Lesson #18: Making a meal out of nothing

We go by the Dave Ramsey lifestyle when it comes to money.  It's something that deeply changed my parents, and they passed it on to us.  The very basic idea is to have a budget.  You and your spouse sit down at the beginning of the month and figure out where every cent is going.  When that's all figured out, you divvy your money up and put it into the correct envelopes.  This keeps you from overspending or spending money that belongs somewhere else.  It's pretty simple, and it's worked extremely well for us.

Sidenote: Let me know if you're interested in getting a handle on your finances.  I'll help you out.
I digress...

Because Lyndon was going to be gone for two weeks, we thought that we could lessen our amount for groceries.  It seemed to make sense, but we were dead wrong.  This last week of July has been quite a challenge.  We can usually buy a week's worth of groceries for around 45 dollars (I'm proud of my thriftiness).  We only had 26 bucks.  As of two nights ago, I hadn't gone to the grocery store yet because I didn't want to take the time to plan cheap meals.  Because of my inattentiveness, I was forced to make something up.

I'll have you know that I'm pretty dang good at following a recipe, which is really the only reason my husband thinks I can cook.  What I've never really attempted is making something of my own.  I ended up cooking some macaroni noodles with some mushroom red sauce that I added cheese and onions to.  We had that with salad and toasted bread with parmesan cheese on top (thank you Chelsea). The entire meal consisted of ingredients that were laying around with no purpose.  Not the best meal I've ever made, but I was dang proud of myself.  Plus, he didn't gag on his food or anything.  That has to be a good sign.

Also: I'm blog challenged.  Every time I try and put a picture behind the title of the blog, it ends up being ginormous. It goes beyond the border.  Help!
Also also: It's many hours after I posted.  I went back to read it just now and found a your when there should have been a you're.  I'm so ashamed.

Lesson #17: When the husband's away, the wife will...be bored

Every summer, members of the National Guard go away for two weeks and do some training.  While the extra money will be incredibly helpful, the absent husband is not enjoyable.  We're halfway through these two weeks, and I'm about to go nuts.  You never realize how easy it is to get used to your new spouse being around until that spouse isn't there.

At first, I thought I would be fine.  Here was my chance to watch movies that Lyndon wouldn't want to watch, I didn't have to make actual dinner every night, I didn't have to share a vehicle, things of that sort.  Life was great...for maybe three days.  Once the initial newness wore off, I started missing my husband more than I already was.

Watching so much TV got boring.  I was always snacking instead of eating actual meals.  I stayed up too late and woke up too late.  I didn't leave the apartment because there was no need to (and I was too cheap to use gas).  Cabin fever had set in and it was driving me insane.

Just when I thought all hope was lost (only halfway through the first week of his training), my family and friends saved me.  Some time was spent at my parents' house, and my friend Chelsea stayed with me for a couple days.  I still missed my husband and still do, but they helped me keep my mind off that fact.

Now we're less than a week away from Lyndon's return.  These last few days will be spent back at my parents' house with my Mom, Dad, and younger sisters, Katie and Hannah.  They are my saviors.

From now on, making sure I stay entertained will be key whenever he's gone.

It's either that or a bad case of cabin fever for me.