A man cannot live by paying for bread he does not eat, that could risk a breach of the peace

[iStokphoto]

As a certified penny pincher, I’m still smarting from the discovery that the legendary sieve for my nicely brewed Kenyan tea was available in a place near me, for fraction of what I spent online.

I nearly bought a second piece, just for the sake of it, but I remembered I wouldn’t save money that way.

Instead, I picked another item that will come in handy: a small, wooden mortar and pestle that I’ll use to crush ginger. I know I could have picked a mortar of similar size for a fraction of what it cost me here, or even pilfered one from the home kitchen for free.

It appears I have been on a losing streak lately. Last week, I went to a store and picked a slice of carrot cake.

This was a high-end store that requires membership (and I know people, naturally) and the shopping expedition went without incident, until I got home. I found the cake was missing from my basket, although it was listed on the tab.

This week, I went to a different store and picked two packets of fresh rosemary. You have to spice up bland American meat. Getting home I found the rosemary was missing from the basket, but it wasn’t on the tab either.

But there was a surprise inclusion to my tab. There is an entry of “fresh baked bread” that I did not buy. Neither was it packed. So, I’m on a mission to recover a loaf of bread. Surely, you can’t steal from a man twice, in as many weeks. Haiya, watu wamenizoea!