My Frugal Friends

You know what happens when you build a house? You get a sweet little letter about a year later that tells you your entire life is a lie. Okay, that was pretty dramatic. It sort of feels dramatic around these parts lately. 

Did we know we were paying taxes on 1/2 the value of our land only? Yes. 

Did we know where we lived and the tax rates for our area? Yep.

Did we know this lovely letter would come and that it would mean a significant raise in our mortgage payment? Yes.

Did we know that a new house means money flying out the window for things like a driveway and all the other nonsense that you can't even imagine? Nope. But we sure do now. 

Did we know what all of the above would mean to us as far as our pocket book is concerned? No, not really.

Did we know that we would have a special needs baby that would require a great deal of out of pocket expense? No.

Did we know that Sam would loose his job? No.

So, now we know and it's all quite a bit more than we bargained for. Here's where you come in. I am looking for cheap, and by cheap, I mean pennies cheap, meals. I am talking powdered milk, dried beans and lentils, and nothing from the store, cheap. Food money now has to go to the adjusted mortgage payment. There is nowhere else to scrape it from. 

Our clothes come in the form of hand me downs, through generous donors, and have for nearly 5 years now. St. Vinny's, our local thrift store, is my first stop when we need something that hasn't been given us. Wal-Mart is my "expensive" store and Target is my "Rodeo Drive". Kohl's and Shopko make it in the mix about once a year when a sale just so happens to coordinate perfectly with a particular need. Believe me when I tell you we have robbed all the Peter's to pay all the Paul's and the only place left is the food money, and there wasn't much of that to begin with. Cheap, cheap, cheap, is what I am talking about here, cheap!

To my hard working husband's credit, he has considered a part time job. Problem is, until the Coast Guard actually kicks him out the door, he still has a very demanding job to do that has him traveling for the better part of the year. Not too many part time job opportunities out there that want to play second fiddle to your "real" job, or work the entire company's schedule around your spotty availability. 

Blessedly, and thankfully, all the school expenses were accounted for and taken care of before the world came crashing in on our abode. So, my children will be well educated and not naked. They will also have something to put in their mouths, thanks to all you fabulous people out there that are going to send me miracles through recipes. If you could e-mail them rather than put them in the comments that would be great.

Also, if there is a resource you just love for this type of eating/cooking, I would love the title. It would need to be something I could check out at the library in order for me to use it. Any other pointers would be greatly appreciated.