I was never awful about leaving doors open and lights on, I don’t think – especially the door thing, since most of my childhood was spent in Texas. You can’t air condition the whole state no matter how hard you try!
But what really cured me of leaving extra things on was paying my own power bill. My parents were vastly amused when, after I’d had my own place for awhile, I went to visit them, and was turning off lights and stuff left and right. (I still have to turn off their TVs fairly often. For some reason they’ll go off and leave TVs running all day sometimes if I don’t do something about it!) “Sounds like someone who is paying her own power bill,” I was told.
Yep, sure was.
But when I pay my own bills, I will also pay out the wazoo for air conditioning, because I like meat locker temps. You better believe I don’t have open doors and windows then, because I’ve spent enough on AC as it is!
I have to add to this one. My fiance will drink milk until it’s obviously turning sour. It doesn’t bother him at all. I am lactose intolerant. I’ve noticed that right around the sell by date, the reactions I have to the milk are stronger. Once the milk smells slightly off, I can’t drink it. Even if it tastes fine to me, I regret drinking it later. Also, I can smell differances in the milk that my fiance can’t. It might be a female thing. My mother and sisters can also tell the difference before their husbands can.
I feel your pain. As I read the “Produce Lifecycle” I was thinking of the Broccoli in my crisper that has actually gone past three weeks.
I do actually have some minor breakthroughs though. On the unfinished beverage issue, my Wife is very considerate. she’s good for about three sips of beer, so instead of wasting 3 sips short of a bottle, she takes a sip ( or 3) of mine.
I’ve thrown that fit numerous times, nowadays my evening is one shit fit after another. I have to throw my shit fits in moderation. One might say I “pick my battles” but really, I am trying to avoid a continuous stream of shit fits where yelling is all I do in my spare time. I have other hobbies I actually enjoy.
Well, that was sort of on the table and below it at the same time. *ick
No more shit fits. Give each kid a week’s supply of Snapple when you shop. If the kid runs out, tough. (Of course, each kid had better keep it under lock and key!) They can always put it on ice if they want it cold.
If a kid forgets to turn off the lights in her or his room and you find it truly abandoned that way, what this cherub is really expressing is a deep seated desire to do a spit and polish cleaning on that particular room. (You can always put a white glove over the light switch as a reminder.)
Another possibility is to remove their light bulbs for 24 hours. It’s a hassle for your for a while, but in the long run it will pay off. (I haven’t checked to see the ages of your children.)