Tuesday, July 24, 2007

I Need What??

I'd like to start today by dispelling a high cost myth perpetuated by the office supply industry. When I bought my paper shredder a few months back, they tried to sell me lubricating sheets to keep it running smoothly. I'm suspicious of any add-on items that are offered at the cash register, so I said no.

Lubricating sheets cost about $9.98 for a 12 pack. They are meant to be used every 4-6 weeks. That is going to add up over time. Why couldn't I just use the same can of WD-40 that I've been using for years but never seems to run out? The answer is, I can, I did and it worked beautifully. The moral of the story is: Say no to pushy selling practices and allow yourself time to figure out if its something that you really need!

In other news, I've begun knitting some cotton dishcloths again. I should have three by the time I run out of cotton yarn. This is a good thing because all of the dishcloths around here are from the early days of my marriage and they are either holey, see through or a little of both.

I ran around the lake without stopping today and followed it up with about 45 minutes of yoga. Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes yesterday. I'm off to make some raspberry fig bars and do some puzzles with the boys.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can you elaborate a little on how/where you apply the WD-40 to the shredder?

Congratulations on the running. I'm still doing intervals and running very slowly, but at least I'm moving forward! Speaking of figs, check out this recipe. I ran it through the blender, omitted the rum, cooked it and call it "Spiced Fig Butter."

Katie said...

The turning blades of the shredder reminded me of the the clipper I use to cut my sons' hair. That was my reference point for trying this.

You're supposed to put a drop of oil at one end of the clipper and then turn it on, while holding it sideways, to let the oil work between the blades. The idea being, you want the oil to get to all the moving parts.

With that in mind, I had the shredder set up for normal operation. I sprayed the WD-40 into the same spot I feed the paper, trying to hit every bit of it without soaking it. To work the oil in, I shredded several sheets of paper, one at a time. YOu could immediately hear the difference in how hard the motor was working. Let me know if that was unclear.

Thanks for the recipe, I can't wait to try it.

Anonymous said...

It sounds clear but I can't find any WD-40 in the garage. We never run out of that stuff but I'll have to have my husband find it. (It's his mess out there!)

Thanks for the tip.

Gavi said...

That is so great to know about the WD-40. I've actually never used WD-40 for anything, but I think DH has some and its got to be much cheaper than those lubricating sheets!