The Best Kept Secret Blog - The Month of Living Frugally - Day 6 - Shut Up and Eat Your Macaroni and Peanut Butter

Extend newly embraced frugality habit to food preparation and grocery shopping.

Step One - Take Inventory and USe What You Have
A quick glance of pantry contents reveals forgotten, yet yummy, items that surely can be fashioned into nutritious family meal.

Crack open a bottle of wine and set about dinner preparation. One hour and two and a half glasses of Merlot later, proudly announce dinner is served. Top up wine glass and take my place at the table, ready to bask in family's praise for being frugal and creative.

Family, however, appears to see things differently and is not buying into the notion that re-heated pork dumplings left over from previous year's Chinese New Year celebration are an appropriate accompaniment to bananas and feta cheese. Nor are they swayed when I point out how, since all the food groups are represented, they're about to enjoy a balanced meal.

Husband removes my wine glass on his way to phone for pizza.

Step Two - Shop At A Discount Grocers
Bypass high priced organic food market in favour of discount food store located in somewhat seedy part of town.

After spending two futile minutes trying to detach shopping cart, kindly immigrant man demonstrates how to insert a quarter in order to unchain a cart. Spend another futile two minutes searching for change. Eventually give an old lady a five dollar bill in exchange for the cart she's returning.

Shopping experience is positive and even I can see what that prices are much lower than at high-priced chains. Decide to stock up on sale items to save even more money. Begin throwing dented cans of tomato soup, bok choy and cases of yogurt into my cart with reckless abandon.

Feeling virtuous, I arrive at the check out. Cashier asks me how many bags I'll need. Bagging own groceries saves store workers time, cuts costs and allows store to pass savings along to customer. Very good.

Hmmm. . . .but how many? Scanning purchases laid out on the conveyor belt, I recall that spatial problems are not my strong suit. Request five bags and hope for the best.

Begin packing items and almost immediately run out of bags. Try to get cashier's attention in attempt to buy more bags but she's starting her break and is heading outside for a smoke. Receive angry glances from next customer who is waiting for me to finish. Pile items loosely in cart and head for the car.

Step Three - Plan Meals
Determined not to let new stock of yummy ingredients go unused, prepare nutritious family dinner with items purchased earlier that day. Family sits down to first course of soup, followed by steamed bok choy and yogurt.

Lesson Learned: Planning and shopping wisely go a long way.