Friday Fiscal Wellness Check June 27, 2025

             

    I copy the previous week, delete the old and updated as I go along the week as a way even when busy and not in a blogging mindset I'm accountable to myself. Here's my recap of Friday, June 20 to Thursday, June 26.

Avoiding Spending/ Saving on Needs

• The heat and humidity was above normal over the weekend. I'm fortunate to have an energy efficient home so even with using AC it's been minimally as needed, and I even tweaked it up to 77 so it truly is warm before it kicks on.
• I used a lingering bottle, I think finally the last, of Angry Orchard from Christmas to make a beer bread. I used the minimum amount of sugar. It's an ok bread, toasted, tastes pretty good for peanut butter. There was still some by Wednesday, but getting dry, so I made a sort of French toast bake. I froze it for my youngest ( after tasting- not bad) as she absolutely loves French toast bakes. She can warm a chunk at a time before work. 
• My niece has a sour cherry tree. I picked both Friday and then Sunday as more ripened. I'll make sure she gets her fill of jam and cherry crisp, her only request for payment. The pitting is a pain, but I treated myself to mindless YouTube while doing the job. I've enough for two batches of jam (prepped and measured in the freezer until I'm ready to make) and two bags for either very large or multiple small crisps, plus a couple smaller bags for muffins. 
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Spent Intentionally

• I bought my car tabs yesterday so that's done for another year. 

Opportunities to add Funds/Windfalls 

• Entered Fetch receipts and played MS Rewards. 
• Scheduled a consultation meeting with a former colleague on an upcoming project. The meeting isn't until July 10, but it's on the calendar.

Miscellaneous things that don't quite fit in other categories 

• My daughter had an aloe plant from her freshman year that didn't do well in her apartment and pretty much killed it. I had salvaged what I could to try and force new roots in water for a couple months. Fingers crossed my replanting works and she'll get a new aloe plant back. The pot was originally a thrift buy of my older daughters, then used by me. I just replanted a different plant to a bigger pot. 
• I used $138 of my Gertens Greenhouse card and bought a rhubarb plant, two perennial pots of day lilies ( so many neighbors have and they're just gorgeous and seem no maintenance) , three hydrangeas for in front of my porch, and as luck would have it, two cheat tomato plants and two pepper plants- already with fruit starting. I had two massive plastic planters to use as container gardens for them. I'll save the rest of the card for next year. I don't know if the $3.99 per established plant will pay for itself in harvested fruit, but minimally I will enjoy them as outdoor seasonal plants. 
  
  
  
  
  
  

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 had forgotten about a retirement lunch on the 24th for a colleague that moved her date up rather than the required return to office at least 50% time. I planned this in my gift budget, picking up her lunch plus a small gift bag with homemade jam and fancy crackers, chocolates, and local coffee, but wasn't on my radar until last Friday that it was this week. The restaurant she suggested was quite expensive too, but conveniently located, she didn't know I intended to pick up the tab. Regardless, it was a very lovely time. 
• I had not seen or talked to my MIL for some time. As her schedule was just so full and she was so busy, yes you're hearing sarcasm, we met for lunch at a new restaurant in town. She had taken me out for my retirement in April so if course I was not letting her pay at all. 
• Not going to say much as I'm completely overwhelmed but a pretty major problem was found with clearing out bedrooms to swap. It's getting remediated, but the stress and cost nearly did me or will before it's fully resolved.

     Daily Dinner Diary (Friday 6/20 to Thursday, 6/26). 

• Fri - Just me and there was leftovers that needed using. 
• Sat- Grilled chicken, peas, rice, garlic bread. I ended up going to the lake for the afternoon and evening. As my son had already brought a lot of food ( he stays most weekends due to proximity to one of his jobs), I just brought along bread.  
• Sun- I made a large tuna pasta salad, beer bread, watermelon, and spinach and strawberry salad, bringing half up to my daughter, who's finally feeling better. Son brought pizza home later and I may have had a slice. 
• Mon-  Cottage pie with hamburger, biscuits 
• Tues-  Son had leftovers before heading to a job. I was full from my lunch out, so just had strawberries and watermelon
• Weds-Spaghetti with Italian meatballs and vodka sauce.
• Thurs- Lo Mein with stir fry vegetables and spring rolls

       Tonight will not be frugal but will be well spent as I both contribute to the "kitty" to cover tonight's 50th Anniversary dinner for my sister and husband, plus enough for them to have a solo outing, and my own dinner. The heats supposed to come back, but with the days now start getting shorter so I'm not going to complain about sun right now.  How was your week?