by Sunny Daydreame on November 30, 2007
in Uncategorized
Yesterday I gave in, I broke my grocery budget. I had already spent the money for the week, but after three days without coffee creamer, I could take no more!
In desperation, I dug through the change jar looking for silver change. Feverishly, I drove to the nearest grocery store and ran to the dairy case. I let out a big sigh of relief and the angels started singing when I spotted it: Coffeemate Peppermint Mocha Creamer.
I picked up the bottle and caressed it gently as I walked to the checkout to pay for my treasure. I drove home, walked in the door and put on a pot of coffee.
This story is about more than just a limited edition coffee creamer. This story is really about how spending $3.50 kept me from going on a major spending binge.
Over the past month, we have really tightened up the budget. If I told you how much, you would think we are fanatical about saving for a down payment on a house. And we might be fanatical.
This process of cutting out the fat in our budget has mostly been an exciting time. We are really looking forward to having our own house and land by the summer. The anticipation of homeownership has carried me through most of the pain of small sacrifices, but that almost came to a screeching halt when I ran out of coffee creamer with a week to go before I get more grocery money.
Suddenly I felt poor and over stretched. As Bilbo said in Lord of the Rings, “Like butter scraped over too much toast.” I began to question whether we are being too ambitious in our savings, or if we should skip the down payment and go for a 100% mortgage.
The dissatisfaction was coupled with guilt and a strange longing to go out and buy, buy, buy.
I held out for three days. I desperately wanted to report back that I had stayed within budget on my groceries. Yesterday I gave in. I confess, I went $1.50 over budget on my groceries this week.
As I sit back and drink a cup of coffee, I know that this is the difference between being frugal and being cheap. Staying content while living frugally requires occasional treats. They are better when they are in the budget, but this was an emergency.
photo: Ahmed Rabea used by permission CC-By-SA
Christmas is upon us and the panic of buying “the perfect gift” has settled in. If you have a writer on your gift list, I have a few ideas for finding the gift that will light up his eyes and say, “I support your dreams.” To tell the truth, it may be more important for a writer to know the she has the support of her family and friends than to get the perfect writer gift, but the perfect gift is always nice.
- Writer’s Market 2008. The Writers Market is the book for the marketing side of being a freelance author. The book contains information, addresses, topics, and tips for getting published in over 3,500 different magazines. The Writer’s Market is updated yearly with new publications and updated listings.
- Notebooks. In this digital age, writers still rely on pen and paper to capture ideas. I like to carry a small pocket sized notebook with me all the time. This is handy for when inspiration strikes on the road. I use a lot of regular sized notebooks too. Even with a laptop computer that goes anywhere, nothing beats pen and paper for jotting a quick note or catching that fleeting inspiration.
- Gift certificate to an office supply store. An office supply store doesn’t sound like the most “Christmasy” place to find a gift, but I’m being completely serious. I have an office supply addiction, and I suspect that many other writers have a similar addiction. I spend a lot of money at Staples for things that I need, like printer paper, ink, computer disks, etc. I could spend a lot of money on things that I want there too. My list of wants include a new microphone/headset, a external hard drive, and a 22″ computer monitor (or 2). Your gift certificate will be appreciated.
- Post it notes. When I am writing, I often think of things I need to say later in the article. Sometimes, I realize changes that need to be made in stuff I have already written. If you could see my laptop computer, the whole wrist rest area is covered in post it note reminders.
- Magazine Subscription. Give the gift of inspiration, all year long. There are some very good writing magazines such as Writer’s Digest
, Writer
, and Poets & Writers Magazine
. If the writer on your list already subscribes to these magazines, give him a subscription to a hobby magazine. Writers are readers and inspiration can come from anywhere.
- Tea/hot cocoa/coffee. In the cold winter months, typing on a computer always makes my fingers cold. I love having something warm to wrap my fingers around. There is something inspiring about good tea.
- Spill proof mug. Have you ever seen the havoc a full cup of tea can cause when spilled on a keyboard? If you spend hours in front of a computer, one day you will likely spill something on a keyboard. Help your writer save her computer, buy her a spill proof mug.
I have given you a short list of stocking stuffers for writers, but remember, when all else fails, give chocolate!
by Sunny Daydreame on November 26, 2007
in Recipes
My freezer cooking challenge got quite a boost yesterday. My husband called shot his deer for this season. He took a nice doe that weighed around 170 lbs. The result, after de-boning and processing, will be about 70 lbs of meat added to our freezer.
This adds a new dimension to my cooking challenge because I don’t know any good recipes for venison.
I have always heard about the “gamey” taste, but I refuse to think that venison is a junk meat because I’ve seen it command some high prices at fancy restaurants.
I plan on making some of it into jerky that we will take with us on backpacking trips.
Beyond that, I confess I am at a loss.
If you have any good venison recipes, leave a comment or e-mail me. I’ll test your recipe and write about it over the next few weeks.
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