I Must be Crazy, I Set My Alarm on a Saturday Morning

Yes, that's right!  My alarm was set for 6:00am this morning.  No children had to go to school, no husband had to go to work, no sporting events or practice to attend.  "Why did I set my alarm?" you ask.  I'll tell you why.  I am frugal!  I have always been frugal.  My Mother is frugal my Father was frugal, all of my grandparents were frugal, it is in my blood.  This is one of my good qualities and I intend to use it to make this journey of ours a successful one!



Frugality has always been a way of life for me.  In earlier years, it drove my husband crazy but now he has come to appreciate it a great deal.  You see when he lost his job last year, I did everything I could to save money.  You wouldn't think it possible, but I became more frugal!  I obtained the ability to feed a family of 4 for less than $400 a month and have maintained that standard ever since.  Believe me, there is always MORE than enough food.  In fact out of that money, I also manage to donate to food banks and shelters several times throughout the year.  I don't mean just one can and our charity is done, I mean an ENTIRE BOX OF FOOD.

When we moved to Las Vegas, a friend told me about bountifulbaskets.org.  They are not a charity, they are not a food bank, they are a coop.  A group of people working together to provide great produce to those who want to feed their families with fresh fruits and vegetables at a reasonable price.  You pay in advance for your produce online and then you pick it up later in the week.  You receive about $35 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables for $15 plus a $1.50 processing fee.  I do this every two weeks.  Their produce is currently available in AZ, CO, GA, ID, KS, MT, NM, NV, OK, OR, SC, SD, TX, WA, UT and WY.

I know, I know, you are still wondering why I set my alarm for 6:00am this morning.  Well honestly, I woke up at 5:30am and lay there for 30 minutes waiting for my alarm to give me permission to get up.  My mind was swimming with thoughts and ideas and that made it hard to go back to sleep!  Anyway, as wonderful as Bountiful Baskets is, their distribution time in some areas leaves much to be desired.  My area's pick-up time is 6:30am on Saturday mornings.  Hence, the alarm clock.

I'm not sure if you have you paid attention to the price of produce lately, but do you want to hear what I got for $16.50?

• 2 Heads of Green Leaf Lettuce
• 1 Bunch of Spinach
• 6 Sweet Potatoes
• 1 8 oz. Container of Fresh Figs
• 6 Prune Plums
• 8 Large Bananas
• 6 Bartlett Pears
• 5 Peaches
• 1 Large Bag of Thompson Seedless Grapes
• 8 oz. of Green Beans
• 1 Large Cauliflower

So that's it, that is why I must be crazy!  Climbing out of bed at a ridiculous time on a Saturday morning.  Tiptoeing around so I don't wake anyone else, just to save my family a little money on food.  But the best part is.........if I tiptoe lightly enough, I get to enjoy two hours of peace and quiet with my coffee before anyone else gets up!

Shar