Last night M and I literally came to the very end of our cupboards. We had flour, sugar, butter and egg, two cans of tuna and four pieces of white bread. What's a couple to do? Make poundcake and tuna sandwiches of course! (Sidenote: I was supposed to go to the grocery store yesterday but didn't. So it's sort of my fault.)
Don't get me wrong, we're not living in poverty. We're just living on 1/3 of the income that we used to (I'm seriously not exaggerating that) so we're a little more "aware" of how we spend our money on food and other sundries. Don't you love that word, sundries? I sure do. Anywhoo, the good thing about living on a lot less is that you become more creative in your cooking, hosting and entertainment. Instead of going out every weekend, we go on picnics or go to free lectures or concerts and then come home and eat soup. Speaking of soup, I make it ALL the time. I usually throw in a couple cans of tomatoes, and then some fresh vegetables and a chicken breast or some type of meat. It's good, it's cheap and it's easy. And cornbread? Has anyone looked at the price of cornmeal lately? It's like 99 cents for five pounds. So lots of that, too. Good thing M is a master at making it. We've learned what cheap wines and champagnes we still enjoy and feel comfortable sharing with friends and we've learned how to use cheap vegetables like carrots, potatoes and onions to their full extent. Sometimes we splurge on things like arugula (ok, pretty much every week) but I'm proud to say that we're learning how to be more wise with our money. And losing the exra padding that's piled on since we started dating. At the same time, we're able to still give to the causes that we believe in and able to support friends in ministry with financial gifts. If someone would have told me our "new" income and told me that we would still be able to do all of these things, I'm not sure I would have believed them. How much I've bought into the lie that money is important for happiness.
And it's about time. Most of you probably already do all of these things and could give me a few more lessons on how to be thrifty and chic. But I think this is a lesson everyone should be lucky enough to go through: you start to learn that money doesn't grow on trees (oh my gosh, I sound like my parents) and that entertainment doesn't have to revolve around spending lots of money on food and drink. And new clothes. And really adorable Kate Spade shoes. And great jewelry. And...oh gosh...I'm fighting back tears.
Don't get me wrong. Hopefully our income will increase when M finishes school (if it doesn't, I want a refund from the University) and we'll be able to enjoy nice dinners slightly more often than, say, never. But I hope we'll also be able to be more generous toward the organizations and church that we love and think more seriously about using the blessing of having a sufficient income to bless others; not just by giving money to some cause or another, but also by giving of ourselves and our time which sometimes "cost" a lot more. I think this is a lesson that we needed to learn. Hopefully it will be a lesson we remember as we move into the next stages of life, buying a home, having kids and, well, being grown ups.
