It was a good Easter. Lots of people, kids, food, laughter and plastic eggs. I was wound up (in a good way) when I got home and couldn't sleep. But I'll sleep tonight!

I took a package of Hawaiian rolls to the dinner and came home with a huge amount of ham and salad, so I made out pretty good! My ex always buys and prepares too much food, so it's usually a given that doggy bags will be handed out at the end.

On Saturday I grocery shopped (only 11 items!)

Snack-size baggies (house brand, on sale)
Splenda (on sale, $3 off coupon)
Lactaid (generic)
Freezer wrap
Butter (house brand, on sale)
Hershey's Bliss eggs (on sale, $1 off coupon)
Creamer (house brand)
2 dozen large eggs (on sale)
King's Hawaiian rolls (on sale)
Kitty litter

Grand total: $42.27

I also went to see Water for Elephants ($6). I couldn't overcome temptation, and I'm glad I went. It was a great book, and now a great movie, too. Highly recommended!

Now I'm getting ready for my weekend road trip to DC. I've got the cash, I've stocked up on kitty litter -- I just have to pack and take care of perishable food.

Yesterday I stayed in all day (and since it rained all day there wasn't much temptation to go out). I got quite a bit of filing done (my most dreaded task). I also did some reading, played some computer games and caught up on TV episodes I had missed. I was patting myself on the back for not spending any money.

Today I really want to go see a movie. There are two out now that I want to see -- Jane Eyre and Water for Elephants. I tell myself it doesn't happen often that I really want to see something in the theater. And it's only $7.50 for a matinee. I can see them when they come out on DVD, but it's never the same as the big theater experience.

Then I tell myself I made a promise that I wouldn't do any extra spending this month. GRRRRrrrr! I guess I'll let you know tomorrow whether the good me or bad me won.

My ex is hosting a big Easter dinner at his house. It will include not only my kids and grandkids, but his sister's family and his wife's parents. Even though I am a bit of a fifth wheel in these crowds, I will go, as that is where my kids will be. I will go up early to my son's house for the Easter Bunny events in the a.m., so I will have some private time with them beforehand. Anyway, I am now in the process of making deviled eggs to take -- if they peel nicely. If they don't, I'll have to think of something else cheap! Maybe a cranberry walnut tea bread?

Yesterday I met my 1300-calorie goal but was still not rewarded with a change on the scale. I have laid out my eating plan for today, and it should be doable. Tomorrow will be more difficult, but I am determined to stick to this. I am so tired of being chunky.

I got a check from Mazola for a rebate: $6.49. And a Pine Cone payment of $3. I just joined Opinion Outpost, so I hope to have another little income stream soon.

The lunch I went to yesterday was paid for by the College -- that was a nice surprise. I didn't control myself very well on the calorie front however. I was so hungry. I ate a big gourmet hamburger with bleu cheese and carmelized onions and some of the big mound of French fries on the plate. While waiting for the meal to arrive, I ate two slices of buttered French bread. But that's not all! Back at the office, I ate 5 chocolates from a box of Pot O' Gold. I was just ravenous.

When I got home, I skipped dinner and exercised but couldn't undo the damage. Before bed I ate one slice of bread. Lord, what a day.

The scale didn't show a gain this morning, but the scale has been obstinately stuck for weeks now, the only motion being a pound gained, a pound lost, a pound gained, a pound lost. Today I adjusted my goal down to 1300 calories, since 1480 is obviously maintenance for me.

Late in the day I started fretting about money -- all the expenses coming up this month, and then I expanded my fear to HOW WILL I POSSIBLY SURVIVE AFTER RETIREMENT? I skipped the book signing because I didn't want to use the gas! I was in a state.

This morning I am calmer but determined to get a handle on both my weight and my finances -- and to do what I can and to LET THE REST GO! Jeesh!

Just got a Priceline notice this morning that I could get airfare to Austin for $252. Darn! I paid $391 a few days ago! I hate it when I screw up.

Despite saying that this will be a low-spend time for me, I went out to lunch yesterday (my boss asked me; I couldn't say no). I also took the opportunity to treat her, since her birthday is coming up this weekend. $21. At least I paid cash, so it won't affect the bloated credit card problem.

AND, I'm going out to lunch today, because my other boss, who was fired, is here for her last day, and a bunch of us are taking her out for a final farewell. Couldn't say no to that either.

I'm going to another author talk/book signing tonight. It's become my new form of entertainment. The author tonight is Don McCaig, who writes Civil War fiction. I checked out one of his books from the library last night, and after reading a little bit I realized I had read it already. That's good! I just wanted to familiarize myself with his work.

Tomorrow I have the day off for Good Friday. So glad to have a three-day weekend! Now if it would just warm up!

I haven't reported much on my found money. I usually find a penny here and there, usually a very beat-up one in a parking lot. It's not a great source of income for me!

But yesterday I was telling a friend about it, and she told me that shortly after her mother died, she started finding dimes everywhere! She didn't tell me what the association was between dimes and her mother, just that it happened often and she didn't think it was a coincidence. Lo and behold, as we were walking out of Border's, there was a clean, shiny dime on the floor! I spotted it first and claimed it, and we had a good laugh. She said her mother wanted me to have it.

We were in Border's because we had just attended a book signing by Caroline Kennedy. She has edited a new edition of her favorite poetry for women. I didn't buy the book (they were all out of them anyway) and since I couldn't get in the signing line, I didn't get very close. All through her talk I couldn't see her at all -- only a few glimpses when the sea of heads in front of me parted in just the right way. Still, I enjoyed HEARING her. She was a very articulate lady and gave us a nice glimpse into her family life when she was a child. Afterwards I did get close enough to take a picture when my friend was getting her book signed. She was very pretty and VERY slim!

I've decided that this will be a low-spend month. I've already put a wallop into the credit card for conference expenses, and there will be more charges when I head to DC. So all other spending is on hold. I will not even do my fifteen items. I will buy only necessities until May 11, when my credit card cycle ends. The goal is to NOT dip into savings when the payment is due. We'll see how it goes.

I don't know if I did the right thing...

I'm going to a conference in Austin, TX this summer. When I turned in my expense plan, I quoted the going rate for airline tickets -- $280. After the conference was approved I didn't buy the ticket right away because I was waiting for the billing cycle on my credit card to end. Yesterday I heard on the news that everyone should expect fare hikes this summer, so I thought I'd better get on the stick and buy the ticket. The best fare I could find was $391 after fees and taxes. I bought it because I was afraid it could get worse. But I feel really bad that I am more than $100 over my estimate. It's not money coming out my pocket (I'll be reimbursed after the conference in July) but I hate for the College to have to pay so much. I'll have to be very good on my other expenses!

The hotel has already charged my credit card for one night's stay in advance, so this is going to be an expensive cycle on my credit card. Granted, I will get a sweet paycheck in July, so I shouldn't stress.

I also have the race in Washington DC coming up the weekend after next. That will cost me some money, too -- gas, food & lodging. I'm afraid I'm going to have to tap into my EF before this is all over. It is a good feeling to know that it's there, and even if my credit card goes sky high this month, I can still pay it off in full.

My fifteen items, purchased yesterday:

2 bags of disposable razors (1 free w/coupon)
Pecan Sandies (on sale)
Fresh strawberries (on sale)
Whole Wheat Bread (on sale)
2 bags premium cat chow ($2 off coupon)
1 bag generic cat chow
Greek yogurt
Wine (on sale)
2 bowls Bob Evans mac & cheese (on sale and $1 off coupon)
Milk
Bag of Rolos
Package of boneless skinless chicken breasts (on sale)

Total: $65.47

I also bought lunch for my son's family this weekend: $31.63. And I went back to Kohl's with my second coupon and bought two more pairs of panties: $4.59.

Since it was a spendy weekend, I didn't go to Goodwill.

Woke up to snow on the ground this morning! And my weight went up, even though I have stuck to the diet. Ugh. Bad mood all round.

It's pay day, and I transferred $600 into savings, left over from last month's budget. That's on top of my automatic savings of $125, so -- good month for saving! However, I have a car repair in my future which will probably eat it up. I had a fender bender months ago and didn't make the repair, thinking, oh, the car is old, I'll just let it go. Well, I noticed it is rusting a little -- can't have that. I'm going to fix it and probably should have done so in the first place. Sigh.

Yesterday I went out to lunch with some of my co-workers in a good-bye gesture for our boss, who was fired. Today is the official good-bye party from the whole office. A sad day. My share of the lunch was $17. I believe this afternoon's party is covered already.

On the way home from work I stopped at Kohl's to use one of my $10 gift cards. (I got two in the mail, one to me and one to "resident.") I bought two pairs of panties. I thought they were 2 for the price of 1, and the one price was $9.50. I struggled to find something else and finally bought a card for $1.99. Come to find out the second pair was half-price, so I was already over. Oh well. $6.47 for two pairs of panties and a card, not bad. (The panties are an especially good-fitting style from Vanity Fair -- ordinarily I would hate to pay $9.50, but at this price, yes!)

With the second card I will either get two more or some warm-weather trouser socks.

Tonight, though, I head up to the North Shore to babysit for my grandkids. DS & DIL are running in a 3K tomorrow. Too bad, it will be a cold, crappy day, but they are still doing it, so good for them!!

I spent a good part of yesterday assembling the file cabinet I bought from IKEA. The instructions were about as minimal as could be and i made a crucial mistake -- put the wrong hardware in the wrong place. To make a long story short, I do have a file cabinet, but the top, shallow drawer is unworkable. I don't need to use it anyway, it just would have been more space for junk. The lower drawer, where the files will be is okay. And the cabinet looks nice. However, I don't think I will ever buy anything to assemble from IKEA again. I wish I didn't ever have to assemble anything again. Why can't you buy anything that's already put together any more?

Today's project is filing papers (and I've got a lot of them) but I want to get out and walk, too. It's a gorgeous day!

My fifteen items this week were purchased at Wal-Mart. I needed to fill a prescription and get keys made.

Nutella - $1 off coupon
Shredded cheddar - house brand
2 bags Easter candy (for student workers)
2 keys made
4-pack Greek yogurt
Fresh blueberries
Bag of 3 small green peppers
2 cans tomato soup (house brand)
Auto wax
Can of tuna
Aleve (generic brand)
Prescription

Total: $60.01

Looking over my register, I see that I was double-charged for two items. Rats! I have to go back. Also, one of the keys didn't work, so I guess I have to take that back anyway.

I hope the cashier made an honest mistake and wasn't trying to cheat me.

------

OK -- just returned from Wal-Mart again, and I was refunded $5.29 with no problem -- very pleasant customer service person.

I stopped on the way back to get gas ($37) and then at Ace Hardware to get the key cut again. While at Ace I found a mini-dolly that will fit in my car. Total cost: ($36) I just brought in the super-heavy box containing an unassembled file cabinet that I bought at IKEA. Wheeled it in slick as a whistle. I'm going to like this dolly!

Now I just have to check that this second key works....

So I have this afternoon's project -- put together that file cabinet.

Yesterday I got the blind replaced in my bedroom -- apparently at no charge. My grandson had made a "window" by snapping off the ends of slats. LOL. He's only four; he had no concept that he was damaging property. The maintenance crew did it while I was at work (with my permission) and there is no bill or anything, though they left a work order. So I think it's no charge.

Tonight I go see "Nickeled and Dimed" at a nearby college theater. I'm really looking forward to seeing it, but it starts at 8, which, these days, is awfully close to my bedtime! (I'm an early riser.) I hope I don't nod off.

Yesterday I put $10 into an envelope going around to collect funds for a farewell gift for my boss. She was fired and her future is not clear (though she is talented, and I think she will land on her feet). Anyway, I felt like giving $10 instead of the usual $5 or under. Looks like everyone else felt the same way, because the envelope was full of 10's and 20's.

I was looking at Zillow yesterday and saw tons of foreclosures in the area in which I want to move. Has anyone here ever bought a foreclosed property? I know nothing of the procedure, but it's very tempting.

Not much going on. I sent my BFF some templates for budgeting, at her request, but I haven't heard back from her. Hope she gets on board. She is good with her money overall, but she hasn't been tracking, and now that she is retired she is feeling a difference.

I've been working hard to use up food in the fridge before it goes bad. I think I am still buying too much. At least, too much that is perishable. Last night I boiled some potatoes, which I will use for breakfasts and sides, and will add to some beef stew I made in the crockpot. (I won't put potatoes in the crockpot -- I've had some bad experiences.) I also made some chicken teriyaki stirfry. Those two meals alone will feed me for a while. I'll have to freeze some portions. I also have a bag of salad and some fresh veggies to use up. I may have to cook the veggies and make soup to preserve them.

I have been using myfitnesspal for several months now and I have been successfully staying under my calorie goal most days. But I haven't been tracking my weight, because I tend to get obsessive about it. Well, I finally decided to start tracking, and I'm glad I did. I'm starting to see little losses and it's encouraging.

Had a really lovely weekend with my BFF. We went to IKEA, had two dinners out, went to an author talk/book signing (Alexander McCall Smith), went to a movie, shopped at Goodwill, and just overall had a good time talking and catching up.

Financially --

$131 at IKEA (big item was a file cabinet; still in my car in the box because it's too heavy to move)

$30 for meals out

$7.50 for movie

$14 at Goodwill (little household items and gifts)

Not bad at all, considering the biggest expenditure was for something I've been needing for a while.

My two recent author talks have encouraged me to get out more and do some mind-expanding. So last night I went to a free screening of "Constantine's Sword," a documentary by a former Catholic priest about Christian/Jewish interaction over the centuries. Very good. The author/filmmaker will be here to speak on Sunday so it was very good to see this beforehand. I will enjoy his talk that much more.

On Friday I'm going to see an on-stage production of "Nickel and Dimed." Maybe some of you are familiar with the book, about a journalist who went undercover and lived life as a minimum wage earner. The book made quite an impression on me and I'm eager to see how it comes across as a play. This will not be free, the ticket was $10.

Had a scare last night. I misplaced my keys at work and locked myself out of the office. When I had security let me in -- still no keys. I retraced my steps and finally found them in a building I had visited earlier. What a relief. It was after five and everyone had gone home, so I was picturing having to walk home and then run down someone at the leasing office to let me into my apartment. It's only a two-and-a-half mile walk, but I definitely wasn't in the mood!

Today I bought:

Kettle Korn, 3-pack, house brand, on sale
Mucinex DM - on sale
Zyrtec - on sale, $4 off coupon
Greek yogurt - on sale
Teriaki marinade - $.50 off coupon
Kraft parmesan cheese - on sale
Fancy greens -- $1.50 off with purchase of cheese
Kettle cookers (stew vegetables)
2 bags fresh vegetable medley (BOGO)
Fresh raspberries - on sale
2 bottles wine ($5 off coupon)
Poppyseed dressing - on sale
Dishwasher detergent - house brand, on sale

Total: $70.48

I'm stocking up on Zyrtec whenever I can get it cheap.

Planning to make beef stew and chicken teriaki stirfy this week.

Actually, this is my March recap:

Rent -- 1100
Utilities -- 275
Entertainment -- 175 (includes Ancestry.com fee)
Gifts -- 101
Groceries -- 100
Business -- 92
Insurance -- 87
Medical/Health -- 85 (supplements & OTC drugs)
Personal -- 76 (haircut and Crest Whitestrips)
Gas -- 73
Furnishings/Equipment -- 64 (mattress pad, food scale)
Eating out -- 50
Vet/Pet Supplies -- 35
Clothing -- 29
Household supplies -- 26
Miscellaneous -- 3

Total -- 2381

I always aim to keep spending below $2400 so I'm on target.

Last night I went with three of my co-workers to a Mexican cafe in a neighboring suburb and then to a book signing at Border's. We all had a wonderful time. The food was fantastic (I blew my diet, but I'm back in the saddle today) and the reading/talk by the author was very inspiring. We had good seats and got great pictures. She signed a book which I will give to my DIL (after I read it -- she won't mind!)

Cost of the dinner, with tip: $40.11. Cost of the book: $16.41.

We had shocking news at work yesterday. Our VP (my boss' boss' boss) was let go. This will be a huge change for our department as we go under interim leadership and then new leadership. I feel very bad for her. The only reason for her dismissal is that she and the President do not get along very well -- it's not like she wasn't doing her job, or anything. She is a 55-year-old single woman with no one to fall back on, so I hope she is able to find something else quickly.

In better news, my BFF is coming to visit this weekend! We are going to see yet another author (believe me, this is just a coincidence, it's not something I do every day). We also might go to IKEA, as she's never been, and is curious to see it. Or we might to downtown to dine at my son's restaurant. Or we might just hang out. It will be good to see her.

Back when I was still trying to get out of debt, I accepted a lot of new credit cards so I could continually transfer my balances to very low rates. I'm out of debt now, but I have all these credit cards I don't use. Some have cancelled on me (which is fine) but sometimes I'll get a new card with the sticker to activate.

Should I just not activate? I've heard it's bad for your credit rating to cancel cards -- but also bad if you have too many. And I have too many.

It dawned on me I have all these experts at my fingertips! What should I do?

Just got back from a walk that was shorter than intended. It was so sunny I thought it would be nice and that I would warm up as got going. Wrong. It's very cold, and the wind is biting.

I went to Walgreen's yesterday to use my rewards. I had $11 and I added another $1.18 and got a bag of clementines and candy and toys for the grandkids' Easter buckets.

Today I made my Target trip. I had a $5 gift card, but I spent $39.78 above that. I needed AA batteries (I couldn't find any in the house, though I have a sinking feeling there's a whole lot of them SOMEWHERE!) Both my mouse and a clock were dead without the batteries. I bought an 18-pack for $7.21, as it was the best deal, but since I don't go through a lot of batteries I don't know if that was too smart. Oh well, I can use them in my camera if nothing else. I also bought a watering can to take to work (2.99) and a pencil sharpener for my eyeliner pencil for $1.37 (it was down to the jagged edge) and I splurged on a food scale. I've been dieting and so often I am guessing at the weight of a food item -- now I'll know. The scales ranged from $4.99 to $49.99. I got the mid-range -- $29.99. I want something that will do the job and hold up for a while. The little ones couldn't handle much weight and looked flimsy -- my guess is they would be unreliable, too. The fancy one -- well, I'm sure it's very nice, but I'm happy with what I got. It has a digital scale and a glass tray and is very sleek in appearance. I'll keep it sitting out on my countertop, it's that cute.

I also filled up my gas tank -- $34.51. It was the cheapest gas around, $3.59.

No grocery shopping this week. I am stocked up well enough, so I will resume 15 items next Saturday.

I babysat on Saturday and in the process got a free lunch. I was very tempted to stop at Steak N Shake on the way home, but made myself drive past it. It would have thrown my calorie count way off, anyway!

Yesterday I was so tired I couldn't stay up for the Office proposal episode. I'll watch it on Hulu. Don't tell me anything!

And I could hardly get up this morning. I was dreaming that Sandra Bullock was styling my hair. She also gave me a bouquet with long-stemmed flowers. I broke one of the stems and she said, "Well, now you've done it, you'll have to settle for a short bouquet." Then we all had to hurry into a tunnel that led to Mexico because we were evading some disaster. I have the weirdest dreams.

I've had several no-spend days -- nothing going out except the water bill, which comes out automatically. Netflix is going to give me a bit of a discount because their streaming service wasn't working on Wednesday. And I got notice from Offermatic that a $5 credit is going to my Discover card for my McDonald's purchase.

Tomorrow I hit Walgreens and Target. At Walgreens I will try to stay right at $11 (RR) and at Target, $5 (gift card). I also need gas, but other than that, I will try not to spend much of anything.

On Wednesday I was planning to see "Gone With the Wind" at the local theater for $5. I thought it would be a treat to see it on the big screen again. Turned out I was too tired to do that. I'm really fatigued. I think it's because I'm still recovering from the bad flu/cold I had. I'll be glad when I feel normal again.

I was supposed to dog sit the rest of this week, but the owners canceled their trip. I'm relieved. All told, I'd really rather be home, even if their house is much nicer! I will lose some income, but still, I'm not sorry. I'm such a homebody.

It got cold again yesterday and I turned on the heated mattress pad again. I'm so happy I got that. I'm also happy I got the flat iron -- now I never worry about what my hair will look like in the morning because I can always straighten it out. Sometimes material things DO make you happy!

It's Spring Break, and even though I have to work, it's kind of relaxing to work with the students gone. And it is certainly nice to find a parking place with no trouble. I do wish the weather were more springlike. Though I suppose RAIN is springlike, isn't it?

I've been closely tracking my diet on myfitnesspal.com, along with my kids and niece and nephew. I have recently started to enter my whole day's plan at the beginning at the day. Then I feel obligated to follow it. I save the results at the end of the day, making any adjustments where I didn't follow through as planned. I have found it's so much easier to track BEFORE I eat -- sometimes doing it after the fact is difficult because you didn't pay attention to the amount, or the type of measurement (i.e. cups vs. ounces). It also helps me to think about what I need to use up, rather than make impulsive decisions. And I can make better decisions about balancing my diet. It's kind of like paying yourself first!

Yesterday I went to Walgreen's and picked up a few items that were recommended on the Grocery Store Guide. While I didn't MAKE money, as the post suggested, I did spend only $3.42 for a package of TENA pads and two boxes of Thera-flu. That presupposes that I will remember to use the $10 and $1 "coupons" for my next trip to Walgreens. And I will. I've decided that next week's grocery trip will be at Walgreens and Target, where I will use a $5 gift card. I am quite stocked up, and $16 should easily take care of me.

The one big money-maker -- the pain reliever -- I couldn't do because I couldnt' get the coupon needed from Diabetes & You (free handout at Walgreens). The store already had the Spring issue and the Winter issue was gone. However, I did take the Spring issue as it had several coupons that looked interesting.

Then I went to Goodwill. I spent $47 there. I bought myself a pair of black pants (Lee Riders, like new) and three tops -- one brand new, the other two might as well have been. They are all long-sleeved T's and will serve well for spring. I also bought a pillow sham, which I really needed. (Now I won't have to make a pillow sham out of the king-size sheet I bought a few weeks ago!) Now to figure out what to do with the sheet....

The rest was spent on potential gifts. I was very happy to find two "Cars" buckets that will serve as Easter baskets -- my grandson is a maniac about the "Cars" movie.

I forgot to mention that I found a QUARTER the other day! Bright and shiny, too, not run-over like most of the coins I find.

And I also forgot to mention that when I worked at the scholarship dinner on Saturday night, one of the richest men in the area (jokingly) asked me to be his guest at the table. I couldn't -- seating arrangements are already decided way in advance -- but it kind of tickled me. Oh, by the way, he's married, so no chance he will solve all my financial problems!

It's been a busy weekend so far. I babysat overnight on Friday (and got NO sleep because the 4-year-old slept with me -- very sweet, but he's a tosser and turner). Then on Saturday I had to get ready for the big dinner I worked last night, and do my grocery shopping since there were key items on their last day on sale.

When I got home Saturday morning, I took a nap right after breakfast. When I woke up, I showered and went to get my hair cut and styled at Hair Cuttery. Hair Cuttery is now my compromise between the pricey salon and Great Clips. I have had the same stylist twice now, and I like her work. I paid $25 ($5 was for a tip). It would have been $15 had I not had it styled, but since I had the fancy dinner to go to I thought I should spring for it. It turned out a little poufy so maybe that wasn't the best choice, though when it settled down it looked nice, and the cut is great.

Then I got my 15 items:

Bag of salad greens - on sale
Half gallon milk
3 birthday cards ($2 off coupon)
Cat chow (on sale and $1 off coupon)
6 oz. container of raspberries (on sale)
Crest Professional Whitestrips ($10 off coupon)
Zyrtec (on sale and $4 off coupon)
1 lb. of asparagus (on sale)
3-pack of Kleenex (on sale and $1 off coupon)
Crystal Light On-the-Go (on sale)
Chicken breasts (on sale)
Cat litter (on sale and $1 off coupon)
18-ct. eggs (on sale)

Total: $101.29
Store savings: $9.70
Coupon savings: $19.00

The big splurge was the whitestrips. The $10 coupon made me consider it -- the box says it is equal in effect to a $500 treatment at the dentist's office. Well, I take that with a grain of salt, but I really do need to whiten. I'm a coffee drinker and also, I have white hair, and if my teeth aren't as white as my hair, it looks funny. And since I was getting all gussied up for the dinner, I thought I'd try it. I was quite pleased with the results in just one day, so I think I will be really pleased with the final result.

My other splurge was the Zyrtec. With spring coming I will soon be battling my allergies again, so with the store sale and the coupon, I went for it.

I didn't need cat chow yet, but my favorite brand was on sale and I had a coupon, so it made my list. Likewise for the cat litter.

The birthday cards were only $.99 each and I got $2 off, so that made them only $.66.

So while it was a bigger than usual total, it was a good trip.

I came home, unpacked, got all dressed up in my mother-of-the-groom outfit, and went to "work." I worked at the registration table for three hours; then, since I wasn't needed as a seat-filler at the dinner, I filled up a plate from the hors d'oeuvre table (that was being dismantled as I worked my way through it!) So I still got a very nice free dinner and got to go home early.

Today I'm going to rest, but I'm also going to make a trip to Walgreen's and get some of the deals that Jeffrey shared. Maybe hit Goodwill, too, as it's my guilty pleasure!

Today I got on the stick and donated my points/rewards from both Discover and Capitol One to Japanese tsunami relief. I was able to give $120 without any impact to my budget.

I was just reading today about how the elderly especially were impacted. So sad. Unthinkable, really.

The President's office here at the College had leftovers from a lunch meeting which they put in the break room. I wrapped up a pastrami & Swiss on pumpernickel to take home for dinner (having already had my lunch.) Whoopee! Love free food.

The weather was so nice and warm today that I got out and walked for 50 minutes at lunchtime. That will help work off the pastrami!

I got another Offermatic offer to use on The Natural Store. I needed vitamins, so I ordered a 90-day supply, and I also got some Brita filters. Still hadn't gotten up to $50 so I also ordered two Brita water bottles which I will probably use as gifts. The total, including the $20 paid to Offermatic, was $32.95.

I also contributed $2 to a student fundraiser -- they were selling baked goods, which I can't eat right now because I'm dieting, so I just gave them a little cash.

And my monthly order from Amazon for Align hit the credit card, so that's $18.

Easy to spend without stepping foot in a store!

Oops! I published before I added any text! I'm changing that now.

Payday these days means making two online payments -- rent and Discover, and making a transfer into savings. Today I will transfer $350. Hope I can improve on that next month.

Went back to work yesterday and had my shoulder to the wheel all day. I had two profiles to write -- I finished one, but the other will have to be finished up today. Very hard to do these quickly as there is lots of reading to do -- files, online contact reports, stuff on the internet -- before I can start writing. No one at work understands this; I don't know how they think I get the information. Very frustrating.

No spending yesterday, and I expect I can keep it up all week. I have lots of lunches stockpiled in the freezer and the gas tank is reasonably full, so I think I'm good!

Did my grocery shopping. Sure was nice to get out on a sunny day after being cooped up!

1 roll Sparkle paper towels (on sale)
Croutons (on sale)
Keebler oatmeal raisin cookies (on sale)
2 Edy's slow-churned frozen yogurt blends (BOGO)
2 4-packs Activia yogurt (on sale, $1.50 off coupon)
Bag of Snickers treats (on sale)
Bottle of wine (on sale)
2 bags frozen vegetables (on sale)
2 bags cat chow (on sale, $1.00 off coupon)
Iced tea mix (house brand)
Wheat crackers (house brand)

Total price: $53.52
Savings: $10.64
Coupon Savings: $2.50

I didn't need any basics this week, so the list is mostly supplemental items. I neglected to get fresh fruit -- I couldn't decide between cantaloupe and strawberries, and then I forgot to go back. I should be fine, though, I still have clementines and grapes to be eaten.

I made sure that my coupons got scanned AND I got into my apartment without dropping the wine, so I consider it a successful trip!

Yesterday afternoon I took a nap on the couch and woke up feeling something was missing. It was. My massive headache was gone!

What a difference that makes. I still have an achiness in my head (if that's possible) but that awful pressure is gone. I've turned a corner.

I'm still coughing deeply and I will be for quite a while, I think, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to go to work tomorrow. I'm planning on grocery shopping today, but nothing more than that.

Being sick is money-saving. I haven't spent anything, nor used any gas. The main thing I've been doing is making good use of my Netflix subscription. I watched all 8 episodes of Bleak House (great!), a movie called Red Road (Scottish dialogue, couldn't understand half of it), and several other things I can't even remember now. And I finished one book (Ten Year Nap -- so-so) and am into another (Someone Else's Daughter -- promising). I've managed to do some laundry, and I even got my new heated mattress pad on the bed, which has been a great comfort.

I did a bit of cooking and I'm slowly getting back to normal. Man, I hate being sick!

Day three of my illness and I don't feel any better. Actually, it's day four, because I worked the first day I was coming down with it.

If this is a cold, it's not like any cold I've ever had. My head feels like it's going to pop -- all the time. I'm dizzy and woozy and I have violent sneezing and coughing fits. I'm really tired of it, and it's SATURDAY! I don't want to waste a weekend being sick! If I'm not any better by Monday I'm going to have to drag myself to the doctor to prove I'm sick. I'm also thinking about the work that's not getting done. I know I promised a profile on Tuesday, but I hadn't started it when this hit. Even if I get back on Monday that's one day to do it.

But in the light of all the awful things happening -- the earthquake and tsunami, the bus accident, I know that my complaints are petty.

I'm home with a bad head cold for the second day now. I hate being sick; I feel so powerless.

Yesterday I was supposed to drive into the city for a seminar, so by being sick, at least I saved the gas money -- and I probably would have had to buy a lunch, too.

I also had to turn down a get-together at my son's house up in Skokie. You know I'm sick when I don't go see my kids.

I'm hoping that today I will at least feel good enough to do some cooking. I've got some vegetables that have to be used up; I sure don't want them to go to waste.

Got my statement from the antique booth -- I owed $91 this month -- ouch! Can't wait to do something about that siutation, but it won't be until the end of June.

Looks like I will be able to move $350 into savings on payday. This is on top of $125 that is saved automatically. I'm pleased any time I can inch it up over $300.

I usually don't spend a lot on entertainment, but today it all hit at once. My Netflix subscription hit my credit card ($9.99) as well as my year-long subscription to Ancestry.com ($154.40). Yes, I decided not to cancel after the free trial. Several reasons -- there are so many lines in my family to follow, and I am not nearly done yet -- and I want to do this for my grandchildren. Maybe even write up a history and give it as a Christmas gift to my kids' families. Secondly, it is something I can use at work when I'm trying to figure out family legacies and relationships in our alumni base. Of course, the College won't help me pay for it -- I guess you could say that in a way it is my gift to the College.

Anyway, I'm not done yet. I also bought tickets to the upcoming lecture/book talk by Alexander McCall Smith. He is one of my favorites and will be speaking right here where I work. Tickets are $10 and I bought two, one for me and one for my BFF. (She will undoubtedly pay me back).

So, lots of entertainment, coming up!