It began for me with a free dinner at Planet Fitness. I was surprised to go there last night and see a very light crowd -- usually it's packed on Pizza Day, but it was very cold, and it was a holiday to boot.

Other than that, I made the chicken/mushroom/noodle dish -- I've got enough for another meal or two. Didn't cook the spinach yet, so must do that today.

Today it is 8 below. That's not even counting the wind chill. It makes me wish I could just stay in, but I have to feed the kids' cats, anyway, so I'll go to the gym, too, and then I'll stop at Aldi for creamer and butter. I'm out of parchment paper, too, but I'm sure Aldi doesn't carry it. Maybe Food4Less does, which is in the same plaza as Planet Fitness. Is parchment paper a need? I hate to be out of it.

I just heard that the deep freeze will continue till the weekend. At least there is no financial hit to me, since I pay for my heat through my assessment fees, which are fixed.

Getting low on dry cat food and kitty litter, but it is not yet a need for today. Maybe within the next couple of days.

I think that's going to be my word for 2018. Commit. I haven't been very good at it in the past. Whatever I decide to do, it's worth nothing if I don't commit to it. To me, commitment means going all in, following through, and being bone-chillingly honest about your behavior.

I don't mean to sound austere. But it will be a financially challenging year, and if I don't commit to making my finances work, I will be in trouble. Or at least in discomfort.

I got a .59 check from CapitalOne yesterday. It is the reward from a credit card which they closed due to lack of use. I'm going to deposit it by phone to the credit union. It was my last snowflake of 2017.

My first snowflake of 2018 is the $77.90 interest I earned on my credit union account. This year my snowflakes are going toward augmenting my income, not toward the grandkids' college accounts. That will resume in August 2019, when I start drawing my own social security (now drawing the spousal benefit).

I haven't spent much yet this budget cycle, so my variables stand at 11%.

I didn't make the chicken/mushroom dish I was planning yesterday, so I will do that today, as well as cook off the rest of the spinach after I have one more spinach salad.

It's very cold and I wish I could stay in all day, but I have to go feed the grand-cats, and later on, I'll go to Planet Fitness for the free pizza -- oh yes, and for the exercise, of course!

I was planning to go see movies during this break from the family, but I haven't. I think I will check out what is available on Amazon Prime. They won't be new movies, but if I haven't seen them, what does it matter? Commit!