Friday Fiscal Wellness Check July 18, 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, July 11th to Thursday, July 17. These start getting long, so feedback if you think less is more. I just sort of list things as they come up, then edit before publishing. 

Avoiding Spending/ Saving on Needs

  • I included twinkle lights, purchased and tucked away from Christmas clearance, with my great nieces graduation card and money. I've been doing this for college dorm bound girls. I'm told it's always a hit by the moms or the girls themselves. 
  • The raspberries just kept coming and not only more than enough for jam, I been giving them away to keep produce sharing karma going.
  • Brought my daughter an extra set of double size sheets I already had for her new bed. She's going to make do with the blankets and small comforter for now, which actually, with blankets folded at the end, looked quite nice. Bonus, she actually cleaned (her clean) and purged some things to make space. 
  • This and one above are daughters wins. Time management is struggle for her and she's a very low wage earner as technically her job is part of her education path. She over spends on take out. I brought her leftovers, goulash and some slices of the asiago bread for her lunch Thursday. She nor roommate ate yet and I could sense they were going to order something, so I "helped" identify easy options she could cook Wednesday and other nights with leftovers. She ended up making a chickpea enchilada type dish with French fries on the side. Her pantry is actually bulging...she just needs ideas and then to cook.
  • Got the big loss leader at my daughter's town grocery store and discounted cheese curds and Colby chunks from the creamery that came to $ 3 a pound.

Spent Intentionally
  • I'm putting this here even though spur of the moment because I am budgeting and saving towards a Quarter 1 trip. I booked both air and hotel for a March trip to Greece at much lower costs than pretty much every other option I was looking at. Planning so far ahead, fairly risk free, cool weather season so I can explore without dropping in the heat, and really enjoy coffee and wine restaurants is the trade-off for not taking a "tropical" vacation. Bonus, I earned both Orbitz bucks and points/ miles on my Delta AmEx.
Opportunities to add Funds/Windfalls 

  • Entered Fetch receipts. I dropped off MS Rewards out of forgetfulness but started again Monday. 

Miscellaneous things that don't quite fit in other categories 

  • Nothing really notable. 

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

  • One of the mom friends texted for a spur of the moment brunch on Friday. I don't get enough friend time, so it was a no thought YES. In effort to manage both portion size and budget, I unabashedly ordered from the 55+ menu.
  • It popped into my promotional email box...the MNBlogCon is back in September and much smaller than the last one I attended, probably in 2017. What the heck, I thought, so I nabbed a ticket. Imposter syndrome is here for $98.05. 
  • It was so hot and humid Tuesday and it overshadowed my budget and I splurged at the Farmers Market on artisan bread, salted caramel cookies( froze 5 of 6), and food truck egg rolls, spring rolls, and banh me sandwich after VBS for us both for lunch as thank you for taking care of dogs each day I was gone. All delicious but incredibly expensive. I supported small businesses. 
  • Splurged on a Dunkin coffee and Munchkins on route to my daughter's yesterday. It was a bad news morning for me and yes, I took comfort in junk and spending. 
     Daily Dinner Diary (Friday 7/11 to Thursday, 7/17). 
  • Fri - Grilled cheeseburgers on pretzel buns with lettuce and tomato, onion rings from the air fryer
  • Sat-  Grad party food
  • Sun-Greek inspired pasta salad, romaine and whatever lettuce I grew salad
  • Mon- Chicken, rice, broccoli and cheese hotdish 
  • Tues- Goulash and with pesto asiago bread and salad.
  • Wednesday- Fend for yourself/ leftovers and glad for them as we had odd household schedules coming and going
  • Thurs- Bacon wrapped pork chops and baked potatoes 
           With being at church three mornings, the rain sogging up my yard, I missed mowing this week so that's my priority today. It's our town festival that is not really my thing so I will avoid downtown. Oldest and youngest work most of the weekend and middle has plans. It'll be me and pets, plus helping my sister out and feeding her cats tomorrow as a bunch are going to a concert and staying over at the Casino venue hotel. I've no other plans but today's a day of note with my husband so need to stay busy. How was your week?

     
  

Comments

  1. BelindaJuly 18, 2025 at 8:22 AM

    Wow, a trip to Greece sounds fascinating. Splurging at the Farmer's Market is something I would do. In fact, we splurged on cheesecake the to other day after I came home from the hospital. It was delicious! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chef OwingsJuly 18, 2025 at 10:01 AM

    Son2 doordashes as he no longer drives much and always cooks too much for just himself. And his weekly grocery bill hit $150.He started splitting the door dash meal or adding an appetizer to make 2-3 meals. Got his grocery bil down to $200 a month including 40 lbs of cat litter. Said he is getting fresh veggies and fresh fruit more now also.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 18, 2025 at 11:11 AM

    Ugh for this week. I think in light of current events I am in a damn the torpedoes, “I got money I ain’t spent yet “ mood. Even though the streets were reported to be slippery we went south on the freeway, ate out LOTS, and shopped.*
    * DD and I bought purses, jewelry, ammo and ate lots of ethnic food, even after we were full.
    -Meg B.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

If you comment anonymously, it'd be nice to have a name to go with the comment. It helps me string other people's comments and therefore their experiences together.

Popular posts from this blog

So Very Tired

      Apologies to Michb as I think I deleted her comment from my last post. I've never read anything but kindness from you, so please know the lost comment was not intended. I'm just really tired- who knows if others were deleted too. Any supportive comments are appreciated, though likely won't be discussing my in-laws in my blog much in the future. It's not fair for me to write about them or have any expectations.      We think the raccoon issue is resolved, but not before yet another call. It's not cheap to have critter incursions resolved. I was lamenting to my son that maybe I shouldn't try and keep the house. He's a help of course, but this isn't his long term plan, or quite frankly intermediary plan. His response was that yes, it is a lot of house and property to take care. He knows my husband handled the bulk of house maintenance and outside care. My son's been a city living apartment dweller since his junior year of college. He'll be a c...
Read more

A Check-in

Image
      I'm amazed how people that I've only met virtually can become such good friends and a support system. I've not been feeling like blogging for several months and not sure when I'll resume. However, I feel I owe so many of you that have checked in by comments or emails to at least let you know I'm still here, still getting from day to day.      I had a successful knee replacement back on August 7th. Recovery has been slow, but is progressing in the manner the surgery and PT team say they aim for. Getting the 0° leg extension, and the 120°+ bend has been the challenge. I'm battling fatigue when trying to walk as long as I'd like and restlessness at night, but pain has been very manageable. I'm working intermittently and will through the rest of September. In October, I'll work around weekly formal PT appointments and daily rounds of  continued PT exercises on my own. A few other health issues came to light or resurfaced in preparing for surgery, m...
Read more

It's Worse Than I Imagined

      The shit show since January 20th has been a big reason for my reclusiveness the last few weeks. Let the comments fly. Create a crisis. Lie that you resolved it. Get your sycophants to suck it all up. Rinse. Repeat...for four F' ing years.  Oh, and let's shout, "but her emails" while a foreign oligarch is raiding our private personal data with his hoard of teenagers. Let's pardon January 6th criminals, several of which immediately committed additional crimes.  I said it was going to be my only political post election post but man, it's even worse than I could have imagined.
Read more