I hate to shop so it’s a good thing Bill does it. He always makes a list and uses coupons when he remembers to give them to the cashier, usually he forgets unless I’m there to remind him. He has his favorite store which everyone calls the ghetto Giant because he’s always shopped there and knows his way around. They built a brand new one about 2 miles from our house, but he hates it even though they have a better deli and better selection of meat and seafood and salad bar plus everything the other one doesn’t.

Most of us are creatures of habit and don’t really like change, he’s been working the same job for over forty years, but it’s really stressing him out the past few years and he’s really looking forward to retirement. Last week he told me he was definitely going to retire when he turns 62 in December and I said great, but now he’s afraid we can’t survive on Social Security and his company doesn’t have a retirement package. He makes more in one week than he will draw for the whole month when he retires.

I personally would rather see him unstressed without much money than stressed and sick with money to spend when he feels like it. Which brings me back to shopping, every Sunday he makes his trip to the store and always spends at least 80 dollars and sometimes more which amazes me because there’s not much there when he brings it home plus the bonus card always knocks the prices down and they always have the buy one get one free on certain items plus for every 100 you spend you get money off their gas prices.

Usually we end up getting 50 cents off a gallon and since gas prices have gone back up over two dollars that’s a big savings. Most people are on a budget and so are we, but when he retires it will be even more strict. Bill’s favorite food is a pot of beans, potatoes and greens with corn bread and since we both grew up in the south that was more or less a staple for us poor folks. We were talking about what we would want for our last meal and of course he said beans for myself I will have a 2 inch steak cooked Pittsburgh rare, burnt on the outside and rare in the center.

I usually cook him a pot of pinto beans every week or every other and today is his bean day and he will eat them till he feels miserable. My brother is strange because without me telling him which week or day I’m cooking beans he always shows up on that day because he loves beans just like Bill and I think he must smell them from 10 blocks away it’s uncanny. This morning he called to ask when I’d cut his hair and I told him Thursday so he then asked me what I was doing and I said cooking and of course he wanted to know what, needless to say he’ll be here at 4 to eat.

Since the big talk these days is all about red meat killing you if I’m gonna die anyways then I’ll go after I eat my red meat. Of course when retirement gets here I can see that we will be eating a lot of beans and potatoes which is fine and I’ll probably make a garden and learn to can food. I seldom ever buy new clothes I prefer thrift stores and consignment shops because I’m frugal and besides you can find good clothes for half the price, big deal I’m not too proud I just make sure I wash them good. I’m not that fond of beans, but I’ll survive on anything if Bill is happier. I guess I better start stocking up on Beano.