By the time I resigned from teaching full time at the end of March 2014, I still had stars in my eyes. I’d dutifully paid off all debt, saved up six months’ worth of money and had big dreams of launching my freelance writing/editing career. Although I’d landed a couple of lucrative writing/editing contracts, there was always some delay in receiving payment, which turned out to be par for the course.
I analyzed what to do more efficiently with invoicing. I became more proactive when searching for more work before one contract ended. Yet those lucrative writing/editing contract jobs trickled by.
My reality check came when my dependable freelance work ended the first week in December 2014. There were some minor-issue payment delays. By then, I had started looking into part-time teaching jobs and entered the new year with three interviews lined up.
After the first two interviews, I landed the job I’d wanted the most out of the three, teaching adult basic education in the evenings. Although I knew I’d have no social life, I figured since I’d nearly flatlined financially, I’d save money from teaching in the evenings Monday through Thursday.
Call me optimistic, but much later than I should have, I stopped throwing away all those valuable coupon-containing “junk” mail. I hadn’t needed to maintain a strict budget since my early days of teaching and grad school debt. Even though I watched my savings slowly deplete, I kept telling myself that since I wasn’t extravagant with my money and had some income, I’d be OK. The first week I sorted through that “junk” mail to retrieve valuable coupons, I saved nearly $20! I could’ve kicked myself for not doing this months earlier.
I also changed my cooking habit. I’ve always known that eating at home was more economical than dining out, but I was still under the illusion that I could go through my recipe books, choose a recipe for the week, and write out the needed groceries to make it. While that scheme had served me well in the past, being chronically underemployed did not cater to such middle class luxuries.
The best strategy to use when so dependent on coupons is to build a meal around the available coupons. No matter if the best deal is a 16 oz can of flavored beans, EVERYTHING will taste delicious when fresh, sautéed vegetables and freshly ground spices are added.
I used to boast about being a “guerrilla cook” when I lived in developing countries, then a “blender chef” when I discovered how time-saving using a blender to make dry spice powders and pastes as a base for a meal. Now, I’m the “coupon culinary artist.” The challenge is to save the most money through buying and cooking meals based on the available coupons, bulk items, fresh produce and spices, and my cooking creativity.
My delicious coupon meals remind me with every savory bite I’m not a poor starving artist.