Portion Control Isn't Just for Diets

Most women over the age of thirteen have been on a diet at some point in their lives and have learned that the correct serving size of a protein (3 oz) is the size of a deck of playing cards. I have been paying attention to the size of the portions that I've been eating and over the course of the last six months I've lost weight this way.

But think about other things around the house - 

How big are your drinking glasses? I love to drink milk. Love it! Love it! Love it! And it turns out my glasses are 12 ounces. Milk is good for you and but since we only drink organic milk it gets expensive - so I make sure to pour myself less than a full glass.

Dental floss - it's always a Cool Idea to floss but the floss that I love is pricey and I'm picky. I make sure to not pull off more than I need each morning.

Laundry detergent - especially if you have a high efficiency washing machine you don't need a lot of detergent. Check the instructions on your machine but you can likely back off the amount you are using.

Same goes for dishwasher detergent. The amounts specified are to get us to use more detergent whether we need it to get our dishes/ clothes clean or not. Experiment with slightly decreased amounts and see if you notice any decrease in cleaning ability and if you don't, you'll save yourself some money along the way.

Toothpaste - I never noticed how much of my daily toothpaste I wasn't utilizing until I started using an electric toothbrush. These toothbrushes foam up the toothpaste so much more than I was used to that I nearly choked the first 5 or 6 times. I was  a slow learner!. Using less toothpaste each day makes the tube last longer.

Smaller portions are always a Cool Idea and they help cut expenses, too, since we can stretch the time between trips to the store. Oh, and here's one I'll throw in for free - never let a toddler unroll their own toiler paper. Therein lies madness. Enough said.