Before you put the roll on the holder, squash it. The fact that kids can't "pull it so hard that it leave the empty roll spinning" will force them to use less.
Gotta disagree with JL. My husband uses far more bathroom tissue than I do. And there's no real way to police it.
I do agree that one-ply won't cut it, but any two-ply is fine. In fact, the general consensus is that soft and fluffy brands are quite harmful for plumbing (both the house's and a woman's).
I've given up on trying to convince anyone else what I think is an adequate amount. I just do what I can to conserve on my own.
My wedding cost $25K and if I had to do it all over again, I would have eloped.
In fact, I asked my father to cut a deal -- 10K cash, from which I would pay for a family-only wedding and use the rest for a down payment on a house -- and he declined. "Your mother," he said wisely, "would never forgive me."
So I got a big Polish wedding with an even bigger reception. I've been married seven years and I still kick myself for letting it get so out of hand. I'm glad my mother could finally have the wedding of her dreams, but I've sworn not to do the same to my daughter when her time comes. If she wants to get married in a sundress on the beach, more power to her. Heck, if she wants to get married in blue jeans at the courthouse, I'll be there to sign as a witness and write a generous check to help her buy her first home. But I won't insist that she have a princess wedding just because it's "the thing to do."
That said, if that's what she wants, I will certainly give her the big white dress and the $150/plate served reception meal. But I'm guessing that, since I'm the one who will be raising her, she'll have more sense than that.
I'm not touching this one! Last time I tried to encourage conservation at the TP roll my wife and daughter gave me an evil eye and I knew danger approached. Maybe I could print this out and conveniently leave it sitting around the magazine rack.
The world is made up of 90% Grasshoppers. Things are great when things are going good, but as soon as things get bad... well, that's when all the grasshoppers want to sponge off their ant neighbors.
As an example, witness the mortgage relief bill working its way through the U.S. senate right now.
Of course, the grasshoppers use the full weight and force of government to enforce their wishes.
Makes you wonder what's so great about being an ant?
Recently I got shot with an online gotcha. I sent in my payment on a Monday evening, with the payment due on Wednesday. When I got the next bill I was upset to see a $25 late fee and, of course, high interest charged for my balance because it was late.
Wait a minute, I sent in my payment two days early!
After calling to complain, a customer service rep pointed out that the online agreement says payments received after 5 pm will be counted the next day, and that online transactions may take up to 2 days to process. So I got screwed.
I know for a fact (from my other credit card) that online transactions are nearly instantaneous. The 2 day processing time is just another way for them to catch you off guard and charge more fees.
I ended up cancelling the card because they would not take off the late fee and interest. I'm still mad I had to pay that, but this is one of those fine print things that needs to be fixed.
I've found, actually, that I use more paper when I buy the cheap stuff. Us chicks require more than one ply, sorry. I read somewhere or another that men tend to be "folders" while women tend to be "wadders" -- a quick survey of my household found this to be true -- and I think the peculiarities of our varying equipment explains this quite well. Bluntly put, a woman who folds (or uses too little tissue) is going to get her hand wet. So do cut the ladies some slack, won't you?
I've heard many strategies for keeping kids from using too much, though, that should work on adults, too -- count squares, make a mark on the wall below the roll holder and only take X inches, etc. At my friend's family beach house, there was actually a sign above the roll asking people to limit themselves to three squares.
This is very interesting, because for whatever reason, the topic is so taboo. So, thanks to the anonymous internet (:)) maybe it will be a bit less taboo...
I am a male in my twenties, and I find myself generally using less than 10 total squares per 'trip' to the bathroom. I'm not sure what the point is in using more than 3 - 4 squares at a time as long as they are folded correctly; 3 squares of buffer space or 30 squares both seem to provide adequate buffer space between my oh-so-delicate hand and anything 'down there' that might 'get me'.
I guess all of this doesn't even matter unless you get yourself 'clean' each time, and I believe I accomplish that with well under 10 squares.
Social Security doesn't exist to provide for retirement and it doesn't exist to keep you out of poverty when you can no longer work. It exists to ensure that those who don't save won't be pennyless dying of starvation on the street. I believe that it does a pretty good job of that, not prefect but that is life.
I agree that the elderly who are currently living off of just social security probably don't have a great quality of life, but they should still have a chance.
Would it be better to leave these people to the welfare system? That I do not know.
Be both. Save some and enjoy some. Don't do too much of either. Why? Because there are some things that you can really enjoy only when you're young, before you get tied down with family and responsibilities. Travel is one of those things.
Thanks for sharing these ideas on raising cash for a wedding. My sister is about to wed and neither her nor her groom have much cash for a big wedding (though they have dreams of one!). Perhaps these ideas will get them a little closer to their goals.
@Amy: You make a great point - one that isn't emphasized in the story. My grandfather told me once, sensing I was burning out in a new career, to occasionally "stop and smell the roses." It was great advice, and something I needed to hear to remember that life is about both work AND play.
I thought I would also share an article I wrote on how to hire a wedding photographer. It helped us save a ton of money on one of the largest expenses.
Congratulations on your new marriage (and to everyone else getting married this year!)
I was reading your comments about trying to raise money for a wedding, especially in these tough economic times. One option you might want to consider is the cool “Cash Gift Service” offered on the gift registry site MyRegistry.com . Rather than sell out the ceremony to a sponsor (which just sounds tacky) you can discreetly suggest to guests that they opt for cash gifts instead of items. It really works, and can sure help when the wedding bills start rolling in.
Allison, how do you inform your guests of your gift preferences then? I think making gift preferences just prevents waste and makes things easier for the guests. I have gone to many American weddings now and not one invitation came without a registry location. These are couples of all ethnicities so actually I have never heard of including gift preferences with an invitation as tacky.
Our wedding cost about 25 - 30k (including honeymoon) and we cut all sorts of corners. But we had a plan to pay for it from the start. By the time we said I do, we had paid for everything and were still talking to each other :-)
I think a lot of couples are scared to talk about money and that leads to all sorts of problems (over-spending and stress.) My only request going in was to "not go into debt over the wedding" and we made sure that wish became real.
The venue, photographer, and caterer are the big three when it comes to saving money. Take the time to shop around and you might be surprised how much you can save.
Consider asking for cash gifts? Yikes! In American culture, making any mention of the registry or gift preference with the invitation is considered tacky and poor etiquette. It sends the message that the day is about receiving gifts rather than celebrating the marriage of the couple.
The ant and the grasshopper showed the two extremes...I think that it's possible to maybe be a little less ant-ish and still be prepared for unexpected events. That way, you can enjoy life a little bit too. The trick is to just not get carried away with the enjoyment.
I sort of think that the and was lucky that the grasshopper stayed friends with him. After all, the ant was so busy working he really didn't really take any time to spend with his friends.
The point of the story is definitely a good one though.
Great points. It's important not to fall into the trap of spending money to save money. It just never works. I've been told Shaw's is more expensive, but here in Vermont, haven't completely found that to be the case. Then again, there are not as many options, and when you buy local/organic foods, then Shaws is definitely cheaper.
One thing to keep in mind, cheaper is not always better. Sometimes when you buy bargain basement meat and dairy you're getting what you pay for. Look no further than the recent recall of something like a million pounds of beef from an industrial meat producer in California because they were caught sending out bad beef (i.e., potential mad cow). That meat would probably have sold for bargain basement prices if it hadn't already been fed to school children.
As far as locality, I grew up on the West Coast and never once saw a Shaw's. I believe they are owned by Albertson's, which I was familiar with.
Thanks for your comments and good luck with the savings.
The important thing here, however, is to be smart. I have a Shaws near me, but it is more expensive than the other local supermarket.
If I spend $100 at Shaws, I get a 20 cent/gallon coupon. My car has a 14 gallon tank. That saves me $2.80 total if I fill it up. BUT if I go to the other supermarket, I know I will save more than $2.80 just on the cost of the groceries.
So... be smart! If you already shop at Shaws, then this is awesome. If you don't, then do the math first before you switch!
Last thing first - Social Security is not failing.
Yes it is. Social Security is a failure. Despite 60 years of ever-increasing taxes and ever-increase base, Social Security has not even manged to solve the problem of senior poverty. The overall success rate of anti-poverty measures in the United States is 45%. This, despite annual spending of $1.5 TRILLION. I don't know about where you come from, but in my class, 45% is a F. That goes double when 100% success is achievable by spending less money.
Furthermore, Social Security now guarantees new workers (those who started working after 1990) a negative rate of return. Given the higher tax rate and retirement age, the average worker simply cannot get out more value than he puts in. It is mathematically impossible. It's like the 3 laws of thermodynamics: you can't win, you can't break even and you can't even quit the game.
We have many, many years to adjust it.
And by "adjust it", do you mean raising taxes and/or cutting benefits? That will make Social Security and even WORSE deal for workers. Yay. Let's do that.
I've read the articles portending its collapse
I see you have not stopped putting words in my mouth. Bully for you. I guess that's what you must resort to when your argument has no merit. I never said that Social Security is in danger of collapsing. Social Security can be made to last indefinitely through further tax hikes and benefit cuts. It doesn't take a PhD in math to realize that.
The problem is that Social Security is a RIP OFF. It costs more than it would cost to completely eliminate poverty and it guarantees a negative rate of return for workers who pay in to it. But I guess that, since it's "politically feasible", that makes it worth while. Racism and sexism were once "politically feasible", too. That didn't make either one good.
Or just put the rolls in the bottom of the shopping cart, then dump your weekly shop on top. That's what usually happens to mine anyway!
I heard a great technique:
Before you put the roll on the holder, squash it. The fact that kids can't "pull it so hard that it leave the empty roll spinning" will force them to use less.
I tried it and it worked for us!
Gotta disagree with JL. My husband uses far more bathroom tissue than I do. And there's no real way to police it.
I do agree that one-ply won't cut it, but any two-ply is fine. In fact, the general consensus is that soft and fluffy brands are quite harmful for plumbing (both the house's and a woman's).
I've given up on trying to convince anyone else what I think is an adequate amount. I just do what I can to conserve on my own.
My wedding cost $25K and if I had to do it all over again, I would have eloped.
In fact, I asked my father to cut a deal -- 10K cash, from which I would pay for a family-only wedding and use the rest for a down payment on a house -- and he declined. "Your mother," he said wisely, "would never forgive me."
So I got a big Polish wedding with an even bigger reception. I've been married seven years and I still kick myself for letting it get so out of hand. I'm glad my mother could finally have the wedding of her dreams, but I've sworn not to do the same to my daughter when her time comes. If she wants to get married in a sundress on the beach, more power to her. Heck, if she wants to get married in blue jeans at the courthouse, I'll be there to sign as a witness and write a generous check to help her buy her first home. But I won't insist that she have a princess wedding just because it's "the thing to do."
That said, if that's what she wants, I will certainly give her the big white dress and the $150/plate served reception meal. But I'm guessing that, since I'm the one who will be raising her, she'll have more sense than that.
I'm not touching this one! Last time I tried to encourage conservation at the TP roll my wife and daughter gave me an evil eye and I knew danger approached. Maybe I could print this out and conveniently leave it sitting around the magazine rack.
The world is made up of 90% Grasshoppers. Things are great when things are going good, but as soon as things get bad... well, that's when all the grasshoppers want to sponge off their ant neighbors.
As an example, witness the mortgage relief bill working its way through the U.S. senate right now.
Of course, the grasshoppers use the full weight and force of government to enforce their wishes.
Makes you wonder what's so great about being an ant?
I hope they do something about online payments.
Recently I got shot with an online gotcha. I sent in my payment on a Monday evening, with the payment due on Wednesday. When I got the next bill I was upset to see a $25 late fee and, of course, high interest charged for my balance because it was late.
Wait a minute, I sent in my payment two days early!
After calling to complain, a customer service rep pointed out that the online agreement says payments received after 5 pm will be counted the next day, and that online transactions may take up to 2 days to process. So I got screwed.
I know for a fact (from my other credit card) that online transactions are nearly instantaneous. The 2 day processing time is just another way for them to catch you off guard and charge more fees.
I ended up cancelling the card because they would not take off the late fee and interest. I'm still mad I had to pay that, but this is one of those fine print things that needs to be fixed.
...thanks j l. I certainly didn't want to offend our lady readers, and was unaware of the 'wadding' technique for obvious reasons.
I've found, actually, that I use more paper when I buy the cheap stuff. Us chicks require more than one ply, sorry. I read somewhere or another that men tend to be "folders" while women tend to be "wadders" -- a quick survey of my household found this to be true -- and I think the peculiarities of our varying equipment explains this quite well. Bluntly put, a woman who folds (or uses too little tissue) is going to get her hand wet. So do cut the ladies some slack, won't you?
I've heard many strategies for keeping kids from using too much, though, that should work on adults, too -- count squares, make a mark on the wall below the roll holder and only take X inches, etc. At my friend's family beach house, there was actually a sign above the roll asking people to limit themselves to three squares.
Kroger has been doing something similar in our community in the South.
Kroger has been doing something similar in our community in the South.
This is very interesting, because for whatever reason, the topic is so taboo. So, thanks to the anonymous internet (:)) maybe it will be a bit less taboo...
I am a male in my twenties, and I find myself generally using less than 10 total squares per 'trip' to the bathroom. I'm not sure what the point is in using more than 3 - 4 squares at a time as long as they are folded correctly; 3 squares of buffer space or 30 squares both seem to provide adequate buffer space between my oh-so-delicate hand and anything 'down there' that might 'get me'.
I guess all of this doesn't even matter unless you get yourself 'clean' each time, and I believe I accomplish that with well under 10 squares.
Social Security doesn't exist to provide for retirement and it doesn't exist to keep you out of poverty when you can no longer work. It exists to ensure that those who don't save won't be pennyless dying of starvation on the street. I believe that it does a pretty good job of that, not prefect but that is life.
I agree that the elderly who are currently living off of just social security probably don't have a great quality of life, but they should still have a chance.
Would it be better to leave these people to the welfare system? That I do not know.
-Tim
Be both. Save some and enjoy some. Don't do too much of either. Why? Because there are some things that you can really enjoy only when you're young, before you get tied down with family and responsibilities. Travel is one of those things.
Thanks for sharing these ideas on raising cash for a wedding. My sister is about to wed and neither her nor her groom have much cash for a big wedding (though they have dreams of one!). Perhaps these ideas will get them a little closer to their goals.
@Amy: You make a great point - one that isn't emphasized in the story. My grandfather told me once, sensing I was burning out in a new career, to occasionally "stop and smell the roses." It was great advice, and something I needed to hear to remember that life is about both work AND play.
I thought I would also share an article I wrote on how to hire a wedding photographer. It helped us save a ton of money on one of the largest expenses.
http://blackburnimagery.com/wp/how-to-hire-a-wedding-photographer/
Congratulations on your new marriage (and to everyone else getting married this year!)
I was reading your comments about trying to raise money for a wedding, especially in these tough economic times. One option you might want to consider is the cool “Cash Gift Service” offered on the gift registry site MyRegistry.com . Rather than sell out the ceremony to a sponsor (which just sounds tacky) you can discreetly suggest to guests that they opt for cash gifts instead of items. It really works, and can sure help when the wedding bills start rolling in.
Allison, how do you inform your guests of your gift preferences then? I think making gift preferences just prevents waste and makes things easier for the guests. I have gone to many American weddings now and not one invitation came without a registry location. These are couples of all ethnicities so actually I have never heard of including gift preferences with an invitation as tacky.
Our wedding cost about 25 - 30k (including honeymoon) and we cut all sorts of corners. But we had a plan to pay for it from the start. By the time we said I do, we had paid for everything and were still talking to each other :-)
I think a lot of couples are scared to talk about money and that leads to all sorts of problems (over-spending and stress.) My only request going in was to "not go into debt over the wedding" and we made sure that wish became real.
The venue, photographer, and caterer are the big three when it comes to saving money. Take the time to shop around and you might be surprised how much you can save.
Great topic.
Consider asking for cash gifts? Yikes! In American culture, making any mention of the registry or gift preference with the invitation is considered tacky and poor etiquette. It sends the message that the day is about receiving gifts rather than celebrating the marriage of the couple.
The ant and the grasshopper showed the two extremes...I think that it's possible to maybe be a little less ant-ish and still be prepared for unexpected events. That way, you can enjoy life a little bit too. The trick is to just not get carried away with the enjoyment.
I sort of think that the and was lucky that the grasshopper stayed friends with him. After all, the ant was so busy working he really didn't really take any time to spend with his friends.
The point of the story is definitely a good one though.
Hey Everyone,
Great points. It's important not to fall into the trap of spending money to save money. It just never works. I've been told Shaw's is more expensive, but here in Vermont, haven't completely found that to be the case. Then again, there are not as many options, and when you buy local/organic foods, then Shaws is definitely cheaper.
One thing to keep in mind, cheaper is not always better. Sometimes when you buy bargain basement meat and dairy you're getting what you pay for. Look no further than the recent recall of something like a million pounds of beef from an industrial meat producer in California because they were caught sending out bad beef (i.e., potential mad cow). That meat would probably have sold for bargain basement prices if it hadn't already been fed to school children.
As far as locality, I grew up on the West Coast and never once saw a Shaw's. I believe they are owned by Albertson's, which I was familiar with.
Thanks for your comments and good luck with the savings.
The important thing here, however, is to be smart. I have a Shaws near me, but it is more expensive than the other local supermarket.
If I spend $100 at Shaws, I get a 20 cent/gallon coupon. My car has a 14 gallon tank. That saves me $2.80 total if I fill it up. BUT if I go to the other supermarket, I know I will save more than $2.80 just on the cost of the groceries.
So... be smart! If you already shop at Shaws, then this is awesome. If you don't, then do the math first before you switch!
Last thing first - Social Security is not failing.
Yes it is. Social Security is a failure. Despite 60 years of ever-increasing taxes and ever-increase base, Social Security has not even manged to solve the problem of senior poverty. The overall success rate of anti-poverty measures in the United States is 45%. This, despite annual spending of $1.5 TRILLION. I don't know about where you come from, but in my class, 45% is a F. That goes double when 100% success is achievable by spending less money.
Furthermore, Social Security now guarantees new workers (those who started working after 1990) a negative rate of return. Given the higher tax rate and retirement age, the average worker simply cannot get out more value than he puts in. It is mathematically impossible. It's like the 3 laws of thermodynamics: you can't win, you can't break even and you can't even quit the game.
We have many, many years to adjust it.
And by "adjust it", do you mean raising taxes and/or cutting benefits? That will make Social Security and even WORSE deal for workers. Yay. Let's do that.
I've read the articles portending its collapse
I see you have not stopped putting words in my mouth. Bully for you. I guess that's what you must resort to when your argument has no merit. I never said that Social Security is in danger of collapsing. Social Security can be made to last indefinitely through further tax hikes and benefit cuts. It doesn't take a PhD in math to realize that.
The problem is that Social Security is a RIP OFF. It costs more than it would cost to completely eliminate poverty and it guarantees a negative rate of return for workers who pay in to it. But I guess that, since it's "politically feasible", that makes it worth while. Racism and sexism were once "politically feasible", too. That didn't make either one good.