I guess I didn't set the alarm last night. I woke up at about the time I should be leaving to catch the train. Well, I've learned that taking a later train makes me MUCH later, because of the lag time at the downtown station, so I drove. I hate to waste the gas, though.

I got breakfast on the way for $5. Luckily, I had food leftover at work yesterday, so no need to pack a lunch.

I've done this commute for almost a year now, and it's not getting any easier! And of course, with winter coming, it will get harder for a while.

I did a load of laundry last night ($1.50). Just got another doctor's bill for $11, so I'll be taking care of that today. I still have enough in flexible spending to cover that small amount. Looks like it was a charge for a followup visit, mostly covered by insurance, but heck, it used to be that followup visits were free, back in the old days. To encourage people to actually come back!

I took another look at my budget for this month. I'm planning on spending $106 for my train pass, $75 more for groceries, $20 for household supplies, $25 for pet supplies, $55 for phone, and $25 for gas (I'll do that today). Then I have my special events: a train trip with the grandsons ($20), a breakfast with visiting family ($55), Art Institute & lunch ($20), and a $10 donation to a Chicago Marathon runner. That will leave me about $300 to put toward a plane ticket to get my sister here for Thanksgiving. She is turning 70 at the end of October, so it would be a good present for her milestone birthday. I'm not sure how far $300 will go -- I'll have to find a good deal.