Wendy's Drive Thru Update

Wendy's lost my business last year when they were misleading about the size choices at the drive thru. Today I gave Wendy's a second chance and am glad to say they passed!

This time the cashier asked if I wanted "small, medium or large" and he asked another customer the same when I pulled up to pay. The spicy chicken sandwich is pretty good, too.

How Wendy's Tries To Rip You Off At The Drive Thru

Guard your wallet when ordering at the Wendy's drive thru. I went through the drive-thru at Wendy's for lunch today and placed my order for a #6 combo with Dr. Pepper. The cashier asked, "medium or large?" I don't eat at Wendy's very often so I assumed they must not offer a small size and replied, "medium". Then I took a quick look at the menu board and saw that they do have small and the medium size is an extra 59 cents!

After changing my order to the small size I pulled around and paid for my order. I could hear the cashier inside asking the next customer the same "medium or large" question. Drive-thru cashiers typically follow a script so I suspect this is Wendy's standard tactic to get people to spend more without realizing it.

Why do I say they're trying to rip us off? Because they asked if I wanted "medium or large"...that implies there are only two choices. They're not being honest about the choices. They could've asked if I wanted to upgrade to a larger size or simply asked if I wanted a small, medium or large combo. Instead they're trying to get customers to spend more by subtly removing the lower cost option from consideration.

To top it off, I got back to work and found that they didn't even give me any ketchup for my fries. It's doubtful I'll be eating at Wendy's again any time soon.

Give Your Old Jeans New Life...As Home Insulation

Few things are as comfortable as a favorite well worn pair of jeans. Unfortunately, even the best pair of jeans can become unwearable over time. My jeans tend to get rips and holes around the crotch for some reason, not an easy place to patch. I wear them as long as I can for doing household chores and yard work but the holes are way too big for that now. I'm too frugal to throw them out and have been trying to find a good use for them.

Then I came across an article in the local paper about an 8th grader organizing a denim drive sponsored by Cotton Inc. and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The jeans get recycled into a cotton fiber insulation that goes into homes Habitat for Humanity is building in the New Orleans area. What a cool idea! It's good for the environment and helps out a worthy cause. Bang! My search is over.

Yesterday I stopped by the local ReStore and dropped off several pairs of jeans. There was a big bin just inside the door that was filled with donated jeans. They even had a piece of the insulation there so you can see what your old jeans will turn into. It's about 4 inches thick, soft (it is cotton) and looks like really thick carpet padding.

It takes about 500 pairs of jeans to insulate one home. Here's a promotional video about the program. Contact the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in your area to learn if they are participating in the drive and where to drop off your old jeans.

I never heard of the ReStore before...it's basically a thrift store for surplus and used building materials that gets donated by contractors and individuals. They had tons of stuff...furniture, flooring, complete kitchen cabinet sets, appliances, doors, windows, plumbing fixtures...you name it. Most of it was in good condition (some brand new). The prices are low and the proceeds go to support Habitat for Humanity. It's worth the time to visit and check if they have something useful for your next home project.