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February 2017

February 3rd, 2017 at 01:11 pm

My goals are:
Lose 6 pounds this month.
15 no spend days.

I received two free loaves of Pepperidge Farm bread from a friend.

I heard that there will be an Aldi store coming soon near my neighborhood. Yay!

There are two birthdays in my family later this month: my mother and DS1. We normally go out to eat so I will need to be careful of my intake on those days.

I will contact my CPA for an appointment to get our income taxes done this month. I would normally do this myself but when it comes to a small business, I don't want to take any chances and make any mistakes. It is very much worth it to me to have a professional handle it.

Lame Supper

October 19th, 2016 at 05:15 pm

Health:
Breakfast - The usual (overnight oats, good belly, orange juice, coffee)
Lunch - can of fruit cocktail, chicken salad sandwich
Dinner - Tater tots.

My mom fed DS3 leftovers from their last night supper after school. DS2 ate a large and late lunch at school. DS3 was still at school come supper time (but he packed a substantial lunch including snacks). DH and I were not particularly hungry. So as a totally dysfunctional and lame attempt at a masquerade of a supper, DH put some tater tots in the oven.

What can I say? Some days are like that.

In other financial news:
We received our checks from our clients from last month.

DS2 received a refund check from the college for a course that he dropped.

Yesterday was a no spend day.

No Spend Day

October 14th, 2016 at 12:44 pm

Health:
Breakfast - Overnight oats, coffee, Good Belly and orange juice
Lunch - Assistant manager did a cook out so I had boston butt roast, baked beans, potato salad and coconut cake and Coca-Cola. (Healthy? not!)
Dinner - 1 plain hot dog without the bun
Extra food - Chocolate candy and wine.
Fitness - went to the gym/personal trainer

Yes, yesterday was a major eating disaster. It will be better today.

Other than that, yesterday was a no spend day.

Today, I need to buy gas which will set me back between $35-$40)

Tomorrow, I will take my mom and my aunt shopping and I will need to pick up a replacement cell phone for my uncle since his died a couple of days ago, and I want to buy a basic one for my aunt. My uncle will reimburse me but the one for my aunt will be a gift.

That's pretty much it for now.

Exhausting Day

October 13th, 2016 at 12:47 pm

Health:
Breakfast - Overnight oats, coffee, Good belly and orange juice.
Lunch/Dinner - Golden Corral (spent $65.00 there)
Snack - none
Fitness - nothing

I left work at 10 am to pick up my aunt and my cousin who "escorted" her through the airport and rode with her on the plane. He is a retired NYC police officer so she could not have been safer. So I took them over to my mom's, then my uncle's, then went to buy some lunch for my uncle, and then we had lunch at Golden Corral. I treated my sons, my aunt and my cousin. My parents did not want to go.

My cousin wanted to fly right back to NY since he works tomorrow which interfered with taking my son to his therapy appointment. The only solution was my cousin to come along to the therapy appointment and then we take him to the airport afterwards. He made his flight on time.

My town is enormous and all that driving made me so tired! After that I check in with my mom and my aunt to pick her up (my aunt) to take her to my uncle's house [are you guys following so far or did I lose you two paragraphs up?] I helped settle her in and I gave her my uncle's house key and then I went home, got in my bed clothes, flopped on the couch in front of the TV and zoned out for the night.

I'm so glad I'm at work today because I get more rest here than at home sometimes.

Storm Readiness

October 6th, 2016 at 01:16 pm

Fueled up cars
Bottled water
Ready to eat meals
Snacks
Beer
Wine
Sodas
Charged up phones and tablets
Secured patio furniture, trash bins, and plants
Caught up on laundry
Medicines ready
Stocked up on toilet paper
Batteries for radio and flashlights
Candles and matches
Books and magazines
Cleaned the house

Now we wait.

Catching Up

September 20th, 2016 at 12:50 pm

Health (today):
Breakfast: overnight oats, banana, Good belly, and coffee
Lunch: Grilled cheese, plain greek yogurt with frozen blueberries
Dinner: nothing planned – probably leftover BBQ
Snack: fresh pineapple
Extra Food: I don’t know yet - hopefully nothing.
Workout: Personal trainer and probably some cardio.

Finances (over the weekend):
Expenditures
Friday: Asian buffet 41.43
Saturday: Grocery shopping – DH paid and it was nearly $200! I have no idea what I bought but most of it was non-food items that we needed which brings up the price. Haircuts for DS2 and DS3 at Great Clips (they had the weekend sale 7.99) so it was 19.98 including tips.
Sunday: Chinese food (again) 44.36, Gas 33.08, Krystal for a rootbeer float for myself 2.13* (raided the change jar).

Income
Payday from my day job is Friday (but my credit union posts it on Thursday). I hope it is a full paycheck.
Also payment from my side gig is coming in the mail this week for $250.
This afternoon I will earn another $50 from my side biz.

*I was feeling stressed over the weekend. Have you ever felt detached and just going through the motions? That was how I felt over the weekend. I didn’t even track what I ate over the weekend. The weekends have always been hard for me to track since the meal schedule isn’t the same as the weekdays.

Update on my uncle (he is 89): We are looking into a home health nurse for my uncle at his request. He is doing better but still unsteady and a little down. He said he called his doctor yesterday and left a message so that he can order/prescribe or whatever they do so that Medicare would cover the service.

Update on my parents (both are 84): They can’t wait until a home health nurse starts because it has been hard on them to do for my uncle. My mom gets tired easily and my dad has issues with his knees. Mobility is an issue for him as it is now for my uncle.

I see that there are some “getting to know you” lists out there! I will work on mine later when I have a little more time.

Sunday

September 12th, 2016 at 01:44 pm

Breakfast: 2 cinnamon buns and coffee
Lunch: 1/4 smoked sausage and baked beans
Snack: Wendy’s frosty
Dinner: 1/2 sandwich and unsweetened tea from Panera

Wendy’s frosty are 50 cents right now so I got one for each of the boys and one for me. $2.14. That is all I spent on Sunday.

My friend treated us to Panera to celebrate DS3’s birthday. She was his religious education teacher and confirmation sponsor. She is a very great lady and I am privileged to call her a friend. We went to see another friend who is recovering from open heart surgery.

Wore one of my new tops to church yesterday.

That’s pretty much it for Sunday!

This morning one of my coworkers told me that he and his wife started attending the Dave Ramsey class at their church. He is young and in debt but he and his wife are totally on board with getting their finances together. I’m proud of them!

Payday and Expenses

September 9th, 2016 at 01:40 pm

Health:
Breakfast: overnight oats with coffee
Lunch: Leftover BBQ chicken on Kaiser bun
Dinner: Empanada
Snack: Green tea and apple
Extra Food: low calorie protein drink
Workout: 30 minutes on treadmill and 30 minutes with personal trainer. My personal trainer is moving to Maine so last night was our last session. She is very good and I’ll miss her. I will continue with another trainer who is also very good.

I do need to incorporate more vegetables in my diet. I get burned out with salads. The green tea that I buy is Republic of Tea http://www.republicoftea.com/ and I add the Matcha powder in my overnight oats and I brew the Double Green Matcha around lunchtime. I don’t think I would be drinking the tea every day but at least on my workout days as it does give me a boost of energy.

Overnight Oats have various combinations. Here is my recipe (high calorie but nutritionally dense):
Old fashioned oats = 1/2 cup dry (150 calories) lowers cholesterol
Chia seed = 1 tablespoon (60 calories) omega-3, antioxidant and energy booster
Powdered peanut butter = 1 tablespoon (25 calories) low fat and low calorie version of the real thing, plus it is a flavor-enhancer. Same amount of protein as the real thing.
Walnuts = 1/8 cup (100 calories) omega-3, antioxidant
Raisins = 1/8 cup (42 calories), potassium, iron, and fiber
Designer Whey vanilla protein powder = 1/2 scoop (50 calories) protein
Matcha Green Tea powder = 1/8 teaspoon (zero calories) energy, fat burner and antioxidant
Lowfat Milk (1%) = 1 cup (102 calories) calcium for bone health

Total calories = 529
Macro breakdown = Carbs 69, Fat 23, Protein 32, Fiber 12.

Snowflake: Received as a gift from work some restaurant coupons from a fundraiser. Nice!

Expenditures so far:
1/2 power bill = 98
1/2 student loan = 90
100% Internet = 84
1/2 Visa = 125
Gas = 40
Groceries = 77.02 I forgot eggs! Eggs were on on my mind but I forgot to jot it down on my list and they are on sale for 80 cents a dozen for the large. I pulled out 1.60 from my dresser change and gave to DS1 to pick them up today because we have run out and we are an egg-eating family.

According to Mint, Zillow now has my home valued at $90,068 and we currently owe 87,124.19. It is a seller’s market now so if you are in the market to buy a home, do your homework!

Frankly, I see the housing bubble bursting again soon. If that bubble bursts like it did seven years ago, my side biz will start to boom again. My side business is property preservation and inspections. The meat of this business is foreclosures, which makes this a boom industry when the housing market crashes.

Personal and Business Spending

September 3rd, 2016 at 12:59 pm

Health:
Breakfast: Pancakes (Kodiak cakes) and coffee
2nd breakfast: none
Lunch: Peanut butter sandwich on 1 slice of bread
Dinner: At my parent’s home Garbanzo beans soup, white rice, cuban crackers, peach pie(I try to eat smaller amounts during the day because my mom serves so much food at dinner).
Extra food:a glass of wine

Dinner menu for next week:
Saturday: BBQ chicken (I may take this to the church pot-luck)
Sunday: Spaghetti and sausage w/garlic bread
Monday: Dinner at my parents
Tuesday: Rice w/red beans and cornbread
Wednesday: Crab cakes with potatoes and green beans
Thursday: Chicken tenders w/potato wedges and corn
Friday: Dinner at my parents

Financials:
Personal income – Payday (DH’s day job)
Personal spending - Amazon.com 126 for replacement of PCB assembly for our stove (thermostat board). The 5.99 credit was applied. The burners are running hot and aren’t turning off. My DH will install.

Business spending –
1. Renewed our workman’s compensation exemption for DH and myself $102.
2. Paid DS1 for August side gig $585 (he did most of the work this month)
Business income:
1. Received two checks from one of our clients equaling 80.
2. I expect a check any day now from another client for 752.49 (the 2.49 was materials reimbursement) So total for the month of August is 830.00 (I’m not counting the reimbursement).

August Side Biz recap: 830 income - 687 expenses = 143 profit

Fun fact about my DH’s side gig: When he does an inspection of a car for a bidder, he sometimes finds some really neat stuff. He usually finds music CDs to add to our collection. Recently he found a top-quality mid-size flashlight (www.maglite.com). Would you call these ‘snowflakes’?

For my side gig for today, I had to reschedule due to the weather. I got an assignment from one of the clients that is very easy to do and I will do it tomorrow.

I Didn't Plan Very Well

August 30th, 2016 at 04:45 pm

Yesterday:
Breakfast: Overnight Oats and coffee
Mid-morning (I might as well call this 2nd breakfast): breakfast burrito
Lunch: Greek salad and apple
Dinner: Taco salad
Extra food: none
Personal training at the gym: 30 min cardio warm up on treadmill and bike and full body workout with personal trainer.

My car is running low on gas. I put in the 20 that my dad gave me on Friday when I took him to the doctor. The fuel lasted nearly five days at just over half a tank. I am also running a low on funds because I paid more on CC1 than usual and that brought my remaining spending money way down. I have no idea what I was thinking so my ‘no spending’ willpower will need to take over until next payday which isn’t until September 9th.

Anyway, I asked my DH for a loan from his side gig slush money for gas until payday. I needed enough for this week and next week. With the loan I picked up some things at the grocery store: eggs (75 cents per dozen mediums!), bread (BOGO), bananas, and water (we are under tropical storm watch). I put the change in my change jar and updated my sidebar (dresser).


Day 4

August 27th, 2016 at 03:06 am

I'm getting the hang of this!

Work drama (update): Well it was much worse than we thought. DH’s company says they overpaid him by 395.18! Apparently the company accidentally had him (and other employees) receiving a benefit that he did not rate. That’s no good. I imagine they will deduct a percentage each paycheck until it is paid in full. That means they would deduct about 40.00 per paycheck. That’s crap!

I took my dad to see an orthopedist for his knee. The doctor diagnosed what my dad suspected all along: arthritis and gout. He has gout flare ups which are incredibly painful. The doctor’s assistant took some fluid from his knee to send to the lab and then gave him a cortisone shot. Hopefully this will make him more comfortable and steady. The doctor also prescribed medicine for his gout. My dad is very happy with this doctor and feels he can trust him. He hasn’t trusted the other doctors we have been to lately. My dad gave me 20.00 toward gas.

Yesterday:
Groceries estimated 125. Actual 154.52
Gas estimated 35. Actual 20 (filled 3/4 tank)
Lunch at Burger King (treated DS1 & DS2) 16.04
Snowflakes: 20 from my Dad for gas (for taking him to the doctor)
Earlier in the month: 5.00 from lottery scratch ticket my mom gave me, 15.00 copay overpayment refund, 16.69 dividend from profit share from my first employer.

I do this for the benefit of my diet.
Breakfast: Pancakes (www.kodiakcakes.com) & coffee
Lunch: Whopper, fries, Coke Zero
Dinner: Lasagna, sweet plantains, salad
Extra food: 1/4 portion of a veggie calzone and 3 glasses of wine (neighbors came over to hang out). We already had the wine. They bought the beer and the calzones.

Personal Training workout on Thursday 8/25: arms

Dinner menu plan for next week:
Saturday: Turkey/Veggie casserole
Sunday: DS2 & DS3 are involved in Church Youth and they have dinner there. DS1 works the evening shift at a grocery store so Sunday’s meals are very simple.
Monday: Eat at Mom’s
Tuesday: Taco salads
Wednesday: Brown dinner (Salisbury steak with onions, gravy and mashed potatoes)
Thursday: Chicken pot pie
Friday: Eat at Mom’s