Cheap Dates

I’ve always been a cheap date. In fact, expensive dates make me really nervous. If my hubby takes me out for steak, I don’t want to dollar cost average each tiny bite. Kind of sucks the fun right out of a rib-eye, doesn’t it?

Sure, ambiance is nice, and there are restaurants in Kansas City with plenty of it and price tags to match. I’ve been in quite a few of them—once. To me, they’re like limousines. You’re only meant to experience them once in a lifetime and if you do it more often than that, you dilute the effect.

So, while Doug and I have always prided ourselves on our cheap dates, we’ve lowered the ante. Exactly how cheap have we gotten?

These days, we’re pretty much insisting that the date pays us. For example, we received notice in the mail of a new Caribou Coffee joint going in not far from us. The first 100 people through the doors at the Grand Opening were promised coupons for free drinks.

We made sure we were in that 100, folks. We got free coffee on the spot, 5 oz. of ground decaf to brew at home, gourmet cookies, two Caribou t-shirts, and two gift cards for $4 each. We had the pleasure of an outing which cost us zero, zip, nada, plus we scored some goodies. Yesterday, we popped in to use one of our gift cards. Since we ordered decaf, they gave us another free bag of ground decaf for our home stash!

You’re probably admiring us right about now. You’re probably thinking you should even model your (most likely expensive) dating life after us. I don’t blame you one bit.

But before you attempt to keep down with the Raymonds, I’ll go ahead and confess where we went for free on Saturday morning.

The University of Kansas Medical Center was sponsoring—for FREE!—a Community Preparedness Bird Flu Conference! Free breakfast, people! All the free coffee we could drink! Free coffee mugs with the KU logo to add to our collection of coffee mugs we end up giving to the thrift store!

And laughing out loud at our exorbitant cheapness all the way home? Priceless.

Posted by Katy on 08/24/06 at 08:17 AM

Fallible Comments...

Katy--Something about the way you're being thrifty commands more respect than my in-laws' method: the only ketchup, mustard, sugar, Equal or Sweet-n-Low, and napkins that ever enter their home are filched from whatever restaurants are lucky enough to experience their "patronage." Kudos to you for maintaining some elegance in your thriftiness.

Have you read The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls? She had some THRIFTY parents--and it's a good read. You could probably read it in five or six trips to Borders, where you can enjoy the coffee aroma at no cost. ;)
Posted by jen alves on 08/24/06 at 11:19 AM
Decaf?

What's the sense in that? :)

-M
Posted by Michael Main on 08/24/06 at 01:18 PM
Just wanted to say I love the pictures of you in your sidebar!
Posted by Carrie K. on 08/24/06 at 01:31 PM
Jen--I used to end up with napkins, taco sauce, plastic forks, etc. but that was when we actually ate fast food!! :) And we didn't take extra--just what we thought we'd use.
You are the second person to recommend The Glass Castle--now I must get a copy!

M#1--It was 4 in the afternoon. If D. has reg that late in the day, I have to haul him in to the ER around midnight or so, because his delicate heart won't stop racing. No kidding. He's a caffeine wimp.

Carrie K--Aw...thank you! After nearly six years, I figured why not?
Posted by Katy on 08/24/06 at 04:02 PM
I just can't make myself sit through any conference. We went to a parents-to-be conference and Lindsay and I got up after they told us the "free 100 dollar gift" was in coupon savings. Grr....

You can follow our pregnancy at pregnantbelly.blogspot.com.
Posted by Daniel King on 08/26/06 at 11:32 AM
I'll add my vote that those are great pics on the sidebar. No Starbucks in that mug, I can safely assume. ;)
Posted by Ginger on 08/26/06 at 10:28 PM
looking closer...it looks like good, free AIR in that mug!

(btw, i like the pics, too, katy)
Posted by lisa on 09/06/06 at 09:10 PM
Daniel--You are right about conferences. Most of them are not worth sitting through, even for the freebies. BORING!!! If I were a pro speaker, I tell you, I would make my presentations ENTERTAINING, no matter how intrinsically dull the subject matter. Life's too short to spend it snoring!!!! Now, I'm going to go follow your pregnancy!

Ginger--Lisa caught me! I do believe the cup was EMPTY--a travesty by anyone's standards. Doug took the pics for the Kansas City Star, who needed a couple for an article about area bloggers. It was a quickie job, and at the last minute I thought a coffee mug would make a fun prop, but I didn't take the time to brew a pot!!!!

Lisa--You are brilliant. I did not even remember the emptiness of the cup until you pointed it out..... I miss you being nearby in Kansas, but you are much closer to my son in Switzerland, so that's a comfort. :)
Posted by Katy on 09/07/06 at 12:36 PM
katy, i don't know about brilliant..howabout hyperanalytically observant? as for your Kev..glad you feel better knowing a fellow blogger is close (ok, not really, but having made it to being perched on the edge of the country, what's a little old ocean?)
Posted by lisa on 09/10/06 at 12:29 PM
hahah so funny :) my ex always asks me where i want to eat for our dates, and i never ask for anything expensive, so we always end up eating at cheap places or at home, but deep down, i really wish he'd just invite me to something nice without me asking... :P
Posted by jane on 09/14/06 at 11:15 AM
I can't believe it!!! I was so excited to find Caribou here in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and NOW they open a Caribou in KC? NOW after we moved away????? That's just WRONG. Sad and wrong. (We moved from Warrensburg, MO to North Dakota this summer, by the way)
Posted by Pattie on 09/28/06 at 12:55 PM
Very impressed with your style
Posted by Ed Greenhaw on 10/27/06 at 10:26 PM

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Personal blog of christian writer & fallible mom Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri Katy is represented by Greg Johnson at WordServe Literary Read more Katy at LateBoomer.net Follow Katy on Twitter Follow Katy on Facebook 123 Recent Posts Try Becoming Brenda Starr Off Beat Scattered That’s It So I’ve Finally Signed With An Agent. Now What? The Spoon Sciatica Sweetheart A Woman’s Train of Thought Has No Caboose However much we own, we are all still living on borrowed time After all, when restaurants shrink portions, they don’t shrink prices. As with everything in life, balance is key. Slow down, you move too fast… Yeah, I know. I have issues. Search Advanced Search Syndicate Login E me at katy @ ngenius.com	Cheap Dates I’ve always been a cheap date. In fact, expensive dates make me really nervous. If my hubby takes me out for steak, I don’t want to dollar cost average each tiny bite. Kind of sucks the fun right out of a rib-eye, doesn’t it? Sure, ambiance is nice, and there are restaurants in Kansas City with plenty of it and price tags to match. I’ve been in quite a few of them—once. To me, they’re like limousines. You’re only meant to experience them once in a lifetime and if you do it more often than that, you dilute the effect. So, while Doug and I have always prided ourselves on our cheap dates, we’ve lowered the ante. Exactly how cheap have we gotten? These days, we’re pretty much insisting that the date pays us. For example, we received notice in the mail of a new Caribou Coffee joint going in not far from us. The first 100 people through the doors at the Grand Opening were promised coupons for free drinks. We made sure we were in that 100, folks. We got free coffee on the spot, 5 oz. of ground decaf to brew at home, gourmet cookies, two Caribou t-shirts, and two gift cards for $4 each. We had the pleasure of an outing which cost us zero, zip, nada, plus we scored some goodies. Yesterday, we popped in to use one of our gift cards. Since we ordered decaf, they gave us another free bag of ground decaf for our home stash! You’re probably admiring us right about now. You’re probably thinking you should even model your (most likely expensive) dating life after us. I don’t blame you one bit. But before you attempt to keep down with the Raymonds, I’ll go ahead and confess where we went for free on Saturday morning. The University of Kansas Medical Center was sponsoring—for FREE!—a Community Preparedness Bird Flu Conference! Free breakfast, people! All the free coffee we could drink! Free coffee mugs with the KU logo to add to our collection of coffee mugs we end up giving to the thrift store! And laughing out loud at our exorbitant cheapness all the way home? Priceless. Posted by Katy on 08/24/06 at 08:17 AM Fallible Comments... Katy--Something about the way you're being thrifty commands more respect than my in-laws' method: the only ketchup, mustard, sugar, Equal or Sweet-n-Low, and napkins that ever enter their home are filched from whatever restaurants are lucky enough to experience their "patronage." Kudos to you for maintaining some elegance in your thriftiness. Have you read The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls? She had some THRIFTY parents--and it's a good read. You could probably read it in five or six trips to Borders, where you can enjoy the coffee aroma at no cost. ;) Posted by jen alves on 08/24/06 at 11:19 AM Decaf? What's the sense in that? :) -M Posted by Michael Main on 08/24/06 at 01:18 PM Just wanted to say I love the pictures of you in your sidebar! Posted by Carrie K. on 08/24/06 at 01:31 PM Jen--I used to end up with napkins, taco sauce, plastic forks, etc. but that was when we actually ate fast food!! :) And we didn't take extra--just what we thought we'd use. You are the second person to recommend The Glass Castle--now I must get a copy! M#1--It was 4 in the afternoon. If D. has reg that late in the day, I have to haul him in to the ER around midnight or so, because his delicate heart won't stop racing. No kidding. He's a caffeine wimp. Carrie K--Aw...thank you! After nearly six years, I figured why not? Posted by Katy on 08/24/06 at 04:02 PM I just can't make myself sit through any conference. We went to a parents-to-be conference and Lindsay and I got up after they told us the "free 100 dollar gift" was in coupon savings. Grr.... You can follow our pregnancy at pregnantbelly.blogspot.com. Posted by Daniel King on 08/26/06 at 11:32 AM I'll add my vote that those are great pics on the sidebar. No Starbucks in that mug, I can safely assume. ;) Posted by Ginger on 08/26/06 at 10:28 PM looking closer...it looks like good, free AIR in that mug! (btw, i like the pics, too, katy) Posted by lisa on 09/06/06 at 09:10 PM Daniel--You are right about conferences. Most of them are not worth sitting through, even for the freebies. BORING!!! If I were a pro speaker, I tell you, I would make my presentations ENTERTAINING, no matter how intrinsically dull the subject matter. Life's too short to spend it snoring!!!! Now, I'm going to go follow your pregnancy! Ginger--Lisa caught me! I do believe the cup was EMPTY--a travesty by anyone's standards. Doug took the pics for the Kansas City Star, who needed a couple for an article about area bloggers. It was a quickie job, and at the last minute I thought a coffee mug would make a fun prop, but I didn't take the time to brew a pot!!!! Lisa--You are brilliant. I did not even remember the emptiness of the cup until you pointed it out..... I miss you being nearby in Kansas, but you are much closer to my son in Switzerland, so that's a comfort. :) Posted by Katy on 09/07/06 at 12:36 PM katy, i don't know about brilliant..howabout hyperanalytically observant? as for your Kev..glad you feel better knowing a fellow blogger is close (ok, not really, but having made it to being perched on the edge of the country, what's a little old ocean?) Posted by lisa on 09/10/06 at 12:29 PM hahah so funny :) my ex always asks me where i want to eat for our dates, and i never ask for anything expensive, so we always end up eating at cheap places or at home, but deep down, i really wish he'd just invite me to something nice without me asking... :P Posted by jane on 09/14/06 at 11:15 AM I can't believe it!!! I was so excited to find Caribou here in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and NOW they open a Caribou in KC? NOW after we moved away????? That's just WRONG. Sad and wrong. (We moved from Warrensburg, MO to North Dakota this summer, by the way) Posted by Pattie on 09/28/06 at 12:55 PM Very impressed with your style Posted by Ed Greenhaw on 10/27/06 at 10:26 PM Page 1 of 1 pages Commenting is not available in this weblog entry. Next entry: Time Previous entry: Hot << Back to main


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Personal blog of christianwriter & fallible momKaty McKenna Raymondin Kansas City, Missouri

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Cheap Dates

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri