The Frazzled Scribe

Times are tough, y’all!!! Like with a double “T”!!! Money is really, really, really tight over this way so we have had to figure out how to be fabulous on not such a fabulous budget. We’re making progress so far so I thought I’d share some of what we are doing:

Food:

1. I don’t know if you read those circulars that come from the grocery stores (they used to be my window cleaning towels) but, go figure, the things are actually useful! As a post-op I’m big on “perimeter shopping.” You know, shopping around the edges of the store where the fresh produce, meat and dairy can be found. Very rare are my sojourns into the “evil middle” where all the carbs live. BUT, I have found that with a little strategy, one can navigate the jungle quite efficiently. So where’s the tip? Here it is: plan your meals. And not only plan them, but plan them around what is on sale. Last week we ate a lot of dishes with zucchini in them because I scored a good deal on zucchini. Next week there will be curried chicken, Thai chicken skewers, and chicken pot-less pie for dinner because I got a really good deal on chicken breast tenders. If you look around before you go, you can find out what’s good, think about what you can make out of it, and go into the middle with a LIST of things needed to make your meals happen.

2. I LOVE Rooibos tea. It is a South African tea and it has a nutty undertone to it. Plus, it lends itself to just a little bit of sweetening, so instead of the tons of sugar I put in my tea pre-op, Rooibos requires but 3 little packets of Splenda! What is also good about this tea is that it is a dark tea and dark tea bags can be used several times before discarding. At work I drink about 2-3 cups of tea a day. I just put my tea bag in a baggie after I’m done and toss it in my lunch bag in the fridge. I’ve used one tea bag up to four times and it has yielded the same quality tea time and time again.

3. Milk. Have you noticed it’s getting expensive? Forget, gas prices, a gallon of milk can run you nearly $4! My solution? I use powdered milk in lots of recipes. I learned how to make sugar free cocoa using powdered milk, unsweetened cocoa powder and Splenda and many recipes can easily take powdered instead of the real thing.

4. Dollar Stores. Now most food sold at the dollar store I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole for all the sugar and carbs, but there are some things there that I can get that are just plain cheaper. I found tuna for a full five cents less per can, the burritos my children like for snacks are cheaper there too. Plus they sell lunchbox friendly stuff there too like pudding, apple sauce, and fruit cups for $1. Can’t beat that.

Clothing

1. Goodwill has been my best friend lately. They have some really nice stuff. There and Salvation Army usually have 50% off days either weekly or monthly. Here in MD, Goodwill half-price day is the last Saturday of the month. For Salvation Army I believe it is every Wednesday. Last month I got a killer suede swing skirt there for $3. No lie. Tomorrow, my oldest daughter and I are going Halloween shopping. Not for a costume but for clothes from which to make a costume. I doubt either of their costumes will cost more than $5, which is a $25-30 savings over last year.

2. I have discovered the wonder of layering. Last year I had this theory about layers from what I was seeing other people do and I think I’m onto something. I bought summer clothes in colors that could transition well (many earth tones, whites, etc.). The kids both still fit their summer shirts and so I went and invested in a couple of long sleeve plain t’s to go underneath them. They look cute and it saves me from having to buy quite so many winter wardrobe items.

3. Swapping! Or soliciting donations outright. I did this for the children’s winter coats. The one for the youngest one was donated. The oldest doesn’t have one yet but tomorrow is Goodwill day so we’ll find something. As for me, I’ve out-shrunk all of my friends sizes so I’m SOL…oh wait, Goodwill!

So that’s some of what we’ve been doing along with turning off lights and electronics we’re not using, walking where we can instead of driving, planning our routes better, etc., etc., etc. Here’s hoping that a) we all learn to be better stewards of our money and b) times get better so that we spend less and save more!

I just wanted to give shouts to two phenomenal women in my life.
The above picture contains my grandmother, who my mom says I look just like now that I've lost so much weight. Can you tell which one she is? I bet you can! She passed away when I was a small child so I didn't know her nearly as well as I would have liked but judging by the tears that shine in my mother's eyes when speaking of her, she was a pretty special lady. I don't know what year this photo was taken but it has to have been at least the late 1940's or 1950. I'm glad my mom preserved this.