Well, I've taken the dog to the kennel, two out of three Thanksgiving dishes are made, I'm sort of packed (because I haven't unpacked yet from last week). My sister, my son and I head up to Michigan at 7:30 tomorrow morning.

I bought a child's game to take to the gathering, since there will be four little ones there. That was $6.34. At noon, I went out with friends at work to an Irish pub; spent $6.54 on shepherd's pie.

Update on the shrink-wrapped hot dog -- you have to unwrap the plastic from the bun and the hot dog before nuking! More work than a regular hot dog! I'm chuckling inside.

I forgot to share some frugal victories yesterday. I was just on the verge on buying breakfast from the vending machine in the break room when I noticed that some kind soul had left bananas and pound cake on the table with a "help yourself" sign. Whoopee! I also found a quarter. Every bit helps! But the best thing -- I parked in a two-hour space after lunch, forgot to move my car at 3, walked out at 5, suddenly remembering I hadn't moved the car -- and there was no ticket! That's a miracle! The cops around here NEVER slack up on handing out parking tickets!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Meals today:

Breakfast: Bagel, cider
Snack: Tortilla chips
Lunch: Shepherd's pie, raisin bread
Dinner: Hot dog, yogurt
Snack: Granola with milk