A few expenditures to report -- I subscribed to PBS Masterpiece for $6 -- that will not come out of my pocket until January, however.  I also spent $12 on a Christmas gift for a friend -- a little late, but I didn't expect that she would send me a gift.  It was a surprise that arrived on Christmas Eve.  Variables are now at 87%, with only four more days in the month.

Tomorrow I'm going to return a gift I received to Amazon.  It was a pair of slippers that seemed very comfortable at first, but after wearing them for a while I realized that they chafed the back of my ankle.  When I am reimbursed, I will pick out a pair of slide-on slippers that won't touch my ankle.

I brought home a bag of leftovers from the Christmas meal, and I've been working on ways to use them up.  I made an omelet today.  I think I'll be making potato soup tomorrow!

I'm not really sick, but I started having digestive issues before Christmas.  Then, with the stress and excitement, and the rich food, it got worse.  I had a very uncomfortable night last night.  I didn't sleep much.

This morning I took Miralax and it helped, but I'm not sure I'm done yet.  We'll see how tonight goes.

Christmas itself was lovely.  I celebrated with my pod -- my kids, grandkids and ex and wife.  That's a group of seven.  It was against guidelines, but all of us are very careful to avoid any situation that might bring about an infection.  Now I am going back in my cave!

I received many nice gifts.  I was indeed very blessed.

Now I am looking forward to getting back in my routine, and looking forward to a new year that will bring hope instead of stress!

Happy holidays, everyone!

I picked up groceries at Aldi yesterday, fulfilling the second Instacart order.  It wasn't quite as bad as the first time I picked up at Aldi, but was still glitchy.  The first time, I followed instructions on the app to let them know I was on the way.  The shopper seemed to assume I was there, and phoned to ask where I was.  I told her I was on the way and would be there in a few minutes.  By the time I got there, she had disappeared.  I waited a long time and finally had to go in to find out what was happening.

This time, I decided I would skip the "on the way" notification and just click on "I am here" once I was parked.  Well, that didn't work either.  No one seemed to know I was there.  Once again, I had to go inside and find someone.  Yet I saw someone else drive up and get served while I was waiting.

I also did not get one of my items, but Instacart quickly gave me a refund for that.

My total bill was $43 -- less than estimated.

Afterwards, I went to Steak N Shake's drive-thru and got a burger for $6.

Variables are still at 85% because of the adjustments to the grocery expense.

Today is going to be a stay-at-home day.

Iggy is doing well on the fluids.  He ate well this morning.

I have made two Instacart orders in the last few days, totalling $100.  One is from the local Jewel store -- those items will be delivered this afternoon.  The other is a pickup from Aldi, which I will make on Monday.  I chose not to go inside either store.  With the virus worse than it's ever been, it's just not worth it.

I have promised a casserole and a pie for Christmas dinner, and these orders will insure I have all the ingredients, as well as enough basics to get through the rest of the month.

Variables, with the estimated grocery cost (it won't be final till the orders have been filled) are at 85%.  That means it will be a little tight the rest of the month.

I hope the stimulus package is finally approved; I could really use the potential $600, especially with insurance and tax payments coming up in the New Year.

As for Iggy, my first attempt to give him fluids was a disaster.  I called on my grandson and then my son to help, and we all got wetter than Iggy did.  The next day I tried again, just myself, and I was mostly successful.  He got away before I quite finished, but at least he got some fluids in him.  Next attempt will be tomorrow.  Hope it will be even better.

I did my pay day bills, with one extra -- I donated $225 to each grandchild's college fund, for a total of $900.

Iggy continues to seem better.  I will give him fluids on my own today for the first time -- I hope he will comply.  He can be pretty uncooperative!

I'm looking forward to pay day this month, just to get things squared away.  Most of all, I want to take care of my annual donation to college funds for the grandchildren.  Last year I couldn't do it before Christmas, and that was kind of a bummer.

After Christmas, I have a semi-annual payment for auto insurance in January, and semi-annual property tax in February.  So I don't get a breather for a while.  I am frustrated that I can't work on any home projects, but I know I have to be patient.  That day will come.

My BIL is organizing the vaccine program in his hospital (he's a pharmacist).  They have the freezers now.  It's very exciting.

Iggy update:  My vet taught me how to give him fluids at home.  My first attempt on my own will come tomorrow.  He has responded very well to the fluids.  He is eating, and this morning there were normal poops in the litter box!  Never thought I'd be so excited to see that!  And apparently he did that without pain, because I didn't hear anything in the night.  He is alert and seems to be happy again.  Even his coat feels better.  I never realized just how dehydrated he was, or what a difference hydrating can make.  Encourages me to drink water more myself.....

I ordered three Christmas ornaments yesterday, spending $19.   Last year, GS2 noticed that I had a violin and a trombone on my tree, but no piano.  I was also lacking a saxophone, which DS1 played.  So I remedied that.  For good measure, I also ordered a flute, which I played.  As for the violin and trombone, those are the instruments of GS1 and DS2.

Iggy did not have a good day yesterday.  He ate, but then he threw it up and then had diarrhea, in and out of the litter box.  He was wailing in pain.  Today is Sunday, so nothing I can do.  He seems quiet and kind of out of it.  He ate a little -- no digestive upset yet.  Yesterday he got into his carrier -- which he hates -- by himself!  I don't know if he wanted a trip to the vet or if he just liked the close quarters.  

The blood test showed that his kidney disease is worsening, but not alarming to the vet.  I don't know what to do.

Iggy has stopped eating.  I took him back to the vet yesterday and they gave him a geriatric workup and drew blood for tests.  I will call this morning to find out what the blood tests reveal.  They also gave me an appetite stimulant and gave him fluids again.  The total cost was $211.  Variables are at 67%.

I know he is probably coming to the end of days, but I want to know what is wrong, as does the vet.  Other than not eating, he seems to be comfortable.

As a condo owner, I pay assessment fees each month.  I just got notice that my fees are going up by 5%, which will make them $445.00.  This will begin just before Christmas.  I've made the adjustment in my budget.  Add to this the rise in laundry cost -- from $1.50 per load to $2 -- it is clear the HOA is feeling the pinch.  These are small amounts but I will have to make up the difference somewhere.

I am reading a series right now, Ann Cleeves' Shetland series.  The next book in line is not available at my library.  I looked it up on Amazon, and it was available in the Kindle edition, and with credits that I already had it was only $2.98.  So I ordered it, and it's already on my phone.  A little Christmas present for me.

Variables are at 35%.

My BFF, with whom I usually exchange modest Christmas gifts, suggested that we just exchange love this year.  All right by me!  The only gift left is a maybe for my friend who is also my former boss.  

I ordered a gift from Amazon for a friend today - $18.  I have one more gift to buy, for another friend.  I have asked her if she has an Amazon list.  There is another friend who usually sends a gift.  I always wait for it to come before I reciprocate, because I just wouldn't mind if that exchange died out.

All my other gifts have come from Amazon.  I have not ventured out to shop at all.  Since my son is an employee of Amazon, I don't feel at all bad about using the company to the max.  I do wish I could support local businesses, but I feel I have to stay inside as much as possible.

DIL has suggested some Christmas plans -- a movie on Christmas Eve at her house, gift opening at her house on Christmas morning, with open windows and masks., dinner at the home of DE (dear ex).  I am in, and I will be taking all the precautions I can.  I offered to make Bubble & Squeak for dinner and a rum cream pie for dessert.  I'll have to engineer a curbside pickup for ingredients.

I haven't put up the tree yet.  Maybe today.

I spent another $42 on Christmas gifts today.  I'm getting closer and closer to being done.

Variables are at 31%.

The clothing bar in my spare closet collapsed today.  I got it back up, but it's rickety.  Meanwhile, it was the perfect opportunity to go through the clothes that had been hanging there and do some sorting and purging.  These were all "fancy dress" clothes.  I had a collection of them because when I worked in fundraising I needed them for dinners and events.  But now I really don't need them at all.  I saved about 1/4 in case I find myself going to a special event in the future.  I surely wouldn't want to have to buy something new.

I'm going to take the rejects to Goodwill, and I hope they will make someone happy.  Most of them are very nice.  And most of them I got at Goodwill in the first place.

I took Iggy to the vet yesterday.  I spent the whole time in the car.  Iggy went in, and the vet communicated with me via phone.  She prescribed a change of food and Flagyl, and she gave him fluids.  He seems to be much better, but I won't know for sure until he has to poop again.  That seems to be what really throws him out of whack.  The visit plus meds and few trial cans of food was only $49, very reasonable.

Just spent another $45 for gifts on Amazon.

Iggy was pretty sick yesterday, throwing up and pooping all over.  I'm going to call the vet today as soon as it opens.  

For my part, I am feeling much better after my adverse reaction to the shingles shot.

Yesterday I got the first of two shingles shots.  It was $47.  Unfortunately, I am experiencing chills and fever as well as pain at the injection site.  I was warned that this might happen, so I'm not concerned, just anxious to get past this and start feeling good again.

While I was at Walgreens, I spent $30 on OTC meds, and $39 on groceries.

I  also went to the Kia dealership for a service recall.  Luckily, they didn't find anything else to fix, and it was free.

Today I am spending $4 on laundry.

Variables for this young month are at 16%.

Home Repair/Maintenance:  $858

Housing: $824

Gifts/Charities: $507

Utilities: $155

Groceries: $127

Phone: $51

Entertainment: $44

Fees/Services: $44

Eating Out/Takeout: $41

Clothing: $31

Medical/Health: $26

Laundry: $19

Furnishings/Equipment/Decor: $12

Household Supplies: $10

Grand Total: $2749

Variables: 100%

Major spending was on electrical update, and Christmas gifts.  

I did some online Christmas shopping today, totalling $190.  I had decided ahead of time that I could spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $40-50 per person.  The gifts I got for my grandsons are a little under, so I will give them a little cash, too.

My big gifts will be money for college to all four grandchildren.  I'll take care of that after pay day in the middle of December.  I'm not sure yet how much I can afford to give this year.

It's the last day of the month and variables are at 98%.  I'll post my November recap tomorrow, even though it's basically done, and I doubt that I will spend anything today.

Yesterday I made 12 pints of broth -- 10 beef and 2 chicken.  I was using up the refrigerated soup base that endured the power outage.  Everything I read said that it would be fine if the broth was boiled, so that's what I did.  All of it went into the freezer for future cooking.  The freezer is full again.  I hope there are no more power outages!

Thanksgiving was nice.  Our restaurant-purchased meal was good, games were fun, and Zoom brought us closer to loved ones far away.  Masks were worn, windows were open, so I'm hoping the six of us came out of the experience safe.

I'm wondering if, after all this time, I should restart a new blog, since I can't change anything on my sidebar.  It will just get more and more out of date, and frankly, I'm really annoyed that others can change their sidebar and I cannot.  What on earth can be wrong?  I would have left it blank had I known it was going to be permanent. 

On the other hand, if I start a new blog, am I just buying more trouble?

Last night I picked up groceries at Aldi via Instacart.  The total was $38, and variables are now at 74%.

I will do this again, but this experience was a bit rocky.  The communication was not good.  When I was notified that my order was ready, I notified the shopper via the app that I was on the way.  Aldi is 15-20 minutes away.  The shopper seemed to think I was telling her I was already there and I got a notification that she was looking for me.  Then she called me, and told her I would be there in two minutes.  When I got there ... crickets.   Nobody around but regular shoppers.  Now, I parked in the wrong place, because it was dark and couldn't see the signs, and that was my fault, but I was watching the door, and no one was coming out with a big load of groceries.

I tried calling the shopper, but for some weird reason the call went to MY OWN PHONE, which was not helpful.  It wasn't a fluke, I tried this numerous times and even left voice mail on my own phone.  Finally she came out, when I was starting to believe that I must have accidentally placed the order at the wrong Aldi.

The other thing that was a bit awkward was that the groceries were packed in rather short paper bags without handles.  I had to transfer them to my own totes so that I could carry them upstairs.

Next time I will park in the right place and I will not notify the shopper until I am there.  The "on the way" button doesn't seem to work right, and the "call the associate" button DEFINATELY does not work right.

I was lucky when I got home that there was a parking place not too far away from my door.  I was also lucky I could park on the right side of the street, so I won't get a ticket from the street sweepers.  Later today I will have to move my car to the other side.  I will take the opportunity to drive to the library and return some books, and get some new ones.  I should be able to do this with no contact.

We are forging ahead with our pared-down Thanksgiving plans.  I will bring some deviled eggs.  But we are taking health guidelines seriously.  Most of the meal will be prepared food from a restaurant.   We will eat separately, by household, and wear masks at all other times.  We will socially distance, and I know I will wash my hands constantly.  I am hoping hard that we will not add to the problems the country is currently experiencing.

I was so hopeful when others reported their sidebars are working.  Alas, mine is not.  Is there a trick I don't know?

Just wanted to say, my net worth is going up!  At the end of last year, it was $201K, and this year -- to date -- it is $206K.  And that is without fiddling with the value of my condo.  I haven't had a raise, or anything, so I guess I am managing my money better, and the small portion of my retirement account that is invested in the stock market is doing well.  I am somewhat surprised, given all the surprise expenses I have had this year.

This morning I ordered a pair of leggings from Lands End.  $31.  I have found in the past that Lands End clothing fits me well, so here's hoping.  If I like these leggings I may order more.  It's a higher price than I would like to pay, but these are unusual times.

I think they will make good pajama bottoms, in addition to serving as leggings!

Variables are at 70%.

Looking forward to another day at home.  No plans to go out until I pick up my groceries on Monday.

I did a bit of Christmas shopping online yesterday.  I spent $186.

I also ordered groceries from Aldi via Instacart.  I spent $53 but got a $20 discount for being a first-time user, so only $33 out of pocket.  The groceries will not be ready for pickup until Monday at 7 pm.  I guess there is a surge in curbside pickup; not surprising.  I have plenty of food on hand to get by till then.  The groceries have not been charged to me yet, so variables are at 66%, not counting them.

After lots of going back and forth in my mind, I have decided I will join my family for Thanksgiving.  There will only be six of us, and plans have already been made for open windows, food ordered from a local restaurant, and eating in separate rooms, according to household.  When we are in the same room, we will wear masks.  We will play games after dinner, wearing masks.  

It will not be 100% safe, like staying home would be, but I think it is an acceptable level of risk, and it will be good for my mental health!  

I should add, I will not be traveling.  This is local family -- my son, DIL, grandsons, and ex.  Ex's wife will be traveling to be with her daughter, so it will just be the six of us.

Pay days are so undramatic anymore, which is good!  This morning I paid my mortgage and two credit card bills in full.  

Today I'm going to start looking at Amazon wish lists and start ordering for Christmas.

But what I really want for Christmas -- a vaccination!

The electrician came today -- actually it was two of them -- and they worked for hours.  When it was all done, I gave them a check for $858.  As I told a friend, that's a lot of labor and lot of money for something that doesn't show!  But of course it's necessary.  One thing does show, however.  I have a new ceiling light in the hall, in a spot where the old fixture was in the way of a cabinet door.  Big improvement.

Laundry is going up.  Yesterday, while taking my laundry down, I ran into a technician who was changing the coin trays so that they would each accept another quarter.  Yep.  It will be $1 to wash, $1 to dry.  It was .75 each till now.  Well, at least that will be easier to add up.  But I will go through quarters even faster, which isn't good in this time of coin shortages and the need to stay inside.

The technician very nicely gave me one free load since I was caught unawares.

I guess that's it!  Tomorrow is payday.

I logged into my Discover account this morning and verified that the balance has been paid off.  No other financial news, but that's good news!

My fridge is looking quite bare.  There are a lot of things I could buy, but we are under a stay-at-home advisory, and I intend to be very vigilant.  Grocery shopping is permitted, but no grocery shopping is better!  I may eventually use my Instacart account and buy some groceries from Aldi.  I can pick them up curbside.  I haven't done this before, but son has, and he said it was pretty slick.

Anyway, I made of list of meals I can make without going shopping, and it's pretty impressive, considering -- meatless spaghetti, French onion soup, trail mix, peanut butter sandwich, tuna sandwich, tuna macaroni salad, mac & cheese and quiche.  According to the websites, the cheeses I had on hand -- hard and unopened, will be safe.

Tomorrow the electrician is coming.  That would worry me a little bit, except that the last time he was here, for the evaluation, he was very, very careful about keeping his distance, wearing a mask -- he even wore footies that he left outside the door.

Today I'm doing three loads of laundry.  That will be lots of exercise up and down the steps!

Today is my grandson's birthday.  Later we will get together briefly in a small group for cupcakes and I will give him $50, which is what he wants.  Yesterday was my granddaughter's birthday.  I sent her an Amazon package several days ago.  In two weeks it will be my son's birthday.  I ordered his gift yesterday -- clothing he picked out on Amazon -- and it will arrive on Friday.  It was $50, after using discounts.  Variables are now 43%.

Now that the birthdays are all handled, I can start thinking about Christmas.

I looked at my credit union account this morning, and it posted a balance transfer fee of $44.  I added that to my spending spreadsheet.  Variables are at 37%.

Yesterday I made strawberry sauce, which I will have on pancakes today.  Today I will make some spaghetti sauce with mushrooms.

There is a lot of room in my fridge and freezer, with all the compromised food gone.  Still, I have plenty of food in the pantry.  I'm going to stretch it as far as I can.

Chicago is under a 30-day stay-at-home advisory.  I'm going to do my best to honor it.

I transferred my Discover balance to my credit union credit card this morning.  It is interest-free for 12 months.  I set up a payment reminder to myself to get it paid off in 10 months.  What I like about this offer is that I didn't have to get a new credit card.  I can use one I already have.

Now that I have that big chunk handled, I can concentrate on paying off the electrical contractor, and buying Christmas presents.

I still wish I could update my sidebar.  I keep mentioning it here, because I can't use the "contact us" link either.  So I hope someone who can do something is reading this.

I would have no luck at all.  Sometimes I feel that way.  Yesterday evening, after spending almost $100 on groceries, my power went out in a storm and stayed out for 18 hours.  A lot of the food I bought will have to be thrown away.  Sometimes I just feel like I'm hitting my head against a wall.

Had I been more on the ball I could have saved some of it, but it was black as pitch in the house and I didn't think the power would be out so long.  It's never been out more than a few minutes before.

I didn't get much sleep, because I was so upset.  This morning, there was no heat and no hot water.  I had to keep driving around so I could charge my phone.  It was dismal.  Thank goodness things are back to normal, but now I have the task of getting rid of all that compromised food.  Sigh.

I just got back from Aldi, where I spent $98, on the nose.  I decided that I would stock up while I was there, in hopes that I won't have to go out again this month, and maybe longer.

My grandson's birthday is this weekend.  He asked for cash, and I have it ready for him, but I don't have a card.  Maybe I will make him one.  I haven't heard if there is going to be a gathering, but if it isn't an outdoor gathering, I won't go.  I am really getting uncomfortable with indoor gatherings, even small ones.

It is really good news that there may be an effective vaccine on the horizon!  I would be in the number 2, group, as I am over 65 and have kidney disease, which increases my risk of dying from COVID by 3.

Variables, by the way, are at 32%, just about right for being about a third of the way through the month.

My granddaughter's birthday is coming up, so I picked out some things from her Amazon list and they will be sent to Oregon soon.  After using discounts, the cost was $40.  I wish I could be there to hug her instead, but that is not possible now.

Yesterday evening I went to my ex's house, along with my son's family, and we watched the speech of the president-elect and toasted with champagne.  A very fun evening with loved ones, and, I hope, the beginning of a better tomorrow.