Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Works for Me Wednesday...



Hello there Wednesday Folks! I hope you're finding lots of great tips at Rocks in My Dryer this week. Sooooo- what works for me is to frequently play a little game called "Don't Go To The Store". Instead of rushing out to the store for the missing item, I try to make do with what I have. It saves me money and makes me be a bit creative with substitutions and conservative with what we do have. Running low on milk? Coerce the kids into drinking water. No papertowels? Let's mop up that spilled chocolate milk with old dish cloths, or old cloth diapers, or that ugly shirt I never want my husband to wear again. It forces you to scrounge around in the backs of the freezer and pantry for meal ideas. It's downright amazing what I find in the backs of cupboards. Why just yesterday, I made a chocolate frosted angel cake using a mix from the back of the pantry and a leftover Easter Bunny who'd been hiding on top of the fridge. (Yes, I am a little disappointed in myself. Leftover chocolate? How did this happen? We're reviewing our protocols regarding chocolate to prevent this from happening in the future...) So, next time you think you need to run to the store, try to go without it first. I think often of a New England proverb: Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, Or Do Without. Works for me.

1 comment:

Miss Mandy said...

Great idea. We play this at our house as well, but we didn't have a name for it.

My kids think it's fun to creat the name for such dishes.

Cheesy chicken sensation is their favorite so far.

chicken, cream of whatever, cheese, sour cream, green chiles, olives....whatever else I could find!