More Comfort Reading: Some of the Books that Fell on the Floor

I have been much in need of comfort reading. It is difficult to find the right book. I like cookbooks with a personal sensibility (Diana Kennedy, John Thorne, many others); I like reading organization books (though it would be better if I actually followed some of the recommendations); I like Diana Phipps (a frugal countess!). Fiction is hard. I don't like reading most best sellers, even those of higher brow (sorry Ann Patchett; I do like your essays on owning a bookstore and I love that you spoke about my favorite clothing shop UAL, which has a branch in Nashville). 

So to continue the list I started a few days ago: my efforts were interrupted by the falling down of a teetering pile. 

John Mcmcgahern: The Leavetaking (a book I bought at a library sale, had never heard of author---WONDERFUL)

Coln Toibin: The Master (a fictionalized bio of one of my faves--Henry James. The book has a creepy sense of repression, perhaps appropriate to its subject)

Somerset Maugham: The Painted Veil (We saw the film based on this. The book is ok, but I got bored and skipped a lot--a privilege of age. What is so great about Maugham??? Not feeling it)

Maugham again: The Razor's Edge. (See above)

Lily King: Euphoria (a loan from a colleague. She said "Don't give it back." OK, but I can hardly believe that the main female character would submit to....spoiler. Must find someone to give it to.)

Deneice Schofield: Confessions of an Organized Housewife. (A Mormon mom of 5 who is super-organized. Worst tip: chop suey recipe containing canned mushroom soup and bean sprouts. Best tip: use dish pans for easy and cheap shelf storage--genius).

More on the floor, alas. 

The Personal Bookshelf: Bedside Stack

Once again, I must note that this is no longer a blog about frugality, but a personal site for my musings about this and that. Older posts on frugality remain. Frugality is timeless!



From Roy Strong, "A Country Life": "The classification of a private library ought to reflect the structure of the owner's mind, and that inevitably changes over the years" (147).

That explains why this book (by the great scholar of Elizabethan portraiture among other things) is in a stack with Ferrante's "The Story of the Lost Child" (I cried to finish this series, but am also angry/annoyed at the cruelty of the ending--to readers?--and the cruelty shown by the narrator to her friend), Laurie Colwin's "Home Cooking" (comfort reading/comfort cooking in these stressful times), library copies of BOTH Marie Kondo books (which are spiritual at core), plus a bunch of others that have now fallen on the floor.

Paula's Choice Deal...and Thanks for the Comments

I wrote a post questioning whether people found frugality a FUN activity. I received many thoughtful comments, which were met with . . .silence.

Sorry, dear Readers, I have a very difficult work schedule this semester. It's one that sounds easy to those who do not teach. However, when I describe it to teachers, I am met with a jaw drop, followed by OMG. I will respond to the comments after the completion of the stress-inducer outlined in the next paragraph.

The other thing that's slowing me down is that--miraculously--the house in New Orleans, owned by us, where Frugal Son lives with two fellows, was chosen for a makeover by a reality show! I will report on this when it's over. Hopefully, it will be all treats and no tricks.

Speaking of treats, I was roused from my torpor by a good deal from Paula's Choice. I only mention these when there's a convergence of super deals.

This weekend, you get  30% off on "two anti-aging potions." Plus, free shipping on any amount. Plus a sample of serum when you spend over $50. The babies below are $$$, but somewhat less so at 30% off. This is good only for 2 days: Oct 30 and 31. CODE is EDDTREAT14. I'm thinking of getting the Vitamin C potion for myself.

If you haven't bought from this wonderful line, you can use my code, which gives me $10 off and gives you $10 off too.

Cheap as I am, I buy this stuff. It's really good. Here's my code for $10/$10.

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Potato Corn Chowder with a dash of nostalgia

Oh, how I needed some potatoes, my comfort food of choice.

Visiting the dentist is fairly stressful in and of itself.  Plus, we have a new dentist, thanks heavens, this time with a decent office staff, but still--no dentist ever says the same thing. Today's visit was something of an emergency (more stress); the new dentist's advice had/has to be weighed with my common sense. I will spare everyone the details.

I had to park in a grocery parking lot. Time for potatoes, the ultimate comfort food. I wanted to make a soup, but am without stock of any kind. I remembered the first potato/corn chowder I ever ate: at a departmental pot luck at a small school where I used to teach (1987), my genial colleague (who I later discovered wrote me a fairly negative letter of recommendation--thanks GT!) made a delicious soup from the Vegetarian Epicure. The secret, he said, was the nutritional yeast Anna Thomas called for

I couldn't find my old copy, but I found the recipe online. As expected too goopy (flour???) with various things I didn't have.

Here's what I did: threw some frozen caramelized onions (I do this in the crock pot every few months) in the pot with 2 peeled and chopped potatoes. Put in a little of that nutritional yeast. Then covered with water. Simmered for a while. Mashed everything up when done and added salt, some milk, and a can of drained corn. Served with extra sharp cheddar. Oh, and I stirred in a bit of butter, a trick I learned from the great Marcella Hazan.

Soooo good. I hadn't made this vegetarian version in years, having gone over to Ina Garten's with bacon and chicken stock. Hers is even more goopy. I think I am going to return to the simpler vegetarian version. The nutritional yeast has a definite umami effect. We use it on popcorn (a friend calls it hippie dust). You can get it at Whole Foods. Or leave it out, of course.

It's amazing how good a stock potatoes and onions produce. This soup is so cheap to make that it will offset the cost of my dental treatment, at least if I eat it once a week for the next--oh--thirty years.

Is there anyone of a certain age who doesn't have this cookbook somewhere? A mere glance at the cover triggers a wave of nostalgia. Do you still cook anything from it? 

We're buying a car today!

Miss Em said "Does it bother you to buy a car?" That is because she knows I sometimes balk at the most minor expenses if they seem "overpriced." The great Amy Dazycyn of the Tightwad books had similar issues.

She had an essay about how she balked at tuna if it was more than 69 cents but had no trouble buying a beautiful and expensive antique bed. It was a question of value, not cost.

I'm the same with tuna. I'm pretty serene about the car--a Honda Accord--because our totaled Camry was about to turn 16 and our "new car"--the Civic Hybrid--is about to be 12. We were hoping the Camry would hit 20, but a bad man with no license or license plate plowed into poor Frugal Son and left the scene. He gave us a copy of a state ID.

We are hoping the new car will last more than 10 years. Thank heavens we  saved for the car.

Frugality as stress relief once more. Thank heavens for the emergency fund. So I told Miss Em that no, I'm not stressed. I continue my search for a good price on tuna.

I think we are getting a white one (ugh) because Mr FS read that white is the safest color.

Honda Accord

OK: I take it back about the friction

Did I set the forces of bad karma in motion? A mere few hours after penning my post in praise of friction, I set off for some R and R at the food bank thrift store. I figured that the spa experience of thrift shopping would help me gird up my loins for the final misery of taxes: figuring capital gains and rental losses.

Off I went. A little light came on. Then it went off. Then I couldn't steer. WHAT????

Luckily, I was near my destination, but it was difficult as I have extremely weak arms.

OF COURSE, we only have one car at the moment, since Frugal Son was hit by a bad man without a license who left the scene.
OF COURSE, I didn't have a phone.
AND OF COURSE, Mr FS seldom answers the phone anyway, since he works outside with earphones.

The karmic forces weren't totally against me. Nice Mr Pat let me use his phone at the store. Mr FS answered (a miracle!) and he rode his bike over. The power steering resumed its work.

Now we have to take our single car to the shop. They don't have loaners but will rent to us for $30/day. Seems to be an electrical problem.

I take it back about the joys of friction. I hit a few snags on the tax form (and I am an educated person who is not afraid of numbers...erghh).

Next day.....

UPDATES. I awoke at 6 ready to finish the taxes. The following took my attention till 4. That's 10 hours.

OF COURSE the electrical problem didn't manifest itself at the Honda place.
OF COURSE, we have to buy another car since I refuse to drive the Honda (we were planning to replace the totaled one anyway).
OF COURSE, I made a $10 arithmetical error on my taxes,which would have necessitated doing it all over again. I ignored it (the IRS always corrects my mistakes. Please don't audit me. It's always an accident.)
OF COURSE, the printer messed up while I was trying to print out a form.
OF COURSE, State Farm lost the records of something we paid for so I had to help MR FS find it by scouring all credit card records and checkbooks.

Plus some other stuff I can't remember at the moment. My beloved burritos didn't help. No, I had to eat pot stickers and pierogi.

FRICTION BE GONE!

Frugality as Stress Relief

Learning to be frugal has been a tremendous source of stress relief. As a poor grad student, I learned how to make bean burritos to make the newly-beloved Mr FS (a Californian) happy. I guess I would have served him  Julia Child's Veal Prince Orloff if he had desired it. I actually knew someone (with a trust fund) who attempted this iconic--time-consuming and expensive-- dish.

It was just by chance that his most beloved dish was about the most frugal meal we could have. We didn't quite understand that all our high-living friends were taking out loans to supplement our meager stipends, but were glad we were staying on budget.

Even now--when I am frugal by choice--I find that frugality provides a leavening to the various slings and arrows that come our way.

I always like to get the Wednesday paper, because it has the new food ads. Talk about simple pleasures! (And I share the pleasures with Frugal Son and Miss Em's pal, Mr C, as we email our thrilling finds.)

Today, I learned that a Dollar General Market has opened in my area. A new store! Always good for the consumer. I discovered that they will have incredible prices on avocados, mangos (50 cents each) and grapes (95 cents).

I was beaming with happiness and looking forward to having the nearby Walmart Neighborhood Market price match the loss leaders (hate Walmart, but I only use for price-matching and prescriptions. Except for my old student Lacey, the Walgreens pharmacy team is hateful and rude. At Walmart, the pharmacy lady says "Hi, honey. How was your vacation?")

As I was basking in the joy of produce, I opened my email and found a missive from Frugal Son: part of the ac came loose; water was condensing on the wall. EtcEtc. Mr FS agreed with Frugal Son's quick fix and we will investigate later in the week.

It seems that I can only control the little things (like my grocery bills). The big things--and we are approaching the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina--seem to appear without warning. It may seem strange to find comfort in 50 cent avocados when we have to deal with gigantic expenses, but, well, there we are.

P.S. RIGHT AFTER I completed this, another gigantic emergency expense reared its ugly head. Stay tuned. In the meantime, bon appetit.

Avocado

Mr FS says: Life is friction

That's one of the things he says when I mention retirement. He says we need to keep some friction in our lives. One source of friction: students! We are always helping them deal with problems little and big. You can have a great syllabus and a prepped class....but nothing ever goes exactly as planned.

He's right though. We've seen many retirees--some in our own families--dealing with boredom, the result of eliminating certain kinds of friction.

My latest bout of friction is a result of doing my taxes (on extension) over the last week. Taxes are pretty easy, unless you have 1. a tiny amount of self-employment income 2. some investment income from old investments that you would not buy again but which are too complicated to unload and 3. rental property.

Each year I--lover of numbers--discover that in the friction areas numbers are not necessarily exact. You make loads of small, potentially questionable decisions. It doesn't add up to much, but it is stressful.

I am almost done and pretty proud of myself because I have figured out how to do rental property! I read a book. Now I know what and how to depreciate!

It's not much good to tell me to get an accountant. I'd still have to get all the info together, which is the time-consuming part,  and every accountant I hear about makes terrible mistakes.

Doing my taxes is so stressful that I have spent the last week with the physical symptoms I recall from my other most stressful periods: finishing my thesis, applying for jobs, working for tenure. Really, if I had this feeling of sickness all year round, I WOULD have to retire.

I am thankful for these small bouts of stress. Thankful too that in my last years of work, the friction comes only intermittently and in discrete doses.

I took the book out of the library. I will be happy to return it.

How Not to Buy: NOrdstrom and Sundance

I don't mean to project an image of a virtuous self here. Just like a lot of people, I shop too much, over-accumulate, etc etc. And--because the thrifts in my little town are good and cheap--I can REALLY over-accumulate: a sweater a week would add up to a mere $150 and put 52 items into my closet.

A few years ago, I realized that I found thrift stores de-stressing and that I found enough for my family and friends to make my time--sort of--worth it. So I decided to limit my shopping in "real stores." LAst year, I decided to up my shopping in "real stores" so I could get some simple basics at higher than my usual price point.

When you venture into the world of "real stores," you are subject to all sorts of temptations. Even though I don't have a Nordstrom charge, I was sent the Anniversary Catalog, with a note that I could shop early if I got the charge.

How to say NO to Nordstrom? Well, last year, I had a few things on my "list": Eileen Fisher tunic, Furla bag (one of these days), Zella leggings, JAG jeans. Last year, every one of the items was "sold out." Boohoo. I left them in my cart.

Lo and behold, several months later, every one of the items re-appeared and at an even lower price! By that time, I didn't really want the items anyway and decided to wait for 2014.

This year, my list is exactly the same. Some of the items are already sold out in my size. The Furla bag is even nicer than the one last year. But--ugh--I don't need anything right now.

I think I'll wait till 2015. By that time, some of my current wardrobe might be sufficiently worn out. I'm pretty sure the sale will always feature Eileen Fisher tunic, Furla bag, Zella leggings, and JAG jeans.

So I'm not saying NO to Nordstrom; I'm waiting.

What about Sundance? Why I get the catalog, I do not know. I have never bought anything from Sundance. Today, while I was cleaning out my "stuff I might be interested in" basket, I found a picture torn from the 2013 catalog.  "Lotus Petal Flats." Looked comfy. $168. UGH. Today--about a year later--I looked up the flats. They are still $168. They have some reviews about how UNcomfy they are. Desire dissipation: immediate.

Saying NO: it's just temporary.

Lotus Petal Flats

An updated version of an age-old design worn in Chinese monasteries. Lotus petal flat shoes are simple, beautiful and supremely comfortable with softest suede that cradles with each step. Imported. Euro whole sizes 36 to 41. 36 (US 6.75), 37 (US 7.5), 38 (US 8.25), 39 (US 9), 40 (US 9.75), 41 (US 10.5).

Average Customer Rating:

 

3.4

 out of 

5

 (7 Reviews)

6 out of 7(86%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.

  Choose a sort order   Date - Newest First   Date - Oldest First   Rating - High to Low   Rating - Low to High   Helpfulness - High to Low  Customer Reviews for Lotus Petal Flats

Runs Large

November 6, 2013

ShoeFox

Location: Northern California

This is an attractive shoe with very soft suede. However, my usual European size
was much too large so I ordered the next smaller size. It was also too large, so I
tried the next size down which was too small. In the end I kept a pair with the middle
size and will try adding inserts. What is needed is a half size, currently not available.

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Review 2 for Lotus Petal Flats

Very Zen

October 27, 2013

sanssoleil

Location: Boston area

I do actually like these flats a lot. I was worried about sizing, given other reviews, but the flats fit my size 9 feet perfectly. I sometimes wonder if I should order up--not all 9s work for me, but 9.5 is always too big. These worked very well. At first I was taken aback by the absence of a heel, but in fact came to love walking around on perfectly flat soles--very zen. I love the soft lush suede; only drawback is that it seems to wear quickly, because shoes are so close to the ground with no heel. I got the cinnamon--it's lovely, exactly as pictured. Kind of wish I'd gotten teal, though, as it would go with more of what I usually wear. If they weren't so expensive I'd order a second pair.

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Review 3 for Lotus Petal Flats

Very disappointed

October 12, 2013

Longhorn

Location: Fort Worth, TX

They were not true to size very large, however; very narrow and No padding or arch support I returned them.

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Review 4 for Lotus Petal Flats

Lotus Petal Flats

October 10, 2013

BCMOM

Love these shoes. However, they run a full size too large. Buyer beware.

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Review 5 for Lotus Petal Flats

Too big...too flat

September 10, 2013

cmk311

Location: Los Angeles, CA

I really wanted to like these shoes...they seem different than many flats and I was looking forward to suede for the fall. I ordered my usual size 9.5 (size 40) however they were too big and too flat. Sorry Sundance these won't work for me. I would recommend for others in the correct sizing.

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Review 6 for Lotus Petal Flats

very best purchase ever

September 10, 2013

kaoieoka

Location: charlotte n c

An elegant and comfortable shoe. I feel like owning all 3 colors.

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Review 7 for Lotus Petal Flats

cute flats!

August 19, 2013

fuzy

I ordered these in cinnamon in a 38, which is my usual size. They are very cute, seem comfy, but about one size too large. Sent them back for a 37. The cinnamon color is nice, but paler than the photo. When doing an exchange with Sundance, you have to pay return postage to use the smart label - lots of other catalogs do not charge for an exchange.