HouseHopeful's Personal Finance Blog

Soooo... this Daylight Savings change is really messing with me. I want to go home & snuggle under a blanket instead of getting errands or house stuff done or going to the gym

Today, I had to force myself to run my errands (my 5 Things for today). I hit the library, the Walmart, the produce stand and came home & made food for tomorrow and FINALLY finished uploading the 600 + digital pics that I had from the cruise. That last one wasn't such a hardship! And I could do it curled up on the couch under a blanket.

Here are a few unnecessary pics!









*Edited to add - no, I'm not in any of the pictures

Yesterday, I met up with friends at the bar we call The Pub. Its a weekly tradition that I've been moving away from and am trying to go only every couple of weeks. I took cash in, and came out with only $10.00 spent. Thats good considering that I only had $38.57 in my Entertainment budget. Now that amount is down to $28.57.

I'm carefully planning my Entertainment spending to make sure I stay within that goal.

Tonight, Thursday & Friday will be stay at home nights. This means no entertainment spending. I need to get some stuff done around the house and after being with people 24/7 last week on the cruise, I'm looking forward to a little alone time

Saturday, some friends and I are driving about an hour & half away to the annual Pumpkin Chunkin Contest. Its $9.00 entry for all day entertainment. Basically people build these contraptions that chuck the pumpkins and they battle for creativity and distance. Never been before, but should be a good time. I'm planning on packing food to take with me. I'll also remember to bring the camera!

Saturday night, at least one of my friends is staying at my house. We plan to just stay in and watch movies & hang out. I'm going to make spaghetti for dinner with items that I already have in my house.

Then Sunday will be chores/grocery shopping and I'm hoping Monday will be a no spender. This leaves Tuesday for another $10 Pub night and then Wednesday through Friday as no Entertainment spending. Its all definately doable and I have a TINY bit of wiggle room in the budget to use as needed.

I have a bunch of goals for November.

1. Buy all Christmas presents and stay on budget
2. Pack breakfast/lunch/snacks for work 100% of the month
3. Stay within Entertainment budget for both November pay periods. ($38.57 for now until Nov 15th). This is a toughie, but do-able!
4. Stay within grocery budget of $84 dollars per 15 day pay period. It'll be tight, but also do-able.
5. Put all extra funds towards debt repayment
6. Look for a part-time job.
7. De-clutter and put a minimum of 8 items on craigslist.

Well, I have today off of work & am planning on getting a lot stuff done.

I am working to be uber-frugal to pay down the little bit of debt that I have left from my 'crazy spending time' a few months back. So my entertainment, eating out, and grocery expenses are going to be carefully thought out. I will share as I work through this

Today's MORE than 5 Things:

1. Laundry (DONE)
2. Groceries (DONE)
3. Pick up prescription (DONE)
4. Return to drug store (DONE)
5. Deposit at bank (DONE)
6. Get air in tires (NOT COMPLETED)
7. Look at discounted Halloween costumes (DONE - no purchases made)
8. REview meal plan (DONE)
9. Make ahead meals for Tues and part of the week. (DONE)
10. Clean up litter box (NOT COMPLETED)
11. Catch up on some tv (this is a fun one! haha). (DONE)
12. Pack lunch for work tomorrow & pack gym bag. (DONE)

The cruise was once in a lifetime opportunity! I had a really really great time! I don't have final numbers, but I spent roughly $550 for a ticket on a 7 day cruise to Florida and then the Bahamas from Baltimore. Plus approximately $80 in souveneirs, drinks & dinner in ports, $169.36 on drinks on the ship(ouch! but I spent the least in our group) and $111.90 on shore excursions which included an Airboat & Alligator tour in Florida and a Catamaran and snorkelling adventure in Nassau, Bahamas. I already had paid for the cruise ticket. The drinks & excursions went on a credit card, which I am paying off today. So no new debt was incurred by the trip!

I came home to an empty pantry & fridge, so I ran back out to see my family for a few mins and then to the grocery store to pick up a few items for dinner tonight. I'll be doing my full grocery shop tomorrow after I complete updating my 11/1-11/15 budget.

I definately felt like I was completely cut off from the life I have here. I slept, read, played and swam when I wanted to. I waaaay overate with the complimentary food. And most importantly, I was able to let go of the always running list of things-to-do in my head and just enjoy time away from home.

I did miss my family and am glad to be home with the cats. It looks like the heat wasn't on much while I was gone. I had set it to turn on if the living room hits 63. Currently its 67

Hope everyone had a great Halloween. Here are a few quick pics from the trip. I literally took HUNDREDS on the digital camera and 27 on the underwater camera (for) snorkelling. I'll be able to share the pics via Snapfish for free to friends and family who are interested in seeing them. Gotta love technology.

Here's a pic of the Atrium on the ship:



Sunset from the balcony of our room:



A house in Nassau, Bahamas. Look at that blue water!



View from the catamaran that we took for snorkelling.



Local artist in Freeport. We talked to him for a while, definately had a different outlook on life.




View from a bar that we stopped at in Freeport. We literally turned our barstools around and saw homes, boats & ocea!

Woohoo! Today at 3:30, I started the beginning of my 10 day vacation! I don't go back until Tuesday 11/3

After work, my friend & I went to the dollar store (picked up a makeup travel bag = $1.00). Then to 2 Halloween stores to look at costumes for the Halloween party on the ship. I wanted a new, cute costume, but couldnt justify the price. So instead, I am going with an old sorceress costume that I have (free!).

We went to Michael's crafts after that. My friend is trying to be the skipper from Gilligan's island and wanted to make a life preserver to go with his costume. He got all those items and I ended up buying a piece that was meant for a floral arrangement, but would actually make a good sorceress wand. $2 and it made my costume feel like new! I am hoping to hit the costume stores AFTER Halloween and maybe pick up a good deal on a costume for next year.

I leave for the cruise on Sunday, so I'm spending tonight & tomorrow organizing, cleaning & packing. I am spending time with the kitties who I feel BAD about leaving.

Today's 5 Things:

1. Get bloodwork done before work (DONE)
2. Clean downstairs bath (DONE)
3. Clean out fridge (To be determined!)
4. Do laundry (DONE)
5. Take deck furniture into basement (NOT DONE - came home after dark)

I also cleaned my bedroom and walk in closet, so I did accomplish more than I thought I would.

I also entered Savings Bonds that I have into the treasury calculator. I have a little over $1000.00, which I mean to cash in soon. However, I was checking a specific one that a family member gave me in 1980 and my mom just found in some old paperwork. That thing has a face value of $75 and is worth over $240! I'm heading to the bank to cash that one & 2 others out. I'll leave the rest alone for now & deal with them in 2010.

Hope everyone has a good Friday night!

Well, I have a budget for Christmas. Normally I'm done my shopping by the first week of November, but I'm running late with this vacation coming up. I'm hoping to have it almost all done by November 15th.

I've already ordered some photos that I'm planning on giving from Snapfish at less than 5 cents per photo. I also supported my nephew's school & bought brownie mix at $10 (ripoff!) which I will make & bring into work at the holidays. I also got a great steal on some painted pub glasses for 2 of my friends for $0!

Family Presents: $156.75
Friend Presents: $84.00
Shipping to London for Uncle: $8.00
Gift wrap/Ribbons: $5.00
Cards: $2.00
Work Party: $20.00
Postage: $8.00
Trees: $60.00
Baking: $10.00

TOTAL budget: $353.75 All of which, I have saved and ready to spend!

Today I am taking a night off from being social & I'm getting a few things done around the house. And maybe I'll do a little playing around with clothes to pack for the trip! Lol, I am SOOOO excited.

And in a nice little surprise, the weather warmed up here & I've had the heat off the last two days.

Today's 5 Things:
1. Pay Bills
2. Go through, file & shred paperwork
3. Clean upstairs bath
4. Organize closet
5. Start pre-packing

Tomorrow's 5 Things:

1. Get bloodwork done before work
2. Clean downstairs bath
3. Clean out fridge
4. Do laundry
5. Take deck furniture into basement

I leave Sunday morning & I have a big to-do list to complete this weekend. I want to be prepared to step right back into my daily frugality and organization.

When I leave on Sunday, I will have a clean house, a meal plan for the following week, a grocery shopping list & freshly cleaned bed linens

Tonight, my 5 things are:

1. Organize photos on computer (DONE)
2. Clean kitchen (DONE)
3. Clean living room (Working on it)
4. Clean out car (DONE)
5. Make meal plan & grocery list for 11/2 when get back from cruise (DONE)

I woke up yesterday with a full-blown migrane. There was no chance to pre-empt some of the pain with my normal migrane meds. I did what I could, then called my sister who came over with some soda & crackers. I was too sick to even down that, so she drove me to the medical aid unit. $30.00 copay and one shot later, I was feeling better. Not 100%, but much better than before.

I didn't pack any food for work today given my problems yesterday. And I'm not up to making dinner, so I grabbed some on the way home. Unexpected spending, but definately needed.

I did try to plan 5 Things for today. Mostly sitting down

1. Laundry (DONE)
2. Change sheets (DONE)
3. Meal plan tues - sun (DONE)
4. Budget for rest of this pay period & next pay period. (DONE)
5. Packing list for trip next week (DONE)

Oh yeah, I'm leaving for my cruise on Sunday. I can't wait!! Cruising from Baltimore to Orlando then over to the Bahamas. I have a ton of stuff to do at home before I leave. My mom will be stopping by & taking care of the cats.

I work for a big company which sites across the country. So we usually have multiple options to choose from. Its that time of year and once again, I'm comparing my benefits to make my choices for 2010.

VISION: There's only 1 Vision plan option, so I'm going with it I wear glasses & contacts, so I definately need the insurance!

2009 Per Paycheck Cost: $3.80
2010 Per Paycheck Cost: $3.53
2010 Per Paycheck Savings: $0.27


DENTAL:

Plan A 2009 Per Paycheck Cost: $7.00
Plan A 2010 Per Paycheck Cost: $7.00
Plan B 2010 Per Paycheck Cost: $7.45
Plan C 2010 Per Paycheck Cost: $5.05
2010 Per Paycheck Savings With C: $1.95

I currently have Plan A because their cost was not always as high and my dentist, that I've been with for years, was not in any of the plans. The office manager would always discount me and I wouldn't end up paying a difference for being out of plan. That has changed since a new office manager has taken her place.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to break up with my dentist and I've done research to find a new one. I'll be able to switch to plan C.


MEDICAL:

A little background: I have always with one insurance company (B) since I was a teenager. I loved their customer service. But last year, I switched to a new plan (A) due to costs. I wasn't as happy with (A) and was considering switching back to (B). However, that has changed now that I have evaluated the plan options:


I took more than Cost into consideration.

- Plan C covers both in & out of network providers, but only 90% In Network after deducatable and 70% out of Net work.

- Plans A & B cover mostly the same things. However A does not require referrals, which is why the cost is higher. I have a very good relationship with my primary care physician and feel confident that if I need referrals, I will be able to get them and in a timely manner.

Plan A 2009 Per Paycheck Cost: $29.00
Plan A 2010 Per Paycheck Cost: $22.70
Plan B 2010 Per Paycheck Cost: $64.79
Plan C 2010 Per Paycheck Cost: $38.04

So ultimately, I decided to stay with Plan A.

2010 Per Paycheck Savings with A: $6.30


In conclusion, my premiums will be going down a bit. This is good because I am increasing my HSA amount from $1000 to $1100 this year.

Well, temps dropped overnight and a big storm is on its way. I came home from work to a 63 degree house. So the heat went on! I'm officially out of the No Heat Challange. BOOOO !

Oh boy, its getting colder. I'm in the fleece pants and have the down comforter on the bed. The kitties are snuggling with me, so I know they are noticing the tempreture changes, lol.

We're expecting a Nor'easter soon and that is going to make things even colder. I may have to turn the heat on, but I am trying to hold off until the last possible second. I think we're in for a very cold winter.

Today's spending was .55 for a soft pretzel and $7.50 for groceries. Tomorrow, I'm hitting a movie with a friend.

OH! And I found the missing $12 from my budget. I forgot about a return credit on a credit card that I no longer use. I'll put that towards my next gas purchase

Today's 5 Things:

1. Meet buddy at gym (DONE - spent 1 hour for strength training and cardio)
2. Grocery store (DONE)
3. Pack food for tomorrow (DONE)
4. Upload photos to send to mom (DONE
5. Start new stretching routine (for flexibility) (DONE)

Well, its Monday. I SO can't wait until Friday comes around again!

Today, I skipped the gym and have been chilling at home. We had a big temperature drop today & I'm snuggled up in fleece pants and long sleeve tee & sweater. I'm still hoping to keep the heat off for a while. When I go to bed tonight, I'm putting the down comforter on the bed.

I had a no spender. Packed cheerios for breakfast & pasta salad for lunch. Made a really yummy dinner and have already pre-packed breakfast and lunch for tomorrow.

I did accomplish my 5 Things Today:

1. Reconcile Spending/Budget (DONE)
2. Clear out email Inbox (DONE)
3. Clean kitchen (DONE)
4. Put away laundry (DONE)
5. Plan Meals for this week (DONE)

Meal Plan:

Monday:
Lunch: Pasta Salad
Dinner: Farfalle with tomato sauce

Tuesday:
Lunch: Salad with pasta, soup
Dinner: Taco wrap

Wednesday:
Lunch: Cucumber salad, meatloaf muffin, soup
Dinner: Sloppy joe

Thursday:
Lunch: Salad, meatloaf muffin
Dinner: To be Determined (eating at parents)

Friday:
Lunch: Pasta salad
Dinner: To be determined (possibly eating out)

And I can't believe that NOBODY commented about the dudes in coconut bras in my last post. That was funny to see in person!

I had a GREAT weekend. Friday night I went to the movies with friends. We saw Zombieland, which was very funny. One friend had free movie passes & refused to let me reinburse her, so I splurged and bought us sodas as a treat ($5.00).

Saturday, I hit the gym, then packed & drove up to a friend's house in the center of West Chester, PA. About an hour drive through some pretty areas, which I enjoyed.

A group of us had tickets to a Brewfest. 40+ breweries to sample. We had great weather and we able to walk around tasting beer for a few hours.

Here's a pick of just a bit of the crowd.



That night, we ordered pizza (my share, $4.00) and stayed in and played games & watched movies. I spent the night and today, we met up with another friend to walk to the local Chili Cookoff 1 block from their house.

68 different groups participated. $10.00 for a wristband and unlimited chili tasing options. Weather was great again and I enjoyed being outside on one of the possible last good weather days of the season. The only other spending was for a fresh lemonade ($3.00) and for a Phillies tee-shirt ($10.00). This has been on my to-buy list for a while & they had cute shirts for a great price.

Here's a view of the tents & crowd.



The tents were run by local businesses and groups and a few had themes.





On my way home today, I stopped at Sears to return a dress (29.99 return). I went to the farmer's market for fresh veggies (4.15) and Walmart for other groceries (6.26).

I am now doing laundry (which I find kinda relaxing). I'm making dinner at home & lunch for tomorrow. Then I'm putting my feet up for the rest of the night.

I hope everyone had as good a weekend as I did!!

So its that time of year. I'm actually a little late putting out the Halloween decorations. I finally got around to it tonight! Woohoo!

Today I packed lunch and came home right after work. So today was a No Spender! I skipped the gym today and came home to have some more Me time. I made dinner at home, cleaned the kitchen, took 10 minutes to pick up the living room & then lugged stuff from the basement to decorate the house for Halloween. I'm not going to actually be in town for the holiday, so I"m not putting anything on the outside of the house.

Here's a few pics:

One of my favorite pieces from PartyLite. If you look close, you'll see the fish bone in the kitty's tummy!



And these are the kitty's counterparts:



And here's an obligatory picture of my naughty little kitty Jack. He knows he's not supposed to get on that table!




Today's 5 Things:

1. Put out Halloween decorations (DONE)
2. Pick up living room (DONE)
3. Pack lunch for tomorrow (DONE)
4. Review benefits options (DONE)
5. Pack library & gym bags for tomorrow (DONE)

Today was a good day. We had great weather, work was not boring for once, I stuck to my Weight Watchers plan, went to the gym and hung out with a friend tonight. I'm home now, catching up on some email & packing stuff for work food & gym clothes.

AND I still have the heat off, even though its getting cold at night. I'm probably going to pull out my down comforter this weekend.

While at work (and totally allowed), I made some calls as part of today's 5 Things. I got into it and made a few more that were on my to do list.

Today's 5+ Things:

1. Called the vet about cat vaccinations (DONE)

2. Call Comcast (DONE) & got them to bring my bill back to under $100 for cable, phone & internet. My last promotion ran out & the bill jumped up $50 bucks. I got them to knock it down by $60! Woohoo

3. Call eye doctor to determine when I need to come in again (DONE)

4. Research dentist recommendations from coworkers. I need to find an In-Network dentist. Next, I need to break up with my current one. I'm not looking forward to it because I've been with them for like 6 years. (DONE)

5. Research 2010 Benefits changes. There are some small changes, so I'm weighin my options. I have time to decide & I'll definately post about my decision (DONE)

6. Called Home Owners insurance to verify new policy info. My rates actually went down $1.00 from last year and I did some research and I feel like I am still getting a very competitive rate!

7. Redo Meal plan through Sunday. Life happens and I made some changes yesterday & today. All for the good. Had some really yummy pasta for dinner tonight! (DONE)

8. My standards: go to gym, make dinner at home, pack food for work & pack gym bag (DONE)

As it hits the last quarter of the year, a lot of upcoming financial things come into play.

- Open Enrollment for Insurance. Got the email today and am hoping to go over the options this week. I am not happy with the (cheaper) plan that I currently have and am going to switch back to the moderately priced one that I went with in years prior. The price difference was not worth the problems and hassle that I had this year.

- Holidays. I'm hoping to get Christmas shopping done by the first week of November. Usually my goal is the end of October, but since I'll be on a CRUISE the last week, I'll give myself the extra time.

- Winter. I need to winter-proof the house & car. And get new tires!

- Homeowners Association Fees - $75 per year. Due November. Tonight, I went to the annual meeting for the first time since I bought the house 2 Octobers ago. There was a minimal amount of people although there are 177 houses in my neighborhood. And at the end of the meeting, they were choosing board members. Guess who got volunteered by a whole group of strangers to be Vice President? Moi Well, maybe I can help make some changes or at least learn about the HOA. Its basically a meeting every two months with possible small projects thrown in. Something fun anyway!

Happy Monday All!

If you haven't already noticed, I am a fan of lists and plans. Following them is always a challange though, because I don't like being told what to do. Even if I'm the one doing the telling! LOL

I have a spending plan, meal plan and workout plan for this week. While at work today, I made a little chart on paper:

MONDAY
Planned Activities: Work, Gym
Planned Spending: $0.50 library fine
Meals: Pasta salad/Shake N Bake Chicken
Exercise: Gym 45 minutes

TUESDAY
Planned Activities: Work, Gym, Civic Association Meeting
Planned Spending: $8.00 groceries
Meals: Sloppy joe/Tuna Wrap
Exercise: Gym 45 minutes

WEDNESDAY
Planned Activities: Work, Gym
Planned Spending: $0.00
Meals: Tuna sandwich/Pasta with meat sauce
Exercise: Gym 45 minutes

THURSDAY
Planned Activities: Work, Park for walking, Nephew's baseball game
Planned Spending: $0.00
Meals: Salad with pasta/Soft taco
Exercise: Park 25 min walk

FRIDAY
Planned Activities: Work, Gym, Movies
Planned Spending: $10
Meals: Turkey Meatloaf Muffin/Salad with pasta
Exercise: Gym 45 minutes

SATURDAY
Planned Activities: Gym, Kennett Brewfest (beer tasting event); Spending night in West Chester
Planned Spending: $15-20 dinner
Meals: Salad & meatloaf for lunch/Dinner out with friends
Exercise: Gym 45 mins in early am.

SUNDAY
Planned Activities: West Chester Chili Cookoff
Planned Spending: $10.00 Cookoff Entrance fee, $5-10 drinks
Meals: Unknown breakfast; chili lunch, salad at home for dinner
Exercise: Walking around cookoff


In other frugal news:

- My heat is still off. I even had the windows open for a few hours yesterday.

- Most of my entertainment (other than planned events) has come in the form of books and movies borrowed from the library & new Fall shows on tv.

- I'm packing all my food for work & saving a bundle

- The addition of exercise into my routine has helped me sleep better and have more energy. Hopefully, in the near future, it will help with some of my health issues.

- The laundry I'm doing tonight will not need the dryer, so all of it will be line dried in the spare room.

Yesterday, I went to my nephew's baseball game. Spent $5 at the snack stand. Was still feeling really off and I splurged for some food & caffine to help that out.

Afterwards, instead of hitting the gym like I planned, I went home. I thought I'd take a half hour nap & then hit the gym. I laid down & slept for 3.5 hours! Crazy.

I woke up, got dressed, and made some food before heading out to the ghost tour with friends. Ticket was already paid for and someone else drove, so no spending for that even. I really enjoyed it, but it was a bit cheesy. I'd love to go back to Fort Delaware during the daytime and explore.

This morning, I woke up and headed straight to the gym. Then I headed to the grocery store & farmers market. I had a set list, and stuck to it. This pay period (30th thru 14th) I have a budget of $80 for groceries. So far, I've spent 54.97. I have $25.03 left and should be ok since the only items that I have to purchase would be perishables.

Then I came home. Suddenly, I felt really ill and a migrane came on without any warning. I must have pushed myself too hard this weekend, since Friday's migrane came back with a vengance. I have a physical scheduled later this month. I am going to have to talk to my doctor about this.


I would like to thank everyone who picked up my 5 Things. I just wanted to put out there some small goals for myself and the fact that others are joining me, helps motivate me as well as keep me accountable!

Today's 5 Things were:

1. Gym (DONE)
2. Grocery shop (stay within budget)(DONE)
3. Meal plan, pack food for tomorrow (DONE)
4. Clean kitchen (DONE)
5. Prepack library bag (to return), gym bag (DONE)

Tomorrow, my goals are to have a no spend day and to do the following:

1. Gym again
2. Clean living room
3. Laundry
4. Prapack food for Tuesday & Gym clothes
5. Return shirts to Old Navy

So I've learned that although I have a To-Do list, things don't always get accomplished. Lol - I'm sure it happens to everyone

I did not accomplish my calls yesterday, but I completed the other items on my 5 Things list.

Today, I had off of work. I have running non-stop trying to keep my house, life, finances and health in working order. And today, my body told me to STOP. Got myself a nice little migrane.

Today will be a no spender (not that I wasn't planning on that already). I'll be spending most of the day sleeping, but as I seem to have a pattern with migranes, I should feel better for awhile in the afternoon. So I revamped today's 5 things to be the following.

1. Have a me day and rest!(IN PROCESS)
2. Make a yummy lunch & dinner at home (LUNCH DONE, WORKING ON DINNER)
3. Play with the cats (BEEN GOING ON ALL DAY)
4. Upload pics onto computer to send to family (DONE)
5. Read through the posts I've missed on here and post myself (DONE)


I really enjoyed the play that I went to last night. I kept on budget with dinner out, spending $14.00 (including tip) for shrimp and a salad bar. Pretty healthy and yummy.

The play that we went to, Girls Night, was really awesome. The actors were very good, the plot was interesting and the songs and feeling of the play were just plain FUN. It was a really great night.

Tomorrow, I am going to my nephew's baseball game in the morning (FREE). My best friend is meeting us there, so it'll be good to catch up with her (Also FREE)

I hope to hit the gym tomorrow afternoon (depending on the headache) and then tomorrow night I'm taking a Ghost Tour with some friends at Fort Delaware. I'm really looking forward to this one. We will take a ferry over and have a 2 hour guided tour.

Sunday will be grocery shopping & housework. I'm asking my parents over for dinner. Should be a pretty frugal weekend overall.

Today I enjoyed some awesome weather and a half day off from work. I still made it to the gym and worked out for a bit.

Then I hit the grocery store. My budget for this pay period is $85.00 and I spent $26.94. I won't need any further groceries until my veggie and fruit shop at the Farmer's market this weekend.

After I got home, I watched borrowed dvds and made meatloaf muffins and browned ground turkey with onions to put in the freezer. And I still made a separate meal for dinner - Cajun Rice with beef. Unfortunately it wasn't that good. I won't be keeping that recipe. Oh well.

As I said before, my spending focus is grocery & entertaining. Today started a new pay period & I spent on plan with groceries, and spent nothing on entertainment today. Its a start

Out of the 5 Things I set for today, I accomplished.

1. Hit the gym (even though I have a 1/2 day of work! DONE
2. Sort paperwork, file & shred DONE
3. Grocery shop & attempt to get below budget! DONE
4. Try a new recipe for dinner DONE
5. Sort 5 items for Craiglist & list them for sale NOT DONE - PAPERWORK TOOK WAAAY TOO LONG!

Tomorrow's 5 Things are as follows:

1. Bring packed breakfast, lunch & snacks
2. Call & close extra money market account
3. Call & cancel Dentist appointment (need to find a new one in plan, which will be cheaper)
4. Go to dinner & a play with Mom, Sis & friends and ENJOY!
5. Stay on plan with eating. Packed all day food. Stick to fish, baked potato & salad for dinner out. Keep bill under $20.00!

Two no spenders in a row! I like it

Today, I worked, went to the library, headed to the gym for 50 minutes and then home to make dinner, clean the kitchen, do a budget and upload some photos for my mom.

I accomplished 4 out of 5 of the things I said I'd accomplish today. The one I missed was going through my financial paperwork. I'm cool with that though. I have a 1/2 day at work tomorrow. I took a half mental health day and plan on hanging out at home. I'll do the paperwork tomorrow night.

I would like to mention that meal planning has really helped me to both be frugal, but also eat better meals! Instead of grabbing fast food or a quick dinner of noodles, I am having real meals. Its so easy to get out of that habit since I live alone. But I'm back on track & I REALLY want to share how much I enjoy a real meal.

Last night I had buffalo breaded chicken, potatoes and a salad. Tonight, I had penne pasta with marinara, a ton of veggies & a tomato salad.

Tomorrow, my 5 Things are:

1. Hit the gym (even though I have a 1/2 day of work!
2. Sort paperwork, file & shred
3. Grocery shop & attempt to get below budget!
4. Try a new recipe for dinner
5. Sort 5 items for Craiglist & list them for sale

Happy Tuesday! I'm planning on having a No Spend day today, so it should be a good day!

The air/heat are still off at the house. Its been over a month now. The temps started dropping again, but I'm just layering up in the house as needed. Yay Fall!

I packed breakfast (cheerios & banana), snack (banana blueberry muffin) & lunch (pasta salad & carrots). I plan on hitting the gym after work and then staying in tonight to watch the Biggest Loser.

I'm passing on going out to the Pub that I usually go to on Tuesdays. Some of the group dynamics have changed and its just not a fun anymore. It makes me sad, but probably isn't a terrible thing as I wont be drinking or spending money

I talked before about my 5 Things list. Its meant for me to accomplish some goals for the day, but without being overwhelmed by a huge To-Do List. Here are today's 5 Things.

1. Go to the Gym after work
2. Go to the library
3. Finalize budget for pay period starting tomorrow
4. Go through financial paperwork, shred & file as needed
5. Make dinner at home

Today was a no spender. I have to say there were a lot of positives to my day today.

1. I packed my breakfast, lunch & snack for work & they were good!
2. I went to the gym and worked out for 50 minutes
3. I came home & immediately made a yummy dinner and packed my lunch for tomorrow.
4. I vegged on the couch in my superclean living room & played on the computer
5. I am watching good tv.
6. I have more energy from eating better and having more activity.
7. I am watching my cats literally attack each other. It should be a show on Animal TV. They could call it Battle Cats. Its too funny!

My pantry & freezer are looking a little bare, but my budget this pay period will not allow for a big grocery shop. This is where planning is extra important. I also have a handicap in that I want to incorporate a lot of fresh produce in with my meals and that can really add up. Darn me for loving fresh salads! lol

Here is my meal plan for the week:

Monday:
Lunch - Cucumber & tomato salad; Beeforoni
Dinner - Pasta with meat sauce

Tuesday:
Lunch: Pasta salad with Turkey pepperoni
Dinner: Buffalo Shake N Bake Chicken and potatoes

Wednesday:
Lunch: Tuna wrap with salad
Dinner: Meatloaf muffins and fries

Thursday:
Lunch: Sloppy joe over pasta
Dinner: Tuna wrap

Friday:
Lunch: Salad with Meatloaf muffin
Dinner: Dirty rice with beef

Saturday:
Lunch: Salad with pasta & turkey pepperoni
Dinner: Shake N bake chicken & potatoes

Sunday:
Lunch: Salad & Dirty Rice with beef
Dinner: Pasta with & morningstar chick'n

I may incorporate more salads and/or canned veggies as needed with the meals.

So my grocery plan between 9/30 and 10/14 is as follows:

Mid Week (9/30-ish)
($7.00) produce stand

Weekend #1:
Farmer's Market - ($19) for apples, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, green pepper, mushrooms, bananas, onion
Grocery Store - ($28) for turkey bacon, ground turkey, milk, soda, salad dressing, stuffing, popcorn, cereal and animal crackers.

Weekend # 2
Farmers Market - ($17) for lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, green pepper, onion and carrots.
Grocery Store - ($2) milk

The big item - getting rid of mold in the basement - got scrapped due to poor weather planning. Its pouring and a dry basement would be best.

In between the gym, my newphew's baseball game and horror movie night with friends, I was able to knock off a LOT of items. Its like spring cleaning, but Fall cleaning instead.

I feel like I'm getting the house ready for the colder weather. Deep cleaning and airing out the house with the windows open possibly the last time before the winter.

And the only spending I've done this weekend, other than groceries is the dinner I bought for myself & my nephew Friday night. And I feel AWESOME that I got so much accomplished.

Below is a running tally of what I've accomplished this week.

Friday

- Clean junk drawer in kitchen
- Organize freezer, make list of items
- Wipe kitchen blinds
- Organize & wipe down pantry
- Meal plan for the week
- Grocery Plan for the week
- Entertainment budget/plan
- Make new workout playlist on MP3 player


Saturday

- Grocery shop
- Cleaned downstairs bath
- Clean kitchen, wash floor
- Wipe down refrigerator and cabinets
- Polish kitchen table

Sunday - Already accomplished

- Get produce from the Farmer's Market
- Vaccum stairs & upstairs hallway
- Clean spare bedroom, vaccum & wash floor
- De-hair the chair in the spare bedroom that the cats sleep on
- Clean bedroom, vaccum floor
- Clean upstairs bathroom & floor
- Polish wardrobe in bedroom

Still to do today:

- Laundry (edited - DONE)
- Budget
- Make meatloaf muffins (edited - DONE)
- Make blueberry muffins (edited - DONE)
- Mani/Pedi (edited - DONE)
- Organize garden stuff, store in basement (edited - DONE)
- Clean, dust & vaccum living room (edited - DONE)
- Wipe down living room blinds, dust fan (edited - DONE)
- Clean out car (edited - DONE)
- Put out fall decorations (edited - DONE)
- File/shred paperwork.
- Pack bag for gym (edited - DONE)
- Clean litter box

This weekend is going to have fabulous weather! I have all the windows open, am enjoying the breeze coming in off the field behind my house. I've actually been able to keep the air off since August 29th. I'm hoping to keep the heat off until November. Here's hoping!

My goal for this weekend is to spend as little as possible. And to help that along, I created a whole big (but frugal) To-Do list. I want to get things in order so I can stay better organized.

Let me just say that my To-Do List has 35 items, some small & some big. I don't plan on completing 100% of them as I do have obligations this weekend, but I hope to get a bulk of them done!

So far, I have done the following:

- Clean junk drawer in kitchen
- Organize freezer, make list of items
- Wipe kitchen blinds
- Organize & wipe down pantry


Now its 8pm, I have some tv watching planned (lol) and I will work to knock a couple more items off the list.

- Meal plan for the week
- Grocery Plan for the week
- Entertainment budget/plan
- Make new workout playlist on MP3 player
- Do pedicure

Tomorrow, I'm meeting my workout buddy at 9, I'm going to my nephew's baseball game at 2pm and at 7, I have movie night with some friends. In between, I hope to knock off a few more items.

- Clean downstairs bath
- Clean kitchen, wash floor and wipe down cabinets

Then Sunday, I plan on sleeping in and then getting as much as possible accomplished. Including removing a little mold in the basement (non-toxic, thank goodness!) and doing yard work.

Long day today. I ran some errands, bought kitty litter & some groceries, had dinner with a friend & did a bunch of chores around the house.

I've been focusing on little things to try to get myself back on track. I've been struggling with my weight and my finances and I've been gradually getting better

My current focus is entertainment spending. I've got $25.00 to last me until payday (the 30th).

Thats definately doable. I have a bunch of stuff to get done around the house this weekend and a few free activities planned such as Newphew's baseball games and a Horror Movie Night at a friend's house. I do have spending activities planned, including Pub Night tomorrow night. I'm going with only $10.00 to spend. That should get me 2 beers, plus tip. Keeping it simple

Last weekend, I went to a Half Way to St Patty's Day party that a friend threw (totally free). And then I went to the local Oktoberfest. My sister had free tickets and I only spent $10 on beer & food.

And I actually have a bunch of social activities planned in the next few months. I'm pretty excited about it. I'm doing new things and (sometimes) meeting new people.

For example, between now & the first week of November I have the following planned:

- Girls Night Out (its a play) with my mom, sister & best friend. My mom bought the ticket, but we'll probably do drinks after (est $20?)

- Kennet Brewfest - $30 All Day Beer Tasting. I am staying with friends in West Chester overnight

- West Chester Chili-fest. $10.00 all you can eat Chili tastings in a beautiful downtown area.

- Fort Delaware Paranormal Tour. Going with a bunch of friends, involves a ferry ride to a very historic local site. Ghost Hunters did their live Halloween special there. I'm really interested in how thats going to go!

Well, I am just working hard to not overspend on other items (eating out, video rentals) and save the money in my entertainment budget for these bigger events.

I'm trying a new thing. I always have a HUGE to do list running at any given time. And I never feel like I accomplished anything because at the end of the day, because I still had a long list going. So now, I am trying out a new rule, which I’ll call the '5 Things Rule'. Each day, I have 5 things, no matter how small that I HAVE to do that day. It can include anything from Go to work, to work out, to clean the bathroom, to put away laundry. At the end of the day, I need to have at least those 5 things done and if I do more, then it's a bonus.

Today I wasn't feeling well. I really wanted to get extra rest in, but I also wanted to get a couple of things done. So here were today's 5 Things:

1. Unclog upstairs bathroom sink drain - DONE
2. Pick up kitchen (no deep cleaning, just clutter and wiping down) - DONE
3. Pick up living room (no deep cleaning, just clutter) - DONE
4. Make a budget - DONE
5. Change sheets on bed - To be done right before bed


Tomorrow's 5 Things are supposed to be the following, but are subject to change!

1. Make a Meal Plan
2. Grocery shop
3. Walk
4. Pick up bedroom (just pick up, not deep clean)
5. Pay Bills


Also, since I spent a good amount of time on the couch today (cold meds really knock me out), I started thinking about Halloween Costumes. This year, I will be on a cruise to the Bahamas for Halloween, so I know they'll have a big party. I want a costume that meets the following requirements:

1. Frugal
2. Reusable for next year (minimal people will see it on the cruise)
3. Possibly used for non-Halloween purposes.

As I was watching a re-run of Veronica Mars, they had a scene where people were dressed up for an Around the World Party. One of the girls was dressed up in a beautiful Kimono. Suddenly, I have a flash to my local farmer’s market, where there is an Asian-inspired stand with items such as robes and fans. I have eyed the Japanese robes several times as an alternate for a dressing robe. So I'm going to check them out. Since the farmer's market is usually pretty low-cost, this should meet all of my requirements. I'll check the stand out next weekend. Here's hoping!

Sorry this is going to be long...

Well, once again, I'm sick. It seems like since my immune system went down for sickness a few months ago, I've been catching everything. I had a stomach bug two weeks ago & missed several days of work. Thursday, I started with a head cold. I've spent the weekend pretty much in bed because I can't spare any more sick days. Fun, huh?

So my money situation is still what it was a few weeks ago. I have a little credit card debt, the emergency fund is low and I would like to have more income.

In spite of all this, I recently signed up for a 7 day cruise to the Bahamas. I got a great deal on the cruise ($550 for 7 days) and have some savings bonds (that my parents just found in their safety deposit box) that I'm going to cash. I know I could use the funds to pay down the debt, but I really want to do the cruise.

I'm not going to make excuses. I plan on being tight with spending in all other areas, stick within my savings bond budget for the trip and work to sell things, get a roommate and a 2nd job.

So yeah, maybe not the best financial decision, but I think its the best for my overall well being.

In other news, today will be a no spender. I am going to eat out of my pantry until payday on Tuesday. I'm hoping for a no spender tomorrow as well.

I'm working on a meal plan for the week. I am spending today mostly on the couch, with a little light cleaning to ensure my mental health I'm watching Agatha Christie movies borrowed from the library, reading (books also from library) and am enjoying having the windows open and getting fresh air.

The air has actually been off since 8/31. And I'm planning on joining the No Heat Challange. My goal is to keep the heat off as long as possible!