So I've taken up some crafting projects to occupy my time and mind. The only problem I've found is that crafts take money, which is just not something we have laying around. I'm still determined to fund my fabric, paper, and thrift store finds, but they just might have to wait awhile. The area I'm hoping to squeeze a few cents out of is our grocery bill. It's not going to be easy since I've quickly become quite the food snob by moving to Washington. David and I have decided it's impossible not to, the food is just that good.
I now understand how an entire episode of Seinfeld could be devoted to peaches. The typical grocery store peach just won't do anymore. Also, Seattle's local Beecher's cheeses can be found everywhere. They tend to call my name as I walk by. There's even a food truck that carries Beecher's Mac and Cheese. If we're going to save money on food they'd better keep me away from that truck. I've decided that if you want your food to taste good you'd better stick to the farmer's markets, butcher shops, or the traveling truck.
However, something has to give. I am not a frugal shopper, however I would like to take strides to become something closer to that. One suggestion I've found is to buy as little prepackaged items as possible. When I look at our pantry we've got everything from bread and cereals, to canned soups and broth. I am not a natural in the kitchen so I can't change overnight, but I have made it my goal to try one new thing from scratch each week and go from there. This week it's bread. We'll see how that turns out.
Although I'd much rather spend my time breaking out the sewing machine, or heating up the hot glue gun, I know feeding my family is a better use of my time. Maybe I'll even fall in love with cooking or actually cook something people want to eat...that would be quite the change. If nothing else, hopefully my cooking changes can allow me to purchase the curtain rods and fabric for our windows.
