Friday Fiscal Wellness Check, September 6, 2025

                       

       For Friday Fiscal Wellness Check,  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, August 29 to Thursday, September 5. I just sort of list things as they come up, then edit before publishing. 

Avoiding Spending/ Saving on Needs

• Used points to save a few pennies per gallon of a fill up. Gas hit $3.19 again locally.
• Fortunately rescheduling flight to Greece didn't incur any price increase even though I could see had I cancelled and rebooked which was an option, the flight I ended up with was $72 more
• My son found the same wet dog food price that was just $1 a can and stocked up for September. 
• Bought loss leaders at my daughter's town grocery store including free carrots.

Opportunities to add Funds/Windfalls 

• Entered Fetch receipts and MS Reward.  
• I got reimbursed for the cancelled MN Bloggers conference
• The credit caught up for the insurance savings, two months for one car, four months for another, and half a year on the house insurance. As it will return to my credit card, I'll probably not have any payment to make at the end of September since what I typically pay through the card is less than the credit. "Funny" how the balance overflow into October doesn't earn interest but the cc interest charge would have been 17% if I carried a balance. 
• Received pay for first two weeks of contract and will submit invoice for past two weeks-it will be for 41 hours. It's crazy I've been at this for four weeks and it's 1/3 complete. 

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

• Minnesota Twins game was free due to gifted tickets, but parking and concession food was atrocious. Still, hanging out with my younger daughter was priceless. 
• Ordered and paid for MILs birthday and additional sheet cakes, just shy of $80. I still have paper goods to pick up but will when I get the cake on the 13th rather than a separate trip. (The price makes it worth it but the closest Sam's Club is a 35 minute drive away.)

     Daily Dinner Diary (Friday 8/22 to Thursday, 8/28). 

• Fri - BK chicken sandwich and French fries ( everyone else was at the State Fair and I treated myself, to junk)
• Sat-  I ate a very late lunch so I wouldn't be too hungry at the baseball game ( and burn through major cash quickly) Daughter and I shared peanuts and popcorn, but she got chicken tenders and fries and I got a hotdog. We both had a giant beer too. It was a ball game after all and since they lost 12-3, needed to drown out sorrows 😭.

  

  Great Seats!

  
  
• Sun- Grilled cheese, sliced apples (cleaning out the fridge and tidying pantry for a needed shop) so used up odds and ends 
• Mon- Grilled chicken, potato salad, and veggies 
• Tues-  bacon wrapped pork chops, rice, baked zucchini
• Weds- Brats, red rice and beans, steamed carrots 
•  Thurs- I met old work colleagues for happy hour in St Paul

       I've got grandpup for the weekend as daughter is out of town seeing friends. The weather looks promising for a good hike without he or I  overheating so we'll get out to a county park or by the river. How was your week?