Passion, Finance, and Dishes

(3 oz $94)

After filing out a contest entry for shoes,  a subscription of the fine literary institution and magazine of record known as Marie Claire showed up on my doorstep. I haven't indulged in magazine subscriptions for myself for a while, so I resigned myself to handing over the ten dollars. I started to read the silly columns about fashion with tips like wear shorts to work, and careers with ideas like, "put up an Ivy League banner in your cubicle."  The best and worst tip however was this one from the deep and thoughtful article, New Couples Rules,

"If dirty dishes cause tension, cut back spending each week so you can hire a cleaning service, then use the newfound time you have for something fun. "


Ok then! I'll just shuffle the funds from my chauffeur and chef to make room for the dish maid. The division of  housework can be a pain in the neck, but a glib suggestion like hiring a maid to do your dishes does not help anyone; not even the potential maid.  A bus pass would cost more than a person could make for twenty minutes of work. This ridiculous article sadly illustrates the incredible disconnect the wealthy have from, well, everyone else.  If you can afford a maid, you don't have to save up for one and visa versa. If you are going to save up for something, why not a house? Or, you could pay off the credit cards bill for the  $673 five inch pale pink suede heels or  $300 purple chiffon business shorts you bought at the behest of the, "deals and steals," column a few pages earlier. Consider a long-term investment in paper plates or this awesome new robot dishwasher! (click on the previous phrase to see the thing.)I'd rather have a robot than a maid anyway. It would be really awful to call your friends and say, "Come over and watch my new dishes maid." But to call them and say, "Hey come on over and watch my awesome dish robot," would be acceptable in almost any situation.

A great tip you can implement right now: buy a pair of rubber gloves, dish soap, and some sponges, turn on the water, and do the blasted dishes. One cooks, the other does dishes. If no one cooks, flip a coin for dish duty or have one wash one dry and put away. Think of doing dishes as  meditation time and a money saving venture too! Buy a  citrus-scented soap like Sud l'Orange created by marketing genius K Margeson.
top left. It's essential oils of blood oranges, sunflower, and grapefruit grown in organic greenhouses in Vermont will soon replace your in-home aromatherapy bills. Added bonus, it has flecks of real diamond dust for those tough burnt on foods and anti-bacterial silver too! Dishes never looked so glamorous!





credits
Article quote: Henderson, J.  (April 2011) The New Couple Rules Marie Claire Hearst Publishing,  New York.
Dishes Photo: http://cbsradiobaltimore.com/main_bn/eyeongreen/2010/08/04/use-your-dishwasher/ accessed online March 29, 2011
Sud l'orange:By  me with the help of Publisher