Fun With Frugality

 Fun With Frugality

Tulip went shopping to one of her secret shops in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia to buy some reduced price but not yet past the due date, milk.

The parking lot was mostly empty at 11 a.m. She walked into the store with a sure feeling of optimism, especially when she saw that the clerk who down-prices the milk had just completed the task. 

Sadly when her eyes scanned the options, it was only the gallon jugs of zero percent marked down to $1.75. Zero percent is like drinking cloudy water and really not worth any amount of hard earned money. 

Then, just as Tulip was about to walk away, her eyes caught something called Almond Milk. It was a two litre carton marked down to $.75. The price alone caused her eyes to pop open very wide and her brain said “how bad can it be?”

She remembers the voice of an atypical friend who is slightly on the left side of mainstream when it comes to eating and drinking. Her decisions are not related to allergies or taste, but just a preference to support other options — healthier options, she would say. 

Tulip, being more of a middle of the spectrum mainstreamer, has never tried almond milk; in fact, it wasn’t too long ago that her reaction would been negative and she would have immediately left the bargain for someone else. 

This time things were different. She picked up the carton, read the nutritional table printed on the side, and realized it can’t possibly be all that bad. She placed it into her basket and went to the cashier feeling quite excited about the possibilities.

Once she got home, she googled “almond milk recipes” and up popped a number of interesting options — plus an article saying it can be an equal replacement for any recipe calling for regular milk. Oatmeal. Pudding. Cappuccino. Loafs. Smoothies. Crêpes. Pancakes. French toast. It was a definite steal of a deal!

First she made a mochachino then crêpes. Later she found her mother’s old Dutch raisin loaf recipe and doubled it. The next day she invited a friend over for morning cappuccinos complemented with applesauce crêpes topped with almond milk foam. She sliced up the loaf, wrapping each into a sealed freezer bag and looked forward to a slice a day until there was no more.

Although Tulip is pretty plain and ordinary when it comes to food and drink, every now and then someone or something nudges her out of her comfort zone, opening up a whole new world of adoptable experiences — it’s amazing what a price tag of $0.75 can do!