Photo of the Day: Stop and Smell the Roses

Mornings are usually very hectic for me; I often arrive late at work with wet hair (that, or it's so dirty it looks wet) and end up putting my on my make-up once I'm settled into my cubicle. So it's rare I take the time to enjoy anything, even a cup of coffee, before I get to the office.

But this morning I decided to take my time doing things. I hit snooze for half an hour (which is not so unusual), I helped Kyle get the trash out, I loaded and started the dishwasher, I attempted and failed at an outdoor run, and I took the dog for a short walk before dropping him off at the vet for his check-up. On the way home, without Jack tugging on the leash to get through the front door, I had a minute to stop and snap these roses before the Midwest heat kills them.

As far as roses go, these aren't so bad. You see, I'm not really a rose fan. In fact, if you said, "Emily, I am in love with you and want to send you flowers to show my affection. What should I send?" I would reply: "Anything but roses." (I would think not sending carnations would be a given.) But, someone planted rose bushes in the front of the house we rent and, unlike Jack, I'm not one to destroy someone else's landscaping. It was a good reminder to just slow down and be a bit more deliberate about things sometimes.

Of course, with my dilly-dallying and chasing the cat around the house to give her meds, I was half an hour late to work today. But I had mascara on when I got there, and I remembered to take my lunch — that I had planned the night before — so that's something, right?

Cheap Cheat: Dollar Sushi

One thing I need to do better if I am to succeed at this project is meal planning. It’s something I've always talked a lot about, but have never actually pulled off for more than a day or two. In fact, I'm not really good at eating regular meals at regular times and it's been a point of contention in my marriage.

It's not that I don't like to eat — anyone who's ever seen me in person can probably imagine the vigor with which I put back pulled pork — but I like to eat what I want when I want it. Sometimes it’s a bowl of Brussels sprouts and a glass of wine at 10 pm, other times it's a really late lunch followed by a few spoonfulls of peanut butter before bed. That doesn't necessarily work in in a marriage, especially when my partner is on a very regular schedule, and doesn’t feel satisfied without a big slab of meat, a side or two of something starchy, and a sweet treat at the end. (I, on the other hand, could go without dessert for the rest of my life without noticing.)

Kyle is great about planning and making those meals for us. And I am great at eating them. Sometimes I even do the dishes. But when it’s my turn to think about dinner, I think about going out. I don’t like feeling rushed when I cook, and I don’t usually have time to think about anything other than work when I’m at work. It’s just easier to go somewhere and have someone bring us food and take away the dishes when we're done. But eating out so frequently is a big part of what’s gotten me into this financial mess, and I know I need to make some serious changes to my eating habits if I ever want to pay off my student loans.

I just haven’t made them yet.

Distracted by birthday celebrations, gardening, Mother’s Day (I have a mother, a step-mother and a mother-in-law to worry about, and for a few hours on Sunday, I honestly thought my biological mother was dead) and a sick kitty, I didn't do any planning or grocery shopping over the weekend. By the time I got home and did a few things around the house after work yesterday, I was ready to eat, but there was nothing ready for me to eat, and really nothing that I could prepare quickly. We hemmed and hawed for a while, and then got into the same argument we always do, except this time I was more difficult than usual, because I wouldn't consider the option of going out for an overpriced dinner. 

I was just about to send Kyle out on his own, and turn to my trusty jar of peanut butter, when I remembered that it was Monday, therefore it was Dollar Sushi Night.



Now, calling this weekly special “Dollar Sushi” is a bit of a stretch, because only the sushi is $1.00 a piece. Rolls are $3.99 each, and the miso soup we always order is regular price. But it was much more affordable than it would have been any other night, even if our $25 bill didn't come close to the realm of extreme frugality. It was, however, exactly what we needed, and because it was nice out, we were able to walk there and back.

Tonight, I will go to the grocery store on my way home from work. I just have no idea what the hell I’m going to buy when I get there.