Live like a Princess on a Pauper’s Budget!, Phase one, day one

What a lovely day to begin living like a prince or princess when you only have a pauper’s budget, (or something in between.) So. . .how does a princess live? I asked my friend Tevia who sees our current world conditions as something similar to a fiddler on the roof. . .in a lightening storm. . .in an aluminum foil suit. . .wearing slick bottom dress shoes. . .while trying to dance and accompany herself/himself in The Nutcracker. His deeply insightful answers encompass almost every aspect of life and even dive deep into the meaning of being a son or daughter of our Heavenly King.

But out of small and simple things cometh that which is great, so we must start in our quest for the good life somewhere. If you trust me in the beginning, you’ll see great results sooner. You’ll be healthier, happier and have more time and money for your highest priorities. 

Tevia’s first idea of the princely life is that he wouldn’t have to work hard. Now, he was a Ukrainian milkman who harnessed his wooden cart to himself when his horse was lamed. He would consider hard work to be something more intense than what most of us do, but even so, our first consideration is to work less with better results. Consequently I never bother with couponing. It’s fine as a hobby, but it is so time consuming that it isn’t often part of a Princess’s life. (If you find a coupon for something you already buy or need in the paper, tear it out and put it in the same place you keep your method of payment. If you write checks, put it in the checkbook. If you use a debit card, put it in your wallet with the debit card.)

Phase One: Save half the time you ordinarily spend in a grocery store per month. Each phase will have a start cost but you’ll make that back very quickly in each case.

Action: Make a shopping list with these items on it:

4 boxes baking soda

4 cans baking powder

4 round boxes of salt

4 4-5 pound bags of sugar

40 pounds total of flour

4 large size containers of quick oats

4 dozen eggs

4 twelve ounce packs of chocolate chips

4 fifteen oz packs of raisins (if you like raisins)

1 pound of walnuts (if you like walnuts)

4 large cans of pumpkin puree

4 large boxes of powdered milk

1 gallon container of canola oil or equivalent amount in smaller containers. (Canola is the best nutritional buy)

Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla (imitation is fine, and you can buy it for less in the Mexican part of many grocery stores. Double the quantity for half the price. . .at least as good as the spice aisle stuff)

10 pounds of bananas.

1 can of cocoa powder
1 cans non-stick spray

Be sure you have at least one twelve cup muffin pan for every two people in your household.

This may look like a food storage list, but these are ingredients for delicious muffins, pancakes, waffles milkshakes. By keeping stocked up on these ingredients you never have to make emergency trips to the store. You may enjoy to toy with the recipes I’ll give you and I’ll often make suggestions to enhance the nutrition in recipes, but this basic stuff rarely goes on sale, has a long shelf life, (bananas go in the freezer) so you can buy it all right away and be well on your way to living like royalty.

Done? Now call the friend or family member you’ve been thinking of calling for a week.

Tomorrow: Quick, delicious, nutritious, inexpensive recipes to replace cold cereal and expensive afternoon snacks.