Day 37 - Weekend!

Today was Friday, FINALLY. It has been a very long week. I managed to only spend about $25 dollars this week, not counting my rent, so I'm quite happy. The people from the KC TV station were here watching me type...it was rather nerve wracking. I really hope that I didn't sound like an idiot and that I didn't say something I didn't mean to say...looking back I can see a couple of quotes about how this has been taken out of context. They were here for an hour, and talked about a lot of things. I told them about ways that I've tried saving money, such as avoiding Wal-Mart and the like. I also told them how much some of the assorted things that I have in my house cost me.

I've always been quite frugal, which explains me $7 table (Duncan Phyfe) and my $5 coffee table (Ashley), both purchased at yard sales. The computer desk I'm typing at was free because someone in college in Kirksville couldn't figgure out how to put it together and put it out by the curb with a "free" sign on it. It was brand new...only partially assembled, and I know it had to cost at least $50. People are so wasteful it often amazes me. Looking around my newly cleaned house, I realize that I have far nicer things than do some people my age, and for that I am thankful to all those flea markets I attended as a child. They taught me the value of a dollar, and I know how to get my dollar's worth.

My problem has never been spending too much money on something, it is that I just buy too much of too many inexpensive somethings. I think the last piece of clothing I paid full price for are my work pants, which only cost $20, not too bad. I look at the clothes I'm wearing...blue jeans from Goody's $20, on sale from $40. Striped shirt from Sears, $12 on sale from $36 and a sweater from Fashion Bug, $15 on sale from $30. Not bad...

My house is nice and clean, and I don't have anything that I have to do tonight. My mother and grandmother are coming to vist me tomorrow afternoon. We are going to go out to lunch (Mom's treat) then play cards at my hosue. Whenever they come to visit we usually play card games, an old-fashioned family pastime that so many people have lost. We play Rook, Spades and Liverpool Rummy. I sometimes wish that our society made more time for these simple joys. The best times I can recall are of playing cards with my family. I'll never forget when we were playing Pit and my cousin hid the bell down his shirt so that nobody else could win the game. My family is very loving, but also very competative. I can recall when rings were banished from the game of Spoons when my aunt "accidentally" hurt my cousin's hand with her wedding ring. To this day, we still think it was on purpose, but I suppose we will never know. The only one exempt from this rule is my grandmother, who has worn her ring so long that it cannot come off. Even though my grandfather passed away in 1993, my grandmother still wears her wedding ring. I hope that someday I can find someone to whom I will be so devoted that I will wear his ring after we have parted. Okay, that's enough sentimentality.

I think I must be in a nostalgic mood this evening. I'm off to the grocery store. I need to get some milk and I want to rent a movie from Redbox. Never fear, though, I have a coupon for a free rental, so it will not be breaking the rules to rent a movie. I'm glad the interview is over, now all I have to do is wait until March to see how I look on camera...