KNOW YOUR LIMITS

It’s happened, and I’m OK admitting it because admitting something is the first step on the road to recovery.  And I know it’s happened to you too, you can fess up.  I’ve had to go to the bathroom and there’s no toilet paper.  Anywhere.  I mean, in my four-room apartment that’s kind of hard to imagine, but what can I say?  So I grab a napkin, paper towel, whatever, and hope the toilet doesn’t clog and/or overflow…again.  Eff!

So here’s what to do so you don’t find yourself mopping up toilet water or fighting with the plunger again (someone should teach a class on proper plunging, btw).  Determine what your limit is on daily use products and never drop below that number.  I’ve since decided that I need at least 2 rolls of toilet paper on hand in my apartment at all times.  Once I put roll #2 on the rod and roll #1 is sitting lonely under the cabinet, I add TP to my shopping list and grab it on my next shopping run.  It’s planning genius.

Obviously this idea translates to any product in your house that gets regular use.  You see what you're using up daily so it's easy to keep track of what you need and when.  Once you determine that you need one and a half deodorants on hand at all times and you realize that the half is running out, put it on your list, buy it the next time you're out, and viola!  No more emergency runs to the drugstore on your way to work.

Try this with paper towels, coffee, milk, detergent, shampoo, bath soap...anything really.  What's so great about this system is that it essentially becomes a no brainer after a while.  One less thing to think about?  Perfect.