I'm home from Minneapolis. I took the day off from the computer yesterday and spent the day doing laundry, etc. but now I'm back!
It was a wonderful conference, and meeting Ceejay was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. She's just as nice in person as she is on the blog. I recommend SA meetups for everyone!
This morning I did some reckoning up. Total cost of the conference trip was $888, but I should get $643 back, as the College agreed to pay for the hotel. I'm kind of nervous because I didn't get that in writing, but I turned in my travel report this morning, and I think they should be impressed that I paid my own travel and food expenses.
Since I got home, I spent $249! Wonder if a $300 challenge this month will even be viable. I spent $147 on groceries, $40 on pet supplies, $10 on medicine, $4 for a drip pan, $8 for a lamp (to replace a broken one), and $40 for donations. I also bought a little $6 gift for my grandson, but since it is a future birthday gift, it comes out of my gift fund and not the $300 challenge.
I'm going out to eat with friends on Thursday at the restaurant where my son works. It is a high-end seafood, steak, prime rib restaurant, so it won't be cheap. But it will be fun. It will probably take the last of the $51 I have left. So I just don't think the challenge will fly this month.
However, I'm not going to use that as an excuse to spend freely. I'm just going to see how close I can come.
Home again!
August 6th, 2012 at 05:21 pm
August 6th, 2012 at 07:15 pm 1344280513
Suggestion for high end restaurant that many follow is to order an appealing appetizer which is often satisfying since portions now seem super sized. Alternatively, order a meal scarfing the sides first, a portion of the entree and taking the remainder in the 'doggie' bag which usually makes two portions with sides.
August 6th, 2012 at 10:59 pm 1344293958
August 7th, 2012 at 05:05 am 1344315913