thrifty chick

In these times of economic turmoil I really do have to pat myself on my back and say GOOD JOB CHICK!! for sticking to my 'needs only' budget. One thing I decided when I lost my job a few years back was to do away with paper products... errr not toilet paper, but paper towels and napkins. So a chick is trying to save money AND be green. I buy in bulk. Like my cat for a long time enjoyed the Sam's Club Cat food. Now she turns her nose up... but I had her fooled for a while. I go to the library for books, and I joined freecyle to get and give away stuff. And just today instead of paying 3 bucks for an iced coffee, I came back to the office and made my own free iced coffee. All coffee tastes good with 5 splenda's and 3 creams!!

There are however a few indulgences that I just have to have, Caribou Coffee, Miss Shirley's and wine (no link for wine LOL).

I'm not even sure how I stumbled upon Caribou Coffee and specifically Mocha Java blend. What I do know is that for years doing the DC commute I totally found it necessary to indulge in some caffeinated form of beverage. At Union Station there was Cookie Cafe, Au Bon Pain, and Buck's County. Well there were more, but these were my usual haunts. It was always a little too bitter, a little too strong, or too weak, never quite right. And of course I made my own. Had some Cafe du Monde with the chicory, and then your random Folgers and Maxwell House. But then one day my eyes were open!! I really wish I had a better story, but probably being anti-Starbucks led me there. People just FYI Starbucks is not the end all be all in the coffee world. Now I do on occasion have a caramel frappucino, but waiting for a pumpkin latte in Phoenix Airport made me miss my flight home. I have been mad at Starbucks since that fateful day. For me Caribou Mocha Java just has the right blend of dark roastyness with a hint of chocolate and it just fits! Now though, being thrifty I only buy it when it's on some type of sale which is usually 2 for twenty. Back at Thanksgiving I bought 4 bags that lasted almost right up until the Father's Day sale they had which has led me right up to the current sale they are having now 2 for 20... (a little pluggeration which I really wish I was being paid for).

Miss Shirley's ***ahhhh**** I mean what can I say!?!? I think I have always been a fan of breakfast food in general. Who can mess up eggs, bacon, and pancakes?? PLENTY of restaurants I'll tell you that. They use poor ingredients or the chefs/cooks do not have a love for the craft so what you get on the plate is non crisp bacon, runny eggs, and just nasty pancakes with sub par syrup. I will say there are some pretty good breakfast spots out there. Courtney's in Charlotte (which may be closed). They had these potatoes that were soooo good. Plum's Cafe in Orange County, CA. I do have a story behind this one.... I was working in Orange County and I had been IHOP'd out. I asked the concierge where a close diner was, and I guess being from the East Coast I knew exactly what I meant, but she was from Cali and she thought I meant Johnny Rockets. After I explained that I needed a place for breakfast she gave me the map to Plum's Cafe. Now this place is in the most unassuming strip mall. You would pass it if you didn't know it was there. So I get there and there was a wait, however, I was offered a mimosa immediately. ALWAYS a good sign. So I finally sit down and order bacon and eggs and toast and potatoes, BUT WHAT I GOT were rosemary infused potatoes, applewood smoked bacon with the peppered edges, and multi grain toast with raspberry jelly. I need to make a trip there just for that!! It was pure heaven! As you can see, I take my breakfast foods very seriously so when I read an article in Urbanite that described Miss Shirley's I knew I had to go. Now being the pack rat chick that I am, I ripped the article out of the magazine and held onto it for a few months before I actually went. But now I 'can't stop going. And although my money is alot tighter now than it has ever been, I try and fit it in at least once a month (or talk about it enough that my friends take pity on me and take me LOL). Many times I go by myself and just enjoy. Just this past Sunday i got the cinnamon danish pancakes and the Miss Shirley's Sampler. I eeeewww'd and ooooohh'd so much the ladies sitting next to me had to stop and stare at what it was I was eating. Several times as a plate of food passes by with a delicious smell and if the table it went to is anywhere near me, I ask what it is they are eating. I 'found' the crab cristo that way. Ok I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Last, but certainly not least, at all times there must be some form of wine in my house. Wine is so very necessary. I really do not like to spend over 20 bucks (and that's on a very good day) on any 1 bottle of wine. I mean come on, I like what I like but I tend to err on the side of inexpensivesivity for wine. I like my Boordy Liganoire , and Elk Run, Maryland wines I try to support oh and this NEW one I just found St. Micheal's. They have this wine called Golly Wobbler, with a name like that!?!? GRAPEY GOOD!! But I am not immune to buying a box (yes a BOX, it's economical and preserves the freshness) of Corbett Canyon chardonnay, or the big jumbo bottle of Sutter Home white zinfandel, or white merlot (for sangria of course). My reserves are a little limited now but trust and believe I will carve out 15 bucks for some wine when the need arises!

For some it's clothes or shoes, or for that matter, kitchen gadgets I do still watch QVC and HSN it just has to be a heck of an item for me get. I mean I REALLY want the Temptation dinnerware in cranberry, but I don't need it.