Thrifty Thursday!

Despite a shocking sit-down with $790 worth of bills that are due by the fourth of February, and knowing I only have $485 coming in, I'm feeling a little triumphant over this economic battle I'm facing. My first "score" occurred at Walgreen's, while mother was picking up her medication. I needed to pick up some hair color, since getting my hair done was immediately cut out of the budget in April. I was hesitant to buy because I didn't have a coupon with me... but low and behold, it was on clearance! Instead of paying $15.99 one box of my standby Revlon Colorist 40 Dark Brown, I got three boxes for $20.70! That oughta cover my few (but pesty) grays for the next six months! What a bargain!

My next big win was a very thrifty, and very tasty sandwich for supper. I had one small barbequed chicken breast left over from Sunday night. I hate wasting food, and now, I can't afford to. So what to do with this little chicken breast? Make a sandwich! I found one Kaiser roll at the back of the second shelf of my very empty refrigerator that remained from my December 13th graduation party, and a slice of provolone cheese. I cut up the barbequed chicken breast, cut a slice from the onion from God-knows-when, and topped it with the provolone cheese. Zapped that little snack of a sandwich for 45 seconds... and mmmm was it good! Think of pulled pork, only more like pulled poor.

Thrifty thrill number three: (WARNING: Serious coffee drinkers might find this offensive!) pouring my 12 hour old and lukewarm coffee onto my left over ice cubes from my water for an unplanned "iced coffee" treat.

Struggling through this tumultuous economy, isn't that fun. I won't lie! But, with a little creative thinking, and adding an "I will survive" type attitude, you can do it! My only real bitch right now is that I don't have any more stamps to send out Thank-You cards in a timely fashion. I don't have enough cards, but, if I am going to claim to be an artsy gal, I've got to be happy, and comfortable making my own. It's springing for stamps that is stinging my ass. Gratitude is very important to who I am, and who I want to be, so they must be sent... just perhaps a little later than "Miss Etiquette" would like.

Fighting Frizz on the Cheap

My current unemployed status has required me to relinquish my one luxury I have allowed myself throughout life. My hair.

Instead of getting my cut and color from my stylist of 25 years (also my former boss), I now walk to Walgreen's to purchase and apply my own color. I spring for a cut about every eight weeks at a cheaper salon.

Last week I ran out of my Aveda Smooth Infusion Style-Prep smoother!!!!! It's $20 bucks for a small bottle. I was either going to use $20 of my emergency money or find another product. Oh how I hate experimenting with cheap hair products!

Back to Walgreen's. After himming and hawing for about ten minutes, I reluctantly selected Loreal's Studio Smoothness for $4.99. At a quarter of the cost, I've got to tell you that I may be more impressed with it's performance than I was with Aveda's product! Thank you, thank you, thank you! After simply blow drying, I was tempted to skip the flat iron and head out! I'd say this sacrifice was "worth it!"