Remember last year when I spotted the HH’s “empty” toothpaste in the trash can and dug it out? Well, if not, let me catch you up. I proceeded to delicately slice that sucker open, and it kept me in the toothpaste for another 37 DAYS! And I have continued to pull his still usable tubes out of the garbage…why he won’t just leave them on the counter for me like a good boy, I don’t know. I think he’s trying to avoid coming to terms with my penny pinching nature.
I know, I know, it’s not that much, but can you imagine over a lifetime, if everyone in the family used up every last drop, how much you would save? Because I am a frugal nerd, I decided to do some math. If you live to 80 {Wahoo! Congratulations!}, and start brushing your teeth somewhere right before your first birthday, using every last drop of toothpaste in the tube will add another 789 days to the life of your toothpaste…which means you would not be buying toothpaste for just over 2 years of your life. Yes, I get it, that’s not a TON of money, but pennies add up to dollars, people…or at least, that’s what I tell the HH when he tells my I’ve lost my mind.
Plus, even if the savings aren’t motivating–keeping all those excess tubes out of the landfills has to be a good thing, right?
Use it all up. I dare you.
~Mavis
Patti says
Mavis:
This post brought me back to my childhood at home. My frugal Mom had a slider/squeezy thing that she put on the bottom of our toothpaste and it would push up an amazing amount of tooth paste to the very end. When we ran out of tooth paste, we used baking soda with a few drops of water to make a paste. We always had beautiful teeth and very very few cavities (My first tiny surface cavity was in high school). I’m certain she would have sliced the tube open as you do if she’d thought of it. 🙂 Oh the wonderful stories I could tell of living with a frugal Mother.
Min says
Tell your husband you have not lost your mind. My grandma was very much like you and she had a great life, went all over the world and had many very nice things. She died a millionaire. I try to be more like her but I guess I’m just too lazy. She lived through the depression and had to be that way to survive. I will not be dying a millionaire or doing half what she did. So, who is the smart one………
Tamara says
Waste not, want not!
Catherine says
How do you get the toothpaste to not dry out? Fold it back up after each use?
Linda says
I’m frugal, too. Heck, I’m cheap. Years ago, I would practically turn the tube inside out to get the last squeezable bit of toothpaste out. It gave me joy, honest! I squeezed and squeezed one tube, yet kept getting paste long past when I thought I’d be able to. One morning my darling hubby informed me that filling a tube of toothpaste is a lot harder than squeezing it out. Every morning, he had been putting just enough into the old tube (using a new tube) for me to brush with. You have to love someone who tries so hard to please you!
Lissa says
I LOVE this story. What a thoughtful husband– or was he playing a trick on you? Either he is loving or has a great sense of humor or both. You are both lucky to have each other. 🙂
Lace Faerie says
How sweet! My DH’s Grampa used to pitch pennies out past Gramma when she looked the other way. See, she got joy out of picking up a penny for good luck. And he got joy seeing her smile!
Mavis says
I love that story!!
Julia says
My son cuts his tube open all the time and it is surprising how much is in there!
Debbie says
I use high end skin care products and I’ve been using this tip and extending the life of my prodcts by a couple months! Thanks for the great tip.
Carla says
Just reading your older posts. I lived in a dorm in college with Alice Litton, daughter of the founder of Litton industries. She did the same thing with her toothpaste tube. She got the hint from her dad who must have been very frugal. Every penny counts. That’s one way to becoming and staying rich.