Buffalo Exchange

Huge mistake.

I actually thought that I could walkaway from Buffalo Exchange with 20-40 dollars. Ha!

I took the time to sort out my best clothes. (My body has shifted since I had my son. I kept thinking it would bounce back but... well, it hasn't.) My most hip clothes. My favorite clothes. The clothes that I WISH I could still wear. These clothes are hard for me to part with.

I pack the car up, find parking and somehow manage to carry my son and a huge box of clothes into the store. Oh, did I mention that it's poring.

I walk in the store and of course I immediately feel like a mommy drone. I have forsaken my hip, cool clothes for jeans, sneakers (gasp, horror of horrors) and solid black shirts (they are slimming). There in the front is the clothes drop off counter. This means that I have to walk through the store and pass all the head to foot styled Portlanders. I had felt good when I left the house because I actually brushed my hair!

I approach the counter and who is running it but an uber hip pregnant woman. I will admit that I was not a glowey, happy pregnant woman. Hormones and me don't mix well. So when I see these happy pregnant people, I always think that they are faking it. They have to be... what's so fun about being fat, having an achy back, restless legs, labored breathing and indigestion? Obviously the end result was worth it. I would have gone through 30 years of pregnancy to have my son but I would not have enjoyed it.

The woman, Claire, rushes through the box of my beloved clothes. Occasionally she would study one of the articles of clothing only to sigh and through it in the one big pile she had created. She finished and asked:

"is this all?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Well, we pay for clothes that are in fashion and with little signs of wear. So I can't give you any money for any of this." She said with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"Well, thanks for your time," I said trying to return the smile which probably looked more like a smirk.

I gathered up my clothes, my son, and the rest of my dignity. I somehow managed to make it out of the store and to my car (still raining) without crying. I got Jack strapped in, the clothes loaded up, and thought what a gigantic waste of time and energy that was. Well, lesson learned, I'm not hip and I guess I never was.

I drove to the Goodwill drop off center and got a donation receipt for fifty dollars, ha, take that Buffalo Exchange.

MONEY SAVED FOR THIS MONTH: NONE

MONEY SPENT SINCE TUESDAY: 0

DInner tonight- $10

One of the ways we will be saving money is by eating in. I love to cook and we hardly go out but perhaps by skimping a little on the nice meats and vegetables we can stretch our dollar a little more.

Menu:
Rosemary mustard chicken, green beans and rice

Ingredients:
1 whole Chicken
1/2 cup mustard
1/2 apple vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
stick of rosemary minced
tablespoon salt
tablespoon pepper
teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup chicken broth
can of green beans

Total cost of meal: $10
Mix up mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, rosemary, salt, pepper and ginger in a bowl. Wash the chicken off in the sink and remove the neck and heart (yuck)

Place the chicken in the bowl brest side down . Cover and let it marinade for a couple of hours.

Pop the chicken in the oven in a deep oven dish. Tie the legs together with some cooking twine. pour some of the extra marinade in the dish and cook the chicken at 350 for 20 minutes for every pound. Usually takes about an hour and a half

For the rice: cook as per the instructions on your rice bag and substitute chicken broth for water. Brown rice takes a little longer- I would say 45 min into cooking your chicken start on your rice.

For the green beans: pop in the microwave for a couple min before serving, they come pretty salty but season to your liking.

CHEERS!

Day One

My first action today was to cancel our HBO/Showtime subscription. This saves us $20 a month. Unfortunately our library does not offer movies to check out so... I will be keeping our Netflix account.

I have gone through my clothes and picked out the ones that no longer fit or that I no longer wear and will take them to Buffalo Exchange to either get cash or trade in for some new clothes. I will let you know how this field trip goes tomorrow.

I put an AD on Craig's List today to watch a child in my home a couple times a week. I have found a mom that wants me to watch her daughter 2 times a week. We are starting the babysitting next week on a trial basis. If this venture is successful I should bring in an extra $240 a month and get a playmate for Jack at the same time.

Money saved this month- $260 and it's only day one!