I am a bargainista extraordinaire, but I gave up couponing and have never looked back.

Part of the problem was that I would forget I had coupons in the first place. And then I'd buy something without the coupon and all my time cutting the damn things was for naught. But, I really rarely buy things that have coupons anymore. I sort of shop the perimeter of my grocery store (produce, meat, bakery) and leave the center aisles (processed food) unwalked. Not bothering with coupon sections is freeing...and makes it less likely that I will buy some stupid treat just because I have a coupon. Not couponing may actually be saving me money. So there.

Going "not new" means exploring creative pairing.

Nothing I hate more than losing an earring or glove. I've done both this year. But, my "not new" attitude lead me to a creative solution. Who said gloves or earrings or socks or whatever...have to match? I lost the cardinal earring and had the birdhouse earring hanging around from years ago (I never give up hope of finding the match). So, now, it's a pair. Less waste. More use. And they are fun to wear.

Though, this also points to a time when it is smarter to go with "new." I lost the cardinal earring because I took an earring back off another earring to replace a lost one. The back wasn't tight enough and I lost the earring. I may buy new, tight earring backers to prevent future losses. Worth the investment.

And now for something completely different: purple carrots

Cooked the last veggie from my garden that was still in its original state (have a bit of homegrown stuff in various soups in the freezer, but this was still in its carrot form until today). It is a purple carrot, but orange on the inside. This year, I hope to grow a variety that is purple inside and out. From what I've read, orange carrots became popular for some political celebration in Europe, but before being bred for that purpose, most carrots were not orange and the not-orange carrots tend to be more nutritious. Haven't done a side-by-side taste test, but these taste the same, if not better.

Homegrown veggies allow me to have some "not new" food...as in, I didn't buy it new (though, in this case, the seeds were new). Plus, you get the freshest, healthiest veggies and they never have to take up room in the fridge. I had a couple exceptionally huge carrots from this batch, but most were normal carrot size. I scrubbed this really good so I didn't have to peel it since they say most of the nutrition is in the skin. (If I were eating it raw, I'd peel it, I'm not that brave a pioneer woman.) This went into chicken vegetable soup. You can see it sauteeing in the skillet...I like to sautee my soup veggies. The offspring ate three bowls, so I can feel I did my motherly duty in getting some veggies into him.

Soup is a really economical dish. I used to be even more economical, buying a whole chicken and cutting it up, but in my "old age," I've taken to buying rotisserie chicken, then saving the leftovers for soup (three chickens for three days' dinners gives me plenty for making stock and having a meaty chicken soup). Since it's getting close to Spring (in theory, at least) and this carrot was just starting to send up shoots, I cut off the top to try to regrow carrot(s) from it. Don't know if it will work, but that will be the ultimate "not new."