Tuesday, July 13, 2010

We are {Girls} Sweetheart....You can use more then one square of Toilet Paper

My daughter, Savvy, is now potty trained!  I am ecstatic!  The {accidents} are very few and far between and I have not purchased a bag of Pull-Ups in over a month.  Savvy sat on the toilet today and took care of her business.  She asked to wipe herself...gasp...I am not sure if I am ready to {completely} let go of my baby but here she is wanting her independence!  She grabbed the toilet paper roll and pulled off one square of toilet paper.  I smiled at her and told her "Sweetheart, you can use more then one square we are girls" and with that I pulled out some more toilet paper for her to use.

Later this morning she drew coupons for me to use...she was so darling...she even tore them out of her little "newspaper"...this led to me to thinking...I am {Frugal} but I am not cheap.  Yeah, you are welcome to come to my house and use as much toilet paper as you feel comfortable using.  Yes, you may flush the toilet after using it even if it is just "pee"...I was asked by a friend the other day after her little girl used the bathroom...it still makes me smile. Although I do acknowledge it would be cheaper to not flush between piddles...I am good with you flushing.

So, why do I think I am {Frugal} but not Cheap. I think the difference is a fundamental one.  I think those that are frugal watch where their money goes and don't necessarily jump to purchase the things that they "want" versus that which is needed.  Those that are {Frugal} think of others when they are making their decisions......For instance, if I go to a restaurant I would never not pay a waitstaff a tip and 20% is my norm - I also make sure it is atleast 20% from the full price of a meal and not after a discount.  My husband put himself through school as a waiter and I can tell you it is super rough knowing that people felt it was okay to purchase a $100 bottle of wine for their date and then stiff on the tip because the food came out late and on Friday nights when the restaurant was hopping at times food would come out late...you see he had no control of when the food would come out from the kitchen. He did work 10-12 hours a day - a lot of the time was cleaning up the restaurant for opening or after closing.  He did not have health insurance and he earned about $2 an hour (+tips).  He worked hard and did his best...but somethings were out of his control.

I have given really large tips when I have received poor service.  I do this when the person helping me is really trying but is just overwhelmed.  My last example of this was when I got a haircut and my eyebrows done...I stared at the pictures of the hairstylist children that was on her mirror.  She had 2 young children at home.  I did not like the haircut and she did a terrible job on my eyes but she was kind and apologetic and was obviously having a bad day....I felt no need to make her day worse...hair grows out and eyebrows can be reshaped ... I gave her a 50% tip simply because I think we need to pay {kindness} forward...this is priceless. Funny thing is prior to this trip I had not had my haircut in over a year.

I am {Frugal} and I don't keep up with the Jone's ... I don't feel a need to.....I actually really want the Jone's to do really well for themselves and their family.  The better they do and the happier they are the more they can give to others. 
So come to my house and use more then a square of toilet paper...afterall, we are girls! And I know I bought that toilet paper pretty darn cheap ;)

2 comments:

Mom vs. the boys said...

I wish my kids would only use one square! lol I have boys and they seem to think they need half the roll, the two year old throw full rolls in, just for fun!
You descibed the difference really well too, I am frugal, but I don't think I'm cheap at all. and I have no interest in keeping up with the Jones' at all!

Anonymous said...

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