Being Practical

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Some days are all about just getting things done and being practical.

Let me count the ways…

Being Practical #1: Grocery shopping and stocking up on some produce for the weekend

Various produce on countertop

Being Practical #2: Grapes were on sale for $1.99/pound.  Sure beats the $3.99/pound they were earlier in the week when I had picked up a bunch only to realize at checkout they were going to be $9.76.  So I told the cashier to forget about those, but she said they’re going on sale tomorrow.  So on Friday, I scored on cheap grapes.  That’s practical.

Bag of grapes

Being Practical #3.  Red-tape sale bananas.  29 cents/pound.   I have no idea what was “wrong” with these but I am all about sale and reduced-price fruit.

Bunch of bananas

Being Practical #4: Stocking up on sale pears

Pears

Being Practical #6: Replenishing my  eat-one-a-day tomato habit stash

Vine ripened tomatoes

Being Practical #7:  Eating this big green salad with Vegan Slaw Dressing

Green salad with Vegan Slaw DressingJar of Vegan Slaw Dressing

And adding Mango Ginger Maple Tofu to it

Mango Ginger Maple Tofu stacked in container
Close up of Mango Ginger Maple Tofu in container
Being Practical #8: Bundling up your child in a winter coat and Ugg boots when it’s “freezing” out in the “winter”.  i.e. 58F and windy.  Head to toe pink is optional.
Young girl bundled up in pink jacket and boots
Being Practical #9: Reorganizing your pantry and finding an 18 Rabbits bar you forgot about.
18 Rabbits Funky Figs and Cherries granola bar

I think my 5 Minute No Bake Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies taste just as good and are a fraction of the price. 

That’s being practical. Use dried cherries rather than raisins if you want to keep things really mimic an 18 Rabbits bar.

No Bake Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Close up of No Bake Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Being Practical #10:  Stopping to smell the roses in February.  And enjoying time outside.  And having the good sense to Streamline my Workouts months ago so I am spending more time outside or with my family or doing things other than working out.  It’s nice and all, but ya know.  I am a practical girl.
Pink flowers
 
From my last Challenge Post: TV Shows, it was great to hear what your favorite shows are and many of them were on my list.  Shows I never watch are 30 Rock, The Office, Glee, and the entire NBC lineup that was frequently mentioned.   Good to know there are lots of Bravo TV fans, too!
 
And thanks for telling me what Challenge you’d like to see me write about next.
 
It would be practical for you to make these this weekend.  They only take 3 minutes.
Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter & Oat Snack Bars
Close up of one Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter & Oat Snack Bar
Questions:
1. What’s in store for you this weekend?
I am working, being with the family, not watching the Superbowl, and hopefully watching some mindless tv.

 

2. Do you consider yourself a Practical Person?

In many ways, I am extremely practical.
 
I am practical because:
I like to save money and I am budget conscious.  (This post was a good example of how I save money on my grocery budget)
 
In life in general, I plan ahead, I take time to ensure things are planned out for the future and that I am not flying by the seat of my pants on important life matters.
 
In general, I think my common sense and judgment is good and it helps me be, well, practical.
 
But I am a dichotomy and in other ways, I throw practicality to the wind!

 

3. What do you do that’s Practical, even though it may be more fun to be…not practical?

It would be more fun/easier/tastier to eat a whole bunch of gluten.  For a minute. And then I would feel like crap.  So it’s more practical to keep gluten out of my life.
 
It would be easier to blow off work and let my credit card debt linger.  But I am making progress on it.
 
It would be more fun to go to my house in Aruba for another monthBut I need to stay here and work.
Woman and child sitting on couch smiling
Beach in Aruba with people and boats in water

Are you Practical?  In what ways?  Or what ways do you break the rules and buck being practical?  Trust me, life is a balance of doing that, too!  Sometimes I throw practical-ness to the wind and say…screw it and live in the moment!

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Comments

    1. every time I tongue-in-cheek post about our weather here, I know ppl don’t fully “get” my little jokes…but glad to know you were a coat too! :)

  1. I’m all for those red taped bananas! Some times I end up buying them all out just to stock up- I go through those thing QUICK

  2. I think I’m pretty practical — I like to find deals, keep myself occupied, get things done, etc. I don’t like to leave lots of unfinished projects laying around, and I find myself pretty responsible (which is what practical means to me!)

    Sale produce? Yes please. Grapes were 1.99 here too, I love it!

    I would love to just blow off work each day and do what I want, but that wouldn’t be practical :)

  3. ooooooh my gosh I love Skylar’s pink winter gear!
    This weekend…homework+teaching. I remember I used to have a life.
    Practicality, I don’t go out to eat or order out (unless my dad or my boyfriend take me), I prefer to stay in and cook for my friends. I don’t go out on Saturday nights anymore because I teach on Sunday AMs and while I used to be down with Sunday morning hungover Pilates, maybe I’m just a litttttle too old to do that anymore, I don’t do well with hangovers like I used to. Also I just added a new one…when I go grocery shopping it takes me sooo (literally spands over days) long because I have to go to like four different stores to get everything I need. I’m now trying out FreshDirect, which is a grocery delivery system here, and I have 30$ of produce and a few dry gods on its way to me tonight … I think at this point paying $5 for the convenience of not having to run all over the place for what I need is really not too much, at least once in a while.

    1. convenience of $5 to save 4 stores…YES!!

      and yoga/pilates while nursing a hangover is so 1999 :) Glad you are over that one too! lol

  4. I’d like to think I’m pretty practical about most things. I know what needs to get done, and even though I might not want to, I try to just do it. I’m practical about things like the way I dress (especially in winter), going out (never if I have too much work), and sleep (#1 priority most of the time)! And food, of course! It would be yummy to eat icing and chocolate for every meal, but that probably wouldn’t be practical later in life when I have a million problems with my health.

    I will happily trade 58 for the 20s if you all want a taste of winter!

  5. I think it’s great you’ve stream lined your workouts:D Some people spend sooo much of their day in the gym – up to three hours! This is excessive.
    My husband would probably say I’m not practical. I can be very impulsive and sometimes “doable” is interchanged for “practical” for me ;)

  6. It’s funny how our bodies acclimate to different climates. I’m sure you understand from growing up in a northern climate, that around here people start wearing shorts when the temperature hits 58! I say that from 16 degrees and snow-covered northernmost Ohio (the Michigan state line is at the end of my street).

    I’m hopefully going thrift shopping with my girls today, and a trip to Trader Joe’s later. Tomorrow is all football all the time. I’m not a huge fan, but Brent and two of our kids love it so we’re heading to my brother and SILs super bowl party. I’ll be in the kitchen making food and probably playing with the kids while the game is on. I also have to work at some point.

    Practical? Sometimes. I’d love to shop and shop and shop, but I’m committed to paying off all of our debt so other than some thrift store goodness, the shopping isn’t going to happen.

    1. Yes people from MN or Canada or most cold climates wear shorts if it’s above freezing! lol

  7. Rob is on his three-day weekend, so yesterday we played beauty salon: I cut his hair and he dyed mine. We do this about every 6 weeks. Can’t get much more practical than that; no money is exchanged, barter only! (wink, wink.)

    Today is Saturday morning basketball, then I have a whole list of things to pick from for the rest of the day: Cooking, reading, grocery shopping, etc. Tomorrow I work; I don’t give a darn about the Superbowl.

  8. I love being practical and scoring cheap produce! Grapes are on sale at my store for 99 cents a lb this week!!!

  9. I’m definitely practical but I think its because I like simplicity. Love the pink outfit. Stylin and totally practical for that weather. I wear a jacket in 70F weather, haha.

    1. every time I post about our weather here, I know ppl don’t fully “get” my little jokes…but glad to know you were a coat too! :)

  10. How wonderful that you get to choose between SD and Aruba as your place to reside! I think I am going to try your microwave oat bars this weekend. Have a good one!