Friday Fiscal Wellness Check, Friday January 17

    


     I was fairly consistent to what I intended to spend. Here's how my spending and saving went the last week.  This sort of spending recap is for self accountability on how intentional I've been the last week and if I can find flaws that might help me make fiscally better decisions in the future. This is my summary from Friday, January 10th to Thursday, January 16th. 

Avoiding Spending/ Saving on Needs

  • Made sure auto renew was off for the one week MHX streaming trial
  • I was appalled at the amount of waste I found deep cleaning out my refrigerator. What was salvageable became part of a game plan with under $40 in groceries for the week. 
  • Used Gas Buddy to determine that the next town on route to my audiology appointment has gas 15¢ cheaper, plus I got a 20¢ off text coupon. I got on my way back to maximize the pet gallon discount. 
  • Because I knew we'd spend a lot on daughter's b-day dinner, twice I talked myself out of take out and made dinner with assorted bits. One meal turned out to be phenomenal.

Spent Intentionally

  • I took my family out for my youngest birthday.  Not an inexpensive dinner, but I'm happy to scrimp in other areas to afford splurges for special occasions. 
  • There was her birthday gift- practical TV stand that can be used now as a basic stand, but also can be used as a stackable book case in future if she ever wants to upgrade. I got her a few tshirts and shorts for her family trip with my in-laws. 
  • I help with both my daughter's pets as I know the cost is high to take good care of them and they give so much unconditional love as Emotional Support Animals. I stocked up on 48 cans of the posh only cat food my daughter's cat will eat, unlike Little Miss who appears to be a garbage can. ( We do buy her the vet recommended dry that she likes.) I buy my daughter's cat 1-2, 24 can cases a month to help her out a bit. He's more expensive to feed than she is. 

Opportunities to add Funds/Windfalls 

  • Continued doing MS Rewards games and searches. It'll be a while before I earn my $25, but it takes literally minutes a day and I enjoy it as a hobbie. 

     Then, there are often other things that impacted my check book that came up without much planning or notice, or an all out splurge.

  • I splurged $8.53 to get a set of four durable assorted size silicone  spatulas/ scrapers. 
  • Nothing too radical this week, and I'm glad for it because...it seems I'll be investing in hearing aids at anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000. If I go with the basic standard, I learned I have 80% coverage with the remainder applied to deductible. I just don't know yet if that's the best option. The appointment for hearing devise consultation is scheduled for March 10th. I'll look at lower cost options people mentioned. 
     All in all, a mildly successful week. No one really said a Daily Dinner Diary was of interest, but it helps me recap and try and see savings  and improved meal opportunities. Here was our meals recapped. 
  • Fri -Pork tacos with black beans and Spanish rice 
  • Sat-Tomato soup and grilled ham and cheese
  • Sun- Lasagna with garlic green beans 
  • Mon- Vegan chilli with rice
  • Tues - Dinner out at Tipsy Steer in the city for daughters birthday 
  • Wed- Lemon, ricotta, and spinach penne pasta with broccoli, and some frozen cooked chicken found in the freezer. ( This was the phenomenal meal!)
  • Thurs- Homemade bean and ham soup with homemade bread, carrots and hummus
     I'm making sloppy joes with all the sides for tonight's book/ poker night. I'll cook a bit over the weekend. We changed restaurant plans but now everyone wants Mediterranean before they go on their trip so I'll get ingredients for gyros and kabobs. With it just me next week, I've been and will continue to freeze servings of leftovers. 

Comments

  1. AprilJanuary 17, 2025 at 8:41 AM

    We all do what we can to manage our pennies, and I would say you are spot on, Sam!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 18, 2025 at 1:45 PM

      I'm going to need to cash flow the month of May for a variety of reasons so yes, ever dollar needs to have a purpose.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 17, 2025 at 9:08 AM

    My dad experienced some hearing loss for most of my childhood & didn't get hearing aids (a combination of embarrassment & cost, I'd say) until he was about 50. I wish he'd gotten high quality aids sooner, as it's so isolating when you can't hear a conversation & participate. Obviously try some out, but the higher quality ones might better filter background noise, allowing you to hear better in social situations. (Hawaii Planner)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 18, 2025 at 1:44 PM

      I hope my quality of life improves. I'm not embarrassed just didn't prioritize the type of hearing exam needed.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 17, 2025 at 10:07 AM

    Best of luck with the hearing aids. I just went through this with a relative and it turned out that Costco had the best value. We are members so we bought them and she reimbursed us. I had to look up the menu for the Tipsy Steer and it looks phenomenal! love Milwaukee...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 18, 2025 at 1:43 PM

      I'll look at all options for hearing aids. I can't afford to over pay.Tge Tipsy Steer is becoming a favorite.

      Delete
  4. Anne in the kitchenJanuary 17, 2025 at 10:53 AM

    I kind of like seeing what meals folks have.
    I do the daily dinner post because it helps me track the difference in what I planned vs. what really happened. It also keeps me mindful of leftovers, what needs to be frozen, and what needs to be cooked pronto. It cuts down substantially on our food waste, which in turn helps mitigate rising food costs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 18, 2025 at 1:42 PM

      I get some great ideas from others too. Things I might not have considered throwing together become decent practically free meals.

      Delete
  5. SharonJanuary 17, 2025 at 9:18 PM

    Looks like a good week! Some nice saves and some nice spends. It's always good to have a treat or two. The waste in the fridge and freezer is definitely something I need to work on. I'm doing better than I was, but I could be better. If I am more careful this will definitely help that all-too-high food budget.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 18, 2025 at 1:41 PM

      Water is really throwing away money, isn't it..

      Delete
  6. AnonymousJanuary 18, 2025 at 10:37 AM

    That lemon ricotta penne pasta has piqued my interest!
    -Meg B.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMJanuary 18, 2025 at 1:40 PM

      I cooked 8 oz of penne and reserved 1 cup of pasta water. I sauteed the remainder of a bag of spinach in butter with garlic and Italian seasoning, stirred in the ricotta, probably about 3/4 cup, then hefty splash of lemon juice, the pasta, adding pasta water, and more seasoning to get to taste and consistency we wanted. So easy. It's a keeper. Adding Parmesan cheese would have been nice.

      Delete
  7. BelindaJanuary 18, 2025 at 2:44 PM

    The Lemon ricotta penne sounds delicious, Sam. All of your meals sound delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  8. LindaJanuary 19, 2025 at 2:14 AM

    It is interesting to see what others eat. Sometimes, people eat things together that I would never think of combining.
    Tommy and I will both get an appointment for ear tests. Tommy definitely needs hearing aids. Mine is mostly because I have had an earache for five years that hinders my hearing. He has been dead set against it for five years. He cannot hear fast food workers, the drugstore cashier, all this from the car. Anytime I cannot hear it is because of the congestion. I have to tell Tommy what people say to him.

    ReplyDelete
  9. CherieJanuary 22, 2025 at 5:25 AM

    You had me at Lemon, ricotta and spinach pasta. It sounds fantastic

    ReplyDelete
  10. jjJanuary 22, 2025 at 10:43 AM

    Sending you so much love, Sam.

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousJanuary 25, 2025 at 8:36 AM

    I hope you are doing ok. I've missed your posts. Lynn, Pecos, NM

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousJanuary 27, 2025 at 2:47 PM

    All OK?

    ReplyDelete
  13. jjFebruary 4, 2025 at 6:55 AM

    Sending love <3 especially from a Canadian - I don't like the tariffs at all!

    ReplyDelete

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