I finally got that damned pot clean–well, almost. There’s still some rough, tenacious residue but considering the enamel on those much-vaunted Le Creuset pots and pans isn’t as durable as their price warrants, I’ve given up. In other words, about a decade ago, I ruined one of those $200 pots by believing the hype. It’d been a wedding present from my first, failed marriage so in a way, it was only fitting that it failed so miserably.
I’ve decided to start posting again for three reasons: 1)I missed it and more importantly, I missed the connection to my readers. You guys were so supportive and involved and helpful.Of course, I’ve probably lost all of you during the hiatus but at least for a while I’ll be able to pretend you’re still out there. 2) Taking a break from blogging did NOT get me farther along with my book. In fact, I sort of went backwards, deleting much of what I’d already written and replacing it with 20,000 words that I then deleted yesterday. 3) It turns out this blog was keeping me honest–providing a center from which I had the confidence and drive to keep on frugalin’. Yes, since I no longer had the pressure to come up with yet another creative way to save money, I lost my way: Counting restaurant and store-made pizza, we’ve eaten out SEVEN times since my last post. We’ve gone to the movies three times–and even bought popcorn and candy at the theater! And we’ve used credit cards to buy groceries and presents.
I failed you all.
However, if America is the land of one thing above all others–above the land of freedom, the home of democracy, capitalist aggression, and even the American Dream–it is the land of second chances (Admittedly, I’m not the first to recognize this trait. In his 2004 State of the Union Address, President L.G. (Little George) Bush told us that this is the “land of the second chance.” While I don’t often find myself seeing eye-to-eye with the former president, he’s the perfect living testament to this statement’s veracity.) Not only does our society provide ample opportunities for second chances, but this provision, this empowering kick-in-the-pants, is the essence of all the good that we offer ourselves and the world. At least, that’s the way George and I see things.
So, I’ve done it before and I see no reason to do otherwise now; I am going to take her up on the offer and begin again.
We will eat out no more forever.*
To be perfectly honest, though, that’s not entirely true, having learned a thing or two from recent experiences. It’s time to strike a balance between some of our more extreme behavior of the past 16 months and our old spendthrift, unsustainable ways. We will eat out again but infrequently–and only if we pay in cash and stay within our monthly budget. Before we made an about-face in life and slashed our spending to next to nothing, dining out had become a humdrum, every-other-day affair (on average, Americans eat out roughly 4 times a week, when you include outings like grabbing a slice of pizza or a coffee/muffin combo ), not surprising considering it was more knee-jerk fallback than a planned, special event.
The inescapable feelings of delight and excitement we experienced during those first two meals in a restaurant were a wonderful surprise. The kids behaved beyond our wildest dreams, every bite was divine (even the chewy calamari–inexcusable since any good cook should know that as long as you keep the cooking time under three minutes or over twenty, you’ll always have tender squid), and we held actual conversations: If there were a Star Wars VII, would Princess Lea learn to use the Force and would she and Hans Solo get married? And, if Luke had kids, would one fall to the Dark Side and the other the Good? By restaurant excursion number-seven, however, all had reverted to experiences similar to when our Dark Side reigned: the food was boring, the girls picked on each other while Angus cried and refused to eat, Lisa left the table (and the restaurant) to take care of some work, and VISA wouldn’t accept the charges (I still cringe when I picture Anabel’s face turning red with shame; luckily I had a check).
I’m not surprised that we so easily slipped into our former behavior. Christmas has always been our weak point and using the eating-out as an excuse to cut loose, Lisa and I gladly overdid things. Then, shopping over the last few weeks for both Anabel and Eliza’s 14th birthday and Angus’s 7th, which fall at the end of January, we felt we had to match the fervor of Christmas. Right?
Like I said, though: no more. Herewith, we return to the ranks of the Frugalista Revolution. Long live Penny Pinching!
The astute reader, I hope, will at this point ask the obvious question: why? It’s not because we’re broke. That’s old hat and something we’ve grown accustomed to. And it’s not because we overcharged on that credit card I mentioned earlier. Being such reliable, long-term borrowers, we have credit cards coming out our behinds.
The reasons, actually, are quite simple. We felt better about ourselves, and what we were teaching our children, when we spent only within our budget. We missed the purpose that living so carefully brought to our every-day-lives. Although we’re used to being broke, we do need to keep chipping away at our debt or we’ll lose our home. And, mainly–the real reason, in fact–is because our Generation iApple-Everything offspring wanted us to.
PS–Some of you didn’t realize that I intentionally misspelled a number of words in my last post in a lame attempt to poke fun at both myself and my cyberspace editors. Therefore, I spell-checked today’s offering.
*What famous Native American warrior am I borrowing from?
Friday, January 29, 2010 at 17:16
Hodding,
It’s nice to see you are posting again. I enjoyed your posts at Gourmet and on your new blog. It’s nice to have a community to work through financial responsibility with.
Friday, January 29, 2010 at 17:55
Congrats on returning to the fold. Go forth, make some crackers, and sin no more.
Friday, January 29, 2010 at 18:13
Glad you are back. I enjoy your posts, frugal or not!
Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 00:07
Welcome back!
Forget the numbers, go get a fifth and sine no more.
Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 00:54
The quote would be from Chief Joseph of the Nez Pearce (big hero of mine when I was a kid.) Welcome back, very glad to hear from you. Happy to hear you needs us as much as we need you (virtual communities are real!) Love the eating out analysis, hope that makes it into the book. Waiting patiently for the next blog post…
Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 08:28
Hodding!!! Welcome back!! I love, love, love you!! (And not in a creepy sort of way, ok?). Your blog, along with a couple others, inspired me last year to go frugal and get our finances in order. Jan 2010 marks the first month in a VERY long time that we lived on our two paychecks and did not go into credit cards for basic needs. I feel SO powerful!! We used an baggie system of budgeting (some call the envelope system) and although we are still refining it, and will be for some time, it worked! And thanks for sharing your “failures”! It actually makes me feel so much better!! To know that someone going at it in such an extreme, fervant way can also have big missteps and get back on track is inspiring! You are and your family are helping so many of us! I’m glad that blogging is helping you, as well! Frugal on, Dude!!
Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 23:10
Good for you!
We have always tried to be frugal in our household but it wasn’t until recently that we got serious about saving money. We have a goal we would like to reach. In this process we realized that although we did not use credit cards we did depend on our savings account to cover very occasional shortfalls. furthermore, we realized that we really didn’t know where the money was going. It is all about intention and adding richness to one’s life without feeling deprived and without digging holes we can’t get out of.It is a delicate balance at times.
Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 18:15
Glad you’re back. I too have been a backslidden frugaler. It’s amazing how quickly months of hard work and sacrifice can be undone. Kind of like dieting. Here too, accountability and support are helpful. I’m looking forward to hearing more of your adventures.
Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 21:02
Hey, welcome back! Blogs do have a way of keeping you honest, don’t they? Just like any other support group, I suppose - it’s harder to do something you KNOW goes against what you SAID you want to do, when you find yourself thinking about how it would look in a blog post.
Monday, February 1, 2010 at 12:24
So good to have you back Hodding! I was pleasantly surprised when I clicked on your blog (as I do about every other week even though I knew you were on a hiatus!). You are still an inspiration to me.
Monday, February 1, 2010 at 16:48
Long live the Frugal Guy! A poster above brought up dieting; an apt comparison. The diet gurus tell us not to worry if we fall off the straight and narrow…just so long as we get ourselves back on the path! So glad you’re back: yours was the first (and still best) blog I ever read. Cheers.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 01:41
Welcome back Hodding . I am not a very good Knitter , but I belong to a knitting group and I have even taken classes . I have been knitting for years and yet the only project I have finished was a scarf for my son . Every week the ladies in my knitting group complete and embark on new projects . I am knitting right along with them , sometimes something I have taken apart and started over with many time . I enjoy my knitting and my group and my knitting has improved . Though if you measured my progress by others , mine would be at a snails pace. I finally started telling people that it wasn’t the finished product or the sense of accomplishment (though that is nice ) but , as corny as it sounds it is the “journey” of knitting and being part of a knitting that mattered most to me , not wether or not there is a scarf at the end of the process.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 12:38
Hey there! Glad to see you back, thanks for being honest. Sounds like you figured out that you need some balance (lik eating out occasionally with cash & within your budget)in your lives which puts you in with about 99.9% of the planet. It sounds like you figured that out within a fairly short period of time, and that you are making changes to get back on track. So well done!!
Making mistakes, realizing it, fixing it, and continuing to move forward is how we ALL learn. Nothing to feel bad about, imho. And I can’t wait to read your book
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 19:31
Good to see you back, Hodding. And about the Star Wars thing…(my other main passion in life besides cooking) Yes, Han and Leia get married. Yes, they have kids- and so does Luke.
There’s about seventy novels and myriad comic books out there- often available extremely frugally from used bookstores. If it’s something your family is interested in, go pick up a couple or three! I’d be more than willing to offer some suggestions as to titles and authors.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 13:10
Thanks for the support, hanging in there (or returning!), and your comments. It warmed my heart to hear from all of you. Truly. My publishers had been pushing me and pushing me to get my book finished. Their bully-whip? The recession is going to end soon and people aren’t going to have any reason to buy your book! After I stopped laughing, and then after I stopped crying, I tried my best to explain what appears to be the new reality: the recession is our economy. Even when things “get better,” I’ve heard many experts explain that things will never go back to how they were. That’s a good thing, as far as I’m concerned. We all knew it wasn’t sustainable but we just went with the flow because it was so much fun… I’m not sure they heard me. So, now I’m writing at my own pace and still trying to learn a wiser, more viable lifestyle.
It’s wonderful how we share here. How we learn new tricks. Keep each other honest. And fortify our defenses.
Thanks.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 06:50
glad you back! i’ve been checking in regularly for any updates. enjoy your writing and nifty ways of being frugal, inspiring how to live a simply yet fulfilling life.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 06:52
sorry i meant: glad you’re back! simple not simply
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 22:57
OMG do not give up on the Le Creuset pan!
1. Lifetime Warranty
2. You’re not trying hard enough or frugally enough to get it clean.
and I have done the same and asked them what to do:
You are welcome and thank you for your loyalty to Le Creuset. For
cleaning we would recommend using a laundry detergent such as tide or
one that has an enzyme in it. Take one part detergent and three parts
water to fill the interior of the vessel. Allow this to boil for about
5-7 minutes. Afterwards allow to the vessel to cool and proceed with
cleaning with your dish detergent. If needed, you may use a nylon or
plastic type of scrubby to assist. Once your item has been cleaned, take
some white vinegar using a soft cloth or paper towel. Rub the vinegar on
the enamel. This is used to return some of the sheen back to the glaze.
The longer you allow the vinegar to remain on the enamel the more of the
sheen it will bring. Your item can be stored away with the vinegar on it
until next use. When ready to use, wash and dry.
Sincerely,
Le Creuset Consumer Services
Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 05:35
What is it with writers writing, reading what they wrote, and deleting it all? Computers make that delete button too easy - with a typewriter back “in the day” one did not want to have to retype all the work.
Start writing the book again, go forward, do NOT delete, and then let some neutral parties you trust read it (yes, another writer freak-out moment but trust me on this one.)
EDIT, do NOT delete, and keep going while you still have a publisher willing to publish you.
Okay, ‘mom’ lecture over on this one. Now, off to bug my son about his procrastination over his senior essay project.
Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 02:49
Hi Hodding, welcome back. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve reached an impasse in your writing. Perhaps writing the blog will help get the creative juices flowing. I also found that for the month of January I wanted to eat out a lot and I was tired of always being so careful eating homemade food. I’m back on the wagon and ironically home cooked food is usually much better than the student food court food….When I was little my parents took us out 3 times a year, my twin sister and my birthday, our mum’s birthday and a school awards ceremony night. To this day I can remember some of the meals and how special they were. Ask me what I ate last week at the food court and it all blurs into the same mediocre food.
Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 17:29
So glad I checked your website today to find that you were back writing. My husband and I loved hearing the trials, tribulations and successes of living frugally–especially when it comes to your gardening/farming. Seed season is just about upon us so I am excited to learn what you will do this year. We can totally relate with falling off the wagon–we had been doing so well, but after the holiday season we started either going to restaurants/pizza once a week. We are getting back on the wagon (my husband is giving up fast food–a true convenience when you are a paramedic–and actively taking a lunch to work) and I’m starting to plan meals and use our stocked pantry/freezer. We did decided that having one evening out a month as a couple would be good for us (baby #3 is due in August and we don’t see much alone time after that). Good luck finding the right balance for your family!
Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 19:19
Totally off of “frugal” and “food” but my son actually read the Star Wars books that are out there (and there are MANY prequels, sequels, etc.) and in the books…..Hans and Lea get married and have 3 children which include a set of twins. One of the twins goes to the Dark Side, the other the “Good” Side, and the third kills one of them when there is a battle going on between the forces. I’ll let you all read them to find out which twin gets it. So….there actually has already been an answer to the Star Wars VII question.
TMI - right?