What I Spent
First, I just want to give a little shoutout to this pear; all of us thought it looked like one you’d see in a painting.
I spent:
- $30 on a Hungry Harvest box
- $17 at Mcdonald’s (on Easter. Ha.)
- $30 at Mod Pizza
- $20 at Aldi
- $16 at Safeway
What We Ate
Saturday
Zoe and I had a girls’ night out and we got Mod Pizza together. 🙂
Sunday
Easter. Gonna be honest, I had a rough day.
I visited a church with a friend, and I knew it was quite a conservative church, with very conservative views on marriage and women. But I thought, “Eh, Easter Sunday should be fine. Marriage isn’t gonna come up.”
I was…wrong.
The pastoral prayer was all about marriage, and the dude that was praying said a bunch of things like, “God, we know your will is to bring healing and restoration to every marriage, no matter how hopeless.”
And I wanted to scream because I now know that some marriages need to be dissolved, and I wish that I had realized this sooner. Messages like this, from the church, are part of what made my marriage go on as long as it did.*
I could tell you a lot about all the feelings this brought up in me and the frustrations with how the whole evangelical system approaches marriage (and maybe I will write about all of that one day), but ugh, I was not feeling too good after that service.
Luckily, the girls had very flexible expectations of Easter anyway and…we ended up getting McDonald’s. Heh.
What? You don’t have a caulk gun riding in your front seat??
(*Do not misunderstand me: I value marriage highly and I don’t think it should be discarded lightly. But at the same time, I do not think every marriage should always be continued, no matter what. I think that’s a harmful, unhelpful message.)
Monday
Zoe was at work and Lisey was out, so I was scrolling through my restaurant apps, taking stock of my birthday-month-perk options. And then I noticed that Noodles and Company had sent me a free entree that didn’t even have anything to do with my birthday.
SWEET.
So, I popped in there and ate a pasta dish by myself, while reading my book club selection.
Tuesday
I made King’s Hawaiian baked sandwiches, using Aldi’s version of the rolls, and I’m happy to say they worked great. Salad on the side.
Wednesday
Unfortunately, when I customized my Hungry Harvest box, I neglected to notice they’d put more potatoes on the list.
OH NO.
And here I had only jussssst gotten through my potato backlog. Sigh.
So I roasted some potatoes, cut up some produce, and bought a rotisserie chicken and that was dinner.
Thursday
The girls were out, so I just scrounged in the fridge; mostly I ate up the rotisserie chicken (topped with some sauce, of course).
Friday
Zoe’s dog-sitting for the weekend, so it’ll just be Lisey and me here for a few nights. Hmmm…maybe we should eat some shrimp (which Zoe is allergic to!)
L
Thursday 20th of April 2023
Rooting for you with zero judgment. No one knows better than you what went on in your own marriage. No one knows better what to do about it.
Kristen
Friday 21st of April 2023
Yes, I am nodding so hard. The person in a dysfunctional marriage is the tippest-toppest expert on exactly what it was like and how sustainable (or not!) it was.
Amy
Thursday 20th of April 2023
Kristen, just wanted to share a quote from Glennon Doyle that meant a lot to me when I was going through a divorce. All marriages are hard, but some should not be saved. I'm happy to say that I've been remarried for 15 years, and my worst days with my husband are better than anything I experienced in my first marriage. I pray the same for you.
"Please know that if there are two paths in front of you--divorce and reconciliation--God is waiting to walk you down either one. The bumps on each path will be different. Each will wind differently. But at the end of each path is redemption. You will never be left alone on either path. Because nothing--not death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation (including divorce) will be able to separate you from the love of God.
If your church is more interested in saving your marriage than your soul, raise your hand and ask questions. God loves you more than any institution on Earth, even marriage, even Christianity.
Jesus did not die for your marriage's redemption. He died for your redemption and the redemption of your partner. Divorced or together, you are already redeemed. It's finished. Claim your peace. Claim your freedom. Do not be afraid. Because no matter how dark it is now, you will rise again. That's the way of the world. That's the message of Easter."
Kristen
Thursday 20th of April 2023
Yes. Marriage is not the most valuable thing on the planet...sometimes the person needs to be rescued from the institution!
I appreciate your encouraging story; I hope for the same thing for me one day.
EngineerMom
Tuesday 18th of April 2023
I'm so sorry for what happened to you on Easter Sunday. That was a really inappropriate topic for Easter!
We've been attending a UCC church near us, and after years of Catholic and non-denominational/evangelical experiences that almost completely drove us out of Christianity entirely (LGBTQ+ *affirming* churches are a requirement for us now, as we have loved ones who are LGBTQ+, and I'm beyond frustrated with the evangelical tendency towards manufacturing "culture wars" that discourage actual dialogue about policies that actively harm women & minorities, silence victims, and erode social structures that help families and teens like public transportation, public health, public school, etc.).
Jamie
Sunday 16th of April 2023
This is my first frugal girl comment! I love your blog and am so glad I found it this past year. Your comment about church made me think..and this morning my church's text fell in Matthew 19. Timing! I listened very carefully and kept your comment in mind (I am in a healthy marriage but just wanted to try to understand what others like you are going through)...I was relieved to hear our pastor uphold Biblical marriage but also explain that though divorce is not to be celebrated it is sometimes necessary. He also emphasized that for those people who were in that place to listen carefully and to understand that there is always grace in the midst. I hope that you can find some encouragment in those words. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYvJrMCSx6U in case anyone else is curious.
Kristen
Sunday 16th of April 2023
So glad to hear that your pastor is promoting a message that reflects the reality of life in this broken world we live in.
Grandma Bev
Sunday 16th of April 2023
Great Pear! Can you scream in church!? I didn't know you could even Talk in church until I was in high school.
Kristen
Sunday 16th of April 2023
Hmm, well, I do think it would be frowned upon. lol That's why I said that I WANTED to scream. Heh.