Good Cheap Eats

I've been looking through a cookbook called Good Cheap Eats. I must have had a hidden yen to eat good meals because I've been flagging most of the recipes. The author said that eating rice and beans helped her family pay down their debts. I know that rice and beans are a standard meal down in New Orleans, but something about it makes me feel like I'm in jail. So I looked for a recipe that called for rice, beans, and chickpeas (I've been eating tons of hummus), and voila, Middle Eastern Rice with Black Beans and Chickpeas. I want to make it this weekend.

The author also recommends getting a bread machine. I like my Hamilton Beach food processor, and they also make a bread machine that doesn't break the bank. But because I bought the vacuum cleaner this month, I can't afford a bread machine. A long time ago, I used to make bread from scratch without a bread machine (there weren't any bread machines back then!), but I don't see myself doing that.

WalMart has some nice butternut squash, and I also want to make butternut squash soup in the crockpot. As soon as I figure out what I did with the crockpot cookbook, that is. However, I wasn't sure how to open a squash, but my dad recommended a carving knife.

I printed off some more annual reports. GE's report is 250 pages (really??), and it wouldn't print, even on our big printer/copier. Then I discovered that they have it online as Web pages as well, thank goodness. Finding the time to read it is another story.

I'm thinking of selling my violin on eBay to raise some cash. I don't play it (doing so hurts my hands), and I'm not likely to play it anytime soon. It might as well go to someone who will use it. And it would be one less thing cluttering up my living room. I also have some books that I want to sell on Amazon.

I'm planning on getting the ball rolling on acquiring my business license tomorrow.

I'm kind of tired tonight, so I might go to bed soon.

Some Days, You Just Gotta Say, "WTF?"

I overslept my alarm this morning, which I set in order to run errands for my business license, but I forwarded a work issue and filled out my business license form. Then I lay down for a few minutes while my clothes in the washer finished, and--you guessed it--was woken up at 5 PM by Mimi and Zara fighting. So much for my errands. It took a while to get Mimi out of the room. Then I fed the cats.

"Okay," I thought, "At least I can go to the grocery store." I made myself a sandwich first, but then it would have been challenging to make a grocery list and get to Aldi before it closed. Plus I wanted to clip coupons and load coupons on my Kroger card. So I decided to skip Aldi and make a list and clip coupons, with the result that it was almost 8 PM. (An aside, most of the people who have Web sites about frugality are stay at home moms. It's challenging to try to do this stuff and still work full time.) At that point, I was feeling distinctly unmotivated to take a shower and go out in the (light) rain. So I decided to wait until tomorrow to go. At least I have the grocery list done now.

I was still feeling unmotivated to do anything, so I decided to make some coffee to perk me up. It's been a long time since I've made coffee, and I put the water in the wrong place, and it dribbled all over the counter. I got that cleaned up, and turned on the coffee. Came back later, and nothing had happened. I had unplugged the coffee maker.

I finally have coffee now. I hope that it helps. Clearly I need help :)