Living Broke in Bean Town

I have already told all of you my finance issues, and they were getting me down, so today I decided to have some fun with it, and see how much I could get with barely any money.

This is what I had on my dresser:



According to my bank account, after rent goes through, I have about $23. That is all I have for two weeks. Pathetic, right?

Lo and behold, the ATM complied, and I got my $20:



Now, I knew Horrible Shaw's had a Coinstar machine, so I went to the one near Porter Square, just one train stop away:



Shaw's is the Neiman's of grocery stores, I swear. If you want to pay $5 for a loaf of bread, or $2.50 for a box of Uncle Ben's, or $5 for 8 slices of cheese, this is your place!

This is what I got for my sack of change:



It is only redeemable at Shaw's, so I knew I was going to have to spend some money there. I scoured the aisles for any good deals, anything I knew I could never get cheaper anywhere else. I ended up finding organic soy milk for $1.50, and some HFCS-free $5 bread for $2. You can't beat that!

I also applied for this handy dandy Shaw's card, though I absolutely loathe places that require cards for deals. I have added it to my Stop and Shop card -- when I win the lottery, I will frequent these stores.



So I bought the bread, the soy milk, and decided to treat myself to Cinnabon rolls, so I got out of there after only spending $10. I got about $2 back off my voucher, which was GREAT, because I found the holy grail next door to Shaw's:



That's right! A hardware store, just as I am completely desperate for bolts for my bed. My bed was falling apart, not secured properly as we lost the bolts in the move. I had been carrying this bolt around in my pocket since the day I arrived, because I just knew I would find a hardware store, and I had to find the right bolt.



And I did! For about $1.63. So I used the $2 I had just gotten back at Shaw's, and now I have a bed that won't break!

They were also having some sort of party there, so I got a free piece of cake! FREE CAKE!

And when I left the hardware store, I saw where I really wish I could have gone!



But alas, no beer for me, not until I find a place that buys plasma.

Now, on the bus ride home, I nearly started crying, because I knew what was coming next. I had $20, and had to get enough food for me and Mogwai to last for two entire weeks. Mogwai's food costs $2 a day, and she has 12 cans left, so if I bought her primo food for the other two days, that would cut my $20 by 1/4. Not going to happen. I had been eating sandwiches, but even that was going to be too expensive, at $5 for a tub of turkey that only makes four sandwiches.

What was left? Where could I go with pennies, and turn them into sustenance for two weeks? I knew what was left.

Fucking Market Basket.


So I sighed a very big sigh, put on my crash helmet and body armor, and went back to the hell that is Market Basket.



I knew I couldn't drive, the parking lot is serious hell. I think fistfights regularly break out here. In every aisle, you see two people with their turn signals on, each vying for the same spot that is about to be vacated. Who is going to win? Pop some popcorn and watch!

When I was inside, the guy on the loudspeaker kept saying, "Look, guy in the Ford F-150, we know it was you who hit the lady in the Focus in the parking lot. Everyone saw you. Please come back outside so we can get this sorted out."

You guys have NO idea how horrible this place is. You know what I saw today? People taking their baskets, putting a few items in them, perhaps 10 items or so, then going to a register. They then park their basket in a register line, as though they are ready to leave, and abandon the basket, and continue shopping, coming back every few minutes to push their buggy up in the line, and add more things to the basket.

What kind of madness is this? Yes, it takes nearly 10 hours to check out, but seriously people? I stood in line behind a chain of SEVEN unmanned buggies.

However, look at the booty I got for just FOURTEEN DOLLARS!



That's right:

Three cans of substandard Pedigree dog food
Seven boxes of cheap ass Market Basket white cheddar macaroni and cheese
Two loaves of bread (one with no HFCS, one with, but hell, it saved me $2)
Some kind of horrible "processed cheese product" (will use in grilled cheese, should be fine)
Ketchup (for the grilled cheese, of course!)
Eight sticks of margarine, which I know is deadly, but it is far cheaper than butter
Organic soy milk
Cinnabon
Frosting for Cinnabon
Smart Balance peanut butter
Polaner's

So I am sorry to Mogwai for feeding you substandard Pedigree food for three days, and I am sorry my own body for my future (temporary!) ingesting of HFCS and really bad horrible enriched flour in the mac and cheese.

These are ALL the cigs I have left for two weeks. If anyone out there is dying to buy me an early Christmas present, a carton of Camel Wide Lights sent to me in the mail would do me WONDERS right now, and I would love you forever, seriously!



And here is a random photo of Mogs being Mogs, just for the hell of it: