Tightwad Tidbits

No post yesterday because I was sad.  My pooches got a hold of a baby bunny with the expected results.  Poor little guy!  I eventually had to take him to the Emergency Vet to be euthanized.  Spring is a sad time of death and misery.  T.S. Eliot was right.

But there is some good news on the Frugal Front:

1.  I was able to replace some of my lost chicken parts, that met their demise when my freezer defrosted.  Kroger was having a sale of chicken breast for $1.69/lb.  This is pretty good, keeping with my rule-of-thumb to never pay more than $2.00/lb for meat.   I think this sale is over, but this week they have whole chickens on sale for .69/lb.  Stock up price alert!  Kroger is the same as Ralph’s.  Market Street also has whole cut-up fryers for $1.09/lb, which is good, but I think I might as well get the cheaper whole (uncut) version.

2.  I accidentally added to my precious cloth napkin collection.  I was folding laundry, when I noticed that one of my napkins had a severe tear.  I was on the verge of discarding it.  Then I noticed that the tear happened to be right down the middle of the napkin.  So I finished the deed - tore the napkin in half, and now I have two small napkins instead of one large one.  Of course, being lazy, I didn’t hem the torn edge, but it’s something I might do some day.

3.  I did do some sewing, though. Yes, it’s true, I had to do a fanny-pack patch.  I use my fanny-pack when I take Sadie for a walk.  I loop the strap of the fanny pack through her leash, so I can have a “hands-free” walk.  The fanny-pack is also super-convenient for holding stuff like dog cookies, poopy bags, and my cell phone (and an extra leash just in case I come across a stray pooch).  Also, this is great for safely leashing Sadie to a convenient skinny tree when I need to rescue a turtle that has wandered into the road.  Or baby birds sitting on the sidewalk just waiting for some large dog to eat them (I put them under the nearest bush.  And, no, their mama’s won’t abandon them if they pick up your scent.  That’s not true.).

Sadie is pretty energetic, and big, heavy and strong.  So she pulls really hard on her leash and the fanny pack.  Over time this results in the strap of the pack being gradually torn away from the pack itself.  It’s been getting pretty bad, so yesterday I was faced with these three choices: go for a walk with my hand holding the leash, buy a new fanny pack, or fix the one I have.  So of course I opted for three.  Pretty easy, not beyond my limited sewing skills, and I saved myself $10.00.  That’s how much this fanny-pack cost at Target about 1 1/2 years ago.

So even in the midst of tragedy, my ingrained cheapness keeps me on the tightwad straight-and-narrow.  Poor little bunny!  I’m glad he isn’t suffering anymore.