Ladies – do you remember back in the day when your friends hosted those annoying Tupperware or Home Interior parties? I never wanted any of those products but my girlfriends would beg me to come to boost their attendance numbers. I hated the silly games and the forced sisterhood of wives who had nothing better to do than discuss the merits of the new and approved bowls that burped…. but I went, because I’m a good friend.
When those home party invitations started to wane and then disappeared completely? I was thrilled.
When the Covid pandemic introduced everyone to Zoom and my friends discovered the joy of hosting a party virtually? I was much less thrilled.
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Yes, that’s an invite to a friend’s virtual, high pressure, please log on and buy something so I can reach my sales goal and receive the free gift I never would have bought for myself anyway, party.
To make her happy I accepted the invite and logged on at the appropriate time. I virtually waved hello to the sales rep of the company I’d never heard of and boosted her attendance numbers. About to slip out the digital back door unnoticed, I figured what the hell… I might as well check out what they were selling.
And may I just say? Wow.
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Onyx nipple clamps and an Over the Moon vibrator?
I have to be honest… it almost made me miss the bowls that burped.
We’ve all said “Oh, you really shouldn’t have” when someone does something nice for us or gives us a gift. It’s an automatic response, though what we really meant to say is …I wasn’t expecting this. But thanks, I’m glad you did!
But when a friend of mine gave me a gift the other day? Out of nowhere, for no reason, just because? It was a lovely gesture and of course… I said, “Oh, you shouldn’t have.”
For the first time in two years we’re venturing out of our Thanksgiving Covid bubble and spending the holiday with friends as was our tradition. It will be a small gathering with a large amount of love.
And food. As well as drink.
In that spirit… I went shopping yesterday for the ingredients to whip up my contributions to the feast. To say I had sticker shock is a gross understatement, and while I’ve been cringing at the checkout counter for a while now, this trip was solely to make three things which made the cost positively ridiculous.
Harvest sangria –
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And mind you, I already had the vodka.
Crabmeat toasties –
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Already had the mayo.
And a cappuccino mousse trifle.
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Already had the milk.
To assemble a drink, an appetizer and a dessert in 2022 without the items I already had at home?
$211.76.
Granted the fresh crabmeat is an indulgence at … are you ready? … $40 a pound. In Maine! Two pounds are pictured, which a few years ago cost me roughly half that. And sure, I could have brought cheese and crackers but everyone loves these and looks forward to them. Probably because they’re too cheap to ever make it themselves, but still.
On the flip side of my extravagance, I have a frugal girlfriend. Every year she challenges herself to make an entire Thanksgiving dinner for six people for under $30. She’s so proud of her ability to do this she lists her purchases on her Facebook page if anyone wants to follow her lead.
I thought this year, with its astronomically high food prices, she wouldn’t be able to do it.
I was wrong. And I’m including her post because she just impresses the Hell out of me.
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I’ve been asked by so many people if I was going to do a Thanksgiving on a shoestring post this year. Well, I did it. I’ll give a shopping list with prices, menu, and break down how I did it. Turkey $6.14 (.47 #) 13# bird 1 1/2 # sweet potato .56 2# sweet onions .87 Celery $1.50 1# carrots .50 2.5# potatoes $1.00 Squash $1.00 Turnip $1.00 Fresh herbs $1.99 Graham crackers $1.25 1 large banana .40 1# flour .75 2 cups sugar $1.00 Canned whipped cream $2.50 1qt. milk $2.19 Butter $3.99 Vanilla pudding $1.49 Cranberries $1.00 Stuffing $2.49 Grand total $31.62
Thanksgiving menu Roast turkey with stuffing Mashed potatoes Squash Roasted Root Vegetables Homemade cranberry sauce Homemade gravy Chai pie Banana cream pie Biscuits
This was probably the most challenging budget Thanksgiving Dinner. My goal was to keep it at or below $30.00. I could have done it if I went with with cheaper options, like margarine, instead of butter, but I refuse to skimp on quality. Another option was to get a loaf of bread for 1.29, at the off price bread store for stuffing, but $1.00 savings in the meal didn’t make sense when it cost more in gas to go get it. A lot of things, like potatoes, flour, and sugar I buy in bulk, but I used store prices for those items. By making things from scratch, like pie crust, biscuits, and cranberry sauce, you can save a lot of money. I got canned whipped cream, because whipping cream was sold out. The price is about the same. My menu is looking a little different this year as well. I talked to those who were coming for dinner, and we decided on two pies that we all liked. There’s no sense in baking a bunch of pies that aren’t going to be eaten. Six different side dishes aren’t necessary, so we decided what our favorites were. We grew our own Squash, turnip, and herbs, but I priced them for the dinner cost. This list can be tweaked to your personal liking. I didn’t include beverages, because we already have that stuff on hand. In the end, Thanksgiving dinner for 6 breaks down to $5.27 per person. That is, until I turn leftovers into more meals 😉………Happy Thanksgiving all! I hope this had helped 🙂
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Proof positive it is possible.
That’s also proof I’ll never do it myself, but hey… to each their own.
So however you celebrate Thanksgiving , or even if you don’t… I hope your day is filled with food, friends, family and fun.
Because sometimes you have to suck it up, be embarrassed and buy the tackiest item in the store.
I think I’ve mentioned my husband has an old friend who… how shall we say… has a rather low brow sense of humor. And when we run across lewd, rude and crude items while shopping? He always comes to mind.
So when we spotted this nut cracker on our recent antique excursion, we knew we had to buy it.
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Carved out of wood and shaped like a woman’s legs…
The staircase in the man cave/Barn Mahal has been put into service as an impromptu bulletin board.
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Photos, stickers, and funny cards have begun to surround the magnetic bottle opener.
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The husband has had this one since he was 25 years old. He thought it was funny then…
Now? Not so much.
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That gem was lodged inside an old book he bought at an antique store.
But back to the title of my post.
Does a moose drool?
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Thanks to my blogging friend mistermuse, I can authoritatively say yes…. at least in Missoula Montana where the Big Sky Brewery produced a beer whose label was saved and thoughtfully mailed to yours truly.
It’s the perfect addition to a Maine bar… and I’m sure we will now be the envy of all our friends.
Dropping one more post in the line up today because it’s Halloween… and some of my friends are disturbed clever.
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Creepiest costume award goes to a woman the husband used to work with. She and her wife go all out for the holiday and seeing her dressed as Pennywise will probably give me nightmares for a week.
I hate clowns!
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In keeping with the Stephen King theme, another friend had a party… and the happy couple from the Shining showed up.
Food is always important…
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As is presentation.
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Here’s hoping your Halloween is equally as creepy creative.
After a beer and hard cider filled morning and early afternoon…. and a less than stellar mid afternoon chowder house lunch with margaritas, I thought we were going home. But my husband realized we were driving up on a friend’s town and gave him a call.
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Enter the Bait Shed restaurant and bar in the Pine Point area of Scarborough…
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Where our friend was sitting and thoughtfully holding seats for us… complete with waiting cocktails.
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I’d never been nor even heard of this place, but a better spot to end the day would be hard to find.
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The ocean breeze was cool, the summer tourists were gone. We had good company, potent drinks, hearty laughs and fresh seafood.
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They don’t take themselves too seriously at the Bait Shed….
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Probably because their establishment really was a bait shed in a previous life.
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It’s the type of place Maine locals avoid like the plague during the season and visit frequently once the outta staters have left the state.
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It’s the type of place where you’ll get a dirty look if you order an espresso martini, but I saw a bowl of chowder go by and damned if it wasn’t the real thing.
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Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
River's world..... 