Friday Fiscal Wellness Check, September 18, 2026

                                               


         

     For my Friday posts, I copy a 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, September 11 to Thursday, September 17. I just sort of list things as they come up. I know my WIS is somewhat redundant but my Fridays are a more overall check into how I'm doing in terms of financial wellness instead of daily tracking each expense. 

Use it Up/Avoid Waste
  • Used a sizeable bag of unopened carrot strips, as used in restaurant salads my son had brought from work ( the day after a wedding) in chicken noodle soup. I had tossed them in the freezer.
Avoiding Spending/Saving on needs 
  • No AC and no heat! Unless we get yet another heat wave, I might have a reprieve from excessive use of either utility, gas or electricity for the next 4 to 7 weeks.  
  • Used 14 cent reward to fill up gas which will credit my cc at end of billing cycle. I noticed gas yesterday was $4.48...I don't recall it ever being that high here but could be wrong.

Opportunities to add Funds/Windfalls 

  • Entered receipts in Fetch, played MS Rewards. I tried to do several Saga surveys but apparently I'm not the right demographic so screened out.
  • I will add a cool $2 bill to my kitty for doing another Minnesota Opinion Poll.

 Non-Thrifty or Frugal

  • Paid for my seat at the fall AAUW October fest fundraiser dinner held next month.

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

  • Nothing out came up this week for ne, but my daughter had to have an electrician out.

  Daily Dinner Diary (Friday 9/11 to Thursday, 9/17). 

Fri -  Went out for dinner with siblings; I had the Friday fish fry dinner, taking half the fish and waffle fries home.

Sat- I had eaten leftovers from Friday for lunch and that was quite filling, but really thinking a shake all day. A strawberry shake became my Saturday dinner.

Sun- Homemade chicken noodle soup, Triscuit crackers, cucumber slices, and hummus.

Mon- Happy Hour nibbles with former coworkers. Made a potato in the microwave later as was a bit hungry after getting dogs fed and outside.

Tues- Vegetable pasta dish with creamy pepper sauce. My daughter had a few days of comp time so didn't need her dog to be at my house. Pup and I brought him home and stayed for dinner. 

Weds- Goulash (made with daughters garden tomatoes)

Thur- Leftover goulash 

Leftovers/ Added to Freezer:

  • Nothing. With bringing my MIL meals and eating leftovers, I've managed to cook right amounts.
     It was a gentle spending week for the most part without surprises. Other than checking on my MIL this morning, I'll be home all day and really need to clean my kitchen well. It's a soaker rain happening outside, so needed. I'll do some arm chair travelling today as well. My Amex Delta bill cane for the annual fee. It pays for itself in checked luggage and miles, but only if I actually travel. How was your week?

   


          

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 18, 2026 at 9:20 AM

    We had another spendy week, with a ski pass for Nick (his Christmas gift), some car wash supplies for M (anniversary gift) & then a few additional plumbing supplies. On the plus side, I had two no spend days & our grocery spend was pretty reasonable, as we knew we would be traveling starting tomorrow. - Hawaii Planner

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMSeptember 19, 2026 at 10:20 AM

      Well, youre ahead for Christmas expenses so that's a bright spot. Safe travels!

      Delete
  2. JuhliSeptember 18, 2026 at 10:58 AM

    We had a spendy week but all planned thankfully. I made our contributions to the granddaughters' college funds and a couple of charitable donations. Unplanned (but not unusual spending) were my couple of trips to get coffee out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMSeptember 19, 2026 at 10:22 AM

      I will be addi.g to my kids Roth IRAs this year, and as long as I can afford to. As I do not have grandchildren and would do what you're doing, this seems a good way to invest in their futures. Coffee out with friends is a good unplanned spend in my view.

      Delete
  3. AprilSeptember 18, 2026 at 5:49 PM

    On the road and even being frugal, that can cost $$! Seeing gas prices in various areas (Big city, rural, urban) was staggering at times!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMSeptember 19, 2026 at 10:22 AM

      It's atrocious. I noticed just the extra daily round trips to my MIL and back sure seem to imoact the gas gauge.

      Delete
  4. JackieSeptember 18, 2026 at 7:34 PM

    I was astonished by how much certain groceries cost this week, but overall we did not have a spendy week. You had a lovely week. Good work on the frugality.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMSeptember 19, 2026 at 10:25 AM

      I'm being very aware in the store on prices, but with value in mind as well. Ill be eating much more ground turkey in the months ahead in meatloafs, meatballs, pasta sauce as I bought 4 pounds this week at ashockingly good price. I'm OK with that.

      Delete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2026 at 10:34 AM

    Gas has definitely taken a hit to our budget and sadly our dishwasher stopped working this week. A lot of times we can fix an appliance by just replacing a part as my husband is handy... but not this time...so off we went hunting for a new one, thankful they still had labor day sale running and we were able to stay within budget. With 5 people, all working at home most days we run it a lot. Hoping to have a less-spending October.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMSeptember 20, 2026 at 7:51 AM

      I dread, but knowing its inevitable, the next appliance to conk out. We've had way too many dishwashers in this house, 4 in 35 years.

      Delete
  6. GinaSeptember 19, 2026 at 10:41 AM

    A good week, but we could sure use some of your rain! I ate only two meals out this week...taking leftovers from one of them for my lunch tomorrow. Its so hot that I dread cooking!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMSeptember 20, 2026 at 7:54 AM

      We needed our rain badly and it was a good one...three days this week. I hope you get some soon and a break from the heat. Smart on using up leftovers ffrom dinner out for lunch.

      Delete
  7. SharonSeptember 19, 2026 at 9:43 PM

    Gas jumped up ridiculously high again. It is $5.00 here in some spots. I cringed as I put $50 in the car and it didn't even fill it up. There have been at least 2 days here this week when I've gone nowhere so spent no money - yah! There have to be more days like that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SAMSeptember 20, 2026 at 7:56 AM

      I generally only need a fill up twice a month, but probably shouldn't let ut get as low as I do, but dang its painful. I feel for my kids as its really stretching their budgets. Other than dinner out abd a birthday gift next Saturday, I should have a calm week of spending.

      Delete

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

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

Home Found

Image
      N ow a big life update and another explanation for my blog absence. I toured a few homes with my son in mid April. He wanted me with as he's not really lived in Minnesota (before coming back) since he was 19 and he's never owned a home. After a winter of snow, a spring so far of cold, and rain, and employment opportunities that require flexibility, he shifted his search to low maintenance living.       He almost put an offer on a beautiful condo with all his buttons checked just across the main road from my neighborhood. He paused though, realizing he doesn't want to settle down in our town but rather move to one of the twin cities. I'm much less familiar with Minneapolis but aware areas he'd probably like were a tad out of his pric e point. I know St Paul pretty well so was of more help. We proceeded to tour a few condos in St. Paul. A great two bedroom, two bath, while needing updates, was a top contender. Still, something was missing though lo...
Read more

Testing the Waters

Image
        I've missed blogging. I blogged for nearly nine years in a previous iteration. It was a daily ritual during the long hiatus from regular life that the Covid pandemic created. Even as the world, my world, opened up again, the clicking away on my phone or computer keyboard, reading comments if something I said had any resonance, and reading and commenting on other blogs in return became my morning norm. Life sure is unpredictable. A year ago, just after Christmas, I had read of the tragic loss of my blogger friend's husband who passed away on Christmas morning, then read one of her readers lost her husband the same week. Never would I imagine just a few weeks later would I be joining that unasked for club, faced with my own widow story. But there it is. I've had to try and figure out life in this unplanned and foreign place. I'm not a young widow, having raised and launched three children, but at now 58, feel too young to be thought of in the same space as my 8...
Read more