My Sunday morning tradition has been to stop by The Dollar Tree and purchase the Sunday paper. Then I head over to my favorite Mexican restaurant, Maya in North Morro Bay, and order the chicken fajitas, a salad with blue cheese dressing, and a Coke/Sprite mixed soda. I peruse the day's news while I dine and people-watch. However, today I realized that I will have to limit even this simple tradition if I will be able to afford to stay in Morro Bay.
The paper, not surprisingly at the Dollar Tree, costs a dollar (+ tax). Of course, whenever I shop at the Dollar Tree store I always find other items that I just can't live without!! This morning I also purchased a bottle of body wash, a spray bottle, a bottle of Mello Yellow, and a bag of tortilla chips (for my meal leftovers). Add the gas to get to the store and the restaurant, plus $21 for the meal, I can't continue to do this weekly.
As I read my paper today I realized that I recycle most of the paper without even reading it. I used to use the TV Listings, but now I check out the live listings on the Charter site. I read only a couple of the articles in the paper, some of which are listed in the email updates I now get from the SLO Tribune. I found the weekly Dear Abby and the Heloise columns online, as well as the Parade insert. I don't think I would actually seek those out on a daily or weekly basis, but it is nice to know I can find them for free!!
Most of the ads I don't care about, but I found an online ad for Rite-Aid, the only chain store in Morro Bay. If I know I will be working my part-time job on the coming weekend I can check out the K-Mart and Target online ads, because I know I can stop in Atascadero and Paso Robles on my way North. I am on the Staples emailing list, which send out their weekly ads, and I can find them directly online if I need to check out their prices.
I do check out the coupon circulars, but I only cut out 4-5 coupons from each. I found some online sites for the coupon circulars (Redplum and Smart Source) and can go there any time I need some current coupons. The Tightwad Gazette blog helps people find amazing bargains and I will check it out when I need additional coupons for products.
I will miss eating at Maya, though. Their morning crew on Sunday recognizes me as a "regular" and they know what my order is without me even having to tell them!! I also like to support local business when I can. I think the key words here are "when I can". Right now I can't, I have no money!! I want to stay in Morro Bay!! I will miss the great food at Maya. I will even miss the "holy-rollers" who congregate here after services on Sunday, they provide a wonderful people-watching opportunity. However, knowing that I can save almost $25 a week ($100 a month) by not buying my Sunday paper and reading it at the restaurant will make me feel better, and will hopefully go a long way toward allowing me to STAY IN MORRO BAY!!
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