A Rare Trip to Goodwill

A rare event: a trip to Goodwill yesterday. Goodwill used to be a regular stop on my frugal path, but I now go less than once per month. It's a few miles away; the store mistreats its employees; as far as I can tell, its "mission" is to run stores with low-paid employees and well-paid management. Aside from these somewhat virtuous reasons, I have a personal one: my GW raised its book prices from 20 cents to 99 cents. It just doesn't seem worth it to slog through all the John Grishams to find that book I've never heard of that proves to be excellent.

Now I only go to GW when Mr FS goes to Home Depot, which is right next door. Yesterday was the day. It is a huge store. The shelves were sparsely filled, perhaps because it was a busy day and many treasures had already gone to new homes. I was looking in a rather desultory fashion, hoping that Mr FS would soon rescue me.

Then I heard one of those GW "bonding" conversations. These often occur between two middle-class shoppers who are both excited to be at GW and slightly embarrassed. These conversations are always VERY LOUD. Yesterday, two women bonded over the housewares, which happen to be right next to the racks of shoes. They were exclaiming over their wonderful bargains. "But," said one, "I would never buy SHOES." "No," said the other, "That would be like buying UNDERWEAR [also sold at GW]. DISGUSTING."

Even though I was not looking at shoes, I headed right over to join the other shoppers. Pickings were very slim. Still, I had to show some sisterhood to the other shoppers who were buying shoes, perhaps by necessity, and being treated to a scornful message.

Now, I am lucky (in the secondhand shoe world) because I have relatively small feet. I found a pair of Mephisto sandals! I also spied (probably from the same donor) a pair of Arches and a pair of Ferragamo loafers. The latter two were too small. I have learned through painful experience (and too much clutter) that shoes are to wear, not to look at.

I bought the Mephistos. Then Mr FS rescued me. He had had a bad time at Home Depot. To cheer ourselves up, we got two Frosty's at Wendy's, right behind GW. The employees at the OTHER thrift store gave me some coupons as a gift. Thanks, guys!

Frugal Stress Relief in the Faubourg Marigny

Grades are due tomorrow morning and my week of misery will--perforce--be over. Since some decisions are ALWAYS at the last minute, Mr. FS and I decided to play hooky and go to New Orleans. Our plan was to go to Whole Foods (which was having a "Taste of the Season" sampling) and then the Aquarium.

Well! the tasting was awful: many samplings of fingerling potatoes in various guises. Then we couldn't find decent parking for the Aquarium. Plus, it was a beautiful day. We decided to drive around the Faubourg Marigny, which I just read is one of the "most intact 19th century neighborhoods in the United States." No parking there either.

Then we saw a big SUV try and fail to get into what seemed to be the only parking space. Yay for the Honda Civic.

We walked for the duration of our parking: almost 2 hours. Honestly, we felt as revived as we do during our mammoth walk-fests in Europe. And we were revived physically, mentally, and aesthetically.

This site has some nice pics of the area.

Do you have any nearby spots that offer physical, mental, and aesthetic renewal?

Art, Debt, Sharecropping

What does it say about me that I wrote about a consignment shop in Alabama before I wrote about the Kentuck art festival, which was why we visited Miss Em to begin with. I guess I am shallow.

The festival was wonderful, but there was so much to look at. It was quite overwhelming. Since I suffer from decision-making anxiety, I didn't get anything. Miss Em bought a pretty ring; she is very sure of her decisions.

One of the booths had a huge line. The artist--who, according to Miss Em is very well-known--produces letter press posters. These had pithy sayings, many having to do with coffee. Some shaded to the too-cute-for-me. One celebrated Samuel Mockbee, the great Alabama architect who, before a too-early death, focused on housing for the poor. Miss Em's friends hadn't heard of him, but I told them to look him up.

One of Miss Em's friends said, Miss Em: you should buy this one! It was a poster saying A penny saved is a penny earned. I guess Miss Em is frugal like her mom and dad.

Then I saw another one. Sadly, I cannot remember the exact saying. It was along the lines of Don't be a sharecropper to your credit card company. Unlike the Franklin saying, this one took a bit of time to figure out. Like the Franklin saying, this one is full of wisdom. Truly, if you have credit card debt, which often involves ridiculously high interest rates which make it ever harder to extricate yourself from debt, you are working for the credit card company. The company gets a piece of what you earn, perhaps forever.

Have you seen any pithy sayings of late?

Free Music and Free Enterprise

We were lucky to notice that--contrary to the info from my source--Museum Day for New Orleans was yesterday, September 24. When I figured this out, we jumped into the car and hightailed it to the New Orleans Museum of Art, where we saw an interesting show of religious figures from India.

That left today free for another free cultural opportunity: Musica di Camera, an early music group, will be performing for free at a nearby Abbey.

The Abbey is a beautiful place. The church has some incredible murals, painted in the 30s (I think) and recently restored. One of my friends worked there during the restoration and I got to meet the art restorers--an itinerant husband-wife duo.

You may have heard of this place: it has been much in the news because the Louisiana Funeral Directors sued the monastery: asserting that it was against state law to sell monk-made coffins. The monks are winning so far, but the case is destined--so it says in the news--for the Supreme Court.

Two cultural events in one weekend. What bliss. Did you have any wonderful experiences this weekend?

My Bad! Museum Day is Sept 24 and Sept 25

My "source" was mistaken. Anyway, we're off to the big city to see a show. Link is in previous post.

Cheap (FREE!) Culture: Smithsonian Museum Day

Have all you (USA) residents heard about Smithsonian Museum Day? Museum Day is Sunday 9/25 and scads of museums all over the US are participating. You can check what museums are participating in your area and print out a free ticket for 2 on the Museum Day site. You can see the link here.

Is anyone taking advantage of this?

Living like the Wealthy and Influential

I love to read a column in the New York Times that details the weekend activities of the wealthy and influential. To wit: Paul LeClerc, head of the New York Public Library. Yes, Mr LeClerc and his spouse (head of a foundation) have the sheen of wealth, influence, and culture, and no doubt live in an unattainable apartment in New York City; nevertheless, we can emulate their weekend activities.

Yes: he cooks from Marcella Hazan (ME TOO); he bakes (Mr. FS does that); he watches Netflix movies (WE DO THAT TOO); he moseys around a bookstore (DITTO); he reads (WEll, YEAH). Other luminaries I've read about take walks. You won't see me and Mr FS dressed up in formal wear at various functions attracting the powerful, but still . .

Yesterday, Mr. FS and I endured our 12-hour at work day. Sadly, we were away from Miss Em, who is home on break. She emailed us with an account of her day: going to a downtown coffee shop, where she got started on a paper. Then she did something M. LeClerc et femme (he has a doctorate in French lit!) probably don't do: headed to our wonderful Goodwill where she scored a blouse by Elie Tahari.

If you want to live like the influential Mr. LeClerc, you can get a Marcella Hazan book too. He recommends the pasta with cauliflower.

Frugal Fun in France: Huitres/Oysters

Like Funny About Money, I am still the the realm of grade inflation. Unlike Funny: she is done.

I am also in the land of MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER. Everyone is stocking up on seafood and freezing it against the future shortages. I can't participate: my freezer is full and I don't think seafood benefits very much from freezing. The one thing I wish I had--and would find a way to freeze--is shrimp shells, which make a great stock, more shrimpy tasting than shrimp, believe it or not.

As it happens, Frugal Son, during the waning days of his year in Nantes, reported on some frugal fun with his friends:

Frugal Son: went to this little town on the ocean (a bit past the famous Guerande) and collected...
OYSTERS!
me (Mr. FS): Cool!!!
Do it there, because the oyster beds are being closed here.
FS: I know :(
me: Was it an oyster farm?
FS: we collected about 25 dozen
me: did you dig them up?
FS: it was near an oyster farm
so these were the "strays
30 - 35kg or so!
me: Did you oyster-knife them open?
FS: yeah we used an oyster knife
they were soooooooo good
much brinier than our gulf oysters
me: Never had any that fresh, though I suppose it doesn't matter.
FS: but I still have about 30 left in the fridge
so I'm about to go to the store to get ingredients for an oyster stew
I ate about a dozen and a half raw
and then another dozen bbqed in their juice on the half shell
the next day I went with a friend's boyfriend to his cousin's house and I brought oysters as a gift



And I know some of you are thinking it, so I have to put it in: a bit from Lewis Carroll's The Walrus and the Carpenter

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,
"Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!"
"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,
"Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed--
Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed."

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
"After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!"
"The night is fine," the Walrus said.
"Do you admire the view?



Oh, this used to give me the creeps when I was little. Still does, come to think of it. OK, must return to grading exams. I will leave you with a famous line from Shakespeare: Once more unto the breach, dear friends.

How I love literature!

Yo Yo Ma vs New Orleans Black Chorale: Frugal Choices

Not only has summer turned into autumn over the past few days, but our frugal lives have been filled with free entertainment. More on all the events at a later date.

We just got back from the monthly concert at the church down the street from us. Tonight's concert: the New Orleans Black Chorale. A wonderful concert, followed by a reception, which amounts to a free dinner.

The woman who introduced the singers mentioned that Yo Yo Ma was in town, playing with the New Orleans Philharmonic. Well, we didn't know, so we didn't have to make a choice. And a search did not tell me what the tickets cost. I wonder what we would have done.

Local concert: free, a 5 minute walk away, free dinner.
New Orleans concert: a world famous player, at least 2 hours in the car, maybe $100.00 for mediocre seats. No free dinner, obviously.

It is a measure of the frugal calculator embedded in my brain that I run the numbers even on hypothetical situations. What would you have done?

Two other factors.

We heard Ma play at Tanglewood quite a few years ago. The only spots on the lawn that were available by the time we showed up were in the blazing sun. After a valiant effort, I dozed off.

Also, the post-concert food tonight included a favorite from last year: roasted tomato soup with basil. Reader, I had two cups.

So how do you decide between two desirable events? When is money no object?

Musical soiree with Don Vappie, David Doucet, Greg, Liz, Peg, Mark and others

Laissez les bons temps rouler: encore une fois.

Danger below! Sadly, the links aren't working and we had to remove a goofy videoclip.

Once again we were lucky enough to be invited to an evening of music and food, courtesy of our friends Mark and Peggy. Because we couldn’t go in November and December, we are now on the alternate list; we’re hoping there will be a spot for us next month.

This series was the brainchild of Mark and Peggy, who missed the music at the Café Mandalay, which closed after Katrina. They had the idea of inviting musicians to play at people’s homes, with the guests splitting the cost and bringing a potluck dish.

I wrote about the one we attended in October, but this time we took pictures. We asked everyone if it was OK if we posted here and all said yes. Not everyone is as shy as Dr. Frugal Scholar and Mr. Dr. Frugal Scholar.

Peg is an artist, designer, and master gardener. You can see her work here.

The soiree was at the home of Liz and Greg Arceneaux. Liz is a midwife, who also works with her husband. Greg is a cabinetmaker who makes beautiful pieces, including some from cypress. He works in the Creole and Acadian tradition of furniture making. To accommodate all the people who showed up, Liz and Greg brought home all the chairs from the showroom. They are beautiful and comfortable. You can see some pieces here.

The music was amazing! Playing together were Don Vappie and David Doucet. Don plays Creole jazz while David Doucet is perhaps best known for his work as a guitarist with BeauSoleil.

And the food! Since this is Louisiana, there was an abundance of shrimp dishes, including shrimp with eggplant, a favorite of Dr. FS. The desserts were also fabulous. In addition to New Orleans style king cake (this is carnival season), we had French king cake and flan.

The last two were provided by Beatrice and Scott, who used to live down the street from us. Beatrice is a bona fide French person. They are partners with our friend Brigitte (also a bona fide French person) in the business SpeakEasy Café, which offers language lessons and yummy food.

We knew a few of the people there, like Greg C., who is a naval architect (do you need a boat designed?). Most, including the hosts, were new acquaintances.

Even though frugality was not the point of the evening, all this was $13.00 per attendee (there were 23 people there) to pay the musicians, plus a dish for the potluck. Dr. FS will reveal her potluck contribution at a later date.

Here are some pics of the festivities, including a video clip of the music. The video clip is of a goofy sing-along moment: Eh la-bas! For those who have never heard beautiful French Cajun or other Louisiana music, a wonderful discovery awaits you.

Greg, Don Vappie, and Mark


Greg Arceneaux, David Doucet, Don Vappie, Beatrice after the fete.


Don Vappie and David Doucet figuring things out before playing.

All the little things add up: A Frugal Maxim

Mr Dr Frugal Scholar said I should post today's shopping. OK.

I went to Walgreens and bought 8 jars of peanut butter for $1.99 each. With the purchase of 8 came a $10.00 Register Reward, which I will use to buy milk and other necessities.

***Note jars of peanut butter have not been implicated in the recent salmonella outbreak. I will return them if they are!

Then, I bought 6 packs of chocolate covered macademia nuts, for my dear children. These are regularly $3.80 EACH, but were on sale for $2.00. These was an in-store coupon for $3.00 off 2.

SO: about $16.00 for peanut butter and $3.00 for candy, with a $10.00 coupon for my next trip.

The MORAL is: it's not WHAT you purchase but WHEN and HOW you purchase.

Also on-deck for the weekend is a monthly free concert at a church. This month the performers are the Loyola Faculty Brass Quintet. The concert is followed by a wine and cheese (and more!) reception. Check for similar opportunities in your area.

The bonus for us is that the church is a short walk from our house. And it's a beautiful day!

Are you having a frugal weekend, ear readers? If so, share . . .

Frugal Fun: Fall Weekend

Weekend : Fall 2008


Usually, we don’t do much on the weekends: dh gardens, I putter around…We have vowed to do more fun stuff now that dd and ds don’t live at home most of the year. Usually, we just stay home….This weekend, we have had an embarrassment of fun activities.

Friday: went to FREE Sunset at the Landing Concert. The New Orleans area has so many fabulous musicians. This series is in a beautiful spot by the Bogue Falaya River. We heard some instrumentalists and singer Topsy Chapman. Bonus: we can walk to this spot from our house.

Saturday: we were invited by Mark and Peggy, a creative, smart duo we know, to an evening of music at their home. Mark and Peggy love music and were regular patrons of the jazz dinner at the Mandalay Café, which went kaput post-Katrina. They had the idea of hosting musicians at their house, with everyone chipping in to pay ! What a great idea! So for about $30 we got to listen to a wonderful performer and to partake of a potluck meal. The musician was very funny. I was determined to remember some of his great moments, but all I can remember is that he rhymed “anguish” and “language” in an anti-Bush tune and sang a funny/poignant song about NOLA (New Orleans LA) to the tune of Lola. Mentions of Katrina will forever be a bonding device for those of us in the “Katrina area.”

Sunday: if dh ever gets back from his bike ride, we will go to a FREE concert at the church down the street. This is a monthly series. Tonight it is classical string trio from Loyola University. Followed by free food! Vow not to eat too much.

Minor victory: did not go to Goodwill today! Went to CVS to get free candy corn (for students) and milk. Also bought some 90% off sunscreen and sports drinks. Spent around $10, $5 of which was a soon-to-expire ECB. Other victory: forwent some “free after rebate” items, which I didn’t need, as well as 90% off soda (10 cents!), which I don’t want to have around.
It is a beautiful day, so dh and I walked to little grocery. We didn’t really need anything, but bought a plantain (our weekly purchase) and a bottle of wine for dh. His favorite is Carbanere (???). Spent around $8.

Total spent this weekend: $30 for entertainment; $18 for food and sunscreen.