I call these my little old lady habits. There the sort of things that I do that I imagine a little old lady, living on a fixed income, does in the privacy of her own apartment to make the money stretch. Things like saving the used tea bag in the fridge, to use again for tomorrow's cup; or carefully washing a sheet of foil, to use again and again; or airing out a sweater after wearing, before folding and putting away to wear again next week, in lieu of washing with each wearing.
My little old lady (the who who lives in my head) does all of these things with grace and style. She may be reusing a tea bag, but her tea is drunk from a lovely tea cup. Her sweater may be old, but it is a beautiful and classic one, lovingly cared for to extend its life another decade.
What makes this little old lady so lovely is that with the money she saves by keeping all of her habits, she is generous at the red bucket during the holidays; and in church when a little more is needed for new hymnals; and with the homeless man on the highway corner needing money for a sandwich. She gives with all of her heart.
My little old lady habit, today, is how I portion out my butter. It's one of those quirky things I have done for years. As my bread is toasting, I take the butter from the refrigerator, measure my portion, and slice off. I use about half-tablespoon of butter, total for 2 slices of bread. It's enough, without being wasteful of our dwindling supply of an expensive commodity. Most of the time, I am not terribly precise with measurements; but with my morning butter I am. I set the butter, in two portions, on the plate, and put the butter dish away while I wait for my toast.
You may call it a quirk or a little old lady habit. With my mind's eye, I picture a little old lady performing the ritual of morning toast-making, just in this manner. She's careful with her home-keeping supplies. She's never wasteful; but always manages to enjoy what she has. This is the little old lady that I hope to become.
