I need to save every dime I can. Do you? Every small economy helps me.
Dental floss is something that will not be cut from my budget. Finally, a light bulb moment occurred. Ex bf does not floss. He claims he cannot get any floss between his teeth. "Just keep trying" is my thought. He is a grown man, so I don't argue this point with him.
Light bulb moment? I asked him what he did with the little samples of floss he gets from his twice-each-year-to-the-dentist visit. He has a drawerful, he said. Since he smoked then, I did not want smoky floss. He now leaves it in the car and gives it to me. I asked.
One he gave me had 3 yards; the other has 5.5 yards. Let me see--8.5 yards is 25.5 feet. That is about 28 flossings if I only floss once a day. No, I floss more often. I don't save much, about $0.65 each month. That is about $8 each year. But, think of what you can buy with $8. And, all you would have to do is use the dental floss someone else does not use because he cannot floss or she does not like that brand of floss. I don't know anyone else well enough to ask for floss. Okay, I do, but they all floss.
I don't mind saving $8/yr by using floss that is not my preferred brand. A few years ago, I would have scoffed at using anything but Glide. Now, as long as I don't injure my gums, I will use any free dental floss....as long as it is waxed.
Well, we were thinking of all the things we can spend $8 on--bananas for about 6 weeks, a splurge on two magazines, two gallons of gasoline, a sweet treat of some kind. Or, this could make the difference in having gas to go to work, lunch money for a child for several days, fixings for sandwiches all week for a brown bag lunch.
About half my dental floss for this next month is free. Swell.... Sure, I can only be assured of one month of free floss, but it counts to me.
Another bonus: this is the perfect size to put in your purse cosmetic bag or pocket. You can use it to carry in your suitcase for short trips.
Yes, I know this wastes. More plastic to the landfill is not my desire.
Your turn
Is this small economy anything you will try? Why not?
i guess one must first convince their significant other not to floss, which might not be worth the $8. But it they're not anyway, go to town, I say.
ReplyDeleteps this is probably sort of gross, but i wonder if it can be reused?
ReplyDeleteIn bed,
ReplyDeleteLOL, he is a stubborn ex bf, still friends, but he absolutely refuses to floss. We have had the discussion and he will not relent. I knew he would not use it, so I asked him for it. I really don't want a toothless significant other, so I would never discourage flossing. But, it's a thought...lol.
Ha, I have rinsed it and reused it the same day or in the car. Since I floss about ten times a day, it does not seem gross at all to me. I stop meals to go floss because I cannot stand anything between my teeth. I certainly am not going to floss, throw it away, and floss at the end of the meal ten minutes later and pull out more floss. I have a food trap that the dentist charged me to fix. He fixed it where food gets caught more easily and is more difficult to dislodge. Thanks!
Good comments! You are a funny blogger, too.
Linda... How funny, I take the floss from my parents when I go visit, because they do not use it and I do. Sometimes I even take their extra tooth brushes from their trips to the dentist. They are not going to use these items, and I don't see any point wasting perfectly good floss or toothbrushes. Have a Fabulous & Frugal Day!!!
ReplyDeleteDe-ette, Exactly. I am sure they appreciate your doing your part to help them declutter. Win-win.
ReplyDeleteEverybody I know flosses. You know though, my teeth are pretty close set too, I understand what he means. I end up shredding the floss sometimes. But it can be done. One time, I was at the dentist and he had an emergency patient who had teeth like mine, close set. She had gotten tne floss stuck, tried to yank it and pulled her front tooth out! Cross my heart, this is a true story!
ReplyDeleteWhile you might see more waste the waste is really less I think because of this plan. Think about it: He was eventually going to just throw these containers of floss away, right? (I mean after the drawer fills up what would he do with them?) And you were buying floss and throwing away those containers, right? So now you don't have to buy as many and he won't end up with plastic floss containers in his garbage either. I think it is reducing waste, even if you feel you see more plastic in your personal trash bin.
ReplyDeleteOf course, we really should just refuse to take things we will not use. That is how we will really stop waste. If those who won't use it refused to take it maybe these free individually wrapped sample products (of plastic) wouldn't be so widespread. But, good for you in putting them to use until that happens.
please see my post on your Ides Of March housing dilemma.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I did read it and had posted two replies to MsX. Contact me at my email above right, if I am missing something you said. Even if you post a reponse there now, I will see it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe post I did today seems to have vanished....(ides of May) Did you get to read it, or did you take it down?
ReplyDeleteMy suggestions included HUD and USDA Rural rehab loans, as well as some other avenues to follow. You qualify, hands down, for a number of things, including the FEMA rehab loan ($14k max) You could also qualify for a bridge loan to make repairs and then get a reverse mortgage.
I'm concerned you haven't really followed all avenues, and now wondering what happened to my post.
I'm different from the previous poster who was also annony.
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ReplyDeletelove this post. you've pointed to one of my personal dilemmas. can't seem to make myself refuse the freebies at the dentist, as they are perfect for the purse. I figure flossing may be one of the more frugal things we can do...cutting down on problems with the teeth means fewer assaults on the heart. Love it that you get extra flosses from your exBF, since he wouldn't use them nor likely refuse them anyway. No ethical dilemma there!
ReplyDeleteDmarie, thanks. I have seen the little bag they give him, a plastic bag with toothpaste, floss, and toothpaste, and some sort of paper item about dental hygiene. He would not refuse the bag or just the items he did not use. He is just not that type. Oh, with me he would go through anything and refuse stuff, treating me with disdain. He has! My dentist just hands me a toothbrush, well, the hygienist does. For $80 each cleaning with no xrays, I should get a $3+ brush. He does give a great toothbrush.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, your second post ended up in spam. Why? I don't know. I have nothing to do with it. Please reply to the house dilemma post! Also, if you will write my email address, I will fully address your posts and can ask questions that I am not going to ask on the toothpaste post or online at all. I do believe you are being helpful, but I have no chance to respond. Others write my email. Please do.
ReplyDeleteLindaM, I have shredded a little floss in my time. At one time, I said I could not floss between some teeth. However, I just decided I would, could, and did. I do not miss a day. I wonder if that lady's tooth was loose. That is horrid. I told my gdaughter to only floss the ones she wants to keep.
ReplyDeleteI have extremely tight teeth. My dentist teaches up at the dental school and says that he has never seen teeth as close together as mine. I can only use the Glide brand of floss because all others get stuck or shred. I have had to go to the dentist dozens of times to remove stuck floss before Glide came along. Once a piece of glide shredded and it was back to the dentist. My dentist said under no circumstances should people pull, as it can pull out even healthy teeth. If it doesn't come out easily, you risk damage.
ReplyDeleteKathy, Glide is my preferred brand for just that reason. However, I believe that not flossing caused exbf to loose his four bottom teeth from gum disease. He had to have a permanent plate to fix that problem. He also should have paid for his own braces to solve other problems. It would have been just as cheap as the plate. I have had shredded floss stuck between my teeth and worked frantically for hours to remove it. Only once did I have to go to the dentist to have it removed. I was embarrassed to admit I had gotten it stuck. He told me it happens all the time. I did not realize a healthy tooth could be removed with dental floss! Yikes. Thanks for this very informative comment.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you pay attention to the small costs that really add up to a lot in the long run!
ReplyDeleteTLC, Thanks. That is what I try to tell people who sort of look askance or say it is too much trouble to save money like I do. However, I have converted a few friends or had them call me to see what I had told them. One wealthy friend called and thanked me for the tip I gave her about AT&T. By the way, you blog is starting off great. You are so organized!
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda! I've tried blogging in the past, but a busy college life won me over. Now that I have some free time, I'd like to start again!
ReplyDelete