Friday Fiscal Wellness Check January 10, 2025

   

     With the new retirement date, it feels a little daunting financially. I am disappointed as this week should be the 8 week countdown and now it's back to 13. I'm not taking my eye off the prize though with thoughts towards three of my 2025 hopes: successfully transition to retirement, losing weight and improving health,  and living more sustainable. Financial well being connects to these. 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 3rd to Thursday, January 9th. 

Avoiding Spending/ Saving on Needs

• My daughter missed her cat so came down Friday. I stretched dinner by adding more rice and a bit more turkey and broth to a hot dish. All three of us ate for lunch on Saturday too. 
• She had a college friends get together and was to bring cookies. Rather than her buy, I helped her put together a tub with three layers of different ones we still had frozen. This helped save her money and got temptation out of my house.
• I turned off renewal for Brit Box and verified the free week of Paramount ended. I need another sweep to see if we're watching enough on the other streaming services and will turn off more by spring when we're not inside so much. 
• Entertainment was football (sad SKOL this week but on to playoffs), streaming services, walks ( though bitter cold), dinner at home with the girls joining (separate nights). No trivia because I developed a horrible cold with a non-stop running nose. I took a week free MHZ streaming service so I could binge the last two seasons of the Bridge in native Swedish/ Danish. I don't think I'll finish before Sunday though. 
• Bought limited groceries this week as my son bought a big bag of clementines, bananas, and reduced chicken, and mostly ate from the pantry and freezer. Used up last of previously bought apples, clementines, and frozen fruit, but had more raw vegetables for  snacking like carrots, cucumbers, and peppers. Other snack was popcorn ( me and son)and the last of Christmas nuts, crackers, and trail mix (son). 

Spent Intentionally

• I cringed that my home owners insurance went up 12%, so did a coverage review. While nothing changed, I at least double checked I'm properly insured. I know it's related to the national natural disasters over the last year. I just hope my fellow customers were and will be treated right when they make their claims and not jerked around.
• Bought new supply of furnace filters to hopefully keep air better quality. 

Opportunities to add Funds/Windfalls 

• Passed the first 6,500 points to a Target gift card, but will hold off until I hit enough for $25. 

     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 bought a Target gift card for the staff person leaving, grouping it as both a farewell gift and housewarming as she bought her first home, a condo in December. She's a terrific person but the job was never a great fit. 
• I ordered a gift for an internationally located friends birthday. Fingers crossed it arrives on the selected day as she'll be travelling on her actual birthday, and I wanted it to arrive the first full day she's home.
• I booked a mini road trip. The third weekend in March with the same sister crew, the four youngest. We have a large room at a hotel with pool, hot tub, exercise room, and the nice "more than" continental breakfast in an area of Minnesota with quaint shops, wineries, and breweries. While we'll need to drive a bit between stops on route, once we check in, there's a bowling alley, pub, and brewery within walking distance so if we want to really cut loose with adult beverages, we can safely. The best part, with rewards and off season, the hotel rate with all costs is $121. I could use credit card points to off set room, gas, and other purchases. I may not though and just use this from my travel sinking fund.
• Not this weeks splurged but an update from a $5 splurge a few weeks ago. I'm loving the mini Bundt cake pan. I had a 75¢ muffin mix that needed nothing but milk and made 12 little muffins. Because there's more surface bake, they had the yummy outer crunch of muffin tops. My new favorite way to bake and they take 8 minutes! 
  
  
  

     As for my daughter's apartment, they replaced the floor, lower cupboards, and faucets starting Wednesday, and will finish today. Upper cupboards will be replaced too, but those are on order. It will be a lighter, brighter apartment as the old cupboards were a very generic brown and these will be white laminate.  They are getting a slight rent credit to offset the small appliance loss and or put towards take out as they won't have the kitchen until tonight. While I thought it should have been more for the inconvenience and replacement costs, like 1/2 the rent at least, it was a good lesson for her in adulting. I'm proud of her that she followed up and didn't allow non or a dragged out resolution. 

     All in all, a successful week. Other than gifts, all spending was on necessary items, but what fun is life if we don't celebrate others? I feel calmer financially heading into the next week, though still cautious. Question? As I'm trying to really hone in on food waste, maximizing our grocery budget, would a supper recap for the week be of any interest as part of these Friday posts?