Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Waiting Till Wednesday

I get paid twice a month, on the 15th and on the last day of the month. August 15th is tomorrow--Wednesday.

Unfortunately for me, I outran my budget Saturday night.

So, rather than charge anything or move any money from savings, I decided to see if I could just wait till Wednesday to spend any money.

It's Tuesday, and so far, so good.

My car's gas tank is on empty but both my daughter and I have bus passes.

I craved dessert, so I made chocolate chip cookies. (Mama can cook, but the repertoire is limited!). There were frozen chicken breasts, packaged burritos and corn dogs in the refrigerator. My 17 year old pointed out that there was no sour cream or salsa. True. But hey, where is her pioneer spirit?

We ran out of bread, but peanut butter and jelly works OK, if not great, on tortillas. My daughter sneered, and stayed with cheese on hers.

The toilet paper is running low--we're being VERY careful in how much we use.

My daughter ran out of hair gel--a tragedy of epic proportions for a spikey-haired teen; She solved it by rounding up every soda can in the house, and even a couple she found out on the street. She got $3.40 for the recycled cans and doom was thereby averted.

I used up all the dryer sheets, but the laundry detergent held out and there's still enough for another load tonight. I decided we would tough it out with rough towels for a day or two. Nobody really noticed.

It has been an interesting experiment, and one that definitely saved me money.

Tomorrow, I buy gas, toilet paper and groceries. Yes, my darling daughter--Mama will get sour cream, salsa, and orange juice.

I doubt I'll bother with dryer sheets!

And maybe we'll take the bus to the grocery store!

3 comments:

Engineering My Finances (EMF) said...

Have you checked the sofa cushions for loose change? ;)

Anonymous said...

Dryer sheets are an unnecessary expense - they make towels less absorbant, clog your dryer screen (try running water thru it). If you want scent in your clothes, use a sachet (like lavender in a muslin bag) tucked in the towels, sheets, underwear.

Like your daughter'e initiative in collecting cans. You've taught her well!

Anonymous said...

I think money in the sofa is a guy thing. I've found the TV remote, make-up and a zillion pens in the sofa, but not money--probably because women carry their wallets in a purse, not in their back pocket.

Thanks anonymous--I was proud of my daughter, too.