Last of the free dishwashing detergent
When we got a new dishwasher a year and a half ago we got a deal for a free three year supply of Cascade dishwashing detergent. A pretty good deal, I must say, and the dishwasher has been excellent -- we're very happy with it, especially compared to the jet turbine-like noise of its predecessor, which, near as we can tell, came with the house when it was first built in the late 1980s.
The free supply of dishwashing detergent came a few weeks after we registered the dishwasher -- a thick book filled with coupons good for one free 42 ounce container of Cascade. Because it's a free coupon instead of just a discount, cashiers need to manually enter the redemption price, and inevitably they stick on it when they're ringing it in and look stunned. I've grown accustomed to shouting out "$4.29" when it happens.
Anyway, no surprise to me, but we used up the coupons much sooner than in three years. We sully a lot of dishes in our house, and often pack the dishwasher full twice a day, using it not only for dishes, silverware and glasses, but also for pots and pans, canisters, pitchers and other large objects that we previously washed by hand. The dishwasher does a great job, so why not let it?
I'm a bit sad to see the free coupons go. That $4.29 I saved with each grocery order was a nice way to trim the bill. Now it's back to the newspaper, clipping coupons and comparing them to the sales of that week.