Dear Bizi,

This is where I put my priorities:
I know that I want to keep my job. I know that I want my job to be as easy for me to perform as possible. Tdoc talks to me about this a lot. If I have an obstacle I can remove, she tells me to remove it.
If buying good lunches helps you work, then do that.

For a million dollars of savings I would not starch my clothes. Let the dry cleaners do that. They need jobs too.

For me, I might cut down on eating out. If lunch were important to me, then I would make small plain dinners.

M

Bizi

I totally get it. I also know that if it were me. If I tried to take a lunch,
and eat it in a hot car. It would not get done. So I guess I priotrioze
the fact that eating is something I have to do.

So instead of spending lots of money on food. I eat a small amount.
I try to take something I can eat with what I buy.

I would take water or drink in the back of my van, but then I'd for get to
get it out.

I do sometimes take water with me.

Donna

I make my own mint water, take water bottles and refill them and add a few drops of peppermint oil. The teaspoon of peppermint oil last a long time too.
I took ice with me in the new little cooler and had ice water...that was great!
I froze a water bottle and that kept my cooler cool so am happy about that.
bizi

If there's a college or community college in your neighborhood, there's probably a student center where you could eat. Students comes in all ages these days & are pretty friendly to anyone who inquires about them--egos abound everywhere.
Public college campuses are open to the public. Check to make sure places aren't between terms, tho.

A lot of coupons can be found on a product's website & be printed at home (library, etc). Current magazines can be got at library Friends stores for a dime or so. I have one of those big accordion notebooks with the whole alphabet, lots of room for coupons. Some folks classify by type (paper, frozen food, etc). Others use shoe boxes to sort, my notebook being too small. You probably know all that....

I've lived on the road during great sections of my life, & I've almost never eaten out. I wasn't dealing with children, tho. Only other adults. I had a really good cooler, sometimes one that ran off a DC auto plug. Usually had a couple of largest-possible Thermoses too. Always ate healthy, not elaborately, went la grande deli once a week or so. It takes planning & some initial investment, but over the years it more than paid for itself.

I know y'all discussed it back in 2008, but you're turning stuff off completely when you leave the house empty, right? Except, of course, for the A/C & fridge? & phone if it's powered, that sort of thing.

JudeLauren,

What stuff do I have to turn off?
Computer? Lights?

I do usually turn off the tv.

M