I grilled steak for the first time in the morning.

My son got injured while working part-time at the beginning of May,
fracturing the ring finger of his dominant hand and damaging the ligaments.

It seems he was able to use paid leave for the shifts he missed during his nearly one-month break.
His medical expenses were covered by workers' compensation.

So, he went back to his part-time job for the first time in a while,
and brought back steak meat and salad on his way home.

He said he wants to have a steak bento for lunch tomorrow.

When I asked him, "Are you going to grill the steak yourself in the morning?"
he asked, "Mom, could you grill it for me?"
so

I grilled steak in the morning for the first time in my life.

Today's bento

Bento contents:
• Steak meat
• Macaroni salad
• Broccoli with mayonnaise
• Simmered eggplant
• Cherry tomatoes
• Rolled omelet

My husband is off work today, so there is no
rice ball and side dish bento for him.

I woke up at 7:00 this morning as usual to make the bentos.
I also prepared the ingredients for tonight's chilled Chinese noodles,
working hard so I can take it easy this evening.

After getting ready,

Well, today is the community support center's farm day.

I'm nervous, but should I go?
Interacting with people is important.

When I arrived, the people going to the farm were gathered
and getting ready.

Wearing a straw hat,
putting a water bottle in a small bag,
and dressed in sporty, easy-to-move-in clothes,
I was ready to go.

I borrowed
a neck cooler,
and we all walked to the field together.

This was my first time participating in the farm activities this fiscal year.

There were many kinds of vegetables planted in the field,
and it was
very charming.

Among them, the pumpkin leaves were
growing long and sticking out,
and I thought, 'So this is how pumpkins grow,'
which was the first time I had seen it.

Today, I thinned out the plants and
cut them with scissors,

and pulled out weeds,

so there wasn't much to do,
and I finished early.

On the way home, there was a young woman I was meeting for the first time,
so I introduced myself while
walking and chatting,
which was a nice stimulation.

I was able to harvest lettuce at the farm,
and I also managed to harvest one cherry tomato.

We shared the cherry tomato by cutting it into quarters,
and we went back to the community center, cut it up, and ate it on the spot.

I received the lettuce
to take home.

After returning home from the community center,
it was time for my bento.

I hadn't eaten breakfast,
so I was starving (like a 12-hour fast),

and when I ate the steak bento,
it was delicious.

The meat is so tender!!

The steak meat my son brought home was
so big it didn't fit in his bento box,
so I took two pieces and cut them up to put in
my daughter's and my own side dishes, and

it was delicious.

It turned into a luxurious bento that I rarely get to eat.

This is also thanks to my son's part-time job.

Since we are having chilled Chinese noodles for dinner tonight,
it won't be a side dish for tomorrow's bento.

I wonder what side dish I should pack for tomorrow.
Thinking about it is exciting too.

Lately, it's been nothing but photos and talk about bento boxes,

but since I'm fired up about living frugally right now,

the bento talk has been continuing.💦

I had planned for 20,000 yen to cover food and daily necessities for one week,
but

it hasn't even been a week yet—it's only been five days—and I've already spent 15,000 yen!
This is bad.

June has only just begun,

and the money is just flying away...

But I've cut back on buying dango since I started saving,
and since I'm making bento for lunch,
it should end up being cheap.

I'm cutting back in various places,
so I hope I can save money by practicing restraint without burning out.

I hope I can save some money.

Well, time to get dinner ready and prepare tomorrow's bento.

Let's do it
steadily.
Let's do it
what we can.