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Yes, it's that time. I'm deep into the dropboxes and digging them out. I'll also have a lot of late work to handle as some of my students have really struggled with online learning. It's great for the happy, bright, and motivated. It's not so great for the worried, sad, and struggling. But we'll do what we can to get them out as unscathed as possible.

I've decided it would be a swell idea for DD and DH to each make one dinner a week. I'll provide instructions, but there...
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I am enjoying these bagel outings. Only two more. I spent $3 today. Variables are at 25%.

I found .20 by the garbage dumpster yesterday! It was one nickel and the rest pennies. Don't know why the change was dumped there, but I picked it up and soaked it in hot soapy water, then washed my hands carefully.

I cleaned the bathroom yesterday and today I will clean the bedroom. Tomorrow I will not clean -- it's Mother's day! But on Monday and Tuesday I will clean the kitchen....
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My meter was changed out last month & I got a crazy bill. I called to ask for a review almost 3 weeks ago &
I’m still waiting. The bill was outrageously high (almost 3 times last month’s bill!). The issue is with what they charged me before the meter was changed & now it’s gone so I can’t check it myself. They charged me for 2449 kWh for 23 days, then 102 kWh for 7 days. The 102 kWh lines up with my usually usage. If they can’t verify what they charged me with my old...
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I was offered the job! I’m not used to everything moving so quickly. It took me 6 months to get on at the federal government & I’ll be starting this job only a week after applying. I’m not sure if they checked references & I can’t recall if I put any down. There’s a sign-on bonus that I’m not touching until I complete my first year. It’s a big commitment going from PRN to part-time, but as I told them I wouldn’t have applied if I didn’t think myself capable....
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This has been a rough week for me. I think the fibro flare is finally leaving, but I am still going through caffeine withdrawal. I think I have about two more days of it. It just makes me really draggy and unwilling to tackle much of anything. I have so much to do and no inclination to do it. But I will go out and work in the garden tonight. I always feel better for being outside. We need to finish filling the new bed and some garbage cans with soil as I bought my peppers...
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My paycheck from my part-time job came in and I will transfer that to my credit card balance. This will get the credit card right under $3,000. I could pay this off in full but I also want to build my cash reserves. This card is at 0% until September. I still have no idea what the summer will look like, so I would rather have cash. I usually do some sort of summer job for extra funds and that may not be happening this year.

Besides that, nothing too exciting. I've had a couple...
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Our garbage disposal died a few weeks ago, sometime soon after quarantine began. I tried fixing it myself to no avail. I wasn't up to replacing it myself so we contacted our handyman. He installed the current one. Of course, due to COVID, he wasn't able to come out, nor did we want him to, but we wanted to get on his list for when things started loosening up.

So for however many weeks now, we just haven't had a working disposal, which honestly wasn't a huge deal. He reached...
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This morning I just got a coffee along with my free bagel so only $3 spent. I notice that Discover is reporting a different (lower) pending payment from Panera than is shown on the receipt, all the days I have gone there. Not sure what's going on there, but I hope the lower cost is the correct one.

My payment to Nicor, the company that supplies our gas, hit my account yesterday. It was only $16, and it was $29 last month. That, too, is weird.

I know I keep reporting that...
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May 6th was the one-year anniversary of my mom’s passing. I miss her terribly. On that day it was cold, rainy and windy and a planned trip to visit the cemetery was postponed until the next day. My brother and I drove separately, wore masks, and stayed the recommended 6 feet apart. We placed fresh flowers, said some silent prayers and then sat on a nearby bench (still distancing) to talk. My brother and I are very close, and I have missed seeing him in person, even though we...
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Starting off with how we're doing. Which isn't 100% financial, but lays the groundwork

So I'm about 8 weeks into a shelter in place order. My 4 year old's daycare closed. My work, which was already half in office/half remote, went full remote. My husband, whose office NEVER has anyone remote, went fully remote a week later.

However, he works in an area where the pandemic is affecting his job in a way that they are helping some of the government backed initiatives for...
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It's been a busy month or so.

My neighbor finished building my raised bed, and he also fenced it. It's a 15-foot square area that will nicely fit a second raised bed, which he said he could do this week.





I found a natural wood sealer that is safe to use with raised beds and had to wait a week for the rain to stop before I could use it. You only need to apply it one time. I have plenty left over and plan to use it on the 2nd raised bed. .

So far, I've spent $437...
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Yes, getting my daily bagel is definitely a mental health thing. It does me a lot of good to get out, take a spin in my car, actually talk to a real live person (behind a mask) and get a delicious breakfast as well. I spent $6.63 today because I bought a tub of cream cheese and a coffee. I also made a brief stop at the tiny library and exchanged a book.

I put up my new shower hooks and I love them! Why didn't I do this a long time ago? It's going to be so easy to take my...
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Couldn’t think of a name for the blog post so Wednesday Ramblings it is 😊.

We have been going ok with our reduced redundancy budget.. I’ll call it that because that’s why we’re trying to stretch what we have. Of our $410 from last week the last of it got spent today. Groceries were just under $150 and of that we bulk bought sausages and lemon pepper chicken pieces. They are saying meat is selling cheap here however I saw it going cheap a couple of weeks earlier- we...
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So hubby picked up the car today he is really happy with it, now he just needs to get all the things he wants for it...but he will do that with his mad money...I got insurance on the car before he picked it up and it was priced around $1100 pa which is pretty expensive but it is insured for much more than our other one...but since the covid has hit and our insurance only does people aged 50 plus...we got a discount down to $845 pa and $100 store gift voucher so was happy with that...won't...
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I saw a posting for a part-time position at a private laboratory with great pay so I applied. I chatted with one of the administrators & she called back to ask me to be tested for COVID-19 before they brought me in for an interview. So I went by today & got my NP swab. Dear God, that was the worst feeling! At first it was just very uncomfortable, then I was uncontrollably coughing & dry heaving, with tears running down my face. I can see why people refuse to be re-tested. I get...
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Well hubby found a car he liked today and $2700 cheaper than we were going to spend, its used but that is fine we don't do a lot of driving anymore...we haven't actually seen the car yet but have paid for it and should be able to pick it up tomorrow, we find out in the morning..so we are a bit excited.

My daughter got her rental today and will move tuesday so we bought her a washer so that come out of the budget as well and she had to pay for her electrical appliances (fridge/microwave)...
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Yesterday I went out to get my free bagel at Panera, but I was too late. They were all gone. While I was there, I bought a package of sliced cheese. Via the drive-through, of course. I didn't realize it would be 2 pounds! But I bought it anyway. It was $13. When I got home, I put half in the freezer. With meat shortages coming up, it will be good to have cheese on hand.

On the way home I stopped at Barnes & Noble and bought the book I was interested in, "Miss Austen."...
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I really put my body through the ringer on Friday. I got a ton done, but I have been basically non-functional with a Fibromyalgia flare since. Today I was able to go sit outside and watch DH turn the compost pile while I kept him company. It was kind of peaceful as we were at the back of the property in a little hidden away area that almost makes you feel like you are in a forest. Almost, because you can still see one the neighbor's fence and top of their house, but it was...
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I have no idea why I never divvied up my meat after purchasing.

I have cooked dinner pretty much all week, and nothing has gone to waste. I portioned everything and I’m loving it.

This week I’ve had pulled pork, chops and spaghetti. In the past, because it’s just me, at least 1/4 to half would have been wasted.

I even froze bell peppers and onions 🧅 now if I can figure out how to preserve lettuce 🥬

Tomorrow is pay day from the side gig. I’m excited...
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Okay so here's the question are you going out again one the bans lift where you are? Will you go back to eating out, shopping, living the way you lived? Are you still going to live austerely? Will you travel?

Right now all I want to do is get on a plane and see my family in hawaii. But that is on the backburner and i have no idea when that will happen.

But otherwise? I don't see us changing much from now. I asked my DH we don't see ourselves going traveling. We don't...
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