It's pay day. I paid my rent and Discover, and transferred $200 into savings. YAY! Finally, I'm not stealing FROM savings! Everything else will get paid automatically.

This weekend's big event was my grandson's fourth birthday party -- what a great event it was! The invitees were his preschool and play group friends, his aunt/uncle and cousins, and his grandparents, so we were a very diverse group, but everyone had fun and behaved well. My DIL did a great job planning and executing. She is one creative gal. My gift -- two battery-powered walking dinosaurs -- were a smashing hit. His new outfit -- not so much, but his mom & dad were appreciative.

On Sunday I was laid low by a headache (which I still have today). The weather turned cool again after some beautiful Indian summer days, so, since I was feeling awful, I gave up the challenge and turned on the heat. But doing the challenge was worth it, because my last gas bill was $19. Really low!!

I am trying something new at the grocery store. I have decided to never buy more than 15 items at one time. That's what I did when my ankle was healing (because I couldn't walk around very long), and my grocery bill was the lowest it's ever been -- and I actually had plenty to eat. It's all about making choices and setting priorities. In fact, this weekend I only bought 11 items. And I will continue to shop only ONCE a week. Should be interesting.

There are several advantages here. I don't spend a lot of time in the store, I get to check out in the "quick line," unloading the groceries is easier, and my limited storage space is not overburdened. Plus it's just cheaper! I spent $16 on groceries, $5 on household supplies, and $5 on cat food.

I had a $3 off coupon for meat, so I bought ground beef and made chili. That alone will last me a week! I rarely buy meat any more -- I'm almost a vegetarian -- but this really hit the spot.