All Entries

October 19
$40 Groceries
$30 Donation
$15 Target
$10 Car Wash
$9 Movies
$9 Comedy Show
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MH had asked me to pick up a bell pepper at the grocery store, and to cook two meals.  I decided to make sloppy joes & potatoes for dinner tonight, and will make chow mein on Tuesday.  I picked up noodles, veggies, hamburger buns, and milk.  Milk was also a request from MH.  It's a new thing. ...
[ Read More ]

So, I guess as a part of getting older, I really shouldn't be surprised about having to take medication on a regular basis.  I've mentioned this before, but the short recap is that I am Type 2 diabetic, and am having to take two kinds of medicine for it.  All this happened earlier this year.  Before, it was just one medicine, and it was easier to track.
But with two, somehow I now feel like I'm constantly watching the clock or something, and on some days, I am actually...
[ Read More ]

October 18
NSD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I didn't take the time to write anything down Friday.  So it seems like it was a blur.  I did work late with new employee.  
New employee showed up a whole 9 days in a row.  So that's something!  Everyone I hire is a personal and medical disaster.  It's hard to come by employees who actually show up.   Off the top of my head, this is employee #8? ...
[ Read More ]

October 17
$13 Groceries
$23 Dinner Out of Town (MH)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today was a little more relaxed than the last couple of days.
I thawed some meat in the morning and realized we didn't have any bread I like, or anything to go with hamburger meat.  (MH had told me my bread was "out" at the store).  I am glad I even noticed.  I picked up some soft breakfast food and bread at the store.
I got out of work early...
[ Read More ]

Ever have one of the those airline trips where its like everything goes wrong, or is just plain uncomfortable / painful?  Well that was my trip back from Europe this week.  (Oh and if anyone checks... the "Friendly Skies" was a United slogan, but while I was flying American the American ad slogan is "Doing what we do best".  I never knew that until I researched it - has anyone ever heard this one?  All I can say is they need a new ad agency.)
Well my mother...
[ Read More ]

So, wow.
On my to-do list was double-checking that my current Part D drug plan, Wellcare, was still a good choice for me in 2025 given that I learned Wellcare will no longer work with Boomer Benefits, the insurance agency that helped me sign up for Medicare.
The huge advantage that Boomer Benefits offers (you can find their very active Facebook page) is that unlike most any other agency, they readily intercede on your behalf should you have a billing issue or some other matter...
[ Read More ]

 
October 15 & 16
$4 Walgreens
$1 Soda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crazy days...
Tuesday I went to two Walgreens, to buy some straws.  There's one Walgreens by my home and one by my work.  The one by my home doesn't seem to have what I am looking for, most the time any more.  No straws there.  I stopped by the other one and found one box of straws.  It was hard to find, but I found it.  I was going...
[ Read More ]

Ok, I admit the title is rather ostentatious, but after many, many... many years, I think I have finally got this crock pot thing down.  I put the nom noms in.  I turn on the power.  I say prayers to our lord and savior Gordan Ramsey.  And after many hours of impatient waiting, somehow at the end of all, food!
While crock pots can last a lifetime, unfortunately, my previous one had finally developed a crack in it, and I decided it was time to move on.  This...
[ Read More ]

I finally received my IRA CD distribution in the mail this week; it took over 4 weeks to get, which I think is unacceptable. I did file a complaint with the OCC; perhaps that sped things up a bit. Now they're sending me surveys asking me if I'm happy with their service. Unreal.
I had them deduct state and federal taxes, so my net was just about $9500; still, I plan to live on that, and 2 more monthly annuity payments, to see me through the rest of the year. So glad to finally...
[ Read More ]

October 14
$6 Fast Food Lunch
$52 Target
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I didn't plan well.  Just noticed the cat food was getting low.  I should have added that to recent Target order.  So I did yet another Target order. 
For lunch I just wanted to get out of the office and have a treat.  
My shoes arrived and they actually fit.  Yay!
When I got home, I mentioned to MH that we should go for a walk. ...
[ Read More ]

October 13
$131 Groceries
$105 Kohls
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's going to be a long week.  I expect I will be in the office for 5 days.  & the new employee likes to work a later schedule.  I gave up working past 5:00 (now that she's getting more settled) but 5:00 still seems crazy late.  I know I will be exhausted.  
MH has a very busy week re: second job (unpaid).  I presume I will be trying...
[ Read More ]

October 12
$73 Dinner Out
$700 Yard Cleanup
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I was pregnant with DL(19), I hired a gardener that brought much peace to our life.  I just couldn't do it any more.  Two kids + a full-time job + exhaustion (not enough sleep), etc., etc.  Our gardener was amazing for the first 15 years or so (I feel very blessed about that) but really started dropping the ball after that.
We finally let him go...
[ Read More ]

Oh man, I have never submitted before a claim on my credit card for a cell phone reimbursement. I  broke the screen first week of September then a couple weeks ago was reading my chase ink business preferred card that I put our cell phone plan on had insurance for cell phones.  I paid $200 to replace the screen on my pixel 7. 
The plan is to replace my pixel 7 with a pixel 9 on black friday.  I had a pixel 6 for free 3 years ago when I got an extra line with...
[ Read More ]

Well I have seen on here what people are spending on groceries and I just laugh....seriously though if our groceries are not $1000 or more a month then I am amazed. We only buy our meat from a local butcher (so much better) and yes we try to use farmers markets when we can, and yes my hubby and daughter drink A2 milk as it is better for hubby breathing issues and my daughters stomach..I dont drink milk and that alone is $6.90 per 2 litres (which I would convert but aust gallons...
[ Read More ]

October 11
$66  Shoes (Moi)
$10 Parking
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not entirely sure if my spending will count today.  I just happened to receive a targeted ad for shoes that looked cute.  It was in a brand that carries wide sizes.  A Kohl's ad?  My big/wide feet are very hard to shop for.  I was annoyed they didn't even carry wide sizes of this shoe but I looked around and they were cheaper on Zappos. ...
[ Read More ]

We are finally settling into our new home and it is starting to feel like home now that things are being put away...still have lots to do but we will do it in our own time, we can live comfortably and just do a few boxes every couple of days so it's not so much. This house has less space than our last one, which they didn't renovate and they must not have had many takers as they have lowered their rent by $30pw...
Unfortunately with all the stress I think with the move etc our...
[ Read More ]

October 9
$47  Groceries
$27  Haircut (MH)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MH & I both went to the grocery store today.  I picked up some cheese and deli meat (as planned).  MH picked up some bread, milk, and other odds and ends. 
Temps dropped down by 10 degrees and I didn't even turn on the A/C upstairs on this day.  Woohoo!
Both MH and DL got haircuts this week (DL paid for his haircut).  MH was annoyed...
[ Read More ]

My mom mentioned that I should be getting my deposit returned once I moved out of my apartment. I honestly did not remember paying a security deposit & told her I didn't pay one. Well, I unexpectedly got my deposit returned. That was $250 I was not expecting, but was happy to see.
My request to turn off (or stop) service on my move out day was not processed. Entergy says that they can't even see where I requested it. So I'm on the hook for another month. It's only $53, but...
[ Read More ]

I called the DMV yesterday just to make sure that nothing was lost in the mail. Nope. They haven't reviewed my medical form. YET! At least the person I talked to this time was polite, unlike the last time.
So I'm still making do without a license, and my budget continues to be affected. Although it some ways it is a good effect -- no car insurance, which is a biggie, and now with my ride-free card, getting around is pretty much free. But I'm limited on where I can go, and sometimes...
[ Read More ]

As of right now, I still don't have the IRA CD distribution I requested from US Bank on the date that CD matured on Sept 12.
After 6 painfully protracted phone calls (with 6 different individuls, of course) and 3 separate trips to the library to fax them their 3 required forms, I finally filed a complaint that was confirmed by the OCC (Office of the Controller of the Currency), which regulates US Bank.
So this morning after noting the passage of another week, I called US Bank...
[ Read More ]