Life in the Girls’ Dorm

What my wife has referred to as a “budget” is but a mere euphemism for the harsh reality that now faces me. What she has labeled a “budget” might more aptly be labeled a “spending freeze.” You see, dear brothers and sisters, I have not eaten “out” in what is now somewhere close to a week and a half. Being a bourgeois epicurean, I take great delight in the finer things that one, of my standing, can afford (i.e. pizza, thai food, chipotle, popeye’s, etc…). In my entire life, I have never (that I can recall or venture to estimate) gone this long without indulging my palate.

In my studies I can’t help but relate my own struggle with that of a late-medieval serf (brandon) to his Lady (abbey). The time would be drawing nigh to a Peasants’ Rebellion of my own, had I not learned that the rebellion was ruthlessly squelched by the nobility, reinstating their hold over their lessers. If history wasn’t so prone to repeating itself, I might take a stand against my lording Lady and get myself a chicken wing or some Tom Yum, but alas I will bow to her strength and might.

We are on a budget. Brandon and I took a look at our finances over the weekend and made a budget that we will be following until May of 2008. We have made many previous attempts at budgeting, and failed miserably, but I am hopeful this one will work.

The student dining room does not serve dinner on Sundays. So, we went to the grocery store to find dinner. This was our first shopping trip with our new budget. The picture above is what we ended up with. 6 packages for $1.50! While I am almost sure there is NO nutritional value in ramen it tasted quite good. You can tell by Brandon’s face the he is super happy about ramen (note sarcasm)!

This is a picture of my first attempt making pumpkin pie. Brandon and I were grocery shopping yesterday and I walked past a display of all the necessary items for a complete Thanksgiving dinner. As I walked by I had a craving for pumpkin pie and did not want to wait until Thursday. I decided to make one myself. Who knew that you had to bake pumpkin pie for an hour, and then let it cool for two?! So much for immediate gratification. The end result was a very sub-par pie. It was burned around the edge and mushy in the middle. I now know after discussing this with a friend that there are ways to prevent this.

In other news, I have one more day of work before we leave town. I am very excited for family time, good food, and to see my little dog Lucy!