This post brought to you by budgetary constraints

As many of you know, The Rev. and I are on a budget. We actually went out today and LOOKED at items for sale, but did not purchase any of them, and then we realized we needed to buy laundry soap, and we took great pleasure in buying said product.

It hasn't been as difficult as I thought, given that we both have closets full of clothes (and nothing to wear), a pantry of food (and nothing to eat), and a bookshelf full of books and movies (and nothing to do). I know that I will be scraping the bottom of the budgetary barrel when I begin to clean my house for lack of entertainment. I didn't say I was having FUN on the budget, it is just that there are days when I feel like a buffet of spending delights are passing beneath my nose, and my hands are tied behind my back, so I can't reach for my debit card.

I did cook a complete, nutritious meal tonight with ingredients I had on hand, mind you, and The Rev. nearly licked his plate with delight. Lemon chicken and rice with spinach, just so you are in the know. If you would like the recipes, I would be happy to share them with you, but I do not want to post them here as budgetary restraints prevent me from paying a royalty to the author of the cookbook from which I culled the chicken recipe. If you have a chicken and some lemons, along with a decent spice collection, you can pull this recipe off when you don't feel like going to the grocery store or if you are like me and you spent the last $8.00 of your grocery budget on milk and distilled water. Actually, those items were $6.48, and then we went to our natural food store and bought a 1 1/2 pounds of popcorn for $1.07. I actually counted out 7 pennies to the clerk and I did not feel an ounce of embarrasment. Paying with cash has such power.