Friday Fiscal Wellness Check April 10, 2026

                             

           For my Friday posts, I copy the previous week, delete the old and update as I go along the week. This helps me add as the week goes on. Here's my recap of Friday, April 3 to Thursday, April 9. I just sort of list things as they come up, then edit before publishing. 

Use it Up/Avoid Waste 

• Ham bone from Easter for future soup, plus a meals worth of cut ham was put in the freezer
• After sending leftovers home with my sister and daughter, used remaining leftovers during the week 

Avoiding Spending/Saving on needs

•  Easter dinner foods was pretty much all loss leader ingredients, plus, as mentioned above, yielded more meals. 
• While at my daughters babysitting grandpup and pup to give kitten more time to explore without the big dog, I ran to the cheese store and scored multiple bags of seasoned cheese curds at $3 per pound. They freeze well and still taste squeaky fresh. It's a Wisconsin thing!
• Moved cell phone from CC to bank payment auto pay to receive $10 per month credit which far exceeds the CC cash back rewards.

Opportunities to add Funds/Windfalls 

• Uploaded Fetch receipts and added to my MS Rewards points. 
• Found a bit of change sorting laundry and added to my card can for poker nights

 Non-Thrifty or Frugal

• Adopting and more supplies for little mister was both a one-time and ongoing expense (by son) but love is priceless
• The water bill increase that was projected last summer, added to the plumbing issue in March meant my water bill was double this quarter. I'll need to figure out what's a permanent increase and what part was one time, but regardless, I need to increase my budget. It'll still be years before the city has the water issue fixed even with the new fees to go towards the upgrades in the system.

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.

• I was tempted at the cheese store by a beautiful chicken salad sandwich on a huge croissant so splurged. It was well worth the $5.99 as both the croissant and salad were fresh and delicious. It was both my lunch and dinner which meant the leftover chili I brought for my daughter and I became her lunch the next day too. Justification. 

  Daily Dinner Diary (Friday 4/3 to Thursday, 4/9). 

Fri - Baked Italian chicken, garlic green beans, leftover baked spaghetti

Sat- Fish filets, tater tots, salad

Sun- Easter dinner ham, au gratin potatoes, green beans hotdish, salad, dinner rolls,  deviled eggs

Mon- leftovers (son at home and brought with me for daughter), other half of my chicken salad croissant

Tues- Chicken tortellini Alfredo soup and garlic toast, salad

Weds- Homemade flat bread with sausage, onion, artichoke, and spinach 

Thur- Pork loin, bakedcsweet potatoes, steamed carrots

       I've a  few things to do today. I'll stop by my sisters to get the Kindle we're both borrowing for reading the book for book club tomorrow night, The Retirement Plan  by Sue Hincenberg. The Kindle owner sister said it was an entertaining and fast read. I've been slowly reading The Salt Path by Rayner Winn, the UK best seller which met with some controversy about fabrication of the back story. I bought my copy for 50 p at a National Trust used book store. Have you read either? Finally, I will substitute teach for a half day this afternoon. I needed a job to not have to start the process again to be on call and this worked for my and pups schedule. I'll probably take a few more 1/2 days before the end of the school year if they come up, then reevaluate for fall. How was your week.