The whole idea of us downsizing is to save as much money as we possibly can. The Fancy can't really budget/save a set amount like I can because his income as a freelancer is more iffy. I have been there, it sucks. What we can do together as a team is try to be as frugal as possible without feeling the iron fist of deprivation come down on us. That means more and more meals at home. We cook a lot already, but we do indulge in take-out 2-3 times a week (which will go down to twice a month) and I buy coffee and a bagel every morning which runs me about $3, $5 if I add cream cheese. I am going to go cold turkey on that habit.
I am generally what I would consider a good cook but my repertoire is desperately in need of an infusion of fresh ideas. I have been an avid food blog reader/lurker for months now (I promise to start linking some of my faves) so how hard could this transition be? I am here to tell ya, real hard. I successfully destroyed not one, not two, but three recipes. These were not Julia Child-esque French cuisine, I am talking basics. I ruined Salsa Fresca by inadvertently buying parsley instead of cilantro AND ruining the cilantro lime rice the same way. This could be chalked up to an easy mistake they do look an awful lot alike. Uhm, this is not the first time I've make that mistake. Cilantro and parsley don't even smell alike, I am a parfumeur, scent taps into your memory bank like no other and still I failed.
I can tell you that after ruining everything, I ended up saving nada and perhaps wasting lot's of hard earned cash, which is a real shame. We did try to stomach the rice even though it was so sticky I could use it to caulk tiles with. It was supposed to be fluffy and light, not sticky at all. Live and learn right? I do hope your weekend was more eventful and all your meals turned out grand...
