Basic Pizza Crust - An Experiment in Frugality

I'm a cheapskate, and I recently decided that the $0.49 I was paying for pizza crust mix at Save-a-Lot was outrageous. I figured if I could make a cheesecake by myself, I could make my own pizza crusts. And with ingredients that cost next to nothing in bulk, I figured I could do it for pennies.

And I did. I stole my crust recipe from this pizza recipe at Eat Better America.

I made one with white flour for my husband and one with whole wheat flour for myself, adding a pack of yeast to the wheat one per a suggestion in the recipe comments. The thing I liked most about this recipe was that it didn't require hours to rise or some complicated bread-making contraption. I am pretty sure a 10-year-old could make these crusts. And they only take about 15 minutes from start to finish.

The recipe:

Read more »

Mustard, Toothpaste, and Other Things I Don't Need in Bulk

My mother was a kindergarten teacher, so two things were especially true about my childhood: Every moment was a teachable one, and everything we bought was on sale. Consequently, I learned the color red as a toddler when my mother made me help her find clearance racks in Goody's. If I ever got lost, my mom knew where to find me: under a red rack.

Incidentally, I learned peach next, since it was my mom's favorite color. So my assignment grew: Find red racks and look for peach sweaters. But I digress.

I was bred for frugality, and two decades later, I'm eating knock-off Oreos from Save-a-Lot and buying dress pants at the Methodist Mission for twenty cents. 

So you'd think I'd be obsessed with TLC's Extreme Couponing.

And I guess in some respects I am. I've only watched three or four whole episodes so far, but I've already set up my DVR to record it whenever it's on. And I was initially really, really excited about the idea of getting $1,000 worth of groceries for $20.

But tonight I started taking a closer look at what they're getting, and to be honest, it's kind of terrifying.

I watched a lady buy 150 bottles of mustard. That, in and of itself, is completely ridiculous. But her husband, who was helping her shop, laughed and said, "And I don't even like mustard."

What?

You don't like mustard, and you're letting your wife buy more than a lifetime's supply during one trip to Kroger? As much as I love a bargain, and as much as I'm guilty of buying things because they're on sale, there are lines I can't imagine crossing. And a lifetime's supply of mustard is definitely on the other side of that line.

Another guy bought 1,000 tubes of toothpaste and only paid tax on them. Quite admirable, yes, and in his defense he did much of his shopping for charity and troops overseas. He is a wonderful example of how this talent can be used for the greater good.

But that's a lot of toothpaste.

Sometimes when I'm watching the show I think about how obsessed we are with "a lot." It's such a telling thing that even when a show focuses on saving, it still manages to perpetuate materialism. To the point of clipping coupons for and buying 150 bottles of mustard.

And even though God asks that we live simply, He also explains one key aspect of that clearly. We're supposed to live freely, one day to the next, depending on Him for the needs that arise. And we're supposed to travel lightly:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:19-21

Piper and Purses

"The issue is not how much a person makes. Big industry and big salaries are a fact of our time, and they are not necessarily evil. The evil is being deceived into thinking a six-digit salary must be accompanied by a six-digit lifestyle. God has made us to be conduits of His grace. The danger is in thinking the conduit should be lined with gold. It shouldn't. Copper will do."

-John Piper, Desiring God

You know the scariest thing about this bag? I thought it was cute.

When I looked at this photograph by itself, extracted from its original source, I found myself attracted to this purse. It looks like a well-crafted bag that I could get years of use out of, and I really, really enjoy pink. And if I knew nothing else about it, I might volunteer to pay $20-$30 for this purse. Mind you, my most recent purse purchase totaled $3.18 at Goodwill, so this offer is amazingly generous.

But not generous enough.

Read more »