mirror ball 16: cheap things

Something I like that is cheap:

Tanya: Wow, this one has had me thinking for days, as my taste tends to be... well let's just say "not so cheap". That being said, I am the ultimate bargain hunter, and was trained at an early age by the best shopper in the world, hands down: my mother! Because of her, I simply cannot buy "retail", and am elated by the thrill of the hunt (a talent that I am working hard at passing on to my two daughters).

I am known to put together a fabulous outfit that due to my savvy shopping skills looks like it cost a fortune but was "such a bargain you should only know" (read in a NY Jewish accent). And, much to my husband's dismay, people usually do know because I am so excited by my shopping victory that when friends compliment my purchase, I will usually say "thanks, and you will not believe what a deal I got, let me tell you!!!" He recently said "Tanya, all you have to say is Thank you", and alas, I have tried, but part of the satisfaction for me is sharing my victory with pride! My good friends understand this. On the several occasions recently that I did just say "thank you" it took all I had in me to stop there... I had to smile painfully, look away or shift the subject and I felt a bit like an addict going through detox. I must say, I am really good at putting things together in a way that nobody would know the bargain from the splurge... be it in my home or on my person. Cheap goodness is everywhere, you just have to know where to look!

Eve: Gum-- the pleasures are numerous
Giant burst of fruity flavor
Sensory goodness for the mouth
Calorie-free diet aid
My ability to crack it loudly is a happy reminder of my lowbrow Queens roots
Guilt-free impulse purchase-- right by the registers, under a buck

Steve: If I could, I'd spend a lot of money on expensive perfume and cologne. But there are also a few drugstore colognes that do it for me, specifically a couple of the Antonio Banderas namesakes. You can get them on sale for 9 dollars if you're lucky. They are a little too sweet and a little too heavy and they smell kindof cheap, but in a good way. Nice.

Valerie : Baking bread is one of those cheap good things one should celebrate often. I learned to bake bread from my Mom when I was fourteen years old, introduced to her secrets and wisdom and rituals like it was some sort of coming-of-age ceremony...

One clear memory of baking a batch of bread sticks with me. Dorm life in 1980 was not terribly inspiring in the food department. While my college was actually known at the time for the decency of its meals, and one could certainly eat the food, there was nothing there which gave one delight at dinnertime.

My new friend Liz and I scraped our pennies together and got the stuff to bake a batch of bread in the dorm kitchen. We had nothing at all so we even had to shop for a bowl (hoping the one we could afford would be big enough) and a wooden spoon in addition to a bread pan. We had no car, so had to walk to town for the nearest baking supplies. Nothing cost that much (except to poor college students); the ingredients and tools are very basic, but the whole exercise felt like a very big deal, a joint investment in effort and in friendship, sharing tools we purchased with hard-won cash. Back with the goods, we delved into that delightful, most humble of human activities and set a batch of dough to rise. We drew crowds with the amazing fragrance of baking bread that day. The satisfaction was euphoric and our friendship was truly cemented that day! I kept the bowl for years and believe I still have the spoon...

ghostwriter: The bus -- incomparable for people watching. Take the headphones off or you'll miss the toothless guy belting out a "romantic" tune to all the ladies who squeeze past his seat. Watch as he stops for a wheezy breath in between verses and gulps from his hidden bottle of Listerine.

The Target clothing sales racks -- where all the returned, pre-worn stuff ends up. Don't touch the underwear, because you know where it's been. The sales racks are often full of drab or ugly crap, but on rare occasions you'll find a decent shirt for cheaper than Goodwill prices.

The library -- more at-home entertainment choices from one source than you'll find anywhere else. Long waits for popular stuff, but you can save a lot if you can be patient.

Manuel: Every now and then, in a garage or estate sale, I'd find an old photograph -- or even a box of them.
The irony is that when you love something, then it can't be cheap :)

Jen: Tuna noodle!

One box (or bag) egg noodles, one can tuna, one can condensed cream of mushroom soup. Feeds one family for one dinner. No need to plop into a casserole dish and crumble saltines on the top -- it's great right out of the pot!

This was dinner, in my youth, about once a month. We didn't have much money, so dinners that cost only a couple of dollars were pretty common. None of them could compete, of course, with the creamy, salty, slippery goodness of tuna noodle.

I still make this on cold winter days when I just need a li'l comfort.

Garris: I know that this is definitely NOT cheap entertainment, except that for me it only costs $5 per game. I LOVE....LOVE....LOVE...(did I say love) going to the Nashville Predators hockey games. I go to as many home games as I possibly can and the reason it is so cheap is that the company I work for produces their annual fundraising gala event....so the tickets are FREE....all I pay for is parking....five teeny tiny dollars for a hell of a great time. Who would have thunk it?