My Name is Motel 6

My husband (Mr. Y) emerged from the bedroom the other day and told me I had a new name, "From now on I'm calling you Motel 6."

"We'll Leave the Light On For You" is the tag line the Motel 6 hotel chain used a few years ago, or maybe still does (I pretty much skip commercials these days so I haven't see one for awhile). It was a pretty catchy line at the time, delivered by a deep reassuring voice, and easily associated with their hotel chain. It was meant to invoke that warm fuzzy feeling of knowing someone was waiting up for you no matter how late you were arriving "home". Everyone liked that tag line, it won awards, people said it to friends who were coming for overnight stays. I apparently embraced it a little too much.

Seeing lights left on around our house does not give my husband a warm fuzzy feeling. It does not make him happy and it does not make him see me as being nice and thoughtful. He doesn't understand that I left that closet light on just in case he needed to see if he is holding a pair of navy socks or black socks. The fact that the light is on in the middle of a sunny afternoon probably contributes to this.  He also doesn't understand when I say "But I was JUST in that room and I was going right back in! Why is the light off now!? I'm sure there have been studies that show it costs MORE to turn the light off and turn it back on within a short span of time. I think you just COST us money!" No, that argument does not fly in our house.

I'm working on turning those lights off. I find myself looking over my shoulder as I leave any room just to make sure. Those warm, fuzzy feelings come at a price and I don't want to pay any more than I have to for my electric bill. Come to think of it I don't think Motel 6 uses that tag line anymore. Are they not leaving the light on either?

Daily Downsizing Tally: Mailed 2 packages of items sold on E-Bay, a necklace and concert tickets. Yes, those are small items but they are still out of my house!