Going Over for a Drink

So, I went way over budget yesterday. Many factors contributed. I bought some magnetic doodle pads that kids love at ALDI, I spent more on a few items than I expected to, and I bought the alcoholic beverage that I'd become accustomed to having and not budgeting for since my brother would shop with us.

I spent around $140! This is back up where I used to be before I started budgeting. I had budgeted $100, so it wasn't as bad as if I had been trying to keep it around $70, but still! It's really easy to stay on budget during Lent when we're buying negligible amounts of beer, meat, and dairy. But not-fasting days are a somewhat different story. So, now I must figure out how to view my menu as festive, but not ultra-indulgent. That will be a challenge.

(Photo courtesy of freephoto.com)

They've Stollen My Money

I don't care what is being advertised, when I see the five little words "Buy One, Get One Free," my pulse quickens and my brain is soon clouded with adrenaline.  "Oh!" I think.  "I've just found the greatest deal!  Do you know how much I'll be saving if I buy these?!"

I was trying to allow myself some convenience.  I don't like to cook on Sundays: church is too demanding for me to devote much energy to meals, so I tend to give myself the most leeway with convenience foods after a service.  My church is having a potluck today, as I type this, and I was looking for something easy to bring.  But notice:  I am typing, not eating.  My daughter is recovering from having the flu earlier in the week, and I opted to stay home and let her rest instead of dealing with yet another epically-proportioned tantrum when she has reached her energy limit.  

So, I purchased for $4.99 one "Butter Almond Stollen" from ALDI, receiving a second "Christmas Stollen with 10% Persipan Filling" completely free!  Amazing, I know.  Except that for less than half that, I could have purchased an extra carton of eggs and planned to make some kind of breakfast casserole instead.  And then, when I made the decision to stay home, the eggs could have been put to a different use later.  Ingredients can always be made into something else.  A stollen is fairly limited on what else it can be.

I now have two disgustingly sweet coffee-cake-like confections robbing me of my little counter space.  The extra 25 pounds continuing to take up space on my body since my last pregnancy definitely don't need the company that consuming one or more stollens this week would bring (before Lent is upon us); so, though my name isn't on the food list for next Sunday, I will probably bring one or both of these to coffee hour just to get rid of them.  I'm happy to share a treat with my church, but I wouldn't have had to spend the money to bring anything that week.

Next time I see a "BOGO" sign, if I turn away instead of mindlessly obey it, that five dollar bill I saved and boasted about a few posts back could become a ten.