Rice, Beans, and Box Wine: A Middle-Class Wake-Up Call
It was a random week in October that pushed me over the edge—a proverbial dumpster fire of a week. The furnace and AC both broke and needed full replacement. The tie rods went out in the car. The dishwasher died. A laptop screen shattered. In total, it added up to an overwhelming amount of money—in one week—completely unplanned.
It was too much. I broke a little. All I could think to do was buckle down.
“No more Dunkin coffee. Don’t even think about Starbucks. And I better not hear that anyone went on a Target run,” I snapped at the kids.
It’s rice and beans for the rest of the year. And cancel Christmas.
I’ve always felt that if a financial squeeze reached me, it was probably affecting almost everyone. I feel I am a litmus test for the average middle-aged person—a canary in the coal mine. Not rich, not poor. Steady job. Solidly middle-ish. Late forties, single, mom, teenage kids, aging parents, a house, and three dogs. Just fancy enough to have a used car for everyone in the family.
That brutally expensive week was my wake-up call. Things had been tight. I’d noticed the credit card balances creeping up despite my best efforts to pay them down. I wasn’t doing anything extravagant—no vacations, no shopping sprees. This was just everyday life: bills, gas, groceries. Normal. But I couldn’t cover it all anymore. The cost of living was rising faster than my income.
So I made a plan. I sat down with all my bank statements, credit cards, loans—everything—and built a giant spreadsheet. I even color-coded it. I laid it all out: when money comes in, when it goes out, what’s on autopay, interest rates, remaining payments. All of it. And aside from the color coding, it wasn’t pretty.
This is my journey—how I’m navigating this financial reality, how I made a plan, and how I’m going to make it work. There will be life changes. I will turn this around and live better in the process.
Yes, it may be rice and beans for the rest of the year, but I know I can’t give up everything. I still need a little fun, a few indulgences. If I have to give up imported wine, so be it. I’ll make an economical choice—box wine. And hey, it stays fresh for weeks in the fridge.
So if you’re someone in a financial crunch, doing your best to live below your means while still allowing a little joy, this journey is for you too.
Frugal living with a splash of joy.
