Cost Conscious in CT

My Mom had a habit which all of her daughters have inherited—rearranging the furniture. My father used to joke that he’d better never come home drunk (he never did) because he’d be sure to crack his shin on a chair or table that hadn’t been there when he left.

How does this relate to saving? You get a whole new look for your living space with virtually no outlay. And you can do it several times a year.

In the winter, I pull all of the seating close together, away from the windows in the colder part of the room. I switch to long, lined drapes. House plants are prominently displayed, to compensate for the lack of green in our lives.

Last weekend, I switched to summer mode (I had done the “spring reorganization” in March). My goal was airy, light and spacious. I have lamps that look like seashells (picked up at a Christmas Tree Shop sale for $9 each). Barely there sheer blue curtains. And seashell/beach glass décor—picked up on the beach, or purchased for pennies at a yard sale.

“Wow! It looks all light and airy in here—more spacious!” said my very intelligent husband when he walked into the room.

It’s a wise husband who knows his wife.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to accompany Frank Juliano on his “Breaking the Sound Barrier” walk from Milford Harbor to the Connecticut Coastal Audubon Center. I’d promised to join Frank, rain or shine, but I was pleased that Mother Nature, despite the forecasters’ predictions, provided a dry day, with just enough sunshine and breezes to make the 4.8 mile walk enjoyable.

And it reminded me once again of the incredible jewel we have in our backyard. For free, my cost conscious friends! Most of us know the joy of lying in the hot sun, listening to the surf, and doing absolutely nothing for a few hours on a summer weekend afternoon. But our Connecticut shoreline has so much more to offer.

Go down on a stormy day and listen to the surf crash. Feel the tang of salt on you lips as droplets of ocean spray provide a free moisturizing treatment. (OK, I’m no beauty expert, but that’s how it feels to me!)

Get up early one morning and watch the sun rise over Long Island Sound. Or better still, do it lots of mornings. It’s different every day. Watch from different perspectives along the coast. Not a morning person? The sun sets every evening, too.

Visit the beach on a misty, moisty day. If you’re lucky, you’ll be alone with the sandpipers and egrets. Or maybe a fisherman or two will be visible, casting from one or the rocky reefs.

Take off your shoes when you visit the beach! Feel the sand between your toes. Walk along the water’s edge, with the wavelets tickling your ankles. And make sure you bring your camera—I can guarantee you’ll see award-winning vistas. In our short walk from the Milford Harbor we saw waves lapping at sea walls, sand flats, and marshes; plovers, egrets, and of curse the ubiquitous seagulls; a sailboat regatta, catamarans, and a tethered rowboat, and a plethora of incredible skyscapes, with the sun playing hide-and-go-seek with the clouds.

And it’s all free, my friends.

Yoo Hoo! The Farm Markets are beginning this week. (Although I can’t imagine what local produce, besides lettuces and spinach, could be ripe this soon, and with this much rain.) The opportunity to buy local foods—real foods that have not passed through the industrial food chain—brings a smile to my heart.

Have you read either of Michael Pollan’s books—The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. They should be required reading for everyone. Mr. Pollan points out that, “instead of food, we’re consuming “edible foodlike substances” — no longer the products of nature but of food science.” We’ve forgotten what real food tastes like. Pollan cautions to: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants

Now, many of you may feel that a column devoted to saving should tout the less expensive food available from the mega food chains. While it is true that some fruits and vegetables purchased at the local supermarket might be cheaper, the exchange in flavor is hardly worth the few pennies saved—even to a tightwad like myself, and the health benefits from eating plenty of FRESH fruits and vegetables, make the slight additional cost well worthwhile.

First thing—the wedding was a beautiful, wonderful event. I owe big thanks to all for your good wished. My daughter was a dazzling bride, her groom a stalwart fellow, and Mom didn’t cry too much.

But some interesting notes on costs. My daughter, as I mentioned, bought her dress on the clearance sale at a large bridal shop. Cost of the dress? $99. But, the dress needed slight alterations. She returned to that shop. Cost of the alterations? $250. And they were not done correctly and had to be redone.

My dress? $7.50 at Goodwill. Cost to dry clean? $20 (it has beadwork). Something seems out of whack here.

Ah, well, the wedding is behind me now. I’ll devote future blog entries to my main theme, saving. And lord knows I need to—my last day of work is June 30th. My long-term employer (eleven years), the Bridgeport Economic Resource Center, is closing its doors forever, leaving me unemployed. What better time to be bogging about cost-consciousness!

Whatever happened to ladies’ hankies? They used to be ubiquitous. When did they disappear? In preparation for the big wedding, and given that I tend to be quite emotional (I cry at Milford’s yearly fire engine parade), I wanted to get some nice, lacy, feminine hankies—so much nicer than a roll of toilet paper, or even a ton of sodden tissues. I went to half a dozen stores, and nowhere could I find ladies hankies.

K-Mart had men’s handkerchiefs—package of four for $4.99. Now, why should I pay for four handkerchiefs, and five bucks at that, when I only need one—and they’re not even pretty?

GW’s, here I come. I knew it was a long shot. But once again, I got lucky at Goodwill. I found a new, unopened package of four men’s handkerchiefs—almost exactly the same as the K-Mart package, for just $2.00. So at least I’m covered for the wedding. My sure-to-be-copious tears will be discretely gathered.

But whatever happened to ladies’ hankies?

Wedding bubbles ($15 for 100 at Wal-Mart)-check. Programs printed-check. Outfit for rehearsal dinner (tag sale special)-check. Shoes ($19.95 at Marshals) broken in-check. My wedding rings polished—still to do. Surprise for honeymoon condo—still to do.

Weather forecast for Saturday-partly cloudy and in the 70’s. Great!

Wine and champagne for mimosas at beauty parlor—still to do. Find a pretty handkerchief for copious tears I will cry—still do do. Silver bag to hold hankie? (Need to find one to borrow). Cookies with mimosas? Need to bake.

Check weather on different website. Looking good!

Four days!

Saturday is my daughter’s wedding! My baby. And as you well know, a wedding is not about saving. Although we have managed to pull it of for lots less than the average. Cynthia got her dress at David’s Bridal yearly sale. And me? At Goodwill, of course1 The wedding will be at Mill on the River in South Windsor—a beautiful setting. And one of the least expensive places they looked at. Best of all, Cynthia isn’t frazzled, Brian isn’t frazzled, and even I am not frazzled. (Weepy, perhaps, but not frazzled).

Now, excuse me, please, while I go and check the weather forecast for Saturday!