I Will Not Be Buying A Bargain Turkey, Or Any Turkey, this Year

Announcement: I will not be buying a turkey this year. This statement is a shocker, no doubt, not only because it is positively un-American to say NO to turkey, but also because the Thanksgiving turkey is the frugalista's friend, providing tons of food for weeks to come at a ridiculous sale price. Why then, why?

First of all, Miss Em is in Serbia. Second, Frugal Son wangled an invite to a friend's house, where he will feast on deep-fried turkey. So Mr FS and I will be solo. This is not an occasion for despair; we communicate with our kids all the time. We used to invite people over, but stopped about five years ago. Guess what? No one EVER invited us over. I'm cool with that.

OK. So why no turkey? Our freezer is stuffed with stuff. Our pantries are full. One store we frequent changed its store brand and had ridiculous sales on the items marked Best Yet, which have now been replaced by Best Choice. We really need to use our stockpile. We don't want to be like our colleague (one we used to invite each year for Thanksgiving): he bought a turkey a year on sale. After Katrina, with no electricity, he donated SEVEN TURKEYS to the Food Bank. I guess that's ok, but I prefer a more gradual approach!

And besides: the best part of Thanksgiving is leftovers. I already have all the fixings for the best of the best leftover choice: gumbo. On Thanksgiving, Mr FS and I will be having turkey and sausage gumbo. When that's gone, I'll make my second favorite leftover meal: pot pie.

I'm hoping that by next year, we will have enough room in the freezer to justify a turkey and its attendant leftovers. Right now, I feel a big burden lifted off my shoulders: the burden of the bargain-priced turkey.

Cream of Barley Soup: Pantry Dinner

I mentioned this soup in a comment about two years ago. I can't believe I've never posted the recipe. Since we work lonnnngggg days on Mondays and Wednesdays, I like to have dinner all made when we get home. So on Sundays, I generally plan out my meals. I always like to make do with what I have, especially since I want to (maybe) buy myself a birthday handbag 18 months early. Pantry cooking obviously requires no outlay of cash.

Cream of Barley Soup with Mushrooms (copied from a defunct blog--so already simplified from the source: Deborah Madison's book of soups)

Cover 1/3 cup of hulled barley with water - set aside. Heat a pot with 2T olive oil and 1 T butter. Add 2 large chopped shallots* and 1/4 tsp dried oregano and saute for about 5 minutes. Add 2 grated* carrots, 2 minced cloves of garlic and 1 chopped leek*, saute for 10 more minutes. Drain the barley and add to the pot with 6 cups of water and 1.5 tsp of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile simmer 1/3 cup barley in salted water for 30 minutes.

While barley in the soup pot is cooked - puree with 1 cup of sour cream*. Return to pot - salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked barley. Top with pan fried sliced mushrooms and serve with bread.

*I subbed my frozen caramelized onions for the shallots and leeks. I chopped the carrots. I cooked the soaked barley with everything.

Sadly, I am out of sour cream, so I'm subbing some half and half that's on its way to oblivion.

Barley keeps growing! Every time you re-heat, you have to add water. I think this is one of those immortal soups. I thought this would make two dinners, but I think it will make three.

More Advice for the Low Salary Grad: Live Like You Should Have When You Were a Student

Honestly, if a recent grad is making only $1000/month in a worthy endeavor, STAYING OUT OF DEBT is of the utmost importance. I would say: Live like a student. Except for the fact that most students live like they are middle- and upper-middle class people, either on the parental dole or getting into debt. So my advice is Live like you should have when you were a student. Every bit of debt you avoid is a blessing for your future. The recent grad of my acquaintance asked me what he should stockpile. After the rice and beans recommended yesterday, I would pick up some canned tomatoes and cheese. Best place for cheese is Costco or Sam's Club. Or Trader Joe's. So now you won't die of starvation. Any more advice?

Frugal Mom, Frugal Child: Publix Bonding

Every Wednesday, I engage in an enjoyable activity: looking over the Publix ad on-line, isolating the good deals, and sending a shopping list to my very own College Cook, Miss Em. Sadly, I don't have a Publix here, so my own shopping experience must remain a vicarious one.

She already has a pantry of pasta, rice, oatmeal, and the like, so I focus on fruits, vegetables, and dairy appropriate for the College Cook (no time, no money, no space, no stove). So this morning, I sent her a short list: tangerines, shredded parmesan cheese (BOGO* aka BUY ONE GET ONE FREE), strawberries, and prepackaged vegetables.

The prepackaged veggies are especially good: in 10-12 oz packages, they are trimmed, chopped, and ready to go, whether raw or for cooking. They are only $1 at Publix!

Check over at my other site if you want to see what you can do with the sale items.

By the way, Miss Em recently confessed that she enjoys her weekly trip to the Publix that is within walking distance of her dorm (no car!). She said, "I love to look at the ad and see what's on sale."

To which: "Oh, you don't need to do that. I send you the list."

To which: "Oh, I don't need you to do that. I already know how. But I still like that you do it"

Oh, the poignant moments of parenthood.

What's In Your Pantry? A Meal in Two Minutes or Less

Miss Em called this morning. She observed that few of her friends have anything to eat in their off-campus apartments and so must go out--to grocery store or to restaurant--when they are hungry. She was surprised by this.

I replied that her own grandma has a kitchen with few groceries, necessitating a trip to the store for every meal. Ditto for the other side of the family.

The thing about shopping for each meal--or going out--is that after that meal you are back at square one. This lack of a system is wasteful of both time and money.

So, for the one area of domesticity in which I have skills, let me--yet once more--sing the praises of the pantry. Miss Em has a little pantry in her dorm: oatmeal, boxed soy milk, coffee, tuna, peanut butter, canned beans, canned tomatoes, rice, and a few other things.

My pantry has all that and more. My two-minute emergency meal is a bean and cheese burrito. If that's too much work, I always have at least one can of New England clam chowder, a convenience food I find acceptable.

I get hungry with amazing frequency--and hunger is swiftly followed by dizziness. I suppose my best frugal habit has its origin in my metabolism.


Do you have a Two-Minute Meal?

Things I Will Never Need to Buy Again

Mr. FS and I are in the midst of reorganizing. This is a problem area for us both, so we are doing a mediocre job. Still, we are doing the best job we have ever done and anything is an improvement.

What is my problem area? Down comforters and pillows. Even though my newest organizing guidebook urges donation of excess, there is no way I'm getting rid of high quality down comforters brought from Europe by my fleeing forebears. Sorry Ms. Pinsky.

However, many can be stored in pillowcases (another problem area) in the attic.

As we've been doing this, I have made some discoveries: things I will never need to buy again or at least not for a long time.

10 years or more (?): down comforters, pillows, sheets, towels.

1 year or thereabouts: canned tomatoes, shampoo, toothpaste, soap.

6 months: coffee, powdered milk, peanut butter, sunscreen.

Even though Susan Pinsky is against stockpiling--heaping scorn upon it--I love knowing that I can make a meal, take a walk in the sun, and have a cup of coffee. And brush my teeth, of course.

As I look over the list above, I see that this is saving me tons of money. And I remember that after Katrina, a few people stopped by my house every day for cold water coffee.

Except for the stockpiling, I LOVE Pinsky's book. It is really keeping me motivated.



Do you have any problem areas that cause clutter? How do you cope?