T'mater sandwiches and White Bread! by Drama Mama

Today's guest blogger is Drama Mama, From Life on the Pond.....

I was walking in a convenience store yesterday to get some water cause it was like 1000* and I was sweltered- when this story on the front of USA Today caught my eye-


So, I bought a copy- Now, I have never ever been one to worry about fuel, food and electricity- I considered those things necessities and just bought it and paid the bill-I mean, that is why we are a double income family.
Gas is $4+ a gallon and every time you turn on the tv or radio all they talk about is the cost rising even higher- and passing the costs on to the consumer (you and me).
I've always bought store brands and looked for the better value, but Drama Mama is NOW paying attention to all costs-Not that we were ever frivolous or rich, but we didn't freak out over the price of milk and bread like we are doing at the Pond house now-

Maybe it's because ADHD is 12 and is eating me out of house and home-and I'm feeling the pain in my pocketbook.

So here is the POND Family plan to beat the increased cost of breathing:

1. Buy in BULK- Big Daddy and I loaded the Pond kids up in the car and headed to Sam's Club this weekend-If you don't have a Sam's near you, it is like Costco.
Now I am not one to buy in bulk, mainly because I don't have alot of extra space to store large quantities-and it is hard for the four of us to eat the large amounts of fresh food that they sell-
But somehow, we managed to spend about $200 just on things like toilet paper, paper towel, deodorant, soap and ketchup- Maybe a few other things-but not much.

I went to the KROGER today to buy a few things- crackers, bread, Diet coke and somehow my bill was $68- I can definitely feel the difference there- I thought surely it was only gonna be about $45! and I was buying store brands and sale items.
Here is the strange thing though- normally at 4pm the local KROGER is rockin- The first thing I noticed was that I immediately found a parking place within a mile of the front door-UNREAL!
Then, once I got in there- There were tons of buggies and the aisles were clear of shoppers- I thought to myself how strange that was- and then there were only two checkers open- Normally at 4 pm, all check-out lines are open and there are 5 people lined up in each.
Then I passed the local fruit/vegetable stand on my way home-That's where all the shoppers were- buying fresh food- just like the girl in the above pic-
I didn't stop cause that leads me to cost saving plan #2.

2. Less groceries, less meat, less milk! I am limiting the amount of milk that ADHD drinks- He was up to 3 gallons a week- So, I cut him off! Mean Mama! We buy two gallons now for the week and when it is gone- It's gone -too bad-so sad! He won't die from drinking more water!
l
My daddy has some tomato plants planted this year so, we are trimming the fat by eating lot's o'tomato sandwiches-





I hope those plants are fruitful for awhile.

Plus, we are both usually out on the road at lunch time, so we usually eat a pretty decent meal- Therefore, there is really no reason for me to cook big at night- Nothing wrong with a tomato sandwich, a few chips and pickles. ADHD even likes them. As long as we feed the kids okay, I know I will live on less food- In fact, Big Daddy and I will both live on less.

3. Eat out less- Pond family loves to eat! We were used to going out at least twice a week- No More!- Maybe once a week, so Drama Mama can get her Mexican fix- but you know Mexican is pretty cheap as long as you don't drink 10 margaritas!

4.Limited driving- Big Company pays for my gas,cause y'all know I drive all over the state- They have to. However, I have to pay a small amount per month to use the car for personal use, but it beats paying for gas. We try not to use Big Daddy's SUV if possible since I am already paying to use my small economy 4 door car.

5. Yes frenz, I am coloring my own hair- and I am not ashamed to admit it-
Loreal is saving me BIG bucks every month- I pay $11 at Walgreens instead of $75 at the salon. Plus, I am doing so much painting for ZEMKOOFIES that my hands and nails are always covered in paint- so, no more manicures.I can live with that- At least, people will see the residual paint and know what I've been doing.
I WILL get my toes done monthly though- cause there ain't nothing worse than ugly feet in sandals!

Are you staying at home? Eating out less? Cooking more? Buying a cow, goats and chickens to raise? Are you turning up the AC? Are you buying a deep freeze to store frozen food in bulk? Are you skipping vacation this year? Are you washing your clothes in cold water? Do you have a clothes line? Are you counting pennies and clipping coupons? Have you replaced all your light bulbs with those swirly things? Cuttin back on massages and salon costs? Are you living in the dark? Are you eating PB and J? Do you have a garden? Do you want a garden?

I'd love to hear your plans and ideas for saving $-as costs for everything rise!