GOOD...TO THE LAST...

There is a secret battle going on at my house between Cindy & me. We don’t talk about it….but it’s happening.

This particular battle occurs every couple of months or so.

This war of the minds is about...who’s going to use that last dribble of toothpaste in the tube? When finally done, the winner will have brushed their teeth. The loser will have to walk out to the linen closet to get the next new tube of toothpaste. And no one wants to make that effort…when we can make someone else do it!

I bet some of you have been there. You know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s a battle of who can last out the other. In the morning, you squeeeeeze the tube to get that last dollop of paste on your brush, and then you put the tube back in the medicine cabinet. You are sure that when you brush tonight, there’s going to be a new tube in the cabinet…there’s no way she can get more out of it. But, apparently, she squeeeezed just as hard. That evening, you look...and there it is...that same mangled tube you’ve been milking for a week.

So you lay the tube on the sink, start at the bottom and SQUEEZE and PUSH…trying to get that last microgram of paste off the inside walls of the tube and onto your brush so you can put the tube back in the cabinet to declare your win. The battle is on and you don’t plan to lose.

The battle isn’t just between Cindy & I…and not just toothpaste. It rolls over into other rooms of the house, and over other objects, and involves other people…like kids.

You go to the fridge to get some condiments for the sandwich you’re about to eat. Any one, or combination of things is about to happen. The ketchup bottle is standing on end, trying to get that last little bit to collect near the opening…and/or…the mustard bottle is laying on its side…lifeless and empty…and/or…the pickle jar is in the door, but it has no pickles remaining in it…just pickle juice.

Other jars are just the same. The mayonnaise...or peanut butter...or jelly just has those little portions on the side of the jar. Instead of a knife or a spoon, you reach for the spatula so you can hope to scrape enough off the sides of the jar to spread on your bread to, at least, give it the hint of flavor you’re after.

Drinks are no different. You remember there is some ice tea or lemonade in the fridge and it sounds sooooo good. You open the door and there are 4 drops remaining in the bottom of the jug. No one wants to make more, so they don’t drink it all, just almost all…and then put the jug back in the fridge.

And don’t forget when you need a napkin or a paper towel. You’ll invariably find the napkin holder empty and the cardboard tube the only thing left of the paper towel roll.

If we could all just have that same feeling about the money in my wallet. Let’s make it last...let’s squeeze every bit of value out of what we have in there, before we say…how about getting some more?


Dan