Unexpected Bills

Finances have begun to stress me out a bit. I have that cavity issue to deal with, and I also just received a bunch of medical bills in the mail from November. (I broke my arm biking to work.) I did my taxes yesterday and somehow (I still can’t figure it out) I owe. I’m moving at the end of the month and I have a U-Haul truck to rent. Suddenly, I’m nearly-$1k in-the-hole and it’s making me uneasy….especially since I have given my two-weeks notice (I’m moving out of San Francisco.) and I have no job lined up at the destination city. (I have savings, though…as small as they may be…)

Regardless of all of that, I am still cranking away on my $10 project. I ate my last bagel for breakfast yesterday, so I made sure to load up on another package while shopping for supplies for dinner. Other than that, my spending was typical. I did my coffee, apple, leftovers bit at work. On my way home from work, I biked past a church between Octavia and Laguna on Page Street. This church puts out a table PILED with various types of bread, and the bread is fine. I’ve had several roommates in the past who survived on these loaves of bread. Considering my current situation, I went ahead and picked up two bags. On my way home, I went over what to do with the bread in my head, and I tried to work it into the sales I know occurring at Safeway. I found a solution: meatball subs.

Oh, yes. Big, filling, overflowing sammiches. And it was delicious.

• Coffee: $0.60
• Apple: $0.75
• Bagels: $2.50
• Gimme Lean "Beef": $2.99
• Tomato Sauce: $0.85
• Onion: $0.24
• TOTAL: $7.93

Meatball Subs

-1 pkg Gimme Lean “Beef” Style
-1 small onion, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 15-oz can tomato sauce
-2 mini-french loaves of bread
-olive oil
-salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, and basil

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
Saute onion in olive oil for a few minutes. Add garlic and sauté for a few minutes further. Open package of beef and roll the “meat” into balls about 1-inch in size and drop into pan with onion and garlic (this “meat” works really well like this; it won’t fall apart). Stir often until “meat” starts to brown. Add tomato sauce, then season by taste. Simmer for about five minutes, then spoon into the slice loaves of French bread, creating an “open-face” sandwich.
Bake for about five minutes, until the bread gets crispy.
Optional: Grate fake mozzarella cheese over the sauce and meatballs before you put them in the oven.