CB in the City

I went to a one-on-one meeting at a university (fairly) nearby to learn how to take over the reins of Treasurer for my professional organization.

I took the train -- two-hour trip each way. Did a conference call, some intense training, and then a nice lunch. Went home after lunch but stopped at my office on the way back to drop off a huge armload of papers, and caught the tail end of an emergency meeting. Just some of the usual fires to put out, but it was good I was there.

It cost me an extra $3 on the way out (on top of my monthly train pass) but on the way back only $1, since I got off at the midway point and then got back on again.

I bought breakfast at the station's Corner Bakery ($4) and lunch was $12 -- wonderful veggie soup and and a BLT.

I was pretty drained when I got home, but I think I am going to enjoy being Treasurer. You know I like working with money! I am going to learn a lot more about financial reports. If I weren't a few years away from retirement I would say it's good for my resume!

In other news, my son came over the other night with a huge box of food they don't want to move to Florida -- pantry items -- and he also brought over, and hooked up, a monitor and keyboard to my laptop. It will be nice to have the ease of a desktop computer at home. And the food is going to ease my grocery shopping for quite a while. My pantry is now stuffed!

I filled a prescription yesterday for $5. That was my only spending. It was my first trip to the pharmacy-only Walgreens which will be in operation until the old building is demolished and rebuilt. It is right there in the same strip mall, so it won't be a problem for me. Just not much stuff to buy there!

Last night I set up the humidifier from Goodwill to make sure it worked. I thought it worked great last night; however, when I got up this morning, I was surprised at how little the water level had gone down. I'll fiddle with the settings tonight before I decide on its functionality.

We had free sandwiches and brownies for lunch at work yesterday -- leftovers from an alumni event. So I saved the lunch I brought for today. Every little bit counts.

Speaking of little bits, I found .26 this weekend! A quarter and a penny. That brings my total findings -- money from the ground -- over the $20 mark. I've been keeping track for two years now.

Last night I simmered a leftover partially-eaten chicken thigh in water to make some broth. Tonight I'll add some noodles and some more chicken for homemade chicken noodle soup. It's a real good chicken soup day -- cold, windy and snowy. Kind of a shock after yesterday's warm weather. As the weatherman said this morning, winter's not done with us yet.

Tomorrow I have an all-day meeting out in the western suburbs. I have to leave the house at 5:30 to catch the train. Plans are to buy lunch there, so it will not be a no-spend day. In fact, I'll probably have to buy breakfast and supper, too. Also, I think I may have to supplement my train pass with a little cash. The suburb I'm going to is out of my zone.

It rarely happens that I lose an entry, but I guess I took too long this time!

So I'll try to make it brief. My BFF came up for the weekend. We ate out twice for brunch, shopped at a variety of places including thrift stores and retail stores, went to a book signing, watched a movie on Infinity -- just had a great time.

My costs:

Eating out: $33
Snacks: $8
Movie: $5
Shopping: $82
Groceries (Aldi): $44
Gas: $30
Laundry: $5

I also bought some non-food at Aldi -- kitty litter, body wash, detergent -- $14.

And I owe my BFF about $13 for a book that she put on her B&N loyalty card and which is now heading to Indiana in her car.

My great finds at the thrift stores were a new in-the-box Homemedics humidifier (the same one I almost bought for $99, only $35), a new pair of Jones New York jeans, some wonderful wall art and decorative items for my home, and some great stocking stuffers to tuck away till December.

Now it's back to reality and back to work!

Payday is here, and I paid off my Discover card to the tune of $3,495. I transferred $1,000 from savings to do it. Hurts, but that's what the slush fund is for.

I spent $7 last night on two small boxes of Whitman's chocolates for my grandsons. I was hoping they would be on sale, but no dice. Interestingly enough, there were virtually NO valentines left on the shelf! I don't know if they sold them all or if they just cleaned them out a little early.

I had a very nice dinner of salad and homemade heart-shaped pizza with my son's family, and they gave me a box of Girl Scout cookies to take home.

For some reason, it seems any kind of stimulation in the evening gives me a sleepless night. Whether it's a bad experience, or a good one, if I do anything other than go straight home from work and zone out, I can't go to sleep. I'm really exhausted this morning, and I'm so glad it's quiet at work and no one will notice. So far, anyway!

Still don't know whether I will have company this weekend. I do hope she will arrive tomorrow rather than this evening, because I think it's going to be an early night for me! I'm pretty sure she won't try to brave the traffic tonight. Friday night rush hour on Lake Shore Drive is not for sissies! Or, more to the point, not for anyone who isn't extremely patient.

There was a sign at Walgreen's last night saying they are moving! Actually, they are rebuilding on the same spot, but will temporarily move out during construction. Darn! That's my go-to spot on the way home when I need to take a break. Oh well, now that the days are getting longer and the weather is moderating, it's an easier jaunt to the station. As my mother used to say, we've broken the back of winter.

Well, I'm sure all you Pine Cone users have noticed that they changed their payment setup. They now pay in points which can be saved up for merchandise. There is still a cash option, which I selected, but I couldn't see any way to check out without having them "ship" the payment to me via snail mail. I've been happily receiving the payment through PayPal for quite some time now, but I couldn't see any way to designate that's what I wanted.

I find technology very annoying. Especially when a company makes changes -- it seems like there is always a glitch.

Anybody else figure out a way around this?

And I forgot to get a little something for the grandsons. I will stop at Walgreen's on the way home and pick up some candy and cards. Maybe they'll be on sale!

That will put an end to -- drumroll -- four no-spending days in a row!

Free breakfast today -- though not a healthy one -- treats brought in by the staff. I also hear there will be a free chocolate fountain at the cafeteria, though that probably means you have to buy something to dip in it.

Tomorrow is payday. It is also the day I will pay my $3500 Discover card, pulling $$$ out of my slush fund to do it. I know it will hurt a little, but i can build up the slush fund again. I do have several challenges -- the second half of my rug payment and my income tax. I won't be able to do a lot of saving.

I have pretty much made it through my week after the grocery skip, but the fridge looks really bare. Since I may have a guest this weekend, I'll have to do some stocking up on Friday evening. I say I MAY have a guest because my BFF is planning to come, but is also in the process of moving her mother into a nursing home, and if a room opens up unexpectedly, she must stay to take care of the move.

I just got a call from my DIL -- an invitation to come over for heart-shaped pizza tonight! I'm in!

My snowflakes turned into a bit of a snowball yesterday when I added in my Discover rewards for this year. Suddenly I'm over $100!

I earned $48 in Discover rewards, $29 Thank You card from Macy's, received a $15 Pier One gift card, earned $9 from Pine Cone, and found .07! That's just 2013.

I am slowly working my way up in MyPoints and Swagbucks, but I won't count them until I redeem gift cards. Discover rewards I will count month by month, since they can be redeemed any time on Amazon.

I babysat my granddaughter last night, and my son, who is packing up to move, offered me a lot of stuff he doesn't want to move. I am going to take a nice 4-drawer file cabinet. I also took four pieces of Corning ware that he thinks were left in the house when he moved in. And I took a set of graduated prep bowls that I gave him (think he forgot where he got 'em!) but I was happy to take them back! Then my DIL suggested I look through some clothes that her mother had left for a garage sale (which will never happen, since they must move in one month). I took two T-shirts, a dressy top, and a sweater-jacket.

My son is also offering computer parts, like a nice monitor and keyboard. Since I have a laptop, I'm not sure how useful they would be.

They really have a lot of stuff. I never realized how much. I'm glad I got him gift cards for his birthday! They are planning to do a lot of donating to charity.

My BFF is coming to visit this weekend. We are going to a book signing on Sunday, but the rest of the weekend is up for grabs. I'm hoping my rugs will arrive before she comes, but I talked to the shop, and it looks like only a maybe.

Yesterday I got a $29 Thank You card from Macy's. I had forgotten that was coming to me. It is a sort of rebate on my purchase of a down coat and boots. I will either save it for gifts or put it toward a new bra. My best black bra "broke" the other day -- the underwire, that is. I should probably stop buying underwires -- that's always what goes first. If I get a bra, I'll wait for a super sale first.

I had my first homeowner's disaster -- not such a disaster, but a yucky annoyance. The bleach bottle sitting under my sink has apparently been slowly leaking. The floor of the cabinet is ruined (as well as a box of washing soda). Actually, maybe it was lucky that the washing soda soaked up a lot of the liquid. Anyway, I'm going to let it dry out thoroughly and then will probably lay vinyl squares over it.

I've found two pennies in two days. My total, since I've been keeping track, is $19.80. Close to $20 now -- just stuff I picked up off the ground!

This weekend was notable because I skipped grocery shopping. I didn't want to put any last-minute spending on my humongous Discover account, and I felt there was enough to get me through the week.

Amazingly, I even hosted a lunch and made a birthday cake from scratch!

Now my fridge is looking a little bare. The grandsons finished my almond milk. I ran out of wine and creamer. I used up cheese, vegetables, salsa, and evaporated milk in soup. Many condiments are running low.

I think most of my suppers this week will be grilled cheese. Not because I have no imagination, but because I need to use up the skim-milk American slices that have passed their sell-by date. I figure they are good for a week, at least, and I intend to eat them. They cannot be frozen.

I also have some chicken thawing, so I'll need to eat that this week, too.

My lunches are set -- there are plenty of individual frozen servings of leftovers in the freezer.

But I think there will be a big Aldi trip coming up this weekend!

On Saturday my son called and we decided it was a good day to get together to celebrate his recent birthday. I baked a cake called "Amalgamation Cake" -- among its unusual ingredients are strawberry jam, dried cranberries and walnuts, hence its name. I took the cake to his place and we ordered the free Papa John's pizza for lunch. I gave him a Kohl's gift card and a Darden's gift card, since he is moving so soon -- it just didn't seem right to give him something to pack!

He told me he very nearly bought a house in Florida when he went down to look for a place to rent. His in-laws were all for it, and offering to co-sign. At the last minute they saw something in the contract they didn't like, so the deal fell apart. I'm relieved. I don't think they are ready to buy a house, and I'm not sure they want a long-term commitment in Florida. (But maybe that's me )

I spent the afternoon there and played with my granddaughter, who is just blooming!

Today I was cooking up the stuff from my fridge that needed to be used and I realized I would have a lot of food and should share it. So I invited my other son's family over for pigs-in-the-blanket and Mexican cheese soup. They spent the afternoon here.

It's been a lovely weekend, soon to be topped off by Downton Abbey!

Spending this weekend:

$5 for pizza delivery and tip
$25 for gift card
$4.50 for laundry

Rainy weather is wiping away the snow, but I hear more flurries are expected tomorrow. Sigh.

We got a snowfall last night which is probably only a shadow of what will hit the East Coast -- but it was bad enough! Last night it was just wet and sloppy -- my feet were soaked when I got home -- and this morning there is a thick layer snow on top of bumpy ice. Made for a treacherous walk to the station, which will probably leave me sore tomorrow morning. I'm so glad it's Friday and I can stay inside tomorrow.

I plan to spend tomorrow doing laundry, housework and cooking for the week ahead. Pretty exciting, eh? No errands or entertainment, as I'm on a spending fast until my Discover billing cycle closes on the 11th. Hey, that's only three days away! Should be a cinch.

I also want to do some practicing on my recorder and get back into writing my novel. Lately my weekends have been too busy to do either -- but truthfully, if my kids invite me to do something, that's all out the window. Nothing beats out spending time with my kids.

Everyone have a great Friday and a great weekend!

Yep, the check I sent for my monthly assessment fees cleared on the same day that the automatic withdrawal went through (which supposedly wasn't going to happen). I'm a little annoyed; if I had just ignored their emails I would have been fine. Now I'm $339 short and I have to go through a claim process with BoA to get the money reinstated.

In the past, this would have been awful. An extra $339 out of my account would have been a catastrophe. It's so nice to know I have savings that will cover emergencies, and I only have to wait for the mistake to be cleared up.

That said, it's going to be a bad month for my finances. The Discover bill is $3,462 -- if I don't add to it -- which will mean my slush fund will have to go into action. AND, if the rugs come before the 11th, that will be another $1,000+ on the card. And that's very likely. They should be ready any minute now. I wonder if I can stall off the delivery past the 11th and if that will in fact delay the charge?

Well, I plan to skip grocery shopping this weekend -- I have plenty on hand. My son wants to have a good-bye dinner at his old restaurant, but I hope that will be after the 11th.

The one thing I really don't want to do is take $$ out of the credit union, because I think I would have to go there in person to do that. It's strictly a savings account, with no debit card or checks or any remote access -- on purpose!

Yesterday there was a big stack of coupons in the break room -- $1 off 1 bowl of Campbell's microwaveable soup. Not something I ordinarily buy, but when there's a sale, and with a dollar off, I think it might be worthwhile. I grabbed a handful. The College is on some kind of list where they get these promotional freebies, and they always end up in my break room!

I did not spend anything yesterday. Which makes for a dull reporting day!

I haven't heard any more about the telecommuting idea (and I probably won't for a while). I did look into whether it would save me on transportation and the answer is, not so much. If I didn't get the monthly pass, I would have to buy 2 10-ride tickets per month to cover both legs of the journey for 10 days. That would be about $96 -- and I am only paying $105 for the monthly. And I certainly couldn't count on having to come in only ten days. Or I could forget the train and drive. A round trip is at least $8 in gas -- that's not counting wear and tear on the auto, nor the headache or the safety factor. Of course, over time, saving $25 each month would be significant, but once again, I couldn't count on only ten days.

It seems the monthly train pass is still the most comfortable option. And it's nice to have for trips into the city, or even to the other side of town.

And yes, I'm counting chickens before they hatch!

Yesterday my boss told me that my office is targeted for takeover. It's a nice office, pretty big, windows, nice view, quiet area. The higher-ups want to move me out and move a couple of people in here -- possibly putting me in a little office downstairs. (And I'm demanding the red stapler!!!)

I would hate that. I don't want to be downstairs, where all the personalities clash. I floated the idea to my boss that I could share space with someone and telecommute 2-3 days a week. My work is the kind that is easily done long-distance. But no one has ever acknowledged that.

Well, this morning my boss told me that her boss thought the idea was "intriguing." I'm amazed! But it still has to be approved by Mean Girl, who will turn it down for sure. Just to be mean.

But it's so much fun to think of working from home half the time! What a lifestyle improvement that would be! Since I live alone, distraction wouldn't be an issue -- I'm sure, in fact, I could be much more productive at home. But I'd better not get carried away, because, as I say, it will not be approved.

In other news, I do believe I managed to have a no-spend day yesterday. I think I can do it today, too, as nothing is on the horizon.

Got a free breakfast this morning -- a birthday girl brought in bagels. I brought in some leftover ravioli for lunch. Dinner will be tortilla pizzas.

I talked to another commuter this morning who is making the same crazy commute that I am. He is a high school teacher whose high school closed, and he had to take a job in this distant suburb. And there is a professor here at the college who also lives in my suburb. I see him sometimes on the train. It's good to know I am not the only one who is traveling so far -- and at least my time on the rails is limited by my inevitable retirement. Both of these men are younger and have homes they don't want to try to sell. They will be stuck with this for some time.

I think I have paid my assessment fee for this month twice. I sent them a check, per their email stating that the site wouldn't be operational until next month, and this morning I get an email suggesting that the automatic payment will go through, and I need to talk to my bank if I want to stop it. GRRRR. Nothing has shown up yet on my BOA account - neither the check nor the autopay.

It's not a tragedy -- I have the money -- I just hate the messing around to get it right.

I lost in the Superbowl pool, but I won a Papa John's pizza in the coin toss! Got the code this morning, so I just need to decide when I'll use it.

The first real snow of the season is testing my decision to give up my parking space. I got a text message yesterday that snow emergency parking is now in effect. That means parking on the odd side of the street on odd days, and even on even. Since today is an odd, I parked my car across the street last night. I had to park halfway down the block, but still not too far away. So far, so good. I just can't forget, because paying a towing fee would totally spoil the plan!

I watched "Sicko" last night on Infinity on Demand. It got me a little upset -- medical costs are a real bugaboo in my budget, and will be in my retirement despite Medicare -- and I'm very envious of the countries which provide free health care. It does seem we do a much better job of taking care of the fat cats than taking care of the common citizen here. But I don't see any easy fix in the future.

Reminds me of a funny statement by Erik Larsen, the author of "In the Garden of Beasts" (about Nazi Germany). I saw him do a presentation last year, and he commented on how the crazy Obama-bashing websites compare Obama to Hitler BECAUSE OF HEALTH CARE! Mr. Larsen shook his head and said, "I've studied Hitler a lot, and believe me, he was NOT interested in health care!" Too funny. I may have told this here before, but it just tickled me.

I rarely have so much going on in one weekend, but this weekend was the one!

On Friday night I went to my son's house for chili and visited with their cousin from Florida and the cousin's new little baby boy.

On Saturday morning I went to my ex's house for brunch -- saw the whole family, plus my ex-sister-in-law who was a college friend back in the day. In fact, it was her fault I ever met my ex.

On Saturday afternoon I did my grocery shopping and laundry.

On Sunday night it was back to my ex's for a ham dinner.

On Sunday I went downtown to meet a friend. We saw "Life of Pi" and had dinner at a cute gourmet food shop which also serves sandwiches, quiche, etc. I also learned how to get downtown on the El!

So here is what I spent:

Gas - $15
Laundry - $6
Household supplies - $5
Cat Food - $11
Dinosaur Sippers for grandsons - $5
Insoles - $2
Groceries - $27
CTA Pass - $5
Movie - $10
Dinner - $10

I also found time to do my taxes, which cost $20 to TurboTax. Unfortunately I will have to pay upwards of $2500, so I won't send the check till April. I'll try to scrimp and set aside that amount so I don't have to hit savings too hard.

I also gave $2 to a homeless man and paid $5 for parking this morning at the hospital (had another post-surgery checkup).

Had quite the scare when I was downtown and thought I had lost my keys. In fact, I had left them at home. Luckily, I carry an extra set of house keys in my bag -- so glad about that!

I drove to work this morning because of the appointment at the hospital. It was the worst driving conditions yet this year -- lots of snow made the roads slick and hazardous. Lots of accidents. Very slow going in some spots. It looks like it is clearing now, so I'm thankful for that!

I went to the hospital for the mammogram this morning, and it went so quickly I felt I had time to stop on the way back at Pier One. I was looking for trays to set on top of my ottomans so that I could set drinks, etc. on them.

They had a lot on sale, but the ones I thought would work best were not on sale. After using my $15 gift card, the two trays were $48. Not much of a bargain, I admit, but I think they will fit well and look good. I expected to buy black, but they are white with a large silver pattern. I think they will make the room a little livelier.

My original plan was to get something at Goodwill, but having to have find identical trays proved a problem.

I have a busy weekend ahead. Tonight my son is having a chili supper in honor of visiting relatives (his father's side of the family). Tomorrow the celebration will continue at my ex's with brunch and supper. On Sunday I'm making plans to go to a movie with my friend who lives in Hyde Park. Sometime in the middle of all that I've got a lot of laundry to do. And right now all I want to do is sleep (because I can't seem to do it at night!)

What a month. I’ve said that before, but this is exceptional. It seems like everything big hit at once.

Housing - $2997

• This includes my mortgage payment, doubled, then rounded up to $700. Also, at least 55% of my annual property taxes, and the regular assessment fees.

Furniture & Equipment - $2869

• New couch (minus $500 deposit) , two room-size rugs and three area rugs (half the cost – other half to be paid upon delivery)

Insurance - $332

• Semi-annual auto

Gifts/Charity - $175

• Birthday, Christmas (2013), some donations, cards & wrap

Fares - $148

• Train Pass, tollway pass, parking

Home Repair/Maint. - $105

• New lock and keys

Eating Out - $99

• Two dinners with family, two dinners with board members, one dinner with friend, one lunch with family, contribution toward pizza with family – no drive-thru fast food!

Groceries - $97

• Under goal of $100

Utilities - $92

• Cable, internet, gas, electricity

Phone - $55

• Pre-payment

Medical/Health - $49

• OTC drugs

Vet/Pet Supplies - $22

• Food and kitty litter

Personal - $22

• Haircut, pantiliners

Gas - $20

Entertainment - $20

• Netflix, a movie, football pool

Laundry - $19

• Under goal of $20

Clothing/Accessories - $13

• Umbrella

Household Supplies - $10

• Facial and bathroom tissue

Car Repair/Maintenance - $4

• Battery for remote

Grand Total - $7148

The good news – most of this was either planned or unavoidable.

I hit some goals, like grocery and laundry. Way under my usual usage on gas.

The eating out, though high, was much more “quality” than usual.

In other news, my dinner with board members last night came to $12.90 including tip. I just had a hamburger and fries, but it was a big one and very good. I took my usual train but got off at a different stop. Even though I had plotted out the route on Google maps, in person it wasn’t that clear and I took a wrong turn, but still got there ahead of most of the others. I missed the 8 o’clock train going back, and I didn’t want to wait for the 9 o’clock, so I asked one of my dinner-mates to show me how to use the CTA (rapid transit) which runs much more frequently. She insisted that I ride with her and use her pass, so I didn’t learn anything, but got home for no more money out!

Today’s adventure is a mammogram at the hospital. I drove this morning so I could drive to the appointment today. Traffic was light and moving fine, but at rush hour it will be a different story!

I succeeded yesterday in not buying any food at work -- in fact, I only ate one clementine out of my "stash" because there were plenty of freebies -- co-workers brought in cheese, pepperoni, chips & dip and cookies -- no special reason, just cleaning out, I guess. It was good news for me.

I did remember to pack breakfast and lunch today.

The property managers sent out an email yesterday that the online payment site would not be up and running until next month, so I sent them my check -- $339. That was my only spending yesterday.

I would be tempted to do my January recap today, but I am going out to dinner tonight, so I can't make this a no-spend day. I will try to order something inexpensive -- or something that will provide another meal.

The brutal cold has returned, but I was warmly attired for my walk and didn't suffer too much. I briefly entertained the idea of driving, but reminded myself that there was really no reason to "spend" the gas unless it was really so cold that I absolutely couldn't walk to the already-paid-for train ride.

It rained all the way home yesterday and it's still drizzling this morning. They are promising it will turn into snow later in the day.

I left the house without my head screwed on this morning. I didn't pack a hat or scarf for the oncoming cold weather, and I didn't pack any food for today. I'm going to try not to buy any nonetheless. I have oatmeal in my desk, and I have a hard-boiled egg and three clementines in the fridge. I also have a bag of frozen peas in the freezer that I've never used. So I think I will have enough to get through the day.

My property management company is changing servers or something -- anyway, they have not withdrawn my automatic payment for my monthly assessment fees. I called the office yesterday, and I was told it might be resolved in a few days, but I could mail a check if I wanted to be sure. The trouble is, the automatic payment could still go through, and then I would have double-paid. She said the extra payment would go for next month's assessment, but I'm not sure I trust them to keep track of that. They seem a little disorganized. I'm going to wait for the 1st, and if it hasn't happened by then, I'll mail the check.

Tomorrow I am going out to dinner with members of my professional organization. It is in my new hometown, but a different neighborhood, so I will get off at a different station. It's been quite a month for eating out, much of it obligations, like this one. I hope next month will be quieter. That said, I'm looking forward to a good meal in a restaurant that's new to me but has excellent reviews.

I bought an umbrella at the college book store yesterday because the weatherman cautioned that it would rain "during the evening rush hour." Well, when I walked to the station after work, the sun was shining! My umbrella cost $12.70 after the employee discount, which basically paid for the tax. I did not get the smaller mini, even though it would fit in the bag better -- I am interested in coverage. It is a pretty royal blue, since we are the "Bluejays."

But bigger financial news is that I got my first property tax bill -- and I've paid it already. It was $1958, which is 55% of the total for the year. However, our property manager has sent a notice that our second installment will be reduced -- don't know if that has been figured in already. The tax reduction comes at a price, too -- we will all get to chip in for the lawyer's fee through our assessment.

Anyway, my checking account is still in the black, but when the Discover bill hits next month ($3,283) I will have to take some money out of the slush fund. The bill is so high because it includes the cost of my new couch (minus the deposit) and half the cost of my new rugs, as well as my semi-annual insurance payment. That's on top of all my regular expenses, which all go to Discover and then get paid in full.

I should get some nice cashback rewards.

With all these big expenses out of the way, I should have a pretty frugal February. I will get hit with the other half of the rug payment, but after THAT -- I will try not to incur any more big expenses for a while.

The only unknown now is what my federal tax will be. I will try to start working on that this weekend.

I stayed close to home all weekend, just a few errands on Saturday and in all day Sunday.

On Saturday, I got in the car to go to the grocery and set off my alarm. Puzzling, since I've stopped using the remote, which failed to work even after I replaced the battery. But on Saturday, the KEY set off the alarm. And I eventually turned it off with the remote, not even registering that for some reason it was now apparently working.

I went to the Toyota dealer thinking I should just replace the remote. I won't even tell you how long I sat in line, and how two cars weaseled their way in front of me. I'll only say, when I finally got to talk to someone, he said that it would cost $700 to replace the security system, since I had a "non-factory" remote (came with the car, which I bought used). But he demonstrated that the remote was actually working fine. Shades of Jeffrey's experience -- the car won't act up when a mechanic is looking at it.

So I left, and I will hope that the remote will continue to work. I sure don't want to sink $700 into this old car, especially for something non-mechanical.

After that I went to Aldi's -- first time in this area, but it is pretty much the same as the one I used to go to. I spent $22 on food and $4 on kitty litter. My favorite deal was a big red pepper for .49! I don't have my receipt, so I can't remember everything else I bought, but I'll try: almond milk, eggs, walnuts, frozen pizza, blueberries, canned mushrooms -- now I'm blanking out. There was probably something else.

I did some cooking -- made an invented chicken-pepperoni-rice casserole that was pretty good. I ate a serving and then froze two big servings. I also made English muffin pizzas and froze them. Then I made tuna salad, which I will not freeze, of course, since it has hard-boiled egg in it. Anyway, I'm very well-stocked for lunches and will have tuna sandwiches for dinner the next few nights.

Today I brought in one of the mini-pizzas, which I ate for breakast (I love pizza for breakfast) and for lunch, a green pepper-beef mixture to serve over rice.

It is very springlike today -- in a bad way -- ugly spring, with rain and mud and water on top of melting ice -- but warm. I do appreciate the warmth.

I didn't bring an umbrella, which I think will be much-needed. My "tote" size umbrella inverted on me before Christmas and needs to be replaced. I have a golf-size umbrella, but it is too big to take on the train. So I need to buy a tote-size umbrella. I'm going to check out the college book store today. It won't be a bargain, but a little boosterism won't hurt.

I just put $5 into a football pool. What the heck, I might win.

Oh, here's the receipt. I also bought bacon bits, cooking spray, flour tortillas, and Jiffy corn muffin mix.

The walk to the station this morning was lovely -- just enough snow to make everything sparkle. It might not be so much fun on the way home, as it has not stopped!

There was a fire on a parallel set of tracks near the downtown station. Nobody but me seemed to be alarmed. I wonder if it is some kind of maintenance?

A long-time student worker is working her last day today. I was asked to contribute a little cash and perhaps bring a treat for a good-bye party. I had no cash at all yesterday, having given it all to the Thai restaurant. I was really too tired to go to the bank last night once I got home -- or to find an ATM -- or get in the car, even. I stopped at Walgreen's on my walk home, where I bought Tootsie rolls, and asked if I could get cash back. No. Then I remembered that there is an ATM in the downtown station, so I drew out some cash this morning between trains. Once I got to town, I stopped at a bakery and bought some muffins. (The Tootsie rolls were not for the party; they are for a communal candy jar that we all contribute to). I gave my co-worker $5 for the cash envelope, so I have done my duty, but altogether I spent about $25.

But I packed my breakfast, and I am hoping that there will be enough food at the party to serve for lunch.

I got a pledge reminder from my alma mater, so later today I will send them a $50 check.

Looking forward to my weekend! Hope you all have a great one, too!

At the Thai restaurant last night I bought an appetizer and a salad -- and a beverage -- and paid $23. Whew! Part of that also went toward half of the appetizer that my friend ordered before I got there. I was very late; the train got stuck behind a freight train and it was the longest ride into the city I've experienced yet.

The important thing is that I had a really good time -- I am so glad we are maintaining our relationship even though we work in different places now.

And the walk home from the station was just fine -- in fact, it felt warmer than the morning did. Just a dusting of snow that didn't cause any problem at all.

I am collecting all my tax documents -- and somewhere along the way I realized that here at work we need to PROVIDE tax documents -- receipts for gifts given by payroll deduction during the year. The person who did that last year is gone, and nobody but me has realized that this has to be done (and it's completely out of my area of responsibility). So today I'm in the process of gathering the information I need. I'm sure there is a better process, but I'm just going to get the numbers and create individual letters. It's going to be a busy day.

The rotten thing is that my bosses (not my immediate boss, but the big ones) have no idea how much extra I do like this, on my own initiative, because they don't even really know themselves what has to be done. There is such a disconnect.

OH, here is the report. Off to work!

I'm scheduled to meet my old boss for dinner tonight at a Thai restaurant which happens to be in the same building as the train station. It seemed like a good idea at the time we set it up, but I had one of those awful sleepless nights last night and I'm not sure how I'll be feeling at dinnertime. And of course it will mean walking home later at night in this cold weather. So while I look forward to seeing her, I am dreading other aspects of the evening.

I ordered a $50 gift card for Kohl's through MyPoints. I'll give it to my son for his birthday, which is two weeks away. I'm sure he needs new jeans or something, or maybe new shorts for his move to Florida? Anyway, I figured it was a good idea to get it through MyPoints so I can earn an extra 300 points.

I did laundry last night ($1.50). When I first went down, I saw that one machine was filled with wet clothes, one was filled with water, and the only free machine was the more expensive one. I only had three quarters in my pocket, so I moved the wet laundry to the top of one of the dryers. I am very diligent about moving my laundry once I start, but this person (I know her by her laundry basket)is always leaving her stuff for hours. So I didn't feel bad about moving it. I AM concerned about the machine filled with water. With only three machines, we really can't afford to have one out of commission. I was about to call maintenance, but then someone came and said they already had. So I hope it's taken care of soon. Since I am a laundry fiend.

I stopped at Walgreen's on the way home and bought a sympathy card for a co-worker ($3) some Mucinex D ($30) and deodorant ($2). I am hoping the Mucinex will start to clear this mucus in my throat and lungs; it's ridiculous how it's hanging on.

My walk to the station this morning was more comfortable than yesterday morning, and I didn't wear as many layers. It was 12 degrees -- downright balmy!

After our rather creepily mild weather we finally got hit with a blast of arctic air. I'm not sure what the temperature is, but I know with the wind chill factor it is well below zero.

I decided to try to walk to the station, since it is such a money loss to drive after already paying for a train ticket. I wore tights and a thermal undershirt under my clothes, and a turtleneck and cardigan on top. Teamed up with my down coat, squall mittens, infinity scarf and lined knit cap, I was prepared for the weather. Only my face got cold, and that couldn't be helped, unless I got a ski mask.

At the downtown station I got next month's train pass - $105.

I packed my breakfast - quiche - and lunch - turkey casserole. Just a matter of grabbing them from the freezer. I'm finally on a roll with food prep.

More laundry tonight. I won't try hanging it up wet again -- everything dried stiff as a board! It helps so much to tumble them even for a few minutes, but I have to pay full price whether I use the dryer for a few minutes or 40 minutes, so I might as well dry them all the way.

Well, almost. I did a load of laundry this morning, but didn't dry it, so it was only $.75. I was in a hurry to leave the house and didn't want to wait for the dryer. And I figured that wet clothes drying in the bathroom would only help with the dry air problem.

Yesterday I just hung around home, reading, cooking, watching TV, playing games - just generally enjoying myself. I did go to the grocery to question a BOGO that didn't happen -- turned out it was "Buy 2 get 1 free" so that explains why I was charged for two. So asked for my free box, since I DID buy two, and I got it. While I was there I also bought a $1 bottle of diet ginger ale, so I guess yesterday wasn't really a NSD either.

Today I went to my son's house and played games with him and with the grandsons. I was there for breakfast and lunch -- finally pulled myself away so they wouldn't have to feed me supper, too! I came home and made a dinner of refried beans & cheese with Mexican rice and a side salad. Delicious and cheap.

Came home to find that my cat had barfed on my new couch. ^*^*%*%!!!! Well, I guess it's like getting a ding on a new car. It had to happen sooner or later. It cleaned up well.

I'm preparing for a freezing walk to the station tomorrow. I will bundle up, but I'm a little afraid of how cold it might be. If it's really bad, I'll turn back and drive to work.

They were quite expensive. I paid $2950 for two room-size rugs with pads, one 8 foot runner and two 2 X 3's. The cost does include delivery and installation (which means they will move the furniture, lay the pads, etc. -- basically do all the labor). While there were many bargains on the floor, none of them were right for my rooms. I ended up selecting the patterns I wanted and having the rugs made to size. My living room rug will be 10 X 10. The dining room rug will be 8 X 12. The runner and the small rug will be made from the material that is cut off from the main rugs. They will all be delivered in 2 or 3 weeks.

No, they are not wool, but they are very good quality. I am hoping that I will not have to replace them in my lifetime.

My DIL helped me pick them out, and her advice was invaluable. She really has remarkably good taste -- she should be a consultant! (Of course, she also had the good taste to marry my son!)

After we completed the shopping, we went to a rather upscale Italian restaurant for lunch. I think my DIL was enjoying a day without children, and we don't get much chance to talk alone. I ended up spending $22, but brought home enough lasagna and ravioli for three lunches.

I also grocery-shopped yesterday. I spent $36, but I have to go back and try to get $3.59 back. I bought two boxes of pantiliners, expecting to get one free, but I was charged for both. My spending on food was only $17 (the nonfood, besides the pads, was cat food and tp). For $17 I got bread, Kraft mac & cheese, Bumblebee tuna, granola, Townhouse crackers, almond milk, 2 lbs. of boneless chicken breasts, a bag of mixed lettuce, and celery. I used a gift card that had $8 left on it, so it would have been $44 in total.

I hate to go back today, because it is very COLD outside and I would just like to stay put. Is it ridiculous to go after $3.59 after having spent almost $3,000? Nah.

I'm tackling the dryness in the house today with a big pot of water simmering on the stove, and a big bowl of water sitting in the living room -- as well as my little humidifier going full blast. When I shower, I'll put the stopper in and let the water sit in the tub for a while.

Yesterday I was tossing my garbage when I noticed a small Christmas tree by the dumpster. I could see something in its branches. Sure enough, there were three ornaments that had been overlooked, which I quickly claimed, having no idea who the owner might be. They are cute little wooden ornaments -- they'll look great on my tree next year! Guess I'm a dumpster diver now!

And right on time, too! I was surprised by it on two fronts -- it was smaller than I remembered -- almost the size of a loveseat -- and it is cherry red rather than red red. But I like it. It fits nicely in the room and it is nice and firm. The ottomans placed side by side make a very nice coffee table. I may get a couple of trays to set on top of them to create a flatter top.

DS1 came over shortly thereafter with his wife and daughter. We had a nice visit while I held my granddaughter. She is prettier every day and she's getting so alert. I got a couple of nice smiles.

In the evening DS2 came over with his wife and sons. We order pizza and had such a nice evening -- except that GS1 burned his arm on my bathroom radiator. It gets very hot and I had forgotten it was still turned on. I will have to be more careful about that.

Spending yesterday was $1.50 for laundry and $10 toward the pizza.

As far as I know dinner for all of us is still on for tonight, though the place hasn't been selected yet.

Next Wednesday I'm meeting a friend at the downtown station for dinner at a Thai restaurant.

I hope to find a rug tomorrow -- my DIL has agreed to come along and offer her opinion. I actually hope to find two rugs and a runner! I've been advised to go to a rug outlet near the mall. Hope it has LOTS of options, because what I have seen so far hasn't rung my chimes!

I'm at home today, waiting for the delivery of my couch and ottomans. Woo-hoo!

My son the helicopter pilot called a little while ago and is planning to get the family together for dinner (at a restaurant) tomorrow evening. He usually does this when he has an announcement, so I expect he will tell us that he got the job in Florida. I wish he would just tell me, but this is his way.

Anyway, that will be an unexpected expense, although I've gotten pretty good at selecting a cheap option.

I'm still battling the tail end of my flu/cold. I have a bad cough, and get worn down easily. Last night I went to bed early, and was almost overcome with feelings of gratitude that I had a safe, warm place to lie down and sleep. Not sure where that came from unless it is just seeing the homeless people at the downtown station. I usually just go from train to train and avoid the waiting area, but sometimes I see them anyway. I can't imagine that life.

Today I plan to do some cooking. I think I will make both cheese/tortilla soup and peanut soup, since I have some frozen white sauce to use. I'm also going to make crescent roll pizzas and freeze most of them. For dinner I'll have a sauteed chicken thigh and green beans.

I probably should change the sheets, too, so more laundry on tap.