Friday Fiscal Wellness Check March 21, 2025

  

     Two week countdown and more tanking of my retirement account. Fun times. I start these Friday posts right after the last one ends so maybe feeble brain remembers. 

Avoiding Spending/ Saving on Needs

• Groceries were just top offs of essentials and a few stock up on loss leaders. I'm on target to shave 10% off my overall monthly budget for household and groceries but man is it taking creativity and flexibility. 
• As part of that shop, I got lucky and nabbed discounted, two family size packages of 12 chicken drumsticks and another of 8 thighs right as the butcher was setting them out. I rarely find the discounted options, but being able to start shopping at times these tend to happen will help my budget. I could have taken more, lots there, but didn't have the freezer room. From one package I got chicken Alfredo tortellini soup, a meal with drumsticks as the main, and enough meet off the remaining for chicken salad wraps for a lunch. Not bad for $2.44.
• My sister and BIL got a free room at the Hotel/ Casino the night of the concert. Rather than dinner out before, we all just met there for snacks and drinks pre-concert. I brought additional food plus random bottles of beer to finally use them up.
• There's a Caribou coffee inside the grocery store near me, plus, an attached convenience store. I was going to splurge on a take out coffee while waiting for oil change, but instead of the $3+ tax and tip for the coffee shop, I used the C store machine and got a cafe au lait for $1. It still was a frothy and delicious treat.
• I met my daughter on Sunday to help with grad school options and brought soup and quick breads for lunch, leaving her with enough for her Monday lunch. 
• Used points to get gas to $2.83 a gallon, as low as I've gotten it in months but see below, because I really went through gas this week.
• I had another quick stop for coffee at Walmart as I was not thinking last week when the kind I like was on sale for $4.99 at my regular grocery store and didn't stock up, and now back to $7.99. I also grabbed frozen ground turkey and nabbed at $2 rotisserie chicken so more very low cost meat and more broth made. 

Spent Intentionally

• Paid (caveat note below) for regular oil change to ensure my car stays running well.
• Memorial $ for a funeral (I'll have two more sadly before the month ends)

Opportunities to add Funds/Windfalls 

• Loaded receipts and played on MS Rewards 
• I got a $10 reward and under my husband, a $5 Kohls reward. These are good until end of month so will think on what expense these could be applied towards, saving me cash later.
• Rolled a $5,000 CD into a new period of 7 months at a 4% APR. 
• Earned $10 gift card for a survey 
• Now this is an odd one. My niece and I both signed up for a players Passport at the Casino when we went to the concert. We had no time to use them. This is either $10 free play that I could win something, or technically, I could cash out and get the freebie $10 along with the two free drinks. Now when and if this gets used is a long shot as I haven't been to the casino in nearly 8 years and even that was just driving a group of kids to the bowling alley part of the event center, and I nursed a free soda while reading a book after I won $5 playing a couple machines. I don't plan to make the casino a habit.

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

• The car needed an air filter change and that added $75 to my bill. I also have to bring back for an oil leak issue and the mirror. The oil issue is covered under the warranty but still a hassle. 
• The Gin Blossom Concert was a splurge, but they were one of my favorites as a young mom when the radio was my companion. Singing along and pretending I'm in my 20's again is priceless.                   
• I went through a lot of gas due in part to extra trips into the city, and having my son use my bigger vehicle when he met my daughter. He has work things in his and I needed him to bring some things that come to my house ( heavy Chewy order for one) because her apartment is not always the best at getting secured delivery's. I've been stretching to two weeks, but had to fill up already after just 9 days.

     Daily Dinner Diary  (  Friday 3/14:to Thursday, 3/20)

• Fri - Pork loin chops, au gratin potatoes, sauteed apples with cinnamon 
• Sat- Chicken Alfredo tortellini soup with spinach and home made bread 
• Sun-  Chili with rice
• Mon-  Fried pork and chicken rice 
• Tues - Baked shells with chicken, cheddar  cheese sauce 
• Wed- Homemade pizza, a use it up kind of pizza with pepperoni, some frozen peppers and onion found in freezer, two cheeses, and spinach. 
• Thurs-Turkey meatloaf, rice pilaf, stuffing, green beans 

Lunches were sandwiches, soup, fruit and yogurt, veggies and dip, and tuna on crackers or in wraps with a pickle. 

     They could do the under warranty repair and side mirror fix so getting the car to the shop by 8:00 so better get going. It's supposed to be done today but said they'd give me a loaner if not. Tonight is a game night with the church over 50 group and my friend S is joining with me. I think I'd have skipped it if I hadn't committed to her. Tomorrow to Sunday is my mini road trip with my sisters, my big spring get away. It's being done on the cheap by sharing a large room, and using points for the room and gas, plus bringing some of our own hotel room snacks and beverages. Sigh, then back to Monday.