{{{Maria}}}

{{{Nora and Tom}}}

sj, even though homeowning has had its stresses, I've enjoyed it so much more than renting.

What Beverly and Liese and everybody said, Nora. Glad you checked in, I've been thinking about y'all.

Project: Don't Spend Money is proceeding in miserly fashion. I needed gas so I used $5 to get a couple of gallons to get me through until payday, instead of charging it. I have $5 left until the 15th, and I'm kind of determined to make it. I have food enough to last, I think. I do have to buy bread tomorrow.

Good day today at work. Brought in a lot of materials and I got some equipment donated that we needed. I'm making soup with a chicken carcass and a bunch of the veggies I got last weekend and a can of red beans. I hope it doesn't suck.

In petty news, I'm going to see B and some other friends tomorrow, and they're going to ask how things are going with StW. Potential answers include "nowhere," "I don't know," and ::shrug::.

"To quote Mark Zuckerberg, 'it's complicated.'"

{{{smonster}}}

smonster, you can do it! It sucks, but you'll make it. Peanut butter, bread, eggs. BTFT. And will probably be there, do that again.

For a change I'm enjoying the challenge of not spending money. I'm sure I'll have relapses, but I'm hoping this is a watershed of sorts in my mentality.

As for the StW thing, still haven't gotten a response to the email I sent him a week ago. Last night I dreamed he gave me a ring and had a matching one, but they were plastic, and even in the dream I was afraid to ask what they meant. Fuck you, subconscious.

On the Flylady front, I scooped the pans and took out trash, made dinner, started the soup, and prepped a salad I'm taking to a friend's house. And did dishes and shined the sink, and cleaned up a bunch of recycling in the kitchen.

I'm kicking ass and taking names, StW, "and if you do not like me so/to hell, my love, with you." (Two glasses of wine. Getting tipsy makes me sassy.)

smonster, you can do it! It sucks, but you'll make it.

Yeah, what Erin said; a bag of rice and a bag of lentils go a long way, too, and lentils are tasty. Tastier with onion.

When I said last week that I didn't have any advice on budgeting, this conversation made me realize that I actually have a ton of advice on cheap food. Beans and rice can do a lot. Canned tomatoes will fix up almost any leftovers into something new. Lentils and split peas are easy because they don't need to be soaked. Fresh vegetables are cheap when they're in season, but expensive the rest of the time, so buy fresh for in-season, but frozen for everything else. Spices are almost always significantly cheaper at ethnic markets. If you can find an Indian store, you can get huge bags of rice and lentils for really cheap.

In my cabinet I have dried red beans and dried black beans; I've got a dozen eggs; I will have a shit ton of (hopefully tasty) soup. I can do this. As long as I don't run out of half and half for my coffee.

{{{Nora&Tom&family}}}

smonster, you are entirely smishable when sassy.