I had a great plan on Thursday. I was going to take advantage of a Procter & Gamble promotion -- buy $20 worth of stuff and get a $5 coupon for anything on my next trip. There were restrictions -- I could only use two manufacturer's coupons, and the particular items that qualified were pretty specific. But I carefully made my list, searched out my best two coupons, and double checked everything I put in the cart against the ad to make sure about getting the correct sizes, etc. I did a pretty good job, because I spent $22 and only bought items I needed, and that were on sale. Only problem was, when I checked out, no $5 coupon appeared.

I asked the cashier about it, but she didn't know why. I went to customer service, and she pored over my receipt and the ad, too. Finally she said, "Oh! This promotion ended yesterday!" Yes, there it was in black and white. I was a day late.

And I was so excited that I was going to get an extra $5 to bump my food shopping up to $25. Oh well, better luck next time. It seems I am not very good at this stuff!

So last night I did the $20 food shopping. I went over a bit, not meaning to -- spent $21.66. That bought: an 18-oz. box of granola, a 16-oz. loaf of wheat bread, a pound of strawberries, a gallon of milk, 24 oz. of cottage cheese, 8 oz. of shredded mozzarella, a 28 oz. can of tomato puree, and a bottle of wine.

I will make lasagna this week. I also have the makings for omelets and soups to fill in, as well as some chili and chicken-cheese casserole in the freezer.

On Thursday I and three co-workers took our boss out for lunch (one of the bosses who is leaving). I spent about $6 toward her lunch, and $28 on mine -- but it fed me twice; I ate the leftovers on Friday. I ordered a rotisserie chicken half, a baked sweet potato and grilled vegetables, so it was healthy as well as easy to reheat.

My boss will not leave till this Thursday, but the partying is done. I had been gradually taking on her duties, and some of it is interesting, but I hope I don't have to do it too long. My normal duties are going to suffer.

The other morning I was pulling into the parking lot at work and someone told me a rear light was burnt out. I appreciated that -- I wouldn't have noticed until a cop pulled me over. I went to NAPA Auto Parts, and the guy there was so nice. He refused to sell me the package of two amber bulbs and went to the back and got a single clear bulb (I didn't need the amber bulb, since the cover is amber -- duh). Then he put it on, no charge. It was only $3.