little life lessons

Not all life lessons are biggies. Some are just little discoveries.

Such as..

The tee shirt you buy for five bucks will only last for about fifteen washes before looking like absolute crap. The twenty-dollar tee will (usually) last a lot longer and age properly instead of just falling apart.

The shortest line at the checkout is always the slowest.

The best time to shop for anything generic (shampoo, toothpaste, razors, etc) is at a 24-hour Wal-Mart on a Sunday at six in the morning. There's no lines and everything is in re-stocked for the week.

The best way to clean the inside of your car's windshield is with a $1.50 mini-squeegee and a bottle of Windex. Also works on side mirrors, too. It's just the right size.

Always carry a roll of paper towels in your car.

Always stock your glove box with a crapload of fast-food napkins.

Put a cordless phone in the bathroom, or carry your cell phone in there when you have to take a leak or do a #2, because that always seems to be the time when people call you.

Only buy pens that feel comfortable in the hand, and always have at least five in a place where you know they will be.

Have a pad next to those pens at all times.

Always carry at least five dollars worth of quarters somewhere in your car. Good for snacks, unexpected tolls, etc.

. . .

I could go on and on.

Today's little life lesson is:

If you use a shower curtain, only use washable ones.

I made this little discovery a few years back. What I used to do is just buy all-plastic shower curtains. Basically speaking, you can't clean them and they run the risk of getting deformed in the wash. Attempting to clean them with cold water only is a futile effort.

However..

"Heavy Duty" shower curtains (the kind they use in hotels) are washable because they use a kind of water-repellent fabric instead of straight plastic. Any/all water stains wash right out in a single light-wash cycle with any detergent - even with hot water.

Shower curtains like these are in the most ugly unattractive plain-jane generic packages you've ever seen.

But they work.

And they don't look ugly. Just the package does.

Bonus: They have tiny rubber "feet" on either side so you can stick them to the shower wall. This keeps water in the shower where it belongs.

I've washed my existing curtain five times (or so). I just washed it yesterday and the fabric looks as clean as it did the day it came out of the box.

Price for this curtain: Eight to twelve bucks.