The other night we had some friends over and my conservation side came out when I began cutting our large napkins in half. We were having dessert, and I thought the napkins were too big and it was a waste. My wife was appalled and demanded I stop immediately. Our friends thought it quite amusing.
It represented another time when our Oscar and Felix differences came out (referring to Oscar the slob and Felix the neatnik in Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple,” though we’re not near as extreme as those two). I’m mostly Oscar, the messy one, but also the one that is maybe overly budget conscious. My wife is Felix, the neat one, who may be a bit anal about it in my view (in hers, she’s already let go of most of her sense-of-order and cleanliness needs by living with 3 boys and 3 dogs–I’m considered one of the boys).
I like to re-use napkins (if they’re not too dirty), re-use tin foil and plastic bags, be quick in the shower, minimize trips to the dry-cleaner, wear clothes several times, shop at Costco and Target, buy only when it’s on sale, use coupons, and otherwise be fiscally conservative. My wife would call it “cheap,” while she would prefer shopping at Neiman-Marcus, buying “retail,” and going to the dry-cleaners after one wearing of anything.
All right, I’m exaggerating, as she’s not thaaaaaaat bad, by any stretch. But, it’s funny how we’re so different in this regard, how/why we love each other and found each other, and that we want to be together the rest of our lives–I suppose the great love question for everyone. But, what do I know; I’m just a guy.
