My New Shirt

Today was  the first real time I was just ready to be done with this project!

AGHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Today I bought my first shirt that was new. 

       It is a lovely shirt.

              It is functional. 

                  It matches every one of my outfits. 

             It is comfortable. 

       It is a boring.

                                                       

  It is a white t-shirt that I need for a Highland dance show.

What made me want to quit is that….

       It was on a 30% off clearance rack,

             Hanging next to its neighbor,

                                A beautiful violet dress

                                                That would be perfect to wear to work

                                                That would be great to Preach in

                                                That calls my name, saying “Katie… I was made for you!”

                                This violet dress is 50% off and a great price.

                It hugs a beautiful teal blouse.

                                This blouse is washable

                                                It matches all my suits.

                                                               It is 75% off and less then $10!

Why – when all the stores are getting rid of their summer clothes,

                Clothes that I needed all summer,

                Clothes that would have made my life easier,

                Clothes that finally I can afford

Why am I following this silly rationing – of one new shirt, one new pair of pants, one new dress.

I waited all year to buy my new shirt.

                I didn’t want to waste my one purchase,

                I wanted to make my purchase count

                I scoured racks of clothes at the thrift store so I could buy a shirt when I really needed it…

And now I have my new shirt

                My, no one has worn it but me, shirt

                Hurry my new shirt

                My white tee shirt

                                               I am tired of being rational.

Butter, Butter, Butter…… BUTTER!

When I started this year, I knew that butter was highly rationed.  From what I have been following… butter costs 16 points per pound (that is most of my meat/ dairy rations for the whole week).  So at the beginning of this experiment, I bought my pound of butter and got ready to sssttttrrrreeeeeeccchhh.

To preserve my stretched butter – I only kept one stick of butter in the fridge, and the rest stayed in the freezer.  I did not know how I would do in keeping butter.

Much to my surprise… I finally used up the last of my pound of butter this week when I made a peach pie to share with my workplace.  I cannot believe my pound of butter lasted almost a full year.

How can this be?

Well I will state- in my regular life… I was not a big butter eater.  I liked butter on hot toast or beagles and often I fried my eggs in butter.  I use butter in making sweet breads and other baking… but that is it.

As I started this project – I knew butter was special and I tended to only use it on very special occasions.  I served it when guests came over, and used a full quarter of my supply to make an English breakfast, complete with scones and lemon curd, for a work party.  I rarely used butter for my food (except squash – nothing tastes better then butter on fresh baked squash).

I did discover… I use oil and Crisco in everything else.  Oil and Crisco were rationed, but they only cost 5 points per pound/ quart.  Most baking, a person can cut the oil in half anyways and it still tastes great.  When stretching meat… most of what I at were hot dishes made of a mixture of vegetables and meat.  Rarely did I add any oil or such.  Even this Christmas, I did not have time to make butter Christmas cookies because I was sewing a wedding dress for my sister-in-law.  So no butter used.

After all this… I was shocked to realize that I had grabbed a handful of butter packets when I was at a restaurant.  I had 4 containers of butter… and I used every single one on one piece of bread!  I never eat butter on my bread unless it is toasted.  But no, I realized that I missed eating butter.  Ohhhh…. It tasted sooooo gooood!  I did not realize how much I missed butter – how wonder it tastes.  The subtle sweet cream and the slightly salty that blends so well with the taste of bread.  I have to say that after not eating butter for most of the year –I LOVE BUTTER and I have MISSED BUTTER! 

I would not have known this if I had not given it up for so long.