How's This for Frugal

Cutter's Log - Stardate 1102.70.30
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A while ago I mentioned in this Blog about my friend who won a bet between us regarding a basketball game. I ended up losing the bet, which had lunch at Hooters on the line.

Lunch at Hooters (in Peoria) is coming up this weekend, and I'm a bit short on cash. Rather than put it off until later, I'll try to scrounge around to make good out our promise. Even if that means reading more literature.

Last weekend during the girls basketball and wrestling state tournaments, I experimented with peanut butter sandwiches to curb any hunger attack I had. It worked out on Friday, but it didn't on Saturday. I wasn't allowed to bring outside food into U.S. Cellular Coliseum for the wrestling meet. I starved inside for 12 hours, telling myself not to eat the expensive concession stand food there (they didn't even feed us there in the press room, and I had to steal pop from the official's room - for the second year in a row). The sandwiches got cold, and I had to get something at McDonald's for the ride home, which I shouldn't really do.

This time I thought a little harder. One of the "frugal tips" in my book says to plan meals using coupon flyers. Even coupons these days are boring, as you usually have to buy more than one of that item to get the savings.

Walgreens has a flyer that has things I would normally buy. This weekend they had a pack of Orbit gum for $0.69. It's $1.39 at the Shell station. They also had a 2-for-$3 deal on a pound can of Campbell's Chunky stew. There was also a 2-for-$4 deal on a Jimmy Dean packaged breakfast - which was knocked down to 2-for-$3 with a manufactuer's coupon.

One breakfast bowl down on Friday, one chunky stew up on Friday. One breakfast bowl down on Saturday, one chunky stew up on Saturday. Unlike the sandwiches, nothing gets spoiled. Plus, I'll bring my cooler with me in the car, which has bottled water already in it. It seems weird, but I bought a can opener when I was traveling to and from Freeport for school ... just in case I was snowed in or had a late night at the copy desk. I used that can opener for beef stew, and the Highland cafeteria had a microwave. There are gas stations that have microwaves, like Casey's.

That's $7.00 for food, not counting the friend's UNKNOWN meal at Hooters. I'll just take an appetizer. Less eatie, more ...