Lemons

This season’s baseball is done. Kidlet’s team didn’t make playoffs so we have no games today. It was our last tournament. Finished. Completed. No more. It’s a very happy/sad time. Football practice started a month ago and Kidlet will be playing until early November. But he and I will miss baseball.

Because yesterday was such a long day, with us leaving the house at six in the morning and arriving home shortly after nine last night, I was thrilled to see a partial pot of coffee left from yesterday. Yes, sadly, I am one of those people who reheat coffee. I figure if there’s no floaty stuff on the surface, then a good boil in the microwave will take care of any other nasty stuff in the java itself. I am a child of a child from the Great Depression. I was raised to be thrifty.

My husband, however, is cheap. There are no two ways around it. The lengths and depths of his cheapness can still astound me.

Back to my coffee this morning. Steve is heading down the front hallway to take the dogs out for their first morning constitutional. I had pulled my reheated cup out of the microwave and just taken a sip when the intensity of the awfulness fully hit. I instantly spewed my mouthful of coffee across the pantry door, cupboards, surrounding walls and tiled floor.

“AAAHHHHGGGGHHHH!” I cried. “Steve! What is wrong with the coffee?”

“Ummm, I just ran more water through the leftover grounds yesterday afternoon.” With that he and our pups dashed out the front door. It closed with a resolute thud.

I dumped the rest of my cup in the sink and began to mop up my mess. Holy moly, fried cannoli. Once again I am reminded of my dear spouse’s and my differences. I am sure that there are many of you readers that would shudder at my ‘thriftiness’ and those who would agree with Steve’s ‘cheapness’. Beauty, and progress, are in the mind of the beholder. I don’t think it has specific Apsie influences.

My hubby and I both like a ‘good deal’. We love saving money when possible. But I rarely clip coupons. If I do, I end up in the grocery store for hours with my calculator trying to figure out if buying the couponed item is worth it over my usual brand. I read labels and compare ingredients. It’s convoluted and frustrating.

I hate shopping, so now that our local store has their coupons online I just go on their website, pick the coupons for the items I already use, and voila! The coupons are applied to my final purchase at checkout. I can be in and out of the store in…. well, if you exclude the time I visit with everyone, under fifteen minutes. (Add the visiting time and it’s about an hour and a half.)

My hubby loves to go to garage sales on the last day in the last hour. He is thrilled when the homeowner offers to let him fill his pickup will all of the leftover stuff for five bucks, or sometimes even free. Car parts, tools, old machinery, broken lawn mowers, weed eaters, hedge trimmers, snow blowers. Whatever has (or in this case ‘had’) any sort of engine, my Sweetie latches on for dear life. He loves his treasures.

I really can’t talk as our house is full of our dearly departed family members’ leftover crap. Everyone says, “I just knew how much so-and-so meant to you so here is their paper doily collection”. I don’t have the heart to say “But we have enough stuff of our own. Please don’t give that to me. I don’t need it or want it. I loved so-and-so dearly, but I can’t use any more stuff.” I’m pure chicken that way. I hate hurting people’s feelings.

My fresh pot of coffee is done brewing, so I shall go grab a cup. Perhaps today would be a good day to clean out the garage. I wonder if Steve has any friends who would like a free pickup load of stuff.

Anyone out there collect paper doilies?