Lean times

Lets face it, things are pretty tight right now. I have three kids and 1 income. I understand tight. At the same time I am an eternal optimist. It is something I am sure Dan has been annoyed with on many occasions. He is a complainer and really just wants to tell me how it is without my silver lining input. I don't know how I ended up this way. My parents are in the same camp as Dan. Downer town. Population 3. Nothing is ever good or happy and someone is always plotting a conspiracy. They see my carefree attitude as naive. I am not, however. So if you are a negative Nancy you might not want to continue reading or you might just have to change zip codes.

I have gleaned a lot from this recession. Gratitude is at the top of the list. I am blessed to have what I have and I know it. I have been thinking about all the things that this financial down turn has forced me to do. I can do more than I thought I could. You know the old saying about necessity and invention, well its true. Here are a few things I have learned to do. They have saved me money and made me feel kinda smart.

I can cut hair. No, I can't cut YOUR hair, but I can manage a clipper cut pretty well. Dan and the boy have the blessing of quick growing hair. Almost every 2 weeks I was sending them out for hair cuts and watching my money go down the drain along with the cast off hair. My neighbor has been cutting her boys hair for years. She is actually good at it, but after a few short youtube videos I was confident enough to give it a try. I am not gonna say my first attempt was art, but it wasn't terrible either. Each cut has gotten better and faster and my wallet has gotten a little fatter.


I can make those fancy starbucks drinks. Again, my neighbor who is thriftier than she thinks, makes her own coffees. I never thought I could make those lattes and mochas at home. Never. It probably was just cheaper to buy them. WRONG. I got turned on to yard sailing.....that is what I am calling it. Mental picture aside. I got an espresso machine for 7 bucks, a lesson for free and some coffee syrups and voila! I am now a barista. Watch out. The only problem is I can have a latte anytime I want.....which makes me pretty hyper, but doesn't cost me a dime.

I can cook. For reals. It has taken me 10 years to figure this out, but I am about to blow your mind.

Good food takes time to cook.

Let that sink in a minute. ........

It really does. The only exception would be stir fry. Its pretty quick. All the additives and crap in fast food and boxed foods are put in there to speed things up. Real food takes time. Once I learned this and started cooking with real food the skies parted and things started coming together. Now maybe I need to clarify something. I use canned things and frozen things too, but if all it needs is reheating then it isn't real food. You can do better than that. I have learned to make soups, stews, pastas and things I never thought I could tackle because I decided to slow down. I also learned that butter is your friend. It really is. And here is the kicker, it saves money. Cooking at home, using real food and taking the time saves money. I already hear you saying, but I don't have time! Well then sacrifice a bit of your weekend and make meals and freeze them. Its not hard. I am blessed that I do have the time and trust me I don't always want to. It has made all the difference though.

I don't like the times. They are pretty lean, but I love learning new things and feeling all Donna Reed. It just seems to strike a chord with me. I think we are all capable of more than we think. We just need a little push sometimes. And when the push comes, don't fight it grow with it.