The Sugar Bowl

  Did you ever reach for the sugar bowl only to find it empty?    This morning I reached for mine and there in the very bottom was a few sugar crystals, just enough for my coffee. When I was a little girl during World War 2, sugar was very scarce, in fact even with our war ration stamps, it could be a couple of months before sugar might be available at the store. Most of the sugar came from the islands and transport across the Atlantic was very dangerous.   And so we rarely ever had the priceless sugar that my Mum liked for her tea.

  I was reminded this morning of that when I found those few crystals, I recall being about nine years old, getting up after my mother went to bed so I could surprise her in the morning with the table set.  As young as I was something prompted me to climb up on the counter to reach a cupboard that was high up, for a little girl.  Opening the cupboard there wasn’t anything unusual, a few cups and saucers but that wasn’t good enough for me, I searched to the far end of the cupboard and there is was, A SUGAR BOWL. 

   I held it in my hand and when I lifted the cover I saw it, the rare and priceless sugar.  To express the joy I felt just can’t be properly put into words; happiness filled my young heart. Excitement surged through me as I put the sugar bowl on the table at my mothers place.  Happily I tiptoed back to bed, barely able to get to sleep as I didn’t want to miss my mothers Surprise when she sat down for that very early morning breakfast cup of tea.  Mum was thrilled and said it was the best cup of tea she had tasted in months.  Saccharin tablets just didn’t replace sugar.

  I’m grateful my usually filled to the brim Sugar Bowl was near empty this morning or all those endearing memories of a time long ago might not have flooded over me. – D. Daigle 2010

One of the great things about my job is that each day I get to dip my toe into a new world. With every story I cover, I meet new and often interesting people and for just a few hours, I get to live in their world. This week I spent time with author and blogster Kristen Hagopian. She wrote the book Brilliant Frugal Living. She is a whirlwind. Funny and non-stop with the snappy dialogue. But Kristen’s genius is living frugally. She gave up her $50K job when she had kids, after she and her husband decided to make one paycheck work. Instead of sulking about what she had to give up, Kristen is joyful about each dollar she saves.

The day I spent with her she took me to her secret weapon grocery store, BB’s in Morgantown, PA. BB’s sells overstock and damaged products from the big grocers. It was a delight finding high quality organic and other top quality products for literally next to nothing. But it was even more fun watching Kristen come to life as we stumbled upon organic dark chocolate bars, usually 3 or 4 dollars a piece for 25-cents. She momentarily forgot about our shoot and grabbed the stack. This catch wasn’t going to anyone else.

The same day she snagged a $70 Little Tykes desk for her daughter for $20, thanks to craigslist. The beauty of Kristen’s lifestyle is not just consuming cheaply, it is about using what you have and thinking things through before you spend money. Those things ultimately reduce the quantity and increase the quality, of what she and her family consume. Keep your eye on LiveWellHD.com to fin out when my stories with Kristen will air. In the meantime check out her blog at HTTP://BRILLIANTFRUGALLIVING.WORDPRESS.COM/

I love Dr. Ellen Marmur’s book Simple Skin Beauty. It is my skin care bible. You don’t have to spend a fortune to look your best. When you understand how things work with your skin you will make smarter purchases. Ellen is a skin cancer survivor herself, so she really gets it. You will also meet the brainy and beautiful ladies of Profaces. They make the stuff we put on our faces.