Frugalista Date Night

I've always been a frugal girl. The dictionary defines frugal as "economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful". My personal definition is "wisely and thoughtfully using one's resources". I worked hard for my money and it's only right that I should honor that expenditure of energy by using its fruits in a thoughtful and resourceful manner.

Being in between jobs, it is more critical than ever that I use my money resourcefully. But I don't want that to mean boring food. Food is one of my great pleasures in life and I have been making a game out of finding ways to eat well on a slimmer budget.

Last weekend I made yummy beef tips and mushrooms in a creamy sauce over egg noodles. I baked the butternut squash I got at Produce Exchange for a side dish, picked lettuce and herbs from the garden for the salad. For dessert I baked cookie bars which I served with a scoop of the ice cream I'd gotten free for donating blood. I did a rough estimate, calculating that the dinner, including the surprisingly yummy cheap wine I'd gotten at Trader Joe's, came to $10 for two! Show me a restaurant where two people can get a delicious entree, side dish, salad, dessert and a glass of wine for $5 each! We didn't have to make reservations or worry about drinking too much before driving home. Oh, and for another 75 cents, we got the evening's entertainment courtesy of our Netflix membership.

Oh, and the leftovers of the butternut squash made a satisfying soup later in the week when mixed with the chicken stock I'd made last month and frozen. I added the lentils I made for Sunday dinner and added fresh picked sage from the garden. I finished the soup with a hearty dollop of half and half and had lunch for two days.

What is your favorite frugal yet satisfying meal?

Routine business

Because my days are less structured right now, I have to be especially vigilant so I don't slip into slothful ways, spending hours on the Internet looking at cute animal photos. This time off is a great opportunity to try new things and tackle projects I have never been able to get to. I am also starting a small business to generate some revenue. So structure is very important.

Last week I codified my morning routine. I have found that if the day starts in a structured way, it is more likely to remain so. I get up at a certain time (challenging now that it is getting chilly in the mornings and the cats like to pin down the covers around me), then follow a few steps. These create the track that keep my day aligned with what I need to accomplish.

The Morning Routine:

1. Write down my dreams. I have a pretty lively dream life and for the past year have been writing them down in hopes of learning from them.
2. Write in my diary. I always wake up with some topic I want to write about, so I take advantage of this to scribble for a few minutes.
3. Read improving literature. For 5-10 minutes I read something written to improve my life, whether physically, spiritually or psychologically.
4. Check on the garden. I take my coffee and stroll outside for a few minutes to see how the "green children" are doing. It is a good way to start the day, breathing in fresh morning air, listening to the birds chatter and sing. If possible, I do my morning routine outside to maximize the energizing effect of being outside.
5. Review my to do list. This way I know what's ahead and can determine the order of the day.
6. Visualization meditation. I spend 3-5 minutes simply visualizing my ideal life. I recently started doing this and was surprised how often I found things I could do immediately to move my life in the direction of my ideal.
7. Read the paper, eat breakfast. Simple enough
8. Tackle one item from my to do list. If everything else goes to Hell in the day, at least one item got checked off!

I'm not the only one who swears by a morning routine. Here are some links to other writers on their morning routines and how you can improve your own:
http://zenhabits.net/habit-4-my-morning-routine/
http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/my-morning-routine
http://alifeofperfectdays.blogspot.com/2012/02/create-amazing-morning-routine.html
http://lifehacker.com/5537478/top-10-ways-to-upgrade-your-morning-routine