EGHSisterhood
News Letter 2 of 2010
Alright Ladies, it’s officially the first of August. If following Christmas in July, then calendarically (I made that up) this should be New Year’s Day! So, traditionally, we should be making that dreaded list of new goals to achieve in the New Year. How do you like all my “–lly” endings? But, unconventionally, we only have 6 months to make it happen! I’ve also put in a new section: Papa Quotes. I thought you ladies would enjoy learning from my childhood expert. Well, except Mom, who has probably already heard all of them. I’ve also included Save My Ass and our old favorite, What’s Up with Who.
This month, I discuss money saving tips from author and real life frugal zealot, Amy Dacyczyn. I discovered her in the dusty bookshelves of Eddie’s mother. I have a video link of an interview worth the watch. I felt starting the Papa Quotes with a “piss” saying was in order. I have decided to share my “New Year’s” resolutions.
P.S. I need to have feedback to make these things good, ladies. I only got feed back from Elise last time….ehem….Jenna, Angie.
P.S.X. In order to comment on our blog you must become a member. It’s free and you don’t have to make your own blog. So do it! Elise, don’t forget you already have a blog, but I see you are a follower aside from it. Jenna is a blogger. Mom, that leaves only you! Hint, hint.
“New Year’s Resolutions”
1. Obviously, I need to lose weight and get in shape. Is this not everyone’s goal every New Year? We should all be supermodels by now! Seriously, I need to lose some weight. Most importantly I need to get in shape! I started Slim Fast and lost a bit, but I haven’t stuck with it. I do it some days and then not others. I’m wishy-washy---which explains my wishy-washy results. This is very relevant to the Papa Quote section, which you will read momentarily. So, this week, I’m planning out my daily menu (except weekends when I will eat as I damn well please). I will incorporate exercise at least 3 days a week. I do have Tony Horton’s 10 minute program. There are a myriad of possibilities. This is my goal.
2. I need to take better care of myself. Why we, as mothers or wives or girlfriends or just females, put ourselves last? Well, accept Jenna (lol), because Aidan says she is high maintenance. I remember when I used to give myself a pedicure every time I changed my polish. I had little decals to put on my newly polished tootsies too. I freaked if a spot got on my shoes. Now, I’m lucky if my new or clean shoes don’t get stepped on more than 3 times by Diana. Pedicure is no longer in my vocabulary. I put a plug in the bathtub when I take a shower just so I can soak my sore heel. This is what I call multi-tasking. I deserve more than multi-tasking. Eric gave me a foot-bath for Christmas (the real one)! Its summer and I have plain toes! I do not sleep enough. I do not own my own Bath and Body Works anymore. My only self treat is coffee from Spring Garden Bakery or Tate Street. So my second resolution is to pamper myself by getting enough sleep, pedicures, plenty of water to hydrate my skin, and plenty of foo-foo, ladies. Foo-foo is fancy French talk for perfumes and other smell goods according to my grandfather.
3. I will be doing plenty of reading for school, but I want to read the entire Sookie Stackhouse vampire series by Charlaine Harris.
4. See The New Harry Potter Movie in November!
NOW I WANT TO HEAR YOURS LADIES.
What’s Up with Who?
Matt Merich: Well, ladies Elise and I got in touch with an old friend (a mutual former boyfriend) Matt Merich. This is the guy I went out with for a while and never seen him in person until we finally broke up! The update isn’t weird. He’s happily married with kids. But the gossip is: his ex-lady cheated on him with his uncle. This uncle is the father of his cousin Brett, who is also a mutual ex-boyfriend of mine and Elise. Best friends share everything sometimes! I just thought the whole thing odd, since the girl obviously knew the man was old enough to be her father! Those two love birds are still together with a 3 year old child. C’est la vie.
Eric: HAS A JOB, LADIES, HAS A JOB!!!! AND FROM THE TYPE WE CAN ALL TELL I AM VERY EXCITED. NEED I SAY MORE?
Ziggy: He got Eric the job and then HE quit because they changed his pay! I say “Yay, stick it to the man, Nash, but you know its tough getting work right now.” Although we do know Nash is good for “wheeling and dealing”, so it’s no surprise he’s waiting on a call for work as I type.
Grandma Janey: In case you didn’t already know, my grandmother has a boyfriend! She was sweethearts with this guy (formerly known as Switch Blade) before she met my granddad. Fortunately, for life as I know it, Switch Blade did some time for illegal activities and that’s how my grandparents met. Thank God for crime! I will say he has been a blessing. Nannie is much more active (and I don’t mean sexually). One can see a girlish twinkle in her eyes. And he acts like a big kid! Today he was chasing the girls around with a marker—threatening to write on them. He was eating their toes with ketchup. Then he marked on Nannie just for the fun of it! Also, I now see where my mother and I get the lust for bad boys! My grandfather always said if you lined up a group of guys, my mother would choose the one fresh out of prison.
Uncle Zared: Its hard times, folks. My uncle lost his house. He is now renting a house down the road from our old haunt on McConnell Rd. Upside: it’s a 3 bedroom for only $400 a month!
Save My Ass
Amy Dacyczyn (pronounced decision) is an ingenious money saver I have mentioned before…right? If not, I am about to submit one of her tactics for saving on the grocery bill. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, so be prepared to do a little work. Just think of your savings as earned income, paying you for any time and effort. Heck, we ought to view any saving of money as payment of our efforts! What a booster not to buy those white heels that made you feel cheap instead of sexy afterwards! Oh, TMI. So here is the info, rolling up as #1 on Save My Ass.
1. Grocery Price Book: the point is to write down what you commonly buy and the price every time you shop. This enables you to see when it goes on sale. As we all know, the sales have a pattern. For the life of me, I haven’t figured them out yet. I have a book of hers that suggests following the sales fliers and jotting it down, but this sounds easier. I tried the first approach and found it discouraging. Probably because I made it too difficult, but that’s beside the point! After you learn the patterns, then you can shop for your favorite items during its sale. Buying larger quantities will save you even more money. Here is a site to get you started: Start Here!
2. Spending Book: in this little number you jot down everything you buy and what you spent. This keeps track of your spending to find the pattern of pocket arson. She evens says in a video interview that it’s tedious, but worth the results. Again, think of your time and effort as being paid by the money you will eventually save.
3. The Book: Interested in all the good advice in The Tightwad Gazette? Then get the book yourself!
4. Don’t Take It From Me: Listen to her! Watch this video. She has a good point about wanting to live affluently and actually living affluently.
Leftovers are something we are all familiar with, but it’s still like unknown territory---the ocean abyss, outer space, my closet, the toy box… you get the point. This area of my life is where I try to get creative. As I type, there is a pot full of grits waiting for my resourceful mind to redress it, so to speak. Or what about leftover spaghetti? Rice? Biscuits? It’s boring to eat them again the same as you did last night. And did you know you can save leftovers for 2 nights? This means if you are doing frugal meal planning, then you only have to do major cooking 2 out of 4 nights! Now that sounds like a reason to eat leftovers. Also, don’t be shy to have leftover breakfast or lunch. Even more daring---you can have leftover breakfast for dinner!
1. Leftover Grits: This is my own personal idea--- mostly because this is how I plan to use my leftover grits tomorrow morning. I am going to put the grits, fake sausage crumbles, and cheese, oh and some salt and pepper and put it all into a casserole dish. Then I am going to crack some eggs over it and bake it! Sounds good. Then I want to make some homemade milk gravy to pour on it! I’m egg-cited! I’ll let you know how it turns out when I type again. I found a similar idea of Grit Casserole on eHow.
2. Leftover Spaghetti: My favorite, which Papa used to make, is Spaghetti Patties. You just mix the sauce and noodles, if you haven’t already, and put in the fridge overnight. The next day add an egg or two (depending on how much spaghetti you have) and enough flour to make a patty. Then you fry it in oil. My grandmother prefers olive oil. Serve with whatever suits you. We usually had a salad and garlic bread. Some suggestions are California style vegetables or Italian cut green Beans. Extra sauce may be a nice touch. Below are some other ideas for you.
3. Leftover Mashed Potatoes: Now mashed potatoes are so good, I like to eat them the same way at the next dinner. But that isn’t the point of this, now is it? My favorite way to use leftover mashed potatoes is to make Shepherd’s Pie. That’s where you layer meat (usually hamburger), vegetables (mixed are awesome), cheese, and mashed potatoes in a casserole dish. I think traditionally tomatoes are in there. I would now use fake meat or Black Eyed Peas instead or real meat. Keep in mind, this recipe is very versatile, so you can use any meat or vegetables. The one thing you must use to make it a Shepherd’s Pie is mashed potatoes—as the top-most layer! I found a cool recipe for you from Rachel Ray (my husband’s fantasy lover). Besides potato cakes, which I did not do well on, I have no other ideas to impart…. So, I found some for you!
Papa Quote
This month’s Papa Quote is: Piss in one hand and wish in the other… see which one gets filled the fastest. This was my Papa’s favorite way of telling me I wasn’t getting what I wanted. And if I wanted to do something about it, then that is what I could do. All, in a funny way, mind you. He could have a cruel sense of humor. My response was always, “The one I wish in because I ain’t pissing in my hand!” He usually got a laugh out of that. Now, ladies, the challenge is how to use this bit of “advice.”
Piss in one hand and wish in the other… see which one gets filled the fastest.
Piss in one hand and wish in the other… see which one gets filled the fastest.
Piss in one hand and wish in the other… see which one gets filled the fastest.
(Nannie says three times is the charm.)
I have to say she’s right this time! The point is, obviously, wishing isn’t going to accomplish anything----- no more than would pissing in your own hand. Let’s take it further, shall we? Put forth effort into what you want or wish you had in life. If all you do is sit around and wish, then all you’ll get is piss. Pissed off, that is! Pissed that you don’t have anything you want in life. Pissed that everybody else has better things. Piss, piss, piss. I guess I have been just pissing in my own hand! I had it half right with my old response. I feel I have never taken it further than just wishing, ladies. It’s about getting off one’s lazy ass and GETTING what they want—not just wishing for it. If you want to lose weight, then exercise and eat healthier. If you want a great car, then save your money. If you want a reliable car, then take care of the one you have. If you want money in your pocket, then quit spending it on dumb, needless shit. If you want your kids to quit bugging about going to the pool, then take them---after they clean their room. If, if, if, then, then, then…you get the point. So next time you say, “Man, I wish….,” or “I want…,” or “Why don’t I have…,” just say: Piss in one hand and wish in the other, see which one gets filled the fastest. I’m sure you’ll have an attitude adjustment, if not a fit of laughter. Next, devise a plan to grant that wish!
How are we going to apply this to our lives right now? Well, for you guys, idk, but for me: I want a clean house. So far all I have been doing is wishing someone else (ehem, Eric) would do it, but that seems a rough road to travel. Soon I start school and I need to have this house CLEAN! I have roughly 4 weeks to do it. I need to make a plan…or take a piss.
So my plan is to do one room at a time to de-clutter and clean. First up is the boudoir, because it looks as if a clothes-bomb exploded. Second, on the list is the computer room. I want this room in shape because I’m starting school in 3 weeks. Third, is the bathroom simply because it needs to be clean. It’s due for a scrub down. Did you know that it is necessary to sanitize bathroom and kitchen sinks daily? The toilet, on the other hand, only needs sanitizing once a week. According to this data, I now believe our hands are the dirtiest parts of our body. The girls are responsible for their room, although, a good purging is needed to get rid of junk. Fourth, is the living room because the Christmas decorations should be in the basement. No, they aren’t still in use because Sam and Eric packed them up last month! Ha ha, I did have Christmas in July! The dining room needs to be de-cluttered. The Kitchen is cleaned regularly, so it’s not on the list. I say start with the hardest first! Well, it’s the basic outline of my clean-up plan. Next, I need to work out the details of each room. Send in your plans to get something done.
Christmas in July
August is tax-free season for shopping. All things school related: clothes, supplies, and electronics. This is the perfect time to do early Christmas shopping. Buy extra art supplies, jeans, socks, underwear, nighties…you name it. It’s all tax free! While you’re at it, put some stuff in layaway. Start making a list and checking it twice because soon enough it will be tax-free time! I want to get the girls: skates, the travel art kit, play dough center, and maybe the crayon maker. All of these are at Kmart and can be put on layaway.
Also, no one has responded, so I guess no one wants a free Starbuck’s gift card (or something else for Mom). This offer is only good until the end of August!
Love always,
Cassie
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