Hi, JessD.

Something about Cindy; she is a master impromptu cook. Give her a plan, and she’ll give you good food, no complaints. Steal her plan away and she’ll give you amazing food. Not that I’ve ever stolen, or even been tempted to steal her meal plan. Nope, not me.

I think it’s because she’s thinking harder during the cooking about the cooking, ya know? It’s not rote, formulaic, thoughtless drivel (like say a Marvel Comics movie), but art being created. Cooking is for her what art is for any artist; it’s a way to transform certain negative energies into positive energies. No matter how much time and effort it costs her, she’s always happiest on a baking day. And for a third trimester momma w/ 3 little uns to spend her day teaching, cleaning, and still find time to bake, that’s no small amount of either.

So why does couponing make a difference, you ask? Glad you asked that question! Cause couponing drives you toward buying (drumroll)… CRAP!

There, I said it! Go on, ladies, throw those Little Debbie pies, I durst you! /me ducks.

The best coupons aren’t for veggies, flour, meats, cheese. They are for boxed dinners that you probably don’t want to be eating, and certainly not for the raw materials with which my darling creates. They are for Mac ‘n Cheese, and that’s ok sometimes, but you aren’t really being frugal if you don’t take full advantage and buy two hundred boxes. And Condiments? Let’s not go into the fact that our children will inherit from us, at a minimum, all the soap and flavored syrups they will ever need, which is sad, because having these things on hand makes the cook less likely to dabble in making her own. Sauces, not soap.

Now, for some of you, none of this is a bad thing. Cooking may not be the catharsis for you that it is for her, or you may not have the kind of time it takes to cook from scratch. She doesn’t either, but I digress. In any case, I’m happy to be here at Coupon-anon, and I brought some home made bread. Of course, I didn’t bake it…