Well, the lovely weekend is over and it's back to reality. On Monday I was still coming down from my high but today I landed with a thump.

I could hardly get out of bed this morning. It was a little cold -- I'm learning that the radiators are not quick to start when the weather turns cold, though they do get very warm once they get started! Then when I went to the station it was a chilly walk, and I could have used my heavier coat and my heavier mittens. But it should warm up during the day.

Last night I sliced and cubed my cooked turkey breast and got it into the freezer before it gets too old to use. I did warm up a few slices for my dinner in the microwave with a little gravy, and I chopped up and sauteed all the veggies in the fridge for a side dish -- with the addition of sliced almonds, it was very good.

I brought granola bars for breakfast, but did not bring a lunch. This is kind of a risk, but there was a big party yesterday for the HR director, who is leaving. Their office uses our break room, and the (massive) leftovers are in our fridge. I figure there is a good chance their office will offer the leftovers to the rest of us on this floor.

If I don't get a free lunch, I will go to the cafeteria and get soup & salad.

I decided to make a cheese ball for the holiday dinner this weekend. I already have the cheese, cream cheese, onion, garlic and almonds. All I have to buy is some Worcestershire sauce and the crackers. It's pretty much foolproof, too, and everybody likes it.

I accepted a free trial of Amazon Prime and applied for the Amazon credit card so I could order some baking pans for my DIL super cheap. ($6) I may regret the Amazon Prime -- I order a lot at Christmas, but not so much otherwise. But I hear it's good for Kindle books and movies, too. I'll be sure my son gives me a lesson on how to use it optimally. If I don't think I'll get much use out of it, I'll cancel before I have to pay for it.

Another credit card -- what the hay. I'm in my forever home, I'm going to pay cash for my next car, I know I won't abuse my credit, so who cares how many cards I have?

I felt like one of my sons didn't have enough gifts in comparison to the others, so I bought a poker chip case ($22). I also spent $13 on gas yesterday, since I was driving in cheap gas country.

I have a $10 coupon for Macy's to use on $25 worth of merchandise (today only). I figure this will be a good chance to stock up on socks. I got four pairs from Lands End, but that will not be enough. My socks are disintegrating all at once! It must be all the walking.

For Christmas, I just need to buy a couple of stockings to gather up the little things, and then wrap everything. I'll use my Walgreen's card for the stockings.

In January, I am definitely doing some kind of financial challenge!