It's ten days to Thanksgiving, which means ten days until THE INVASION OF MOMS. I live in a New York City apartment, and my roommate and I own a lot of stuff - books, movies, handbags, shoes, unframed art, years of back issues of magazines, mismatched furniture (much of it from IKEA), mismatched dishes, knicknacks and photos and candles and aprons and all sorts of things.
We also entertain a LOT, so our apartment is always in an in-between mode of "not quite cleaned up from the last thing, but clean enough for the next thing."
But on Thanksgiving, something will happen that has never happened before - Sarah's mom will fly up from Virginia and my mom will drive down from Connecticut and they will both be at our place for a Thanksgiving feast prepared by US. The cooking does not worry me. The fact that my kitchen floor is kind of disgusting does. I find myself thinking "when is the last time I swept behind the couch?" and "do I have time to repaint the hallway?" and other completely ridiculous things. I am a grown-up! I want my mommy to see that I can take care of myself, and keep house and cook a turkey and not freak out about it! So I spend the ten days leading up to the actual event doing all of my freaking out, while Sarah says things like "You've seen our moms' apartments, right?" and "Dude, no one is going to be looking behind the couch."
But I can't help it. I'm not a neat freak, unless there are MOMS in the area! So I am armed with my dustpan and broom, my Windex and Clorox Wipes and Swiffer mop and an 18-pack of paper towels, and I am ready! T-minus ten, and away we go...
OH BOY! What a fantastic idea. (For the record, don't think I'm coming from a position of superiority...this whole not working thing did a number, in the sense of number, on my fiscal health.)
ReplyDelete(0) Identify a couple of things that are always OK to buy and that make you feel OK/good/prosperous. For me (big surprise) it is a small coffee or the 6-for-a-dollar doughnuts. (Non-food examples surely exist, but for whom? Not for us.) It's very, very hard to reject restaurants if you don't have a substitute available. In a real emergency, say, you are about to go spend $25 on Thai food, tell yourself, OK, go into the store and PAY full price for the Brie, $12 is still better than $25, etc., etc.. There really is something to the harm reduction philosophy.
(1) Learn to like one cheap beer. Corona actually does not taste like anything, much less beer. Even though you have your bartender of choice, what if you're not there?!!
(2) Get acquainted with the store circular. To get you started:
http://keyfood.mywebgrocer.com/CircularMain.aspx?st=414D975&cc=1&s=64216099&g=88808e10-21ce-4bd6-8d32-c42f2f513281&uc=581EF7
http://www.bravosupermarkets.com/store_locator/?zip=10033&submit= (scroll down)
http://duanereade.com/Circular.aspx
http://www.riteaid.com/stores/weekly_ad/two_page_view.jsf?region=eastlo&ad_type=weeklypage=1
Rite Aid has certain foods that go on sale (tuna fish, Splenda) and are cheaper than the grocery store sales.
If you have to buy something that _could_ be on sale, but is not, force yourself to get the smallest one available, even if it's not the best unit price (within reason). Say, a tiny jar of mayo or one lightbulb. This is a (very minor) punishment and you surely will remember to look for the sale next time.
Part of my cleaning philosophy is never letting piles grow on the floor. My desk can get pretty cluttered, but when I start to stack things on the floor, I know I'm in trouble. This is when it becomes difficult to sweep, vacuum, and mop, creating even more cleaning troubles. You also run a significantly higher chance of stubbing your toe!
ReplyDeleteDo you have over-door storage hangers? I keep most of my hoodies hanging on the back of my door; it frees up lots of space.
I'm proud of you, you're awesome <3
Yay new blog! And should I send Jen to NYC to help you get ready for Thanksgiving? She had me cleaning all night last night!
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