So my mother got me a nice, red cashmere scarf for Xmas. Problem is, I have literally dozens of scarves she's knitted (crocheted?) me and I doubt that cashmere one would see use more than once a season. Mom, what were you thinking?
so I was able to return it to TJ Maxx and get a store credit for $20. I put that money to much better use, I think, but not before browsing the entire store from top to bottom. It was actually hard to find anything I felt I had to have. I wanted something that could be used and useful, not another tchotcha.
I bought a pair of cute red flannel pajamas with little puppies on them, marked down to $11, and had enough money left over to buy 4 pairs of panties, also marked down to $2 each. After that, I still had exactly $1.01 left so i searched for socks, but they were all sold in sets, so I shelled out a few extra dollars ($4) for an overpriced bottle of pineapple-scented hand soap. I've discovered I really like a hand pump soap dispenser at the kitchen sink, cus that's the first place I'm headed when I come home from being out, to clean any germs from the outside world from my hands. I haven't been sick yet this year.
The other day I also was able to make use of a $10 coupon from Medco at their online store. It took me the longest time to get that coupon to "take," but I finally managed to get a free bottle of Centrum Ultra Women's multi-vitamins with total out of pocket being .99.
After food shopping at Costco and Shop Rite yesterday, I stopped at Arby's with a coupon for a free roast beef sandwich (obtained from this site) with the purchase of any soft drink. I hate Pepsi, but got a small one, which still cost $1.59, and I didn't drink much of it, but the sandwich was pretty good.
Today I made a BIG pot of vegetable soup making use of the last of my frozen tomatoes from last summer's garden and chicken broth, plus shredded green cabbage, halved Brussels sprouts, baby carrots, baby spinach, some leftover ham, Italian green beans, mushrooms, onion, garlic and zucchini. I put so much stuff in their that the pot threatened to spill over, and I have leftover mushrooms and spinach for a pizza, though that means running out to buy a crust.
Really trying to minimize spending to only essentials, except for a dollar or two here or there. I have been out of work for 3.5 months and have yet to spend any out of pocket for living expenses. I've been surviving on the unemployment and can do so for a year, if i have to, as long as i live like a Norwegian monk.
I have a little over a half of tank of gas and I hope to make that last the rest of the month.
Good Food and Mostly Hunkering Down Indoors
January 5th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
January 6th, 2010 at 12:55 am 1262739324
January 6th, 2010 at 01:13 am 1262740408
January 6th, 2010 at 03:47 am 1262749623