Eureka!

I was rummaging through the very topmost shelf of my kitchen and found a package of farfalle, of which I cooked some and then mixed in a little olive oil and some Italian herbs. I do wish I'd had some Parmesan cheese about. I also found several ancient Alfredo and noodles/Parmesan and noodles mixes, all of which require milk, which I do actually have in the house (thanks to YKWIA), so this is good. I even found a package of tapioca pudding and some Jello. Since I am terribly broke until Thursday, I'm living on this, bread and (salmonella-free) peanut butter, and if need be, the beans, rice, and lentils I usually keep more for decoration/in case of no money.

The first thing I'm going to do once I get paid is lay in some canned goods and other nonperishables so the cupboards aren't so bare. Still, although I've been eating frugally this last couple of weeks, I can't say I've been starving or anything; I've managed to avoid being very hungry. There are a lot of others making the same choice I did (rent and electricity over food), more so now that the oeconomy has tanked. But it's nothing compared to people with almost no resources. I know things will get better in a few days. A lot of people don't. People starving in Africa cannot see a brighter future; poor parents struggling to feed their children all over the world may feel trapped in an endless cycle of poverty and hunger.

Anyway, my flirtation with having no money at all has given me a better perspective on hunger and poverty. It's also caused me to really look over my finances. If I weren't so behind, I really think there is no reason I wouldn't be able to live reasonably comfortably with the two jobs. If you look at my predictable, budgetable monthly expenses (rent, Internet, phone, gasoline, and food, plus the end-in-sight mistake of a gym membership), that totals about $825. My electric needs to be put on a budget plan, because it varies from about $40 to $120 a month through the year and right now it's one of the reasons I'm hurting. But I take home about $920 a month from one job and about $400 a month from the other. So, as long as I'm not behind, there should be money to pay for necessities, put away for savings, and maybe start paying down student loans and old debt. It's the being behind and getting hit with late fees that has me in trouble, and I'm not quite sure how to get out of it. But I definitely can't keep going like this. I've been behind due to unexpected expenses like car tyres or brakes and just general tendency to not plan well. I'd like to get to a point where I had enough savings to take care of unexpected problems or a problem meeting my rent, etc.

Well, having assuaged my hunger, I'm going back to bed until A calls me. Hopefully the snow has stopped; we got more than that inch, judging by what was on my car earlier, and the parking lots were pretty icy. Good night.