The clean kitchen, con't

Five or six weeks ago, someone linked to this article. As I read it, I became angry at the author. I thought, "She's confused cause and effect! My dishes are dirty *because* I cook at home! Dirty dishes cause wealth!" I vented to Dan, who listened nicely but didn't say anything.

Now, over a month later, I concede. She is right. Our kitchen has been clean (except for yesterday's high chair tray incident) since my foot healed and we haven't eaten out once. I use about twice as many dishes each time I cook because all my dishes are always clean. Having everything available means that preparation times are less and no longer stressful. I never have to clean out the sink to fill a pot with water and the proper pot is always available.

In the past, we have eaten out once every three to four weeks. We would decide to eat out on the spur of the moment (because I was too tired to cook) and pay big bucks because we were eating out at dinner time.

Now, we haven't eaten out since the day after we returned home from our trip (when I sprained my foot on the way to the grocdery store). We can decide to eat out at lunchtime (when it is much cheaper) and research the restaurant beforehand so as to avoid lousy meals.