I actually feel better now that I have canceled travel plans and working at the election. I still have my symptoms but losing the stress has been very beneficial.

Our governor closed all schools for the next two weeks, and all the museums, etc. are closing, too. No crowds above 1000 are allowed. So it's like everyone is in quarantine with me.

I believe that many voting sites may not be able to open due to the lack of judges, but I hear that the early voting site, which is already set up and running, may stay open through Election Day in order to compensate. Thank goodness I voted early! I hope many did, and that many took advantage of voting by mail.

I will get tested when they get the mobile sites going. As for now, my symptoms are light, and I don't feel any urgency to know exactly what it is. I know I'm not going anywhere. It's easy for me, being retired, to adapt to a self-quarantine.

I made a batch of chicken burrito filling yesterday. I ate one serving and froze the rest in individual containers. I still have French onion soup in the freezer, and about half of a large pizza. I have veggies, tuna, cheese, oatmeal, bread, English muffins, bacon, eggs, almond milk -- I think I'm set! My son will get anything I need, but I don't really anticipate needing anything.

I have two books on hand to read after I finish my current book. But I read a lot, so I have it in the back of my mind that if I do indeed run out, I will buy something from Amazon. Can't give up the reading.

I did run down to the laundry room yesterday and did one load of laundry. No one was there and I washed my hands before and after.

I won't see my grandchildren or the rest of my family for the next few weeks, but I am getting lots of calls and texts and I am feeling connected and cared for.

Got my census invite yesterday and I filled out the online questionnaire this morning. It was very easy and quick.

I had to start admitting to myself yesterday that I was getting sick. I have a mild fever, a cough, wooziness and constriction in my chest. I took the night to make sure and then this morning I resigned from the election. I am the second person on the team to cancel and one other is on the fence; yet another has never responded to any message or voicemail. I have no idea what is going to happen with the election, but I do know that I need to self-isolate. I canceled my weekend trip and I turned down dinner at my ex's house tonight. Since I'm already in the high-risk group, actually coming down with possible symptoms made it clear that this is what I must do.

I'll get in touch with my doctor's office today, but I doubt that I will get an appointment, since I have not traveled nor had any contact with a documented COVID-19 sufferer. Our testing system is nuts. It's obvious, with those kinds of rigid rules in place, that hundreds of people are walking around with the virus and no way to verify it.

Before I came to this decision, I was out yesterday -- I had my car emission-tested (passed!) and then got an oil change ($36) and bought a few groceries at Jewel ($15).

I was going to go to Sam's today and get tp, but instead I will have to make my nine rolls last. There's probably no tp anywhere in the whole city.

I believe I have enough food on hand to get through two weeks without shopping. My son has offered to pick up anything I might need. I will miss going to the gym, but it is apparently okay to walk outside in open spaces, so I will do that for the duration, in small doses.

This morning I bought a gift card online for a local hamburger shop. They hire people who are marginalized in some way and asked for support in this way so they could keep paying them. I will be able to use the card later on for dinner with the grandsons, whenever that can resume.

I guess that's it. I'm quarantined!

Did I say shopping would be so much fun? I forgot -- I hate shopping! But it is a relief to have some needed stuff at home now.

I spent $51 at Aldi, $37 at PetSmart, and $19 at the vet for specialty food. I did not see empty shelves or any evidence of panic. But I wasn't looking for coveted items like sanitizer or tp.

I also spent $5 for cookies for a fundraiser.

Today I'm planning to get an oil change, with free car wash, and I will probably stop at a Jewel store to get some items I can't get at Aldi. I'm also going to take my car through the emissions-testing facility.

I got an email from one of my election team members -- the youngest one -- asking about precautions we might be taking at the election. Her parents are worried. I suspect she is going to drop out, even though I sent her the most reassuring message I could. The news keeps saying that hand sanitizer will be on hand, but no one from the clerk's office has notified the judges of that, or explained how we will get it. I have a purse-size bottle that I will bring for personal use, and of course I will wash my hands frequently.

I'm planning on a Sam's trip on Friday, for tp (it's on my list, I'm not hoarding) and paper towels, and I will look for sanitizer but don't expect to find it.

Today I'm going to get some groceries at Aldi and some supplies from PetSmart. I've made it through the money crunch; now I need to restore my provisions. Hope I don't find empty shelves.

Last night I took the boys to Steak N Shake, and spent $24 out of cash. Variables are at 26%.

I have been hearing from other members of the election team, and we have been making plans for setup, pre-setup, etc. Only one member has not checked in; I hope she shows up on election day. So from that you know that I have decided to go ahead with doing the election work despite my hesitation yesterday. I will just be careful. I'll have hand sanitizer in my purse, and I'll wash my hands every chance I get. And I'll be mindful about passing documents back and forth. For instance, the voters themselves can put their ID's in the reader and scan their completed ballots. I don't have to do it for them, as I have in the past.

I am doing well on the manual. Just have to read up on closing the polls now. Almost done.

This weekend I am going up to Michigan -- not to visit my brother this time, as he is still at his second home in Florida, but to have lunch and catch up with my friend P, whom I haven't seen since Thanksgiving. I'll stay at my brother's house overnight (my nephew is there, holding down the fort) and then I'll have breakfast with P on Sunday morning and head home. On Sunday night after I get home I'll do pre-setup with our election team's technician, so it will be a big day.

Just came home from the gym -- it was supposed to be Bagel Day, but they did not order the bagels. Supposedly because they are in the process of remodeling, but I think they just didn't want to do it. I wonder if there will be some pushback. The place is run by a bunch of kids who are probably short on judgment.

Anyway, I did my workout and then came home and made pancakes, using up the last of the applesauce in the batter. Tomorrow I can shop again. I will try to control myself.

Yesterday it was cool and rainy, so I decided to go to a nearby mall to walk rather than try and dodge the raindrops. I haven't done this in quite a while, and I was surprised by some of the changes. Retail is definitely ailing. It is sad.

But I did find a dime -- and six cents the day before!

Today I need to get back to studying my manual, but it is in the back of my mind that I don't really have to work the polls. I can still bow out. It worries me a little that there will be so many people coming and going, touching equipment, and here I am, an older person with an underlying medical condition. Is it foolish to do this? Or foolish not to? There are a lot more cases diagnosed in my county, and it looks like it will only get worse.

And the stock market is not making me happy, either. I am glad that only about 20% of my nest egg is invested in the stock market.

Yesterday was a warm and windy day. I walked the lakeshore up to the tennis courts, which earned me 7,000 steps. I had to shed my coat! It was so warm and sunny, it was like a holiday. I saw at least three kites, many bikes, and an opera-singing rollerskater.

But today is going to be much cooler.

After my walk I went out with the fam to Steak N Shake for dinner, and got treated. But no leftovers this time!

I made the Spanish rice yesterday -- just a mixture of rice and salsa, but it will make a good side dish. It made a lot; I will probably freeze some of it.

Today I'll wash the sheets and towels, and try to get in another walk.

I am close to the finish line on this non-spending diet. Tomorrow I'm taking the boys to music lessons, and will use my cash for dinner afterwards. On Wednesday, I can use my Discover card again (I always pay in full; I'm not incurring debt!)

I talked briefly to my Oregon son and learned that he is planning to buy an investment property! Apparently, this house has come on the market, completely furnished and decorated in a Western theme. He thinks it will make a perfect AirBNB; or, if not that, a rental. His town has a dearth of rentals and he thinks he can make a go of it, especially with Amazon expanding in his town. Well, I wish him the best. I know he wants to reinvest his profit from selling the Florida house, and maybe this is the way, though it wouldn't be my way!

I had a lot of applesauce after cooking down the apples, so I used some of it to make applesauce spice bread. It's pretty good, and it will help get me through these last few frugal days. There are walnuts in it, so it is pretty hardy in addition to being tasty.

I'm doing another load of laundry today. That will make lights, darks, and colors in three days, and tomorrow I'm going to wash sheets and towels. That's everything! I should be done for a while after that.

I went to the gym yesterday and then afterwards I walked around the the plaza in order to get in my 5,000 steps. I actually came close to 7,000. I'm feeling pretty good -- however, I did have a terrible night's sleep last night. First one in a while. I had thought the walking was helping with my sleep, but not last night it didn't. Iggy, of course, did not let me sleep in.

Iggy, by the way, is doing fine health-wise. It's hard to believe I was so worried about him such a short time ago. Fingers crossed.

It's supposed to be warm today, but when I stepped out with the laundry I was about blown away. I won't walk today till the wind has died down. (Hope it does!) It really bothers my ears.

Should report that my variables are at 23%, and that's mostly because of the Ancestry.com membership fee. There will be a bump when I can spend again, because I am out of so many things....

The crown is in! It looks and feels great, and the process was so easy and fast. I'm so glad this episode is over.

Otherwise yesterday was a quiet day. I took a walk and did some laundry. I am watching "The Walking Dead," and I am now on Season 3. It was recommended by others, and I have gotten used to the zombies. I'm hooked on the story.

Today is a gym day; I'll be leaving soon.

It is a temptation to buy some bread and butter, but since I have only four days to go, I'm going to try to stick it out without spending anything on groceries. The butter will be the hardest part, but I do have oil. I'm also out of creamer, so I'll be drinking my coffee black.

I am thawing a couple of chicken thighs for future meals. I have rice, potatoes and vegetables for sides. I have salsa to use up, so I may make Spanish rice.

It's going to be unseasonably warm today. Woo-hoo!

My Ancestry.com subscription hit my Discover card yesterday. I knew it was coming in March, but I guess I assumed it wouldn't hit within this credit card cycle. So my spending balance is cut down to $115. Still no problem; I won't need to spend nearly that much during the next five days. Unless I get another surprise!

I had some aging apples in the fridge, so I made applesauce yesterday. I'm going to have some for breakfast this morning, along with biscuits from the freezer. I finished up some veggie beef soup from the freezer yesterday, and I am now thawing what looks like chicken noodle soup. I really should start labeling -- I always think I'm going to know what the food is, but it's surprising how quickly I forget.

I took a longish walk yesterday by the lakeshore, even going onto the sandy area and walking right by the water. I was looking for sea glass, but I didn't find any. My step count for the day exceeded 7,000.

Today I'm getting my new crown -- I've been using a temporary all this time. I've had good luck with it -- with other temporary crowns I've had much trouble with breaking and dislodging them. It'll be nice to get this all over with.

It's going to be cold today, but I plan to walk to the dentist's office. It's a good way to get in some steps.

I didn't do laundry yesterday -- after looking over the hampers I decided it wasn't necessary -- but I'll have to do a load today.

I got an email that walk-in practice sessions for using the new election equipment are being offered at various times next week in Cicero. I think I will take advantage of that. It is about an hour away, but what else am I doing, anyway? I want to feel prepared. I had the training, but the training is so hit-or-miss; that's why I'm so determined about studying my manual.

Not much on my plate today. I'm planning to take a walk, make applesauce, and do a load of laundry. And of course keep studying my election manual.

I texted the election technician yesterday and he did not answer, so I'll call him today. I assumed he would be a techie who was always texting, but apparently not. I need to nail down when he plans to set up and how much help he needs. It's quite a process, and at least one other judge is needed, if only to co-sign the forms that have to be filled out.

Only six more days to hold out without spending. At the beginning of this period, I thought that I would be lucky to stay under $300. I can hardly believe that so far, I have not touched it! I have only used the cash and change in my purse, which was not a lot.

Next month should be so much better, and I will have an extra $260 (thereabouts) from my election work.

Yesterday I spent .50 on parking, but it came from my coin purse, so I still haven't spent any of the $304 designated for the coming week. I drove my grandson to a branch library so he could check out a book for his book club. In this particular area, there is no free parking. But we found the book!

Today I'm going to go to the gym and then I'll come home and study my manual. I haven't contacted the election team yet; may start today with the technician. The team still seems to be somewhat fluid. I've heard that election judges are dropping out because of fears about the coronavirus.

The ugly bread I made a few days ago is not too bad when toasted and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. It's been my go-to breakfast.

Most supplies are holding up well. I am low in cat food, both dry and wet, as well as the probiotic my cat is taking. But it is possible I will get through the week. If not, I have a gift card for PetSmart, so I won't have to spend anything.

Meanwhile, my grocery list is growing, but so far everything can be deferred for a week.

Can't wait to get back to "normal!" Whatever normal is these days.

I did my Monday laundry, but other than that it was a no-spend day. I had to be bright and early with the laundry, because the water was turned off at 9 am, and it didn't come back on until mid-afternoon. Some kind of work being done.

I did my early voting, and was surprised and pleased to check in with one of the guys I worked with at the previous election. We caught up a bit, and talked about the new machines. They had numerous voting booths set up with the touchscreens inside, but only a few of them were turned on. They were ready for a crowd, but the crowd wasn't there yet. He said the new machines were posing no problems.

Then I went to the community center where I will be working on election day. I wanted to talk about parking. The person at the front desk told me that the lot wouldn't be monitored on election day, but she gave me a permit anyway. She told me she would be the one to open the building at 5 am, so one chore is done already -- making contact with the door opener at the site.

I have been selected as the administrative judge, as I thought would happen. Also, another judge has been added. She is a little older than I am, and I am not sure what her experience level is. But everyone who is assigned has had training and passed the test.

As the administrative judge, I have responsibility but not power. In other words, I don't decide things, I just make sure that procedures are followed and that everyone is in contact with one another. I am going to send text messages to the others, to begin with, since no one seems to answer phones these days. Whoever doesn't answer the text will get a phone call and a voicemail message.

My next order of business is to arrange to get set up the day before election day with the technician and anyone else who is willing. Otherwise we will have to get it all done before the polls open at 6, and that can be hard to do.

I started reading and reviewing the manual yesterday, and I will keep doing this every day.

This is a lot of work for $235!

Today there is nothing on tap, so it should be relaxing. Only 8 days to go and my $304 is still intact.

Went out to dinner last night with the kids, grandkids, and my ex and his wife. I was treated, so it was no cost to me. I ordered a plate of barbecued chicken and brought home two untouched pieces, as well as some cole slaw. It will make a great lunch today.

Early voting starts today in Illinois, and I will probably get that done today or tomorrow. It will be good to take a peek at how the new machines are working in real time. I'm curious about the setup, too, because at training it looked like we will no longer use the collapsible private booths. It looks like the expectation is that most people will use the touchscreen and not fill out a paper ballot. I want to see if that's how it will really play out.

When I did my February recap yesterday, I forgot to report on my variables. I spent 72% of the available funds. But that doesn't count items over $200 and there were several of those, unfortunately. So it's kind of meaningless.

I hope Wall Street starts to recover today, but it doesn't affect me too much except for the ripple effect. Most of my retirement funds are invested in bonds and only about 10% is in the stock market. Still, I am watching it with interest.

Only nine days to go and I still have more than $300 available to spend if I must. I'm going to try to make it as little as possible.

Medical/Health -- $1192
Housing - $774
Car Repair/Maintenance - $772
Gifts/Charity - $730
Taxes - $579
Utilities - $186
Eating Out - $107
Groceries - $88
Furnishings/Equipment/Decor - $53
Phone - $51
Entertainment - $47
Gas - $32
Vet/Pet Supplies - $19
Personal - $18
Laundry - $15
Clothing/Accessories - $14
Fares/Parking - $2

Grand Total - $4679

Yikes! That's almost double my income! I was helped along by getting a $500 payment from insurance and a $911 tax refund. But that's an $859 shortfall, covered by a cushion in my checking account and a $250 withdrawal from savings.

The high medical cost was due mainly to getting a crown. (Which I still don't have -- I've got a temporary and will get the permanent one on March 6. But it is paid in full.)

Car repairs included a new tire, a tire repair, new front brakes and new brake pads in back, a new cabin filter.

Gifts/Charity - A belated $600 payment to my grandsons' college fund inflated this.

Taxes - the first of two payments for my property tax. The second, which comes in July, is usually much lower.

Eating Out was high because it included not only my dinners with my grandsons, but a visit from BFF.

The Furnishing was a new set of towels, badly needed.

Entertainment included an Oscar week ticket at our local theater.

The Accessories I bought were a purse and some reading glasses which I got at Goodwill.

I had training yesterday, and I learned that the changes were mostly new machines, not new processes. Still, I was reminded that there are a LOT of steps to remember. I checked on my assignment. I wasn't assigned to any nursing home, so I will only get the one payment for primary day ($255). It looks like I have two inexperienced helpers -- that isn't good! And although I am not identified as the administrative judge, it looks like I might have to fill that role by default. It does look like the PPT (technician) is experienced, so I will probably rely on him a lot.

The location is at a community center about 20 minutes away by car. There is an adjacent parking lot, but I will have to check in advance on whether I need to get a permit for that day.

Today I'm going to the gym, as soon as I wake up all the way, and tonight I'm meeting the family at a local restaurant.

Just heard that someone in my county has tested positive for coronavirus. I forgot the hand sanitizer yesterday, but I did wash my hands!

My main goal yesterday was to make bread. It's been almost a year since I've done that, so I wanted to make sure the yeast was good. I proofed it with water, sugar and flour. It responded, so I went ahead with the recipe, but I goofed up when I didn't add enough water. I tried to add water after I had started kneading, but it didn't work very well. In the end, the bread is edible, but quite ugly. It rose, but it was never smooth. Oh well, I will eat it anyway.

It was time to renew a prescription, so I walked to the drugstore. The prescription cost me $15 and I got in 6000+ steps for the day.

My gas bill was automatically subtracted from my account, and it was much less than I had estimated. That freed up some money, so even with the cost of the prescription subtracted, I still have $304 available.

Today I'm getting my election training. I'm going to pack some peanuts, an apple and a chocolate bar to get me through. I also have bottles of water in my car. I'm also going to take along some hand sanitizer, since I will be a large group. I'm not freaked out about coronavirus, but it won't hurt to be cautious.

Later in the day I'll do my February recap. It's been quite a month, financially.

Yesterday was a pretty uneventful day. I went to the gym and then came straight home. The car wasn't too badly buried and was pretty easy to scrape clean. I did a load of laundry. I surpassed 5,000 steps.

I did not make bread. After the laundry was done, I sat down to relax and ended up relaxing the rest of the day. I am reading the Song of Ice and Fire series and watching The Walking Dead, so there is plenty of distraction available.

Today there is nothing on the agenda, so I should be able to get to that bread-making. I am really missing having bread available, so that should get me going.

Tomorrow I will have election training from 9:30 to 1:00. Add to that the time to commute, which will add about a half hour each way. I'm going to pack a lunch, and eat a good breakfast before I go. Fingers crossed that the new system will be user-friendly. It couldn't be worse than the old one!

I spent $2 yesterday on candy which a neighbor was selling. It came out of cash, so the $280 is still intact.

As planned, I did take the train to the bank and "bought" a roll of quarters. It was just an exchange of paper money for coins, so not an expenditure.

Later in the day I walked to the dentist's office and changed my cleaning appointment to the 18th.

Between these two errands and just walking around the house, I reached 6,700 steps yesterday.

Today is a gym day, and I'll have to clean off the car, which will give me plenty of exercise in itself!

Food stores are still holding up well. I am running out of bread, so I will make bread today. I haven't done that in quite a while -- hope the yeast is still okay! If not, I have some in the freezer.

The snow arrived on schedule, but shifted south, so we only got a couple of inches. The cars look like cupcakes, but the weather doesn't seem to have slowed anybody down.

It was snowing when we left music lessons, and the boys were amenable to just driving through at McDonald's. I bought cheeseburgers for them, nothing for me. The total was only $3.73, and I paid out of my cash. They will not have lessons next week -- it is a makeup session, and they have nothing to make up. So I don't have to worry about dinner next week.

I only reached 3200 steps yesterday, so I will have to get out today and make up for that. I have been averaging 5000 steps and I want to keep that up. It's supposed to be blustery, so I will have to bundle up. I need to get some quarters, so I may take the train to a stop near my bank.

14 days. Somehow it seems better now that it is only two weeks.

15 days to go! I did a load of laundry yesterday, and I will do one today, but the cost of that is not coming out of the pot, since it is coming out of cash. I actually gained a little in the pot, with a Pine Cone payment. Now I have $280 to get me through.

We were supposed to get slammed by a snowstorm last night, but so far there is no sign of it. Now they are saying it will start around 6 tonight. That's about when music lessons will finish up. If the snow is heavy, dinner will be a drive-thru at McDonald's because I won't want to be out any longer than I have to. Cheap, too!

16 more days of spending as close to nothing as I can get.

I am planning to go up to my brother's in Michigan on the 15th. He won't be there -- he is still in Florida -- but my nephew will be there, and I can overnight there. The real reason I want to go is that I haven't seen my man friend since Thanksgiving; it's just been too long.

Yesterday's walk was 4500 steps. I had a water bottle with me, which I used, but I couldn't push myself any further than that. Even though the weather was nice. But I feel like it's good that I'm just doing it. My statin, by the way, has not been bothering me. Hope that keeps up.

As part of my walk, I went to the library and checked out two more books. I am reading the Songs of Ice and Fire series. I hope the author gets the final book out by the time I am ready for it!

I ran out of creamer yesterday so this morning I made a homemade variety out of almond milk and syrup. It was pretty good! And it is phosphorus-free, which is important for my kidney diet.

Today is a gym day, and it is laundry day for sheets/towels. This time I have to wash a quilt that Iggy threw up on. Along with a couple of towels, that will be the whole load.

We are supposed to get a winter storm tonight. I hope it doesn't get deep enough that I have to move my car for street plowing. That will make it difficult to take the boys to lessons on Tuesday.

I took a walk yesterday and logged 6,000 steps for the day. I did not enjoy the walk, just had to force myself every step. I finally figured out I was dehydrated. I drank a lot of water when I got home. I will not set out without a water bottle again.

I looked up the balance on my Discover card and it was larger than I thought, so my available spending money for the next 17 days is only $270. I still think I can do it.

My car is due for an emissions test. I was going to do it on Monday, just to get it out of the way, but it occurred to me that I should put that off till after the 11th, too, in case they find something that needs to be repaired. I need to just think this way till I get through this time.

This is going to be another nice day, so I will be taking another walk -- with a water bottle! On Monday through Wednesday we will be getting snow -- or rain, if the temperature is warm enough. I may do some inside walking then, though I dislike the tedium of a treadmill.

It was a no-spend day yesterday other than $1.50 to run a load of laundry. It was also a gym day, and I got in 5800+ steps.

I did sign up for training for election work. It will take place next Saturday, up in one of the more northerly suburbs. Once that is done I'll be assigned for election day on March 17, and perhaps for early voting at one or two nursing homes (two-hour stints) on March 13. If I do get three different assignments, I will make $330 altogether.

I figure if I go through the training, and I just don't think I get it, I can decline the assignments. My experience with training is that it is rushed and poorly executed. Maybe this time will be an exception. And they do give you reading material, which I can study if I feel unsure.

It is supposed to be unusually warm today and tomorrow, so I plan to get in long lakeside walks.

As I've said before, my plan is to get through the next 18 days spending less than $340. I also have about $50 in cash above that. I realized yesterday that my dentist appointment will fall in the middle of that, and, while I do not owe any more for the crown, I am scheduled for cleaning and checkup at the same time, which will cost above $100. I'm going to ask to move the cleaning portion of the appointment to a date beyond the 11th. Might as well not shoot myself in the foot.

I have plenty of food in the pantry and freezer. I'm not sure I'll be able to go 18 days without going to the grocery store, but I'm sure gonna try. I do have three dinners with the boys that fall within that period, but with any luck the last one, which is on the 10th, will not show up on the credit card until the next cycle. I think I have enough of everything - pet supplies, household goods, etc. -- to get through this. So I'm just going to look at this as a stay-at-home vacation in which I will putter around, read and relax!

Yesterday I copied all the cards and ID's in my wallets (I have three) and filed them away. Now I'm ready, if someone steals my stuff! Why do I have three wallets? One is a little one that fits in my pocket; it contains my most-used credit cards and membership cards. The second is a large one that also contains my checkbook. It holds my driver's license, medical cards, AAA card, library card, ride-free card, and one store card. My third wallet is a zippered case that holds my loyalty cards/punch cards and a few credit cards that I rarely use. The only reason I carry them at all is for backup in case I don't have the little wallet with me. (Sometimes I forget and leave it in a pocket -- bad habit!)

It was too cold to walk; I just couldn't convince myself to go outside. But I got some things done at home. I made a pizza from scratch; I caramelized a batch of onions to make French onion soup; I vacuumed and did some general tidying up.

Today I'm going to the gym, and I will have to do a load of laundry. I also plan to finish up making the soup.

I am reconsidering my decision not to work at the polls this year. They are begging for help, and raising the price they will pay. My hesitancy is that they have rolled out a new system, and I was barely keeping up with the old one. But there's no denying that I could use some extra money right now. It's just one bad day, right?

Yesterday was pay day. I paid my mortgage, my property tax, my Discover card, and my "car payment" to AMEX. I still have $2230 in checking for utilities and assessment fees, when they come due, and then to apply to next month's bigger bills, which include paying for the crown and car repairs.

It looks like if I can keep my spending under $340 from now till the 12th, when my Discover card closes again, I can pay off my bills next month without touching savings. I also have some cash, about $50, which will help out.

Pay day is also my reminder day to change the pellets in the litter box and to thoroughly clean it. Also to replace my razor. Done and done.

I took a long walk yesterday to a nearby cemetery and walked around looking at the stones and names. It is a very old cemetery and many stones were unreadable. There were quite a few elaborate mausoleums. Very interesting. But it was very cold and I turned back home before I had seen much of it. I got in about 6,200 steps.

I had a terrible dream last night in which my wallet was stolen, and I was trying to figure out how to cancel my credit cards. I was glad to wake up and realize everything was fine. But today I'm going to write down all the information I need, just in case it ever does happen in real life.

Dinner out with the boys last night was pretty inexpensive. I had a $5 coupon for Corner Bakery, and I used the balance of my gift card from the House Calls program, so I only paid $7 out of pocket. I had soup, and the boys had mac & cheese and linguine with meatballs.

My prescription was cheap as well -- only $3 -- but the CoQ10 is not cheap. I did remember this from previous flirtations with it. I bought a double pack of 100 mg tablets because it was the lowest unit price. The total price was $41. If it turns out to be effective, I can get it cheaper by going to Sam's and by using the OTC program through my Medicare Advantage plan.

I did a little research on the supplement, and it seems it has a lot of potential benefits besides helping with muscle pain, so I am encouraged about using it. No pain so far, but I've only taken one statin tablet!

After my gym session yesterday, I stopped at Sam's gas pump and spent $16 to fill up the tank. My variables are at 66%, but with $1800 in extra expenses looming over me, doing well in variables is not too exciting.

Anyway, today is payday, so I'm going to take care of business after I wrap up here!

I had another no-spend day yesterday. In the afternoon I took a walk that took me over 6,200 steps. It was snowing in a very wet way, but it wasn't cold or windy, so it wasn't too bad. One of my feet got a little wet, so there must be a leak in my boot. That is a problem to be addressed later.

This time I walked a very big circle in my neighborhood and I saw lots of interesting houses and buildings I hadn't noticed before. Many houses that made my tongue hang out it in envy! I have to remind myself that I doing much better than I ever thought I would, and I am grateful for my cute little condo.

Today is a gym day, as well as a music lesson day, and I will get some gas at Sam's, so this will not be a no-spend day.

Also, my doctor sent a prescription to Walgreens for simvastatin, and also recommended that I take Co-Q-10 to help with the muscle pain. Wish me luck.

I'm feeling blase about money now that my upcoming bills are so high and there is really nothing I can do about it. I know this is a blip and I will get past it, but sometimes it feels like making an effort is not working. Pay day is only two days away, but I am not excited about it. All the money will go to bills and then saved for next month's bills. I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I got two things done yesterday that I had to push myself to do -- I cleaned the fish tank, and I took a walk that exceeded 5,000 steps. In fact, I got 6,700 steps in. I walked along the lake shore and saw some amazing ice sculptures which had naturally occurred between the water and the trees. Professional photographers were taking pictures. The skies were blue and it was springlike. A guy walked by me in a Hawaiian shirt -- but it really wasn't that warm.

I also went to the library and got some new books.

It was a no-spend day, and I'd better have a lot more of those.

Today, however, I'm washing sheets and towels. I had designated Friday as the day to do this, but Monday is turning out to be a better day.

Otherwise, I have no particular plans, other than to get in another walk. Retirement is awesome!

I had a $20 coupon for the car repair, so the final bill was $767. $20 is $20. Glad I dug it up!

After getting the car back, I went to the gym, and then to Aldi, where I spent $50. I got some really exceptional deals on valentine candy and cookies, which went in the freezer. The candy -- chocolate Dove hearts -- I will eventually chop up for making chocolate chunk cookies. Each bag (9 oz.) was only .73 apiece. The cookies, only .49 for 4.4 oz., will be good to have along on music lesson days, to offset requests for dessert after dinner.

The car repair bill went on Discover, so I will have a huge bill next month, what with the crown already on it. I'm trying not to worry about it. I think I will still have enough to pay it in full, as long as I am very careful and I do not have any more emergencies thrown at me. But I will have to dig into savings.

Getting the table redone is starting to seem like a distant dream.....

Well, yesterday I cleaned off the car (not an easy task, but made easier by the snow broom I bought at Aldi -- what a good purchase that was!) But I no sooner got on the road than I noticed the tire light was on. I drove to Midas and they checked it out. There was a puncture in one tire and a leak in another. One tire had to be replaced and the other repaired. But more seriously, my front brakes were dangerously impaired, and my back brakes needed some maintenance. I actually knew about the brakes, because they were mentioned at my 30,000-mile checkup, but they were filed at the back of my mind. I decided to get it all done, including replacing the cabin filter, which I also declined to have done at the previous checkup.

Since it was going to take a while, I walked to McDonalds and bought breakfast with my gift card, so it was free. Then I caught the bus home, which was also free. I watched the boys all afternoon; they were out of school for teacher conferences. My car is ready, but DS & DIL came home too late for me to make it to the shop on time. I'll be picking it up this morning. I did get word that it will be $787. Yuck. But glad to have the car in safer condition.

The boys and I made mac & cheese and brownies, and we had a good time.

It was bitterly cold, but I was bundled up, and in the process of walking to McD's, the bus stop, and home, I made my 5,000 steps.

I was planning to get to the gym yesterday, which didn't happen, of course, so I must go today.

Temperature -- real temperature -- is below zero this morning. Yet I am going to go out in it -- it's a gym day, and I have to return some library books that are due today. Also, I need to pick up a few groceries. I hope I can get all this done with minimum exposure. The worst part, I think, will be cleaning off the car.

DS texted me last night to ask if I could take care of the boys this afternoon. I had fallen asleep early, so I didn't see the text till this morning. I replied that I could, but I haven't heard back. So, at this point I don't know if I will have them or not. They might have gone ahead and made other plans, since I didn't answer last night.

I didn't do any spending yesterday other than a $1.50 load of laundry.

I finished my last library book yesterday afternoon, but rather than go to the library, I walked to two nearby "little libraries" and found two books to read. That way I got a little bit of exercise, but I didn't reach 5,000 steps yesterday.

I filed a claim for the Yahoo data breach. It was like the Equifax claim -- you are supposed to opt for security service if you don't have it already. Well, I already made that choice with the Equifax claim, so I opted for cash. Even though the Equifax service has not materialized yet. We'll see what happens.