Insane Week

Crazy week escalates.

You know how every once in awhile Murphy comes a knocking and all you can really do is feed him?

Murphy's law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong

Oh, goodness. Nothing's gone wrong per-say, Maybe I can amend that law to "anything that can be needed will be needed during the week of October the 14th."  I'll just have to blame this one on horrible planning.

Add to the 2 trips to Chicago, the brakes and oil change needing to be done, the birthday party, and the wedding this week, Bozzy dog needs food now (I will not buy cheaper food... our doggies are children to us and they deserve to be fed at least somewhat healthily), Maggie dog will be visiting the vet tomorrow because she's developed a rash and cannot stop itching and I spent $60 on baby formula yesterday (it was on sale for $10 off... I have not been putting the baby necessities into the $12 a day budget. I am trying to budget $3 a day for him separately). Ahh,hahaha this was also Mortgage payment week : )

I am sitting here actually giggling. How can all this happen in one week? Life is amusing.

Monday
breakfast $3.59
coffee $3.98
snickers .79
a shirt $11.45

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $15.93
Total days not eating out for the month: 10 (out of 15)

Sunday

really really quickly so I don't fall terribly behind and spin into a horrendous downward spiral...

Dino book for B-day boy $8.46 (I had on hand a brand new little dino to put with it)
Hubby brought home tacos from the little Mexican diner $17.49

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $15.66
Total days not eating out for the month: 10 (out of 14)

Christmas in October

stamps $14.40

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $14.87

Total days not eating out for the month: 10 (out of 13)

Welcome crazy week!

Today we've a 3 year old's birthday to attend.

All of the sudden jobs have come in galore at work so apparently in that arena I won't have a moment to breath for a bit. And I'll be taking this Thursday and next Monday as vacation days (unpaid) so this shall be interesting!

Wednesday the husband and I are making a trip to Chicago to see Kimbra at the Metro. The mother in law will be watching baby Abe for us. It will be nice to get away with my husband as we haven't been seeing much of each other lately, have been bickering ALOT, and are beginning to feel a bit more like room mates than husband and wife. But I can't stand leaving my baby. 

This week is going to be a challenge, to say the least.

Saturday we've a wedding to attend.

AND Sunday we're heading back to Chicago for a stay over with baby Abe AND the mother in law so that hubby can mark off one of the headliners of his bucket list: New Order at the Aragon Ball Room. We're going to spend the day there with mom in law and the babe (his very first trip to Chicago), walking the magnificent mile, window shopping, munching expensive food, cheesecake, and we'll check into a hotel before the show (where we'll leave the eldest and youngest of our group).

In the midst of travel, days off of work, parties, and wedding, we'll be needing to fix the breaks on the car and get and oil change. haha, that's like a cruel joke I think.

In short there shall be some adventure, excitement and fun times this week, the babe will experience many firsts, and my husband will have realized one of his lifelong dreams (he could honestly die a happy man after Sunday) but this week may end up costing more than Christmas <terrified>.

Honey Nut Cheerios

cereal $2.50

chocolate grahams $1.79

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $14.91
Total days not eating out for the month: 9 (out of 12)

I was going to eat out this evening. I was to busy at work today to even consider snacking on a forbidden morsel but this evening once I arrived home, realizing I'd left the house poorly stocked, and knowing that my husband had evening plans (which means dinner alone for me) I'd no desire to cook anything (let alone a thrown together rather unappetizing meal). Boy oh boy did a Wendy's burger sound good, something I wouldn't normally even crave but in all honestly I really just wanted the frosty. I decided I'd do it; get the baby in the car seat, the base in the car, and a Wendy's dinner in my tummy but then I remember the Honey nut Cheerios. For some reason cereal for dinner sounded perfectly acceptable. And it was. And that makes 9 out of 12 dinners at home. Yippee.

Lovely: This evening's sunset evoked a glorious battle between the horizons. As the sun began to descend into the great Lake Michigan the sky rising from the waters took on the warm tones of the color spectrum: fiery red, fading to flaming orange, becoming a brilliant yellow, then white, then every shade of daytime and evening blue. The eastern horizon was apparently not prepared to set idlely by instead displaying the cooler tones: a line of blue ran along the eastern horizon blanketed by deep purples fading to cooler reds, magenta, burgundy  crimson and up to blue again. There was in fact a brilliant fade of color running along the entire horizon north, south, east and west. As if all the world surrounding me were encased in a rainbow. All this color hung above the autumn trees, deep red leaves, bursts of yellow, every shade of green. I love, adore how every single day the world I look at (every single day) still has the ability to awe me, be uniquely new and different, and take my breath away. ah.

Thursday

McDonald's coffee/ breakfast $3.36
coffee $3.98
yogurt $1.88

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $15.88
Total days not eating out for the month: 8 (out of 11)

I generally only drink coffee in the morning. I haven't bought a coffee all month and yet today I bought two. Yikes, that kind of stings a bit. 8 out of 11 days not eating out is pretty darn good but buying two coffee's in one day doesn't make me feel great.

I'd like to not buy another coffee this month.

One step at a time, one little step...
I kept telling myself that today. It's really easy to get caught up in the big picture/ the huge process, get overwhelmed and just drop everything. Like, I'm not too thrilled with my average daily spending thus far and sometimes I look at it and I think, "oh, I just can't do this." I start to get overwhelmed and I'm inclined to just spend money that I "feel" like spending on something dumb I can't afford. But, "one little step at a time" is helping. It doesn't deflect every bad decision but It reminds me that I just need to make one good decision right now. All the latter ones aren't important right now. Just the one, which ever one I'm dealing with at the moment.

Lovely: I get home from work. My son is sleeping. I miss him. He wakes up crying shortly after I'm home. I walk in his room to get him and he lights up with joy and excitement the moment he sees me at his mommy finally being home. I LOVE coming home!

Wednesday

donut .59

taco bell 4.73

cereal $2.50

milk $2.79

Indian food $18.35

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $16.55
Days in a row of not eating out: nope
Total for the month: 8

Sunday's dinner plans with friends turned into Wednesday dinner plans. They've been wanting us to try Indian food for A LONG time. So, it was actually very good BUT not cheap : (

Ah, but it's going to be 2 dinners.

Lovely: Time with friends.

Debt Quote Tuesday and then Suddenly

The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.
Ben Stein

Oh, the joys of marriage. There are always those little things that drive you crazy about your other half. If not, then you're strange. I can't stand how my husband just leave things. He leaves his socks on the floor (and everything else). He always leaves the TV on, garbage on the counter, remotes all over the living room... this could be a very long list. He can't stand my "sudden-ness." Which I'll own up to. I've actually broken dishes because I set them down too suddenly. I guess maybe it'd be better referred to as forceful or quick. A friend of mine once said she'd never seen anyone use an ATM so suddenly. I've been referred to as sudden many a time. I actually make it my goal to get through the self check out lane at the grocery store before all of the other people who are at the other registers before I begin at mine. I'll tell you, that takes some well perfected sudden moves to accomplish and I pretty much always do accomplish that goal. I'm sudden. 

So this morning my husband comes into the living room and asks, "did you happen to "suddenly" close the shower curtain and perhaps knock down the Burt's Bees baby wash?" I remembered closing it yesterday after HE left it open and I did remember hearing something fall. He also always leaves the wash open after bathing the babe. SOOO because of a combination of my sudden-ness and his horrible habit of "leaving" things some very expensive baby wash had been wasted. Grrr, let's just blame each other why don't we.

I stopped at the office today to pick up my work mail and one of the business managers says to me, "I wanted to let you know that you're the Burt's Bees (something or other) employee of the month." * "Oooh nice, I don't really remember what that entails," I reply. Then he says, "you're able to pick out $30 worth of stuff and they'll send it here for you." Wait a minute... I get a talking to from the hubby this morning about suddenly spilling some baby wash that HE left open and now I'm getting THREE rather large FREE Burt's Bees baby washes and a lip balm (that's what I figured out to be worth $30, almost to the penny). AWESOME!

Seriously, when you're counting pennies, spilling expensive baby wash is like getting into a car wreck. Getting three free bottles of baby wash is like winning the lotto jackpot. Hehe, this frugal life is funny.

peanuts $1

plums .61

water .89

stretchy pants $9.54

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $15.18
Days in a row of not eating out: 1

Total for the month: 8

* I check on the Burt's Bees about once a month in the stores I work at; make sure the stores are stocking it, make sure they're rotating it, make sure the display materials are in place and looking good. I do not work for Burt's Bees it's just one of our accounts.

It's Monday... what else can I say

juice $2

peanuts $1

Jimmy Johns $6.77

card $3.70

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $15.57
Days in a row of not eating out: The count down now starts over. Made it one whole week though.

Today's Lovely: Giggles. Lots and lots of squeely baby giggles : )

Crock Pot Suggestions Please?

I'd like to utilize the crock pot this week. Last week I made pot roast in it. I think during the 10 years I've owned the thing I've made: pot roast, curry chicken, salsa chicken, turkey, pork tenderloin w/ veggies, and a soup. I don't usually have any sort of recipe (except for the curry chicken). When I use the thing I just throw some stuff in there. Any suggestions of your favorite crock pot recipes???
Looking for dinner inspiration here.

Today was a NO SPEND which additionally means I haven't eaten out for A WEEK!

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $15.87
Days in a row of not eating out: 7

Today's lovely: Long explanation for a little moment... The babe seems to have been teething on and off for the past two months (no teeth yet) but maybe just maybe we're embarking upon the real thing. He's been VERY fussy and clingy the past few days, taking very short naps, and not going down easily AT ALL at night. Yes, I've had a fun weekend. But I guess I'd rather he be fussy with me than with the mother in law. Anyway, as I was saying he's been fussy and clingy. Today I found myself getting a bit overwhelmed and I just wanted him to sit somewhere, anywhere but with me I mean after all, "I've laundry to be folding". Of course I quickly corrected my idiocy and reminded myself that every single bit of snuggle time that I get with my baby boy is priceless, irreplaceable, small moments in time that shall not always be. I sat snuggling him right after telling myself to chill and the little guy reaches his tiny little hand up and gently strokes my cheek. He is such a lover. That moment was beyond lovely. Not that he doesn't do such things often but right after I'd overcome my frustration at holding him, oh what a sweetie pie.

helping with laundry?

Also, wishing thee Happiest of Birthdays to my dear Swedish Latvian friend Viens Divi!!! She's been helping to inspire me and keep me on track so much with the budgeting/ spending. 

Taco Bell?

Treats $3.76
what can I say I'm a sugar addict.

I wanted to eat out SO so SO so SO so badly last night! I was tired. Yes, a tiring Saturday, and did I accomplish anything: no. grouchy face. Just had a fussy little guy to care for all day. Ah, but I'm up to six days, count em 6 days without eating out now. I ate a bagel for dinner. No fast food, no coffee shop, no diner, restaurant, delivery pizza, nothing but grocery store food prepared at home. I heard hubby making diner plans with friends of ours on the phone yesterday for today but he's yet to mention it to me. I also heard him making diner plans with a friend of his, for them, for today which he also hasn't mentioned to me (sorry that got a tad wordy). He's not only a big spender but quite the social butterfly. We'll see how today ends up. Either way, SIX days of not eating out, yay!

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $18.52
Days in a row of not eating out: 6

FRIDAY!

cookies $3.76
pizza (from the grocery store, woohoo) $8.98 it was marked $6.98 though : (
eggs $1.79
coffee creamer $2.08
bagels $1.59
beer (for hubby) $3.09 I almost put this into his spending category but I bought it

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $21.48
Days in a row of not eating out: 5

I'm kind of amazed that we/ I (hubby's been eating out on his own during the day) haven't eaten out in 5 days. We'd so fallen back into the habit of it after the baby was born. I'm a bit panicky because the weekend is upon us. It's so easy to want to "relax" on the weekend. Saving money sure does mean spending time though. It's quite time consuming cooking meals at home, preparing lunches, going over the spending each evening. I brought lunch to work with me every day this week. I've never been good at that task.

I'm not thrilled with the average day spending but I did spend $43 on dog food and $9 on fabric yesterday. Those two things considered I can relax a bit. Here's to a terrific (hopefully sans take out food) weekend for one and all (oh, the sans take out food part applies to me of course, not one and all... that'd just be silly).

Today's lovely: Coming home to the two men in my life sitting together on the living room floor smiling huge smiles up at me as I walked through the door. Ok, hubby was in a t-shirt and his undies. That's his favorite way to be and baby Abe was sitting a short ways away from him in a t-shirt and his diaper. It was a very comical yet oddly heart warming sight to walk into. Ah, my boys.

Food, food, food... Boring

Thursday starts a new financial week for us. I was really looking forward to it until I realized we needed dog food for the baby (dog) who gets bladder stones.

dog food $43.99
fabric $9.62
pop $1.05
dish soap $2.97
cheese $2.99
milk $2.50

I almost bought a pizza last night. The past two days have seemed endless at work, not getting home until after 8pm and 7pm when I'm used to being home by 5. As I drove home I had in mind that we'd eat eggs, bacon, and potatoes for dinner until I saw the lights on the sign for one of our favorite pizza places. I almost made a beline for the building. A light bulb went off, "oh, pizza, that's perfect! Not too expensive. So quick. So yummy. Perfect!" Fortunately as soon as I had this thought I was reminded, "uh, you're trying to not eat out, remember?" Oops... I tend to completely forget my resolves until after the act of treason has been committed  Honestly I'm surprised I didn't stop in there and pay for the pizza before, "uh, you're trying to not eat out, remember?" flashed in my mind. So, the dog food was inevitable but the pizza was averted.  Also dinner ended up being much more simple than eggs bacon and potatoes  The husband decided he wanted hot dogs (we only had two buns) so he at those. What like 45 seconds of cook time. I ate left over pot roast. Little victory.

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $21.53

Days in a row of not eating out: 4

Lovely: Morning sunbeams shooting through the haze and illuminating dew drops on pine needles. Everything this morning was mesmerizing actually. The sky was fierce, grey fading upwards to blue and filled with hazy mist. The leaves are amazing right now, absolutely the best they've turned in years. It was a perfectly classic autumn morning directly out of a painting but the sunbeams on dew drops really stuck out.

One of those "UHHHH, grrr" days but at least I didn't spend much money.

package of hot dogs $3.29

cheezit crackers $2.50

water .89

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $7.66
Days in a row of not eating out: 3 

(at least I haven't eaten out)

Debt Quote Tuesday (its been awhile)

In spite of the cost of living, it's still popular.
-Kathleen Norris

water .89

juice $2

bread $1.50

bananas .86

bacon $2.99

peanut butter $2.50

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter: $8.15
Days in a row of not eating out: 2

I haven't talked to the hubby about it yet but I intend to go as many days in a row as possible with no eating take out or going out. Oh, the little struggles...

Lunch of leftover pot roast sandwich and one cookie.

Dinner of avocado cheese omelet, and potatoes.

Today was just lovely because the autumn leaves this year are so much more vivid and varied than last year. The one lovely moment though was during work while I walked into my second store this afternoon. The sun was shining brightly but there was a refreshingly cool strong breeze. Hundreds of these tiny leaves that had fallen off of near by trees swirled about like children playing chase amongst the vehicles in the parking lot and made a brilliant nose like rice crispies when you've just poured milk over them. It was one of those moments in the day where I must have looked odd, standing still in the parking lot smiling, listening intently and staring towards the ground. I love it when nature is so very musical especially in the middle of a large parking lot. Priceless.

hehe

7 months old already

Let the Games Begin

chocolate chips $1.67
avocado $1
Butter  $2.89

Average daily spending for the 4th quarter $5.56
Days in a row of not eating out: 1

Hey, you gotta start somewhere.

Today was a very good day and it was even a Monday.

Today's lovely: My home. Simply being home. There's not much more comforting than that.

October Begins

The fourth quarter of the year begins today.

The dancing hippos are back.
I want to not spend money, save money, and stick to the budget, not eat out, eat at home and eat healthy, clean my home, spend quality time with my family, enjoy the little moments, and read. That may seem like a perfectly normal list of everyday responsibilites but it's very overwhelming to me.

Today I plan to take a deep breath, chill, and just move one little step at a time.
One           little          step             at a time.



$450 in the emergency fund  : )