Color My World?

I consider myself a fairly frugal person. I enjoy the dollar store, Goodwill, and my personal favorite, Savers. I'd like to think that over the years, I've learned how to shop wisely at the 'cheap stores,' and when to 'splurge' for the sake of quality. I pray that I don't waste the money for which my husband works so hard and the Lord so graciously supplies, and I'm always looking for tips and tricks to stretch a dollar.

I'm sure you've seen the emails that go around and the 'fluff' news reports claiming to have discovered new ways to survive the recession! I've seen them too, and to tell you the truth, I don't get anything from them anymore. Some tips are actually very wise and do make a difference, and we've been doing those for years. Only wash full loads of laundry on cold water, run the thermostat 2 degrees higher or lower (ours is at 79-80 in the summer and 67-68 in the winter), don't use other banks' ATMs, etc. Been there, done that. Other tips don't even apply! Give up one Starbucks (or _________) a week, negotiate a lower credit card payment, and on and on... Ummm...can't do those ones...

All in all, I think we do pretty well, although I'm sure there's always room for improvement. But I have a confession to make...I am wasteful in one area (Okay there are more, but it's my blog, and I don't have to expose all my faults!)...are you ready, people?...*deep breath*...

I love to throw away old crayons.

There I said it. I hate old crayons! You know, when they lose their pointy tip, and you have to start peeling the paper back, and the paper itself is all dirty and gross-looking, and heaven forbid a crayon breaks! Ugh! Just toss the broken ones, no big deal!

No, I don't have OCD, but I realize this doesn't help my case :)

Yes, I know they make crayon sharpeners. I even have one and use it rarely occasionally.

No, I don't tell the kids to throw away their crayons if they start to look dirty.

Yes, I do tell them to throw away broken ones if they're annoyed by them (when they're tiny, they're hard to use!).

Yes, I know you could do a cool craft and melt down the wax to make new 'multi-colored' crayons, but....no. Someday, maybe, but not today.

I justify it this way: I haven't bought a box of crayons in several years, and yet I'm still able to toss out old ones, so obviously, I'm not really wasting money (mine, anyway!). Between birthdays, Back-to-School Sunday, and random, couldn't tell you how it happens, events, we always have a steady supply of those wonderful, colorful, coloring instruments. I even have a box that I keep in my closet, just for me to use...shhhh.

So there it is...one of my little quirks put right out there for the world to see. I'm hoping that there is at least one person that shares my love for pristine crayons, but if not...well...I guess I can only say this:

My name is Heather, and I'm a new crayonaholic.