Rediscover your local library

Until last September, I didn't even have a library card. I got it when I had to read a weight loss book for one of my classes, and didn't want to have to purchase one. I figured there was nothing else for me there, so I continued to buy books that I wanted to read new, or used on Amazon.com. But why buy when you can read them for free?? And really, what's the point of owning a book that you're probably going to read once and then leave on your shelf for years before you even think of reading it again.
Yesterday, I was thinking of once again purchasing some books online when I remembered I had that library card. I went to their website, and after realizing how easy it is to search the catalog, I (almost) completely abandoned the idea of ever buying a book again. Using the online catalog, you can bypass the whole searching through the shelves ordeal (which I totally appreciate...darn dewey decimal system) by simply making your request online and having it pulled for you. You can even request a book from another branch and pick it up from your local one. How convenient!
I made a request from my local branch and a few from others, then set out to check out the Brentwood library which, to my surprise, is actually walking distance from my house! I had no idea it was even there...shows how observant I am, considering I drive past it daily!
The building is shared between the library and City Hall (didn't know that was right there either) so it looked bigger from the outside, but was still relatively big and not too shabby on the interior. I went ahead and grabbed the item I had requested online (Lord of the Rings on CD...thinking of listening to it on an extremely long car trip I have coming up) and looked through the cookbook section. It was actually quite large! I picked up How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and was pleased to discover a book I didn't even know existed...Cooking Healthy Across America by none other than the American Dietetic Association (ADA)! It's a collection of recipes submitted by several R.D.'s who are part of the Food and Culinary Professionals practice group. How exciting! I couldn't not get it. It's organized by region of the U.S. and the sections highlight the best of local fare in that area. I must really like the food "From the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Northwest" because I have that section thoroughly marked up by post-it notes. I already tried the Pastitso (Greek Lasagna) recipe...clearly not native U.S. fare, but it turned out great for something I had never made before. The recipe made a whole 13X9 inch pan full, so we'll definitely be eating leftovers for the next couple of days!
So the whole point is, don't forget about your local library...you never know what you'll find there, and you may be pleasantly surprised!

Freecycle...for giving and receiving with no cash attached

I just found out about this great resource, and am totally amazed. It's a beautiful idea, really...you post things you want to get rid of, and can take things off other people's hands. There is no money involved...the whole point is to keep things from being thrown out into our landfills. One person's trash is another's treasure, right? I have seen some pretty great things posted so far...working TVs and furniture that the owner just doesn't want to go through the effort of moving, clothing, books, food...even a dog (I was so tempted, but I don't think my cats would appreciate it). I can think of a few things around my own house that aren't really good enough to sell, but I'd rather give them to someone who actually wants them than just dump them off in the donation box or let them sit at Goodwill.
The St. Louis area group can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StLouis-Freecycle/
or you can find your local group by going to http://www.freecycle.org/

Happy freecycling!

Hooray for Plato's Closet!

Where else can you drop off some clothes that you're sick of looking at in your closet, pick up some new ones, and leave with 3 bucks change?
I was planning on making a trip to the Kirkwood store today anyway, but first decided to quickly run through what was accessible in my closet. I filled up a box with some (seasonally friendly) tops and a few pairs of jeans I know I will never wear again. I find it's better to do this on a whim, because if I make a pile and go through it again later, it will surely get smaller as I convince myself that I can still use this stuff.
Plato's can be pretty picky about what they'll take, but through experience I've gained the ability to be realistic about what has a chance and what doesn't. Brand mostly matters, but if it's really cute they might take it anyway. They always have an overabundance of jeans, so they'd better be in really good condition or "different" in some way. They took both of my jean offerings today; they were Vigoss brand and had florescent colored v's on the back pockets. They say they won't take anything that was on the racks more than a year ago, but I have definitely sold things that were older than that, but in good condition. They never take my jewelry or shoes, even the pair I tried to sell today that I literally never wore (I guess they didn't think they were that cute once they got them home, either).
My main reason for my visit today was to buy skirts. I always spend my summers sweating in jeans, and am determined not to do so again. I have always thought I look terrible in skirts, due to my own self conscious (and probably ridiculous) reasons. But today, I purposely bypassed the jean aisles and went straight to the skirts (after a quick brush-through of the dresses...come on, one step at a time here!). I ended up getting three semi-short skirts that I could actually stand to look at myself in the mirror in, plus one top. Two of the items still had their original tags! I apologize in advance to all those that will have to endure the sight of my skinny, un-sunned legs this summer.
After applying the amount of the stuff I sold, plus 20% off (full frequent buyer card) they still owed me money. It was a pretty good deal, and a welcome change from shopping at stores that only result in an increase to my credit card balance.

A new format

So, I started this blog last winter when I was on break from school...probably somewhat out of boredom, and my need for fulfillment during a time when I had no homework and few deadlines. I wanted to prove that I could stay within the USDA's "thrifty" food cost budget while still fulfilling my nutritional requirements. It was fun, but also a lot of work. I had to keep track of what I was eating by taking pictures and entering all of the foods in the MyPyramid website. Then, I used an Excel spreadsheet to cost out all of my meals and compare my weekly total with what the USDA said I should be spending on this budget. It was actually very much like a project I did at school my sophomore year.
I had myself kind of stuck on the idea of keeping this thing up, even when school started again in January. Little did I know, this would be one of the most challenging semesters ever!! I started to fall behind in my schoolwork when I was blogging, and behind on the blogging when I was doing schoolwork. It just wasn't going to work out...one of them had to go. Unfortunately, having a blog won't get me that degree that I've been working toward (and paying 20 grand a year for), so the logical choice was to cut it out. I really missed it, because it was a nice creative outlet for me and definitely kept me in check on my eating and spending habits (I sure felt guilty when I had to post pictures of takeout more than twice a week, but it happened).
I really learned a lot during my little "blog experiment", and I did pick up some new habits that helped me spend less and eat better. For example, I no longer need the MyPyramid site to count up my servings...at any point during the day, I can tell you where I'm at with grains, fruits, etc. I have also become very adept at planning meals that will fulfill my requirements; I hardly have to think about it now.
I have decided to start this new blog with a much looser format; I will not be "forced" to post every day, or weekly, or any time at all. I will post when I have an experience to share...a particularly successful shopping trip, a highly nutritional and satisfying meal, or just really interesting things I read or learn about at school. I have added "be happy" to my title, because that is a very important element to the equation that I have decided represents what I believe in...cheap+healthy+happy.
Cheap: To some, this word is synonymous with "crappy". To me, it signifies non-wasteful spending. I will mostly relate this to food, but I also believe in low cost clothing, furniture, dishes, etc. If it can be purchased used, that's all the better....reduce, reuse, recycle!
Healthy: I'm an avid label reader, and I decide whether to buy something based on what I see there. In certain cases, I may choose the higher priced item so as not to sacrifice this element.
Happy: A very complicated term indeed; happy to me might not be happy to you, and vice versa. I seek to reduce cost and increase nutrition only to the extent that I remain happy doing so. No, I'm not going to eat something I don't like just because it's good for me. Yes, sometimes I just feel like going out for dinner instead of cooking at home. That's life though...nothing is flawless!
So here begins my new venture in blogging. Please comment as you feel necessary.