Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Friday Night Round-Up: Week 26

Note to Self

 Dear Judith,

You have clearly fallen back into your old habits when it comes to weekly spending on the food budget. You were on a roll for a while. What happened?

Was it the allure of the discounted organic chocolate bars at the checkout stand?

Was it the need to double your intake of chai to four quarts per week because of the chilly weather?

Was it the seven different grocery store trips where you didn't come out with what you went in for and you bought things that weren't even on the list?

Just curious how this project has so quickly taken a turn down the path towards pocketbook agony.

Compassionately concerned,
Judith

Note in Response to 'Note to Self'


Dear Judith,

Indeed, I have fallen off the wagon. Or am I back on the wagon? I never know.

Either way, this week's food budget total is shameful. It's utterly disgraceful.

But it is not what you think. The bills from the grocery store were right on the mark. $150 total. The organic chocolate, chai spices and all the little extras didn't pose any trouble for the budget.

I'll tell you where the problem lies. The out-to-eats. For a family on a tight budget, out-to-eats are the devil. They can pin you down in a full nelson, unrelenting in their secret stealthiness to sabotage the wellbeing of the entire pocketbook.

On the flip-side, I'll tell you how this travesty came about.

My dear husband took the children away to his mother's for the weekend. He and they. They and he. A true Daddy's weekend. It was full of tailgating at the college football game, playing ball in the gym, movie watching and all kinds of goodness that comes along with a weekend full of Daddy and no Mommy.

It was a rich weekend for all. Mommy slept-in until 10:30am on Sunday, which honestly, I cannot recall the last time I did that. Possibly a decade ago. I woke at the usual time but decided to lay in bed in the quiet house and drift off to sleep again. I repeated this cycle at least three times until I realized the day was half gone. At which point I got out of bed to make myself a cup of chai and sit in quiet solitude for hours.

And while Mommy was doing all this, Daddy was having quality time with his offspring. Which, thankfully, happens much more frequently than once a decade.

The moral of the story is that due to the fact that I was charged with having a relaxing weekend full of rest and rejuvenation, I failed to pack the family a full flight of meals for their two days away. Hence, the out-to-eats. Next time I'll plan to put some things in the freezer ahead of time. Amen.

Restfully yours,
Judith

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Beware: The following video is a little, ah, what shall we say... unusual. I've included it so you can hear one of my favorite songs of all time for sleeping-in and chilling-out. If the video is distracting, simply close your eyes and listen blissfully. The song is gorgeous!

Edie Brickell - Times Like This

2 comments:

  1. Was busy reading and listening to pie song, missed movie all together. This may be your masterpiece. And I say a weekend like that is allowed to cost you.
    I was just curious what the note to self Judith has to say about my problem of just not having enough money to pay the bills and then you have a relative dying on you right during big US holiday. How do you solve that one????? Well I just drop and pray or is it denial. I'm not sure, usually I some how get by. Maybe you should have a column that people can write into and then you can prescribe a song.....hmmm how about them apples.
    Lots of love
    K

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now that's a thought. A "Dear JuJu" column. That could be fun! For your current situation I would prescribe the song "Free" by The Zac Brown Band. It's country, I know, but it's good and healing. Trust me. BTW - I like them apples.

    ReplyDelete

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