The garden is lush and thriving with the beautiful sunny days. We have flowers on the zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes and bell pepper plants. On Saturday we put up a length of plastic fence for the snap peas and green beans to climb. I also placed a few stepping stones between the boxes and hope to get a few more.

@ FrugalTexan: Sorry I didn't post a reply earlier. Spinach is easy to grow. It's like grass. You can plant it in pots or the ground.

DS loves to go and pick spinach leaves and eat them while he is outside playing. He's so cute with his mouth full of green leaves. I can't wait to show him how to pick and eat the snap peas when they're ready.


Garden


Peas on the fence


Summer squash flower

Okay, June is over and the official grocery spending was.... *drumroll*

$598

This includes $156 spent on the weekly delivery of organic produce. I am going to reduce our frequency to twice monthly. First, to save money and second because we are getting some fresh food right from our backyard now.

I would have spent $93 less in June if I hadn't gone yesterday (last day of June) to get the $10 off coupon and the movie tickets reward.

This morning I went to the grocery store. Safeway is running their spend $75 get $10 off coupon promo this weekend. I also needed to spend $9 on selected dairy items by the end of the month to earn two tickets to the new "Ice Age" movie.

I spent $93. Included in that was several boxes of cereal priced at $1.88/box and a few BOGO free items.

The snag came at checkout when the coupon printer didn't print my movie ticket vouchers or my $10 reward coupon. Had to go over to customer service and after a few minutes she got everything for me.

Other Saturday stuff:

Bought new sneakers for myself and DH. $83 total.

Bought a new set of scrubs for work. $42.

Going to pickup DD from camp today. Yay! I've missed her and can't wait to hear how camp went.

MIL is coming this evening to stay for two nights.
Two nights is just fine.
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A $3 service fee was charged on our checking account this month. A checking account which is supposed to be free.

Do you remember when I posted about having to change my account a few months back (Oct. I think) and I thought it was so odd that it was called "College Checking" but it didn't matter what your age was or whether or not you were in college.

When I called today I was told that because our account is "College Checking" it's only free if you're under 24. Doesn't matter that I was told in the branch that your age didn't matter. *Really..Grr!*
And I guess it doesn't matter that it's been free for months and neither DH nor I have been 24? (I wonder if my birthday last month triggered this fee to start? Hmm.)

The CS rep for the bank asked if I'd like to change my account to a "Value Checking" package.

"You only need to keep a $1500 average daily balance for it to be free. Otherwise it's $9/mo."

Hu? Let me see... I can keep what I've got for $3/mo or switch and every few months (or maybe every month) I'd get charged $9 because the A.D.B would be too low. No thanks. I'll stick with this for now.

As I've said before I would consider a switch to our credit union. The advantage the bank has over the CU is: Convenience. Lots of branches/ATMs/easy online uses.

I do plan to stop at the branch where they told me age doesn't matter. And I'm a bit curious; sound like age discrimination?

A bit of spending here at our house this weekend.

I took DD and one of her school friends to see "Brave" in 3D on Friday night. It was a GREAT movie! I liked it very much. Very good mother/daughter film. The 3D keeps getting better and better each time I go to the theater. We had frozen yogurt before the movie.
$22 for tickets. $9 for frozen yogurt.

Saturday I picked up a long time friend of DD who lives in the next town up. Then we all went to the fair. We were able to get in for free again this year. (A friend who has family that works for the fair gets us free passes in.)

DD's entries all won first in their respective classes!
But not Best of Show in their categories, so I don't think she'll get any prize money. *shrug* It's just fun to exhibit in the fair, winning money is just icing.

At the fair I gave DD $15 to spend. DH and I spent $35 on glorious fair food. (foot long corndogs, fried artichoke hearts, lemonade, cinnamon rolls) We tried a deep fried Twinkie this year - kind of tasted like a donut to us.

This morning I took DD to the sporting goods store for camp related supplies. $61. She'll be gone on her first sleep-away camp for five nights.

I said when I had time I'd post some pictures.

Here is our garden boxes. I still want a few pavers or stepping stones to place between the boxes so I can walk out in my bare feet.



The sad thing is our peach tree was so loaded with fruit that the main trunk split and we had to cut it off (in the pic behind the garden). Then the other half bent and cracked in the wind. I don't think we'll be able to save the tree now.

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Sunday I took DS, DD and one of her friends to a local humane, sustainable goat dairy. (Redwood Hill Farm - you might see their stuff at Whole Foods.) Their "Farm Day" was free. You could pet and hold kids, milk a goat, brush goats and sample their products. I spent $22 for four types of cheese. Yum, So good!








Sonoma County vineyards on the drive to the farm.


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These are DD's fair entries.
Fused glass plate.
Painted notecards w/envelopes.
Decorated blown egg.



It cost $1/item to enter.
First prize for the egg is $25. **Fingers crossed** for DD!

In yesterday's post I had checked Quicken and our total grocery spending for May had been $1005. Tonight I looked more carefully and there was a Costco transaction categorized as 100% groceries which was only part grocery. After deducting that, the total spent was $897. Our produce box was delivered five times in May also. But even so, we did a lot of food buying in May!

My goal for June will be half that of May.

Just a few days back I got a $15 Strbks card as a reward in the mail. And I wrote how nice and easy it was to earn.. Well, I just got another email from BoA to do the same thing.

Just a few quick clicks through the email link + pay our cell phone bill in a few days with that card = A second $15 gift card.

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Beautiful weather here. Nice and mild at about 75F. Going to have BBQ chicken breasts, baked sweet potatos, corn on the cob and maybe a few other fruits/veggies that need eating tonight for dinner. Once I finish up on the computer I am going to get a bunch of strawberries cut up for strawberry shortcake for dessert.

I see a few posts about grocery spending. Well, I just checked Quicken and we spent a whopping $1005 in groceries last month! That is much higher than usual. I'm going to look through it and see when I spent all that. Our chest freezer and fridge/freezer and pantry are all FULL so we have something to show for all that spending.

Just arrived back home about an hour ago. My grandma's memorial was Tuesday. Thankfully it didn't rain or snow, the sun even poked out (Thanks Grandma!) for the whole afternoon.

It was a sad event, but our family had a really nice visit afterwards. I was able to see two of my cousins and their kids, including a new baby, that I haven't seen in almost five years. We were all over at grandma and grandpa's house and there weren't tears or sadness. Instead we looked at old pictures and laughed together. That seemed to make grandpa pretty happy too. It makes me sad now to think about how much grandma would have loved that and she "missed it". I do feel like she was 'there in spirit', so maybe I shouldn't feel too sad.

My BFF was there also. It was nice to visit with her on part of the drive. As well as driving together with my mom and dad. But, I visit with them more often than my BFF. Money wise, because I drove everyone in my car, my parents paid for all the gas.

Today feels like a Sunday now because I took two days off. I have to keep reminding myself that it is really Wednesday. Ha! I get to work for two days and then it's the weekend again!

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Because it is Wednesday we have a new produce box..


Lots of good stuff. Strawberries, carrots, beets, green onion, avocado, nectarines, corn, bananas, zucchini, oranges, lettuce, chard.

I did go back to the grocery store this morning. Unfortunately, gift cards are not counted toward a $75 purchase. I did buy a few items I forgot to buy yesterday. So I spent $15 today and $119 yesterday on groceries.

We did buy a new lawnmower on Memorial Day. $294.

Sent out checks and registrations for DD's summertime activities.

Planning to get the oil changed and the car washed tomorrow in preparation for the long drive this week.

(SO happy this is a five payday month! All of the above is covered.)

Foolish spending:
I am sending off a check for $25 to the state. My RVT license was due for renewal this past month. That was fine. But, because I did not update my address soon enough I have to pay a penalty. Really pretty silly because they are printing a new license and all that stuff because of the renewal. Silly mistake on my part because I never thought about updating my address when our office moved 18 months ago. Oh well...

Second thing was $7.50 in library fines.

Third thing was something I had been 'wanting', not needing. I bought it with birthday money. Now I might return it and apply the bday cash to the cc payment. I really like said item, but I don't NEED it. Wrestling with what will make me happier.

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The rest of this afternoon I am working on laundry and enjoying the beautiful weather. Can't wait to watch the season finale of "Game of Thrones" tonight!

My $15 Starbucks gift card came in the mail today from BoA. It was a reward for using that cc to pay our cell phone bill. I hope I get more email offers like that ... SO easy to "earn" free treats!

I treat myself once weekly or less. I have been taking advantage of special offers and Free drink coupons from a client at work the past few months. I've only spent $12.30 in the past three months. $10 of that was to buy a $15 giftcard using a grocery store promo. I used my empty Stbks ground coffee bag to get a free drip coffee while I shopped today.

Speaking of grocery store promos; Safeway is doing the spend $75 & get $10 promo this weekend. I went to the store this morning. I am thinking I will go again tomorrow and buy a gift card for groceries to earn another $10 reward. Provided I can do that.

At some point this month I will probably buy some gc for groceries just to 'max out' on my 5% back on grocery store spending. June is the last month. Until I started reading posts here I would never have thought to do that.

Monday, April 30
$180 Childcare for DD. Contract hours for May, plus extra hours from April.
$300 Horse board.
$ 3 McDonalds. Lunch for me.
Dinner: BBQ hamburgers, potato salad, artichokes, strawberry shortcake.

Sunday, April 29
$104 Safeway. Groceries.
Dinner: Pizza, strawberry shortcake.

Saturday, April 28
$15 DH lunch out.
Dinner: soup, sandwiches, steamed veggies, frozen yogurt.

Friday, April 27
$ 9 In 'n Out Burger. Dinner for me and DS.
$30 Parking in SF.
$19 Dinner for DD and DH at the ballgame.
DD played her trumpet with the Junior Philharmonic at the SF Giants game. She and DH stayed for the game.
Dinner: out.

Thursday, April 26
$ 0
Dinner: leftover lasagna, ice cream.

I was curious about what MonkeyMama's family bought at the grocery store. (Actually, I'm always curious about what other people shop for - I don't want to miss out on anything good! ) She was kind enough to post about it. In case anyone is interested in comparing what food costs them vs. me here is a snapshot. I am just referring to the past two shopping trips that I have receipts for.

Some notes on how I shop:
I do stock up on deals.
I don't use many coupons - so that's an area for improvement.
Most times (not always) I plan meals around what's on sale rather than shopping to fit a meal plan.
I am not very brand loyal - I'll buy the cheapest option on most items.
I like to buy whole grain options and 100% juice.

For the next three months the Chase card is 5% back on grocery spending.


SB = store brand
* = used coupon

Safeway on 4/13
$ 1.00* Gerber "squeezy pouch" food (x2) (for DS)
$ 2.04* Gerber fruit snacks
$ 3.99 Lemon juice 32oz
$ 1.50 SB canned diced tomatoes 28oz
$ 0.50 SB tomato paste (x2)
$ 1.69 SB canned tomato sauce 29oz
$ 1.34 SB whole grain pasta
$ 0.99 Hunts 4pack pudding snack cups (x3)
$ 2.99 Life Cereal 18oz
$ 5.00 SB 2lb bags shredded cheese (x3)
$ 2.00 Simply Potato Hash browns (x2)
$ 3.99 XL local organic eggs 1dz
$ 1.99 Daisy Light sour cream 16oz
$ 1.99* Tropicana Red Orange 59oz
$ 2.99 Silk Almond Milk Vanilla (DH's diet)
$ 2.59 Stonyfield Baby Yogurt 4pk
$ 3.99 SB Ice Cream 1.5qt
$ 0 SB Frozen Greek Yogurt1.5qt (Free w/ice cream purchase)
$ 3.00 Van's power grains frozen waffles (x2)
$ 1.94 Bananas (0.79/lb)
$ 3.99 Two jumbo artichokes
$ 2.99 SB Ziptop sandwich bags 100ct

Safeway 4/7
$ 2.50 SB bran flake cereal 17oz
$ 2.50 SB Cinnamon crunch cereal 13oz
$ 8.99 Martinellis 100% apple juice 1gal
$ 3.99 Ghridelli brownie mix
$ 2.50 Nestle chocolate chips (x2)
$ 3.49 Crisco canola oil 1.5qt
$ 4.60 Ovaltine
$ 7.99 Starbucks ground coffee (will get a $5 GC when I buy a 2nd bag)
$ 1.25 Plum Organics "squeezy pouch" food (x4)
$ 2.00 SB whipped cream cheese
$ 0.60 Yoplait yogurt (x6)
$ 3.09 SB Whole milk 1gal (x2)
$ 1.00 Odwalla bars (x6)
$ 1.50 SB croutons
$ 3.99 Two pints grape tomatoes
$ 3.99 Sabra pine nut hummus
$ 2.00 Peppridge Farm Miliano cookies (x2)
I also bought some cleaning supplies that I normally would have bought at somewhere like WalMart or Target, but for the 5% back and the convenience I bought at the grocery store.

If you read my posts you also know we shop at Costco. I think we are lucky because our store is really easy to get to and park and easy to get in/out. It's just as easy for me to stop at Costco as at any other store. Actually, I think our local Costco is easier to park at than the Target.

Costco is my go-to place for meat. What I bought last was:
$24.18 Foster Farms fresh boneless, skinless breasts $3.19/lb
$18.06 Lean ground beef $2.99/lb

The meat is always top notch. I have bought all types; beef and pork roasts, steaks, beef and pork ribs, pork chops, lobster tails, chicken.

Costco 4/5
$ 3.99 Hawaiian sweet dinner rolls 24ct
$10.69 Almond Roca 40oz tin (for Easter)
$ 9.99 3lb frozen organic mixed berries

We also regularly buy cat litter, TP, PT, Tide laundry soap, dishwasher tabs, Rxs, DH's Copenhagen, trashbags, sliced cheese, bacon, bread, string cheese ...

Quick catch up on the daily spending.

On Thursday I was going to pay some bills and knew there would be some auto pay stuff posting, but I didn't set up any payments just so it would be a NSD. HeHe!

Friday was all set up to be another NSD until DH asked me to pick up some sour cream to go with dinner. I figured I'd pick up a few other items at the store. Then once in the store I saw some really good deals I didn't want to pass up. I love food, so grocery shopping can be ... well.. dangerous.
(I am planning on posting about my grocery shopping a little later.)

On to the tracking...

Friday, 4/13
$78 Safeway
Dinner: Loaded Baked Potatoes (baked potatos with bacon, sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onion), green beans, fruit, frozen yogurt.

Thursday, 4/12
$0
Dinner: green salad & homemade cheesy potato soup (frozen from a batch I made about 3 wks ago), fruit, chocolate/peanut butter ice cream.

Wednesday, 4/11
$11 Lunch & tip.
$74 Gas. Fill-up at $4.13/gal.
Dinner: pasta w/homemade tomato sauce, fruit from the new box.

Tuesday, 4/10
$0 Starbucks. Free drink coupon.
$86 City water/sewer.
$92 Diapers.com.
Dinner: more Easter leftovers and pizza leftovers.

Monday, 4/9
$0
Dinner: Easter leftovers.

Yesterday I had lunch out with a girlfriend at a restaurant about one minute from my work. I had my fav. - coconut curry chicken with veggies and rice, soup, egg roll, tea.

I had to get gas last night on my drive home. A day earlier than my usual Thursday fill-up because of the extra driving to cat sit this weekend.

Wednesday, 4/11
$11 Lunch & tip.
$74 Gas. Fill-up at $4.13/gal.
Dinner: pasta w/homemade tomato sauce, fruit from the new box.

Tuesday, 4/10
$0 Starbucks. Free drink coupon.
$86 City water/sewer.
$92 Diapers.com.
Dinner: more Easter leftovers and pizza leftovers.

Monday, 4/9
$0
Dinner: Easter leftovers.


Here is the weekly produce:


pears
oranges
apples
kiwi
bananas
avocado
asparagus
eggplant
yellow onion
green beans
sweet potatos
spinach
red leaf lettuce

Daily Expense Log

Sunday, 4/1:
$18 Whole Foods. Items for DH's diet.

Monday, 4/2:
$11 Lunch out for me.
Coconut curry chicken with veggies, rice, soup, eggroll and tea. Plus tax and tip.
$156 Betty's Organics month of service.

Tuesday, 4/3:
$35 DD's After-School Enrichment class (baking).
$45 Second class (pottery).
$ 4 Starbucks.

Wednesday, 4/4:
$ 8 My lunch. Salad and jalapeno poppers.
$13 Safeway. A few items needed for dinner.

Today - Thursday, 4/5:
$19 Sears. Vacuum bags.
$ 0 Victoria's Secret. Free panty. (I was there to return stuff)
$42 Local ham store for Easter ham.
$81 Costco gas. Fill-up. $4.15/gal.
$112 Costco. Food stuff, TP, DH's tobacco.
$1776 Mortgage.
$90 V. Secret Online. Dress and clearance top.

Thursdays are my errand day because I get off work early. Thursdays are usually a peak spending day.

of produce.
We've already eaten all the mushrooms.


(3) lemons
(4) apples
(4) tangelo
(3) kiwi
(3) avocados
(1) cucumber
(1) bag baby carrots
(3) beets
(12-13) mushrooms
(6) bananas
Asparagus
Romaine lettuce
Arugula

Carrots, romaine lettuce, asparagus, apples, pears, tangelos, mango, cucumber, zucchini.

I went ahead and signed up for weekly produce delivery. $39/box.
I can cancel or reduce the service anytime I like. For now, while DH is on his "cleanse", we are eating more fresh food I figure this is a good way to go. I love it. It would be good if we kept up the extra healthy eating.

Getting the delivery is really a good way to eat more fruit and veggies. The box came yesterday and as soon as we opened it up we were munching on the carrots and the tangelos (so juicy we had to eat them over the sink!). I cooked one bunch of asparagus with last night's dinner. Tonight I am making homemade spaghetti sauce and I chopped up one of the zucchini and added it in.

Yeah, I have another Tuesday off. Just slow at work this afternoon. It's a good day to be home because it's raining out. I have several things I should be doing here at home, but I'll probably spend my time playing on the computer while DS takes his nap.

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Last night DH called the fraud dept at the bank and everything is all straightened out. He was on the phone for maybe six minutes? The amount is credited back to our account as of this morning.

I am going to wait a few days before I order diapers from Diapers. and I am going to use a cc from a different bank (the BoA maybe) so I don't create a problem. It probably doesn't matter, but just in case... I might even wait until I get the formal letter from the bank that everything is cleared up.

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I received all my stuff from Victoria's S. One of the swimsuits is really a good fit, so I think it's "the one". Two out of three dresses fit very nicely, but I must limit myself to just one. I also ordered a bra and a nightie that I will keep.

Here is the swimsuit:

(BTW, it doesn't look this good on me. )

I will still keep looking until we go to Hawaii in case I find something I like better. If I do I will still be able to return this suit.

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I have a big soup cookbook. I have made several recipes from it. I think of Monkey Mama when I do because it's published by Taste of Home. This afternoon I am going to make a lentil, rice and veggie soup for dinner. It has things DH is allowed to eat on his "purification diet". As of this morning he has lost 8lbs.

I will have to stop at the store for a few little items. It won't add up to much, but I shudder at the thought of adding to the food spending for this month.

DD had a friend sleepover Friday night. They "rented" a movie thru cable, but with the code I have it was free. (Another $5 to the EF)

On Saturday I took them to the movie theater and they chose to see "John Carter". $20 for the three of us. The girls spent their own money for popcorn and candy.

I didn't know what to expect with the movie, but I really enjoyed it. Entertaining and creative.

Afterwards we stopped at Whole Foods for a bite of lunch. $18. DD's friend is a super picky eater. Mostly, I think, because she isn't offered much variety. (She asked me what lasagna was. And said she's never had mac'n cheese or a burrito.) Her mom owns a Thai restaurant and that's what she eats all the time. It took maybe 20 minutes to get her to pick something out. My kids will eat almost anything and that makes life so much easier!

DD chose sushi, I had soup & salad and her friend had... rice.

Our food/grocery budget is so way over this month. Blah! Lots of extra spending with DH's detox diet. Which, btw, he is doing really great with. Today is day 6 and he's lost a few pounds already. The first part of the "purification" is 100% vegan diet.

If you all knew DH you'd be laughing - He's a big time carnivore! Least likely guy to be drinking veggie smoothies and coconut water.

DS is feeling like his regular happy self again. No more fever, just a bit of a runny nose and a pesky cough. The pesky cough is worse when he lies down, but thankfully it only woke him up once last night.

Yesterday morning I went to the grocery store. $155.

I took a nap when we laid DS down for his. After three nights of getting up and interrupted sleep I was so crabby. I felt so much better after getting two hours of sleep.

We watched a SF Giants Spring Training game. They won.

I made the traditional corned beef and cabbage for dinner. Yum! I was going to make soda bread too, but I was too lazy/unmotivated. Corned beef is so easy; great for a lazy day.

DD went to a girlfriend's house and then ended up staying for a sleepover. So it was just DH and I once DS was all tucked in. We shared a peach ale and rented "Harry Potter 2" thru cable. $5.

Today is blue sky and sunshine, but cold out. It's going to be another lazy, stay-at-home, Sunday.

Box of organic produce delivered to our door today.

(4) Kiwis
a bunch (6) bananas
(4) pink lady apples
(4) navel oranges
(4) d'anjou pears
(1) grapefruit
a bunch (6) asparagus
a bunch (3) red beets w/greens
bag (18) white mushrooms
bunch green kale
head of red butter lettuce
(3) zucchini
(4) sweet potatoes

All very fresh. We had the asparagus with dinner tonight. We also ate two of the oranges and a pear.

Not sure yet if I'll sign up for regular delivery.

Last night I signed up to have organic fruit and veggies delivered to our house. There are several companies in our area that provide this service. I have never tried it before.

This will be a trial box. If I like the service I can sign up for once monthly,
bi-monthly or weekly delivery. The mix of produce changes and you can change the items in your box by adding more of something and less of another.

For the family sized box (which is the largest option) it's $39.

I'm curious to see the produce. The box will be delivered tomorrow.

My co-worker wanted the day off, so I am working for her. That bathroom reno post will have to wait a few more hours..

I had the day off on Thursday, which is a half day, so working today will give back those hours. I like that. Thursday was a lot of running around and spending money. Pharmacy: $10. Grocery: $190. KMart: $32. TraderJoe's: $38. Re-ordered checks: $23. DD's school band is playing at a SF Giants game. Tickets for her and DH for the game: $60.

Last night I stopped at Costco and really stocked up esp. on meat, fruit and spices. $240.

And I bought gas. $4.19/gal! $73!

Yesterday we received our federal refund. (We received our state refund last week.) Both checks went straight into savings because they are earmarked for the new roof.

So here is what really bugs me - we got a 1099 in the mail Thursday! It was postmarked Feb. 27. Isn't that wrong? Don't you have to have all your tax stuff sent out by Feb. 1?

This is the 1099 I was waiting and waiting for and just ended up filing on Feb. 12 when we never got it. Now I'm going to have to file an amendment. *Grrr*

Yesterday I ended up having the day off because it was so slow at work. I was glad because Monday I started feeling not-so-hot. Scratchy throat, headache, that sort of thing. Anyhow, I thought "Great! I'll spend Tuesday resting and try to kick this bug."

Well DH calls me while I'm out for my Tuesday morning walk with some girlfriends and tells me he's having like chest pain. (I wasn't too worried, but I was concerned.) As quick as I can walk I get back to my friend's house where my car is. Then I drive over to hubby's work and run him to our family doctor.

DS and I waited for a bit over an hour while the doctor did an EKG. Everything was fine with his heart. *Phew*
Then over to the lab for some blood work.
Then to get chest xrays about 10 miles up the road. Which was about two miles from my work. (So much for not having to drive my usual commute.)

His blood tests were fine. His chest films were normal. Doctor thinks he was having a bad bout of heartburn/acid reflux. Thankful for that news. Not surprised that everything was normal, but thankful all the same.

I joked with him that because it was Valentines Day his heart was full of love it felt like it was going to burst.

We stopped at Costco on the way home and picked up the acid reducer his doctor recommended, a few other items and filled up with fuel. $3.59/gal.

Finally ended up back at home about 2:30pm.

To celebrate V-Day we exchanged cards and each got a card for DD. I also bought peanut butter hearts for DH and DD at $3.50/each and their cards were $1.99/each.

DH made dinner. Fettuccini w/homemade Alfredo, breadsticks, roasted mushrooms, steak for him, lobster for me and DD. (DS got surf & turf. Lucky toddler!) A little champagne. Éclairs for dessert.
It was wonderful.
$61 for everything and we have two steaks leftover that he'll BBQ tonight.

And DH is feeling fine today and I feel better than I did Monday.

Quiet morning here.
Woke up to some heavy fog so we all slept in a little because it was so dim outside. The fog burned off quickly to a pretty, sunny morning.

We went to a fancy champagne brunch at 10:30am. Stuffed myself on shrimp, chocolate dipped strawberries and champagne.

Used a 2-for-1 coupon and gift cards from Christmas. Our total ended up at $0.06!
DH left a $10 to cover the bill and tip.
$72 brunch for $10.
This is EXACTLLY how I like to do things!

Afterward, we walked to a park across the street and the kids played for about 30 minutes. Lovely sunshine-y day. As I sat on the bench I reflected on how much I like the city we live in. It really feels more like a cozy small town, but has so many city conveniences.

In a few hours I am going to run over to Safeway to use my $10 reward coupon. Today is the last day to use it. Not sure what to buy with it because we don't "need" anything right now.
Boy, that's a nice problem to have, isn't it?
Probably buy fresh veggies.


Here's the lamp I splurged on from Etsy. Perfect next to my bedside.

The 49ers won!
The game was uber exciting yesterday. I think it will end up being the most exciting post-season game this year. What a nail-biter!

Transferred $20 to the EF.
Current balance $2670

Today I'm watching the other two playoff games. Not really rooting for anyone in particular. I do like Green Bay, but am hoping that New York will win so SF can play next weekend at home.
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DH and DD are working together on replacing a furnace for my boss today.

DS and I went grocery shopping this morning. $142. We should be all set for two weeks. The only thing we might need before then will be milk.

I also need to pack away the Christmas stuff. Of course everything is down. But it's all piled up and needs to be organized into the storage totes and then packed into the garage loft. I expect that will take me about an hour.

I have some laundry to wash and fold today too.
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Friday I was finally was able to set up the "Water Wise House call" with the city water company. This is the first step in order to qualify for the $150 toilet rebate.
That would mean a new toilet for FREE!
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Thinking about buying Quicken. Costco has a $20 off coupon for it every year at this time. I was thinking the Home & Business edition because it has the most features. With the coupon it would be $45. Advice?
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Here is the new tub/shower trim set. I hope we can find a way to make them easier to turn.

This morning we went out for breakfast at our favorite hole-in-the-wall cafe. $46.
DH loves their ham and cheese omelets. They have the best Eggs Benedict out of all the places I've been. Their coffee is very good also and the service is excellent.
It was a great way to start the weekend.
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I just applied, and was approved, for another credit card. This is the AmEx that is offering $250 in gift cards after $1k of spending in three months. I am hoping I can find enough places that I routinely use that will take the AmEx. Costco will, hopefully Safeway too. Just couldn't pass up $250 reward.

If I can I will get gift cards for Home Depot, Macy's or Amazon. That way I can use the "free" money for stuff for the bathroom. Towels, towel bars, sink faucet, etc..
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The new shower hardware came yesterday. Fast shipping! It only took three days! DH put it all in this morning and it does look very nice. However, we aren't sure how well the handles are going to work out. You have to turn them off very tightly, otherwise it drips water. Really tightly; like it hurts my hand to try to turn them.

Disappointed about that.

DH is going to call a plumber friend and find out what our options are to correct that.

Such a pain that we didn't know that we should have changed the valves to a single control before we closed up the wall and tiled. Blah!

There is a two handled Kohler set I REALLY like.
Unfortunately -
1. It does not come in oil rubbed bronze.
2. It's about $450.
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The 49ers play the Saints today in about an hour. The afternoon will be spent watching football.
When the 49ers win I will add $20 to the EF.

Go niners!

Sure, he has run into burning buildings, cut open mangled cars and has performed CPR. BUT, today he headed to the mall on a Sunday in December AND he took both of the kids with him!!!

For THAT I give him the brave badge.
LOL!

Such a nice break for me. I am watching the 49er game and having a nice fresh cup of coffee with eggnog mixed in. Yum.

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Last night DD and I ran all over town searching for a pair of solid red tights to go with a black and red dress she has. We searched about 12 of the outlet stores before we went to Kohl's. There we found one pair and it was lying on the floor kind of under another rack. We grabbed them for $9. Kinda pricey, but supply and demand I guess.

Afterward she and I went to Safeway. They are doing the buy $75 get $10 off next purchase deal again. I didn't know that ahead of time or I would have split my basket into two transactions. The total was $210. Well at least I earned one -$10. I will need to go back in before the 14th(?) to use it.

The splurge item I bought was lobster tails. On sale for $5/tail. I have had them before and they are pretty darn good. Better than some restaurants and for $5 how could I pass it up??? DH boils them a few minutes then grills them on the BBQ. He doesn't care much for lobster, so more for me and DD.

Steak and lobster for dinner tonight with rolls and corn. $27 total for "fancy" dinner makes me .

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This morning we went to a friend's house to see Santa. She has her dad dress up so she doesn't have to take her children to a mall Santa. I think it's because of the germ factor. It's pretty cool that she invited several families over. Free pictures with Santa!

When we got back home I spent about 1.5 hours cleaning up the backyard. Poop patrol, cleaned the hen house, cleared out the garden box and swept the patio. DD raked up a bunch of leaves. It's another gorgeous day with beautiful clear blue skies. A bit cooler; about 60F right now, but so mild. This type of weather makes it easy to be outside doing things.

We are having chili for dinner tonight. When I make it I do it up in our big 5.5 quart crockpot and then we can have chili for days. Usually I'll freeze some too.

Well last night I realized I needed an onion. I had used the last one making enchiladas last weekend.

Then this morning I realized I had forgotten to set out meat to thaw. Oops!

Okay, now I needed some ground meat and an onion.

I went to Safeway and was thinking about their $10 off coupon promo they were running. Figuring I would take a page from Retire@50 and buy a gift card in order to earn the coupon. I pulled out my $10 coupon I earned last week only to discover that TODAY was the last day I would be able to redeem!

I was SO glad I needed to go and get that onion TODAY or I would've missed out on my $10 and I would have been so angry with myself.

Oh, and that $10 paid for what I needed for my chili.

Deposited DH's paycheck this evening so it will credit to the account tonight. I had let the checking account dwindle down to $19.80!

Stopped at Costco.
$66 in gas. It's 3.66/gal here.
$96 inside. I ended up buying a few more items than I had planned. Needed paper towels, laundry soap and ground turkey. I added Halloween candy, Nutella (coupon), frozen breakfast sandwiches (coupon) and a set of baking sheets ($4 off). And I saw plenty of other things I would've loved to have gotten. Like: hummus, bacon, Italian sausages, cheeses, pie, pizza, steaks, sparkling water, cute sweatshirts for DD, $50 value giftcard for $40, and so on and so on.

I also wrote two checks today.
$136 for DD's afterschool childcare.
$75 for DD's school lunch account.

I will send out a $300 check tomorrow for horse board.

Goes out as fast as it comes in, right?