any rate, I figured that this could play in my favor. Why yell at them when we have such an abundance that NEEDS to be used up?
I was happy when my oldest would tell me that Sydney, the youngest, had used all the body wash or shampoo in the tub to make a bubblebath. Awesome!! And when the bottle was accidentally knocked into the tub and all its contents came spilling out, well I simply gave them another bottle with a large smile on my face.Or when Sydney took the whole bottle of shampoo and put in in the tub to fill it back up with water, essentially making it useless, I looked at her and smiled, "It's okay honey." But the stash wasn't being used as quickly, or maybe I just kept buying more items. I'm not sure, why but I needed more reinforcements. This is where the dog came into play.
He's a handsome chocolate lab, about 7 years old. I figured that we could save some money on his baths by washing him at home. It's a darn good thing he has fur that repels water. What that means is that he needs ALOT of shampoo to lather up his fur. No worries there, I've got plenty. I'm thinking he needs a weekly bath now and we'll get through it quicker.
But again, I've got the shampoo that I use and the ones my husband uses. Well my husband's shampoo is a lost cause. Why? Because if you've ever been with a military man, a thick head of hair they do not have. He has 5 bottles of shampoo left to use and 7 weeks to use it. That won't happen. Me, well I have 5-6 bottles of shampoo and conditioner to use, one is a really big.set too. Finally though I remembered what they used to write on the bottles of shampoo, "Lather, rinse, repeat." I always thought it was a ploy to get you to use more shampoo and buy more product. But I thought i had nothing to lose in trying. And you know what? It's great. The first shampoo gets the oils and dirt out, the second shampoo really washes your hair, then conditioner, do the same and it feels great. I should have been doing this all along.
7 weeks and counting, let's see if I can get through my bottles of shampoo and conditioner.
You'll be happy to know that the body wash is all used up, but the stash of body lotion I have from Bath and Body Works, now that is another problem.
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