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As much as this is a blog about tea, books, and the random observations I make in my life, I always want it to have a bit about frugal living, something which is becoming a larger theme in my life. Frugal living seems very appealing when one is short on money and doesn't know when the next paycheque will come in.
Such as the situation I'm in now.
I do try to live frugally where I am. Yes, I enjoy my luxuries: video games, going out to dinner every once in a while, that sort of thing. But there are a lot of ways in which I live a little more frugally than most. My crafting is the most obvious example. Most of my yarn I get by taking apart sweaters from thrift stores, ones that are in good condition and have fibre contents that I want to use. Books I often get from the library, or read online, since I've been lucky enough to find a few websites that legally allow people to read books for free.
But food is one thing that's harder to get free, especially at this time of year. Fortunately, I know how to take advantage of a bargain. The local grocery store had a deal on where one can get $100 in gift cards for only $95, giving me $5 of groceries for free. $5 may not seem like much, but consider what I found at the store tonight: a 15-pound bag of potatoes for $4.97.
They had a special on utility turkeys, $1.29 per pound, so I bought one for a little over $12. For those who don't know, the only way a utility turkey differs from a grade-A turkey is that the utility turkey is usually missing a piece of flesh or skin. Other than that, no difference.
$2 for a 2-pound bag of carrots, and I think I've got the makings of a nice roast turkey dinner. And the leftovers can go to make turkey soup. Less than $20 will feed R and I for the better part of 3 days, if we don't mind eating a lot of turkey.
I still have part of a ham in the freezer, so I can make potato-and-ham soup, too. Another very cheap meal that will probably taste wonderful now that the nights are really cold. And any other potatoes that we have after that (and there will be some, I've no doubt of that) can go to other meals. Even if a meal some night consists purely of potatoes, it's still a cheap meal.
So really, with the addition of a small piece of ham from the freezer, $20 can feed R and I for the better part of a week, really, if we aren't that fussy.
I still have $19 left on that gift card, too, so when I blitz the kitchen and clean it up properly, maybe I'll spend some of that on a bag of flour so I can start making bread again. My mother bought me breadpans a while ago, so I can make actual loaf-shaped bread instead of long french-loaf-style bread.
Lots of ways to cut costs, and since I like cooking, none of these ways are big problems for me. The only thing I hate is the cleaning part that comes after the cooking, but I'm sure if I'm the one to make dinner them R won't mind helping out with the dishes a little.
Such as the situation I'm in now.
I do try to live frugally where I am. Yes, I enjoy my luxuries: video games, going out to dinner every once in a while, that sort of thing. But there are a lot of ways in which I live a little more frugally than most. My crafting is the most obvious example. Most of my yarn I get by taking apart sweaters from thrift stores, ones that are in good condition and have fibre contents that I want to use. Books I often get from the library, or read online, since I've been lucky enough to find a few websites that legally allow people to read books for free.
But food is one thing that's harder to get free, especially at this time of year. Fortunately, I know how to take advantage of a bargain. The local grocery store had a deal on where one can get $100 in gift cards for only $95, giving me $5 of groceries for free. $5 may not seem like much, but consider what I found at the store tonight: a 15-pound bag of potatoes for $4.97.
They had a special on utility turkeys, $1.29 per pound, so I bought one for a little over $12. For those who don't know, the only way a utility turkey differs from a grade-A turkey is that the utility turkey is usually missing a piece of flesh or skin. Other than that, no difference.
$2 for a 2-pound bag of carrots, and I think I've got the makings of a nice roast turkey dinner. And the leftovers can go to make turkey soup. Less than $20 will feed R and I for the better part of 3 days, if we don't mind eating a lot of turkey.
I still have part of a ham in the freezer, so I can make potato-and-ham soup, too. Another very cheap meal that will probably taste wonderful now that the nights are really cold. And any other potatoes that we have after that (and there will be some, I've no doubt of that) can go to other meals. Even if a meal some night consists purely of potatoes, it's still a cheap meal.
So really, with the addition of a small piece of ham from the freezer, $20 can feed R and I for the better part of a week, really, if we aren't that fussy.
I still have $19 left on that gift card, too, so when I blitz the kitchen and clean it up properly, maybe I'll spend some of that on a bag of flour so I can start making bread again. My mother bought me breadpans a while ago, so I can make actual loaf-shaped bread instead of long french-loaf-style bread.
Lots of ways to cut costs, and since I like cooking, none of these ways are big problems for me. The only thing I hate is the cleaning part that comes after the cooking, but I'm sure if I'm the one to make dinner them R won't mind helping out with the dishes a little.
