Yeah, when each txt was like 10-20 cents… Which isn’t much. But can add up QUICK!!!

FWIW, though I rarely use tampons, the O.B. are my favorite. There’s no stupid plastic applicator. You just shove them in. And, they’re tiny. Live happily at the bottom of my purse, just in case!!

I’ve gone back to powdered detergent. It’s harder to find, but works very well, and is very cheap. I’m going to write on the box when I start a new one, but I’m sure it’s been at least 6+ months, probably closer to a year since I started this one. The key is to not use too much. You only need a very little bit. Most people use WAY more detergent than needed, and actually cause themselves more problems.

There’s still lots of malls … but they’re empty. And often prohibit minors without an adult.

Loitering was basically never prosecuted. Now it is. Just hanging out at the movie theater for an hour or two before/after a movie sounds like a great way to get arrested.

Yes, but very few parents just let their kids run around outside. Very few kids get to walk or bike to friends houses, without adult supervision. We have all internalized “stranger danger” and the “danger” that random people are to kids.

I honestly hadn’t thought about card shops as third spaces, but they absolutely can be. Also libraries, book stores, etc.

The not spending money part is soo key. We should not have to spend money every time we leave our homes.

The very concept of unsupervised kids is so anathema to society today. Kids need spaces to just be kids.

Summer camp - the overnight, week or two long kind, is a great middle ground. Yes, kids are “supervised”. But… Mostly, just by bigger kids. Who are there, mostly to have fun too. Run, play, swim, learn about themselves and other people. My boys both spent every summer for 12+ years at camp. And they always grew, so, so much while they were there.