Is it easier to clean dirty underwear or the van floor?

There was a boy I was interested in while at college who invited me one Saturday afternoon out for a ride in his brothers car. I thought it was a hot date, until we drove 2 blocks down the road to the self-serve car wash and I was instructed to operate the soap squirter while he managed the scrub brush so no quarters were wasted. We had to have the car back to his brother in shining condition or he would never get to use it again to take another girl out.

Though I've gotten over the dejection of that experience, the thriftiness of his method of car washing has forever stayed in my mind.

Today I took our van two blocks down the road to the gas station to have it emptied of Target popcorn, the local beach and billions of granola bar wrappers. I wanted to do such a thorough job I even took the boys car seats out. I put in my token and raced as 5 minutes counted down on the huge silver vacuum canister.

Where are my boys you ask? "Cleaning the outside of the car" with the snow removal brushes. They were very content. Until they weren't.

Over the whir of the sucking I missed the whole "Warning Beep" and before I knew it my van floor was immaculately clean all for one very obvious spot. I was feeling compulsive so I forked out the extra dollar for 5 whole more minutes with the high power vacuum.

Somewhere in the first few minutes Jacob told me he had to use the potty. Luckily, I chose the stall farthest from the road so I told him to go between the fence and car seat to pee. I couldn't waste money to help him.

Minutes later he was back to tell me that he went. "Mommy, I went pee and then poop, and I didn't even get any in my underwear! Doesn't that make you so happy?!"

Not really believing it because he NEVER goes without a fight or maybe not wanting to believe it I continued to use the last few seconds of my dollar's worth of cleaning---not wasting a cent!

Of course something had to happen to snap me out of this obsessive cleaning/thrifty trance. There's nothing like two boys, with fresh human poop on their shoes walking around the floor of your newly vacuumed car to do just that!

Luckily I was at the car wash and could easily switch the vacuum to shampoo and have it taken care of like "that", right?! Well, it didn't go as smoothly as that sounds but eventually the mess was contained, cleaned as best as possible and I am searching for the lesson I am supposed to have learned from that. Any ideas?!

Until then I have some shoes to disinfect.