Mitzi often laughs at how excited I get about some of the simple things that we have. But there really are a few things that I just love more and more every time I use them, look at them, or think about them. So, like Oprah does on her annual "Favorite Things" show, I wanted to go through a few of my favorite things and share them with you. Unfortunately, I won't be buying all of you each of my favorite things the way Oprah does, at least not this year. I do include the prices of each thing however, so you can decide determine the enjoyment/cost ratio from the way I talk about each item, and then think about this ratio in your own life with your favorite things. Without further ado...
1. ID Armor Paper Shredder ($17.99 from Staples with $18 mail in rebate - go figure). This is almost always the first thing I think of when I think of my favorite things. With the identity theft world we live in, I was getting sick of throwing away paper bank statements (Zion's still insists on sending them to me) with account numbers and person information on them. I found myself going over all of the personal information with a black permanent marker before I threw anything away, and it got really old (not to mention you could often still see the printed ink through the marker ink). I bought this baby and have shredded anything and everything ever since. I get a thrill every time I use it. Sure, one day I'll upgrade to one of those fancy cross-cut confetti shredders, but for now, I love this baby.
2. Ink Refill Kit ($15-20 from Costco, when available). If you zoom in on this picture, it says right on the cover "$500 savings." This baby has saved me at least that much, not to mention the cost in frustration, aggravation, and resentment that comes from having to buy replacement ink cartridges all the flippin' time. I have only had to buy ink cartridges once in the last 2 1/2 years, and that includes printing out mountains of scientific articles (typically 15-60 pages long) while working on my master's thesis. The number of times my ink cartridges have run dry, however, is into the double digits a few times over during that same time period. This package contains tools and instructions to refill the ink cartridges in a plethora of different inkjet printers. I highly recommend one. You can take that resentment right out of your relationship with your printer by refilling your cartridges on your own for the cost of a few minutes only.
3. Three Hole Punch ($5-7 at WalMart). Who knew that getting organized could be such a thrill? I get a warm, contented feeling every time I punch holes in some important document that I know will be exactly where I can find it when I need it. So worth the cost.
4. Filing Cabinet ($28 WalMart). Have any of you ever looked into buying a filing cabinet? They are so blasted expensive! That's why, when I found this beauty at WalMart for such a rippin' good price, I had to buy it. Sadly, its convenience and higher capacity has somewhat rendered obsolete my #3 favorite thing, the three hole punch. But I've really loved this thing. Not only can it store loads of papers in loads of hanging files, it also doubles as a kind of desktop storage space that can be decorated with pictures or hold other things temporarily waiting for a home. Love it! I think I may get another one for my work closet to store all of the tickets I write. Ha!
5. Bookcase ($28 from WalMart). I love WalMart. We had been looking on Craig's List for a bookcase to put in the office so I could pull all of my books out of the boxes in the garage and put them on display. We weren't finding anything too awesome, and it was looking like the least expensive used case we were going to get would be about $30. But then I saw this baby at WalMart and snatched it up post-haste. I was so excited that the shelves were going to be tall enough to fit even my tallest books, unlike the un-bookshelf entertainment center we had been using in Provo. It even holds my whole Book of Mormon collection nicely. Love it!
6. Samsung 40" 1080p LCD HDTV ($1400 from RC Wiley). I love this baby more and more every day. A tremendous upgrade just in size alone. Sweet, sweet TV...
7. Refurbished Washer and Dryer ($250). Before we moved I was researching washers and dryers online and it looked like we were going to be out at least $800 to pick up these babies. But that was a price I would gladly pay for the luxury of staying out of a laundromat for the rest of my life. Laundromat...a curse word in my mind from the mission until the end of my days. I didn't even have any really awful experiences at laundromats, I just despise the hassle, the quarters, the inefficiency. Blah! The day that we got our own washer and dryer for such a steal ranks as one of the happier days of my life. Sad but true. I love these machines.
8. In-Sink-Erator ("It came with the frame"). I hated having to leave those dang drain filters in our sink all of the time in our old apartment, and then having to dump fat trimmings from chicken/pork or other unmentionable food byproducts out into the garbage can was about as much as I could stand. Having a garbage disposal was a must for our new home, and we have one! Granted, I've pushed it over the edge a couple of times, backing up the sink and causing other problems, but it has always muscled through in the end.
9. The Cannon Family Budget (Only the cost of Microsoft Office w/Excel, but if anyone is interested, I will happily send it your way for free!). I know it's super nerdy, but feeling in total control of our finances is a beautiful feeling. If income gets thin, I know where to tighten the seams. If income spills over, I know where to put the excess for maximum effect or return. It's a wonderful feeling to know that your financial fate is not being determined by the whims of fate and other factors beyond your control. If you take control, you control that financial fate, and this budget program allows me to feel like I'm standing at the helm of the mighty ship of Cannon, Inc. on its course to ultimate prosperity! Yes, I do still get excited about our budget.
10. My family (Time at home, expressions of gratitude and appreciation, respect, admiration, love, and a little hard work to bring home the bacon). Of course, my family is my favorite thing of all! I love my wife more than 100 paper shredders or washing machines, and our baby more than 100 bookshelves or budget spreadsheets. I love my wife more and more every day. She is my favorite thing to ever happen in my life. Corbin, sadly for him, is a close second. But he sure beats anything besides Mitzi on this list, even if he does wake up five times during the night on my day off.
I hope you have enjoyed a few of my favorite things with me. Maybe next year my list will be different, with a few brown paper packages tied up with string or something, but we'll just have to wait and see.
3 comments:
You are so organized! I have all those things (except for the sweet TV) and we're not nearly as organized! I have a standard to reach for!
I just love to organize stuff. I have all these things, too and I love them. I would like a paper shredder that could handle several pages at once, in the future. I never watch Oprah, but this sounds like a fun show.
Mitzi's looking hot in that last picture. (Jarom gives her a cyber good-game pat) She seriously looks great! Also, we love your favorite things list. We're seriously jealous of your T.V.
-- Melissa (and Jarom)
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