Food
I came home at lunch which usually means I have about 20 minutes to fix something and eat. Today, however, I couldn't just let the dogs out back to do their thing while I fixed lunch because of the snake. Instead, I spent a good chunk of time taking them out front on the leash which wouldn't have taken so long if they hadn't thought they were going for a walk. They were a bit confused as to why we were just standing in the yard, but they did eventually figure it out. This left me just enough time to stuff some cheese in a pita pocket and wolf it down. I had skipped breakfast earlier so by the time I got home I was starving. Not much in the house to eat, but there was a raw potato. I sliced it thin and pan-fried it in some butter for a snack before I went to the grocery store. Money is tight and I need to keep a good hold on the purse strings so going to the store on an empty stomach is not the way to go. Tonight's shopping trip was all about finding cheap meals. The problem I always run into with cheap is that the cheapest stuff tends to be processed foods such as canned goods, soups, sausage, hot dogs, etc. and they all have way more salt than my body can handle. Not to mention they are usually pretty unhealthy in other ways (too much fat, MSG, and mystery additives.) Fresh meat and veggies are ridiculously expensive in comparison, but I did luck out and find some ground pork and some pork loin strips for $1.99/pound. We'll be eating a lot of eggs since that's another cheap source of protein. I splurged on some fresh carrots to make my carrot/cheese soup. I bought the inevitable jars of peanut butter and jelly along with a cheap loaf of bread for inexpensive sammies. And of course, cheese. As far as I'm concerned, if there's cheese in the house, then I have the makings for a meal since cheese plus most anything (bread, veggies, eggs, leftover meat) makes a meal. Heck, I've been known to make a meal out of just cheese. In fact, that's what I had for lunch on several days of my vacation, but I admit it was expensive Gouda cheese that I bought with the money my parents give me for my birthday. The cheese I bought today was cheap cheese and not so good just by itself. But it would do in a pinch. I bought some other assorted odds and ends, but 1/4 of the $40 I spent went towards a big bag of dry dogfood. And while it might be a bit of a boring diet for the dogs, they'll probably end up with a better balance of nutrition than us humans will. There's bound to be a way to eat cheap *and* healthy - hopefully that's something Rob and I will figure out over these next few months of lean times.