I woke up at 6 am this morning to a loud CRASH! I shot out of bed, expecting to find something knocked over. I have a lot of boxes stacked in the dining room because of the impending garage sale. But -- nothing. I looked all over and nothing is out of place. I know it wasn't part of a dream, because Iggy was freaked out, too. So I can only surmise that something happened upstairs. There were no footsteps, so whatever happened, it happened without human intervention.

Anyway, it sure got me going early.

I went to Sam's yesterday and spent $37 on toilet paper, Poise pads, and bread. I like picking up the Sara Lee artisan white bread whenever I'm there. I have to eat white bread because of my kidney condition, and the Sara Lee brand is pretty good, without the high cost of bakery bread. (Please don't urge me to eat whole wheat bread -- it is not easy for kidneys to process and not recommended! Honest!)

In the evening, I took GS2 to a hamburger place to help me out with a mystery shop. Well, actually, I was helping out his dad, who was carting GS1 to football practice while mom worked. I spent $8 over what the mystery shop company will reimburse. If DS asks about the cost, I will tell him, but otherwise I will let it go. It is basically covered by the fee I earned.

I'm going again tonight, to a different location. This time without a child in tow.

GS1 has a football game tonight at 9 pm! Don't know if I'll make that. If I do, I'll bundle up, because Fall has fallen.

Still waiting on the SHIP counselor. I did get a call yesterday from someone who identified himself as an independent agent (on voicemail). He probably got my number from one of the internet searches I did. I may call him back today to see if he will answer my questions. But I would rather talk to someone from SHIP.

What a nice feeling it is to start a new budget month. I did some shopping yesterday, spending $27 at Aldi and $16 for a new ink cartridge, which I ordered from Amazon, using a $5 credit. I also spent $1.50 on laundry.

I headed out to my usual Aldi, but it was finally closed while it finishes remodeling. So I just kept going and went to an Aldi in a neighboring suburb. What a surprise that was! The Aldi there is BEAUTIFUL! Basically the same stuff, but more produce, and everything is laid out much better, in a much brighter environment. I hope this is what our new Aldi is going to look like.

What I bought for my $27: spring mix, cheese, evaporated milk, pasta sauce, syrup, apples, rolls, oatmeal, canola oil and cookies. I will have to shop again in the not-too-distant future because I am getting low on eggs and butter, and I also have no meat in the freezer.

Today, after I go to the gym, I'm going to Sam's to get toilet paper and pads. And I'll take a look at the kitty litter again to see if they've started carrying a dust-free litter.

My variables now stand at 7%.

It's finally here.

I paid the mortgage and my assessment fees. I paid my two credit card bills in full.

Later today I will pick up some groceries.

After subtracting fees and the overspending last month, I have $168 to add to this month's variables budget. I am hoping I will be able to stay within budget this month.

Here is the recap from last month:

Housing: $713
Utilities: $284
Medical/Health: $240
Groceries: $99
Gifts/Charity: $71
Vet/Pet Supplies: $59
Phone: $52
Gas: $49
Entertainment: $48
Household Supplies: $47
Vacation/Travel: $44
Fees/Services: $40
Personal: $17
Eating Out: $16
Furnishing/Equipment/Decor: $16
Laundry: $15
Miscellaneous: $11

Grand Total: $1821

Utilities were higher than usual because I paid Comcast twice -- just a matter of how the due dates fell.

Medical, of course, was higher than usual because of an expensive prescription and specialist copays.

I had two birthdays this month but only spent $71 altogether on gifts/charity. Yay!

Everything else was pretty much in line.

I applied for an HSBC credit card to earn the $150 reward. And I finally ordered my $200 Amazon gift card from Wells Fargo, which I will use for Christmas spending. They are sending a physical card, so I hope it isn't in the mail too long.

eBay seems to have settled down. I am methodically ending listings that have no action.

Still no word from the SHIP counselor.

I didn't spend anything at GS2's birthday last night -- the meal was covered. All I spent out of pocket was the $10 that went into the birthday card.

The birthday card was one I found in my stash of unused cards. It featured Ziggy, a cartoon character we don't see any more. My grandson's step-grandmother commented that it must have been something I didn't sell on eBay. Ouch! Not sure whether it was meant in fun or not, but I'm pretty sensitive about my financial situation and I don't appreciate barbed comments from someone who's never worried about money a day in her life.

Anyway, not only did I not pay for dinner, but I took home GS1's leftovers. So I guess my cheapskate reputation is well-deserved.

Another eBay mistake caught up with me. Today I'm paying someone to take one of my items. In other words, the postage was way above what I had calculated. For some reason I had calculated the weight as 3 oz. when it was, in fact, almost 1.9 lbs. A typo, I guess. So the extra postage cost ate up all the profit and I had to shell out .20 besides. Now I know what to do about postage, but in my early listings, I was just winging it -- and not so well. Overall, I have done well, though. I've cleared $343 after all fees and postage costs are subtracted. That's way above what I was expecting.

I have not heard back from the SHIP counselor yet. But yesterday I got my 2019 annual notice of changes from UnitedHealth. There is a section explaining what to do if I want to change my coverage, and it clearly states that I can switch to original Medicare with a prescription drug plan by enrolling in a drug plan before December 7. That will automatically disenroll me from my current plan. This contradicts what I have learned on other sources about the disenrollment period starting in January.

Of course, doing so would leave me without a supplement, which I guess is the sticking point.

Anyway, I really need to talk to this guy and I hope he calls me back.

I just packed up two more items I sold on eBay, and I just did another mystery shop. Altogether about $25 in income. I am working hard on these side hustles!

I had my quiet day yesterday. No spending, no driving, just a calm day of relaxation.

Tonight I go to my grandson's family birthday party at Buffalo Wild Wings. That should be my last hoo-rah before pay day. I'll try to order cheaply. But I think I've earned enough this month to make up for the deficits and to give me a little extra for next month.

I stopped at the Senior Center and they gave me the number of a SHIP (Medicare) counselor to call. I made the call, but had to leave a message on voicemail, so who knows when we will actually talk. I hope it's soon.

Yesterday morning I got a mammogram, and I already have the results. No sign of malignancies, but due to density it is recommended that I also start getting sonography. I'll have to check my insurance. Another reason to make a change. I did a little reading on my plan yesterday, and it looks like I would have to pay $295 per day just to be an in-patient in a hospital. That's not even counting rehab. That's terrible! I thought Medicare always covered hospitalization, but maybe that's only original Medicare and I have a Medicare Advantage plan. Changes will be made. More reading to do.

I spent the rest of the day on mystery shopping. I had to go back to the car dealer and get a business card -- which meant I had to listen to the spiel all over again and get back on the salesman's radar. It was a bit of a drive, too, thirty minutes away.

My other mystery shop was to go to a self-storage facility and rent a unit. Then I identified myself as a mystery shopper and got the whole thing cancelled. I felt kind of bad because the employee went through all this rigmarole for nothing. But his company contracted for this. The two shops, if I get full payment, will yield $70. No, not much for all the time I put in.

In the evening I went to GS1's flag football game under the lights. It turned quite cold and I was really ready to come home.

I'm taking GS2 to a complimentary screening of "Smallfoot" today, and then we'll drop in on GS1's baseball game.

I'm getting quite low on gas, so I should fill up today. I hate to do it, being so much over budget already, but I think I must. Safety first.

In a few minutes I will head out to get my annual mammography, and then I will do a mystery shop at a storage facility.

I got my blood test done yesterday and I got the results this morning. It looks to me like my kidney function has actually improved a little! I haven't received my doctor's comments yet.

Yesterday I got a surprise at the end of the day when I found I was expected to take the boys to their back-to-school bash. Son and DIL each thought the other had told me. Anyway, we got there, not too late, and I got a free dinner out of it. Hot dogs and chips, not great nutrition, but free!

I ran a load of laundry and that was my only spending. I should be able to wait until pay day now before running laundry again.

Monday is GS2's birthday, and I need to buy a card to put the cash in -- or at least find a card in my stash. I also have a book for him. The family dinner is planned at a restaurant, so I'll have to buy my dinner unless someone offers to treat. That probably won't happen! So, I hope, that should be my last spending in this pay period, unless the gas tank empties out too fast.

My day with the grandsons was pretty easy, as GS2 spent most of the day at a friend's house.

I did one load of laundry yesterday, and there was no other spending.

No more sales on eBay. I went in and stopped the re-listing of items that are not getting views and watchers. There are still a couple more new things I could list. One of them is a porcelain clock which is worth at least $200, and I would not take less. But I have to get my sister's permission to sell it, as we bought it together as a garage sale. The other is a cast iron cornbread pan, which is worth around $30-40, but is SO heavy. I would have to charge a lot in shipping. And there are several others being sold right now.

I got two complimentary tickets to a preview of Smallfoot on Saturday. I will take GS2, as GS1 has a baseball game too close to the time. I hope it won't cause hard feelings. If GS1 feels left out, I'll take him when the movie officially opens.

I took a break from thinking about the hip replacement yesterday. Today I need to figure out how to get in touch with a Medicare counselor so I can figure out if I have to change my supplement in order to get the best coverage for this particular event.

Variables are at 128%. I'll be so glad when this month is over.

No school today, so I will be taking care of the boys. I have cheese and tortillas to make quesadillas for lunch. And baby carrots, which they will probably not eat.

I had my follow-up appointment with my primary doctor yesterday. He wants me to get another kidney test (blood test) to make sure that the Celebrex is not hurting me. He agreed with the ortho surgeon that there is no hurry to get the hip replacement done. The blood work is free and I can drop in any time.

I also got my flu shot. Free, of course.

I talked with DIL about the upcoming surgery, and between the two of us, we figured out that the week of January 7 would be best. Now I need to investigate whether I can go to rehab afterwards. Mainly, whether Medicare will pay for it. Also, I need to make sure Medicare will pay for the surgery itself. Apparently, from the little reading I have done, it has to be shown to be medically necessary. Why would anyone do it if it's not medically necessary? I don't understand, but I'd better find out.

I have one week to get through before pay day. On Monday, I have to go to GS2's family birthday party (he has a birthday party with friends a few days later). The family party is being held at Buffalo Wild Wings, which means I'll have to buy a lunch. I also need to add $10 cash to the inexpensive gift I bought already. I'm going to look cheap, and I hate that!

I got a bill from eBay for $43. I'll subtract that from my eBay income before adding it to next month's budget.

Sales have really dropped off the last few days. Everything is set to be relisted, and now I think I should go in and change that. I did that once before, and it didn't stick, but then I was glad for the relisting because I made some sales from the second time around. I guess I'll give it a few more days.

I did not make it to the gym yesterday, and I really should go today, but it will have to wait until the boys go home.

The ortho doctor said that I have advanced arthritis and spurs in my hip and that I will need to get a hip replacement eventually. I don't have to be in a hurry about it as long as I am comfortable enough. Right now I feel pretty good taking the Celebrex, but I can't take that long-term, so I need to figure out when I can do this.

The main thing to figure out is who will take over the afterschool care for six weeks while I recover.

The other thing to figure out is where I will recover. Everyone I know here lives above ground level (including me, of course) so the question is, can I go upstairs after surgery or will I have to go to a rehab center until I can?

Good thing there is no rush to figure this out.

Switching back to eBay reporting, I have four packages to mail today! One is a real snafu. I listed my Scrabble pieces for $3.50 because that looked like the going rate. But I mistakenly did not charge for shipping. So I made a whopping .31 after the sale! Major goof.

The other interesting thing that happened is that I listed a scrimshaw pendant that I bought at a garage sale a good twenty years ago. EBay took the listing down because they cannot be a party to selling ivory. Well, I didn't think it was ivory, but I did the test with the hot needle and now I think maybe it is. HMMMmmmm. I guess I will wear it instead of sell it.

I'm going to my primary care doctor today for a followup. On Wednesday I'm taking the boys to their doctor for flu shots. Feel like I'm spending a lot of time in doctor's offices. I'm getting a mammography on Friday!

So today's agenda -- doctor, gym, post office, library (need more books), after-school pickup and care. And I really should do another load of laundry!

I did one load of laundry yesterday, and that was my only spending. I didn't leave the house other than to take out the garbage.

As for the chores I meant to do, I did clean the fish tank, but I got derailed from the vacuuming and dusting. Instead I entered six more items to sell on eBay.

I got paid for one of my auction items, so I will need to package that up today.

I'm heading to the doctor in a few minutes. I'll let you know tomorrow how it went!

No spending yesterday. I went to a baseball game and pretty much spent the rest of the day reading and watching Netflix. I tried to mail an eBay package but forgot the post office was closed on Saturday afternoon.

Today I'm going to stay in on this hot day and do some chores. At the bare minimum I have to do laundry and take out the garbage. It's also time to clean the fish tank again and just do some general vacuuming and dusting. How much do I want to do this? Not much. But I am going to dedicate today to getting it done.

As I coast into the last few weeks of my pay period, I am trying harder to stretch my food. This morning I baked biscuits (from a can) and ate a couple for breakfast, along with applesauce. The rest are going to be made into sausage biscuits, to put into the freezer. After I cooked off the sausage patties, I was left with a pan rich with sausage bits and drippings. I made that into gravy, which I put into the fridge. When I was a kid I loved bread & gravy, and that may be a meal in the next weeks.

My jar of applesauce is close to empty. I'm going to add some water to shake it up and get it all out, and then I'll cook it down again. I'll store it in a container which is easier to empty.

For lunch today, I'm going to make tuna melts on crescent rolls. That should be good for about three meals.

I have lots of carrots, so carrot soup is undoubtedly in the future. And I have lots of peanut butter. I'm getting low on bread, but I have the ingredients to make bread, if I have to.

I also have rice on hand, walnuts and peanuts, eggs, dried fruit, pasta, potato flakes -- I feel pretty confident I can stretch all this out for the next week and a half.

My DIL and I have arranged a new after-school schedule, to start this week, where I get the boys on Tuesday through Thursday, and she handles Monday and Friday. That will give me nice long weekends free for travel, etc. Assuming I will ever have the money to travel. Kidding. I know I will.

Tomorrow I go to the ortho doctor. I'm going to ask them to bill me, rather than pay the copay ($50) outright. If they agree, that will push the bill off to the next pay period.

Hoping he will not tell me that surgery is imminent. I'm doing well on the Celebrex, but unfortunately, because of my kidney disease, I cannot take it indefinitely. I'm just going to take this one day at a time.

The slow payer paid! I will mail the item out this morning. There are two more bids on other items which will bring in another $10.

I had to pay my Netflix fee yesterday, so variables went up to 126%.

I transferred a $14 cashback reward from Discover to my bank account.

I've pretty much decided that I will cash in my $200 bonus from Wells Fargo as an Amazon gift card and use it for Christmas shopping. I haven't done it yet, though.

The mystery shop at the car dealer went fine yesterday; however, I wasn't able to get a business card from the sales associate, so that may mess it up. I did explain why I could not, but they can be very picky. I enjoyed the test drive -- what a beautiful car, a luxury SUV! Wish I really was in the category where I could buy a car like that, but that is not my life.

Meanwhile, I just continue to eke it out. I will have to do some laundry soon, and I have an appointment with an ortho specialist on Monday, so the money does continue to dribble out.

I sold an item yesterday for $25. It will go out in the mail today. My total is now $482, according to eBay, but they must be counting the payments for postage, because my total is $344. Big difference.

Still waiting for one payment. There is another item that has a small bid on it.

While I was in the process, I was saying to myself I would never do this again, but now that I am in the rewarding part of it, I realize that I will -- not with such a big group of things, but here and there, a few items every once in a while. Especially now that I know how to do it.

No spending yesterday. A week and a half to go till payday. My variables are at 124%. I'll aim to keep it there as much as I can, and then I'll go for 76% next month. Which should be easy, with all this extra money.

Today I am going to do the visit part of a mystery shop at a car dealer. It's at a ritzy suburb that I always wanted to see -- today I will!

There's a flag football game beginning at 8 pm, and another baseball game tomorrow morning.

Old friends from work are planning a dinner get-together, but the date hasn't been pinned down. It will for sure be in my next pay period.

I made another sale on eBay for $7. The $15 payment has still not been made, so now I'm waiting on two payments. The $15 sale occurred two days ago. Does anyone here, more experienced on eBay, know what you do if someone wins a bid but doesn't pay or make contact with you? I would like to relist the item if she isn't going to buy it.

I went to Sam's yesterday to buy bubble wrap. Since it's Sam's, there is only a BIG container available, but I shelled out the $13, since the unit price cannot be beat, and I will eventually use it all up.

No other spending. I went to GS1's baseball game last night, and that was my free entertainment.

I made another sale on eBay -- $8. I used up the last of my packing material to box it up, so I will have to buy bubble wrap today. There is another sale I'm awaiting payment on. That will be $15.

It was a real pain getting this stuff ready to sell, but I guess it was worth it!

No spending yesterday.

I signed up for a mystery shop which will pay $35. However, once I downloaded the guidelines I saw that it was quite complicated, requiring online searching and screenshots, a visit, a possible test drive, and a followup. And it is not in my suburb, but a couple of suburbs away. Oh well, I will do it.

I also signed up for election work, both on November 2 at a nursing home and on election day. No assignments yet. I didn't enjoy my experience before, but I need the money, and who knows, it may be better this time. If I have the opportunity to get more training I will do it. It should bring in about $170 for each day.

I was summoned for jury duty last year at about this time but was not selected. I was told that I would be called again this year, but so far that has not happened. Anyway, if I am, that will be another $17, if I am not selected, and more if I serve.

I have $219 in rewards for using my Wells Fargo card for three months. It looks like I cannot get cash unless I have a Wells Fargo account. My choices are gift cards and travel -- flights and hotel rooms. I will not redeem until I figure out a specific use for it that will help out the budget.

My buyer in Poland paid me through PayPal. After withdrawing the postage, I cleared $244. However, at his request I double-boxed the package, which meant I had to add another $11 in postage. That's okay. It was really a great sale for me! I bought the figurine at a garage sale and I doubt that I paid more than a dollar or so.

This will certainly ease things up next month. Just to explain, I add the extra money I make each month to next month's variables budget. Easier that way for tracking.

Everything else on eBay relisted automatically. Some time today I will go through them and probably mark a lot of them down. Since it looks like this eBay process is going to be a little drawn-out, I think the garage sale will take place in the spring, which will probably be a better time, anyway.

I got my free pizza at Planet Fitness last night, and a free bagel this morning. It was kind of a fluke that the two days fell together this month. I'm going to try to stretch out my food stores as much as possible.

I just picked up a couple of books from one of those little free libraries.

Life is good!

Well, BFF went home this morning after a great weekend. And my day in Shipshewana with other friends was fantastic.

I spent $44 on food, $30 on gas, and $16 on a memento. Also, my I-PASS replenished again, for $40. I bought a little gift for my granddaughter for $4. When all is said and done, that is not too bad for a great weekend, but this was the wrong month for it to happen. My variables are at 122%. And still more than two weeks to go. That still includes my medical expenses, however, which I will not take out of savings after all. I'm going to see if I can make up for it next month.

I think that may be possible, because eBay sales are going well. My sales have topped $400. HOWEVER, $255 of that I have not received, and I think the buyer may have entered that number in error. It is a buyer in Poland. We emailed back and forth previously because I had to change my listing to enable international shipping, and he/she was talking about a $20 bid at that time. Then he/she wins the auction at $255. Something's not right. We'll see what happens.

I am also bearing in mind that variables were only 83% last month so on average I'm still pretty much on track, though my next doctor's visit on Monday will set me back again.

Today is a day of two free meals -- lunch at my son's house, because I was watching the boys there (school closed for Jewish holiday). The other will be free pizza for dinner when I go to Planet Fitness this evening.

Obviously, I am going to pursue every small economy I can now!

It took about two hours out of my day, but I got my free oil change yesterday. It was in Chicago, but not too far into Chicago. It came out to be just under $60, so I'll get the full reimbursement.

I also got a call to do another restaurant shop this evening, this time locally. It will only reimburse me, so BFF will have to buy her own, but she was probably counting on that anyway.

BFF will arrive sometime this morning. I have a lot of tidying up to do. I made a pot of mac & cheese yesterday and cooked off some chicken, so we won't have to eat out too much.

I did one load of laundry yesterday. Variables are still at 98%, because I haven't taken out the medical expenses yet.

I switched my ortho appointment to Monday, the 17th -- back at the same facility where I went for my eye and my x-rays.

Tomorrow BFF & I will head to Shipshewana to meet other friends. There will be some spending, but I will try to to hold it down to what I have to spend -- food & gas.

I went to the ophthalmologist yesterday, which cost me another $50, but he had nothing but good news for me. My retina is clear of any damage, and he thinks the symptoms I experienced were due to normal aging. But if anything does go wrong, I am now set up with an ophthalmologist in my group.

At the same facility, I was able to get my x-rays done. Results came quickly. Of course they are in medical-ese, so I'm not sure how bad it is, but my GP asked me to set up a consult with an orthopedic specialist. I made an appointment for Monday. However, I'm going to have to change it. I realized I mistakenly chose a location that is an hour away. There is one much closer.

I stopped at Aldi to get what I hope is the last of the groceries this month: peanuts, crescent rolls, butter, biscuits, ice cream, carrots, sugar, eggs. $19.

Variables are now at 98%. I'm going to have to pay my medical expenses out of savings, which I hate, but that's why I have savings.

Today I'm going to get a free oil change at a mystery shop location.

BFF comes tomorrow, so I'm going to do some cooking ahead today.

I have bids on two items on eBay, so eventually there will be some money coming in from that.

Well, it was an expensive day for me, and variables have suddenly shot up to 85%.

I went to the doctor (a $5 copay) and he prescribed Celebrex, which, it turned out, cost $125. However, after taking only one, I can say it may be worth it.

I mailed my Florida grandson's birthday package for $12.

I went to Sam's and bought Lactaid for $19 and groceries for $15.

When I picked up my grandson after school, we went for treats at McDonalds for $3.

And I did a load of laundry for $1.50.

I don't like seeing my variables this high this early, and I fear I will not stay under this month, especially with a one-tank trip planned this weekend.

I have another doctor's appointment this morning -- this time an opthalmologist. When my GP heard about the peripheral flashes I experienced this summer, he insisted upon it. Called it an urgent visit. So that will be another $50, and I imagine he will not find anything beyond what the optometrist found, but at least I'll have a doctor at the ready if I do get a retinal tear down the road.

I will try to get x-rays done on my hips at the same facility. My doctor also wants me to do physical therapy, but at $45 a shot, I'm not going to do that in addition to the Celebrex. I am still doing the exercises from the last round, and I am skeptical as to whether they really have anything new for me.

I accepted two more offers from eBay for $15.

I put on a couple more items, but will not put on as many as I thought I would. I have learned to look first, see how many of the same item is already there, whether there are any bids, etc. I think I'm pretty much done, except for watching for bids and offers. The items I have decided not to put on eBay will go straight to the garage sale now.

I am up to 30 items on eBay, and I have already sold one for $40. So now it's 29. I will be shipping the package this morning. There is an offer on another, but it's low. I'm going to counter.

I can add 20 more items for free, so I'm going to try to do that today.

I have some watchers, but overall I would say there is not a great deal of interest yet. Maybe when the auction is close to ending I'll get some bids.

I'm going to the doctor this morning. I was planning to take the train, since it is now free, but I have the package to mail, as well as the birthday package for my grandson, so I'll take the car. Hope I can manage free parking -- but that only happens if I can be in and out within an hour, and that is rare with a doctor's appointment, even an early one.

I had another no-spend day yesterday (not counting the postage for the label I downloaded -- that will come out of my proceeds, anyway).

Had a very nice free breakfast yesterday morning -- pancakes, bacon, eggs, fruit -- and afterwards a fun time playing board games with the grandkids.

I came home and got to work on entering eBay offerings. I got 13 done before a headache did me in. I'll get back to it today. Looks like I can put 50 online without paying an extra fee, so I will be careful to pick out the best. (I know I said I had only 50 items, but some of them are in sets and will need to be listed separately.)

I did no spending.

I need to buy some more dairy digestive and I saw that the best unit price is at Sam's. I can get it free from OTC-Essentials, but I can't order again until October, so I will have to reach into my pocketbook. But I probably won't do it today. I think I will stay in and "work", unless someone invites me somewhere.

BFF is coming on Friday, and I'll need to think about what we will do about food. I have some frozen chicken, a can of tuna, some cheese -- I'm thinking chicken sliders, tuna salad and mac & cheese, which should be enough to get us through the weekend. On Saturday we will eat out, since we will be in Shipshewana.

At first it seemed I was going through money too fast this month, but the more no-spend days I rack up, the more I slow down the pace.

The day got away from me yesterday. I ended up watching most of the McCain memorial service. Then I went to the gym, did some household things, including laundry, watched an episode of "Ozark" and finished reading my book. I did not get around to the eBay stuff at all.

Today I am supposed to go to my ex's house for breakfast with my son and grandsons. After that, I hope I can get down to tacks, and start getting my eBay offerings online.

It was a no-spend day, except for the laundry. Variables are at 52%. Three and a half weeks to go.

I scheduled a doctor's visit on Tuesday morning to discuss my lower body pain and to bring him up to speed on the peripheral flashes in my right eye.

I had only two meals yesterday. Mid-morning I made a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, stewed apples and toast. In the mid afternoon, I baked a frozen pizza and ate two slices. I have more more slices in the fridge which will serve for two more meals.

I was busy yesterday. I carried out a mystery shop in a nearby suburb. When I got back into town, it was about an hour and half before the time I needed to pick up my grandson. Rather than drive home, I parked at the school and then went for a walk in a nearby park. It was hotter and more uncomfortable than I thought, and I got a blister on the sole of my foot! When I got back to the car, I listened to a book on tape until school was out.

When I took my grandson to his home, I was surprised to find my son there. He was working at home, but was agreeable to taking care of the boys, so I went home.

I spent the rest of the day working with the photos I took. First of all, I had to rotate about half of them! Apparently, I don't know how to hold the phone when I take a picture. Then I had to move them from Google photos to Pictures, which was a tedious process. But it doesn't seem there is a way to upload to eBay straight from Google photos. The process got more tedious when I decided to do some retakes, sometimes because the item needed to be cleaned up a little more. And I ended up doing a little preliminary research on some of the items just so I could name the pictures. Which I probably didn't need to do, but it will help when I start writing them up for eBay.

I worked on this until bedtime and then proceeded to have a restless night due to leg and hip pain. I'm going to make a doctor's appointment today for some time next week.

I didn't spend any money, except for what I spent over the reimbursement amount at the mystery shop restaurant. That amounted to .42.

Today I hope to get started on actually creating the eBay account and getting the info and pictures uploaded.

I polished all the silver items I had to offer, but decided to put almost all of them in the garage sale rather than offer them on eBay. They were very tarnished and they just didn't come back all the way. I'll let someone else work with them a little more, if they want to. At least they look better. One item is actually good enough to sell on eBay. It's a 50's era cigarette lighter. It looks like a lamp, and it is heavily embossed. A pretty piece, for someone who collects that kind of thing.

Picture taking is done; now I need to get them online. BFF is not coming this weekend, so I'm on my own. Not sure if I'll get much done today, though, as I have Grandma duty after school, and an out-of-town mystery shop to do before that.

BFF decided to wait till next weekend, so we can go together to the girls' outing in Shipshewana.

I have two free meals to look forward to this weekend. One is the mystery shop referenced above, and on Sunday I am invited to breakfast at my ex's house.

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

A bit of spending yesterday. I got the silver polish at Food4Less for $4. Then I went to DSW to use the $5 birthday coupon I got a few weeks ago. I ended up buying a pair of Oshkosh sandals for my Florida grandson for $4. They were on clearance, and the store was having a additional 20% off on clearance items, and then my coupon brought the price down to $4. I think he'll like them -- they are patterned with sharks! Which he loves, for some reason.

So now I just need to put together his birthday package and send it. I only spent $5 altogether, for the sandals and the Matchbox cars. Definitely a win!

Variables are at 51%.

I did not get around to using the silver polish and I didn't take any more pictures. Hoping I can get that done today, so when BFF comes, we can work on getting the stuff online.

Made plans with my friend M to meet next weekend with the "girls" to shop and hang around in Shipshewana, which is an Amish community and flea market center in Northern Indiana. That will cost me, if only for food and gas.

I learned that my savings on peak savings day was $5.50! Best I've done yet.

I did a Pine Cone survey for $3. I've been trying to schedule mystery shops, but I keep coming up empty. Someone beats me to the punch. I'm also being a lot more picky about what I will accept.

I went to the library yesterday and stocked up on more books. I freak out if I don't have something to read!

Yesterday was a peak savings day -- if I reduce my electricity usage, I get a credit on my bill. I have done this three times already this month. The first time I didn't get any savings because it was really hot and I ran my air conditioners. But the next two times I got credits between $3 and $4. Not much, but every bit adds up! Yesterday, I turned off my air and I got pretty miserable, as it was not only hot but humid. I had sweat running down my face! But I stuck it out, and turned on the air the minute the time was up. I'll see in a few days whether I saved anything this time.

It would have been a no-spend day yesterday, but I sent $30 to my granddaughter's kindergarten fundraiser. I don't like those things, but I wanted to be fair, since I have supported my grandsons' school fundraisers in the past.

Variables are at 49%, and I have four weeks to go. But I have done some stocking up on food and pet supplies. I hope I can keep the spending lower now. I know I will have to make one more grocery run for perishables and basics like butter, eggs, etc. I still have to mail a birthday present to my Florida grandson. I have a bunch of Matchbox cars I got at a garage sale, all still in the package. I will send those along with a $10 bill.

I'm supposed to meet friends for a shopping day in northern Indiana next weekend, but I don't plan to do much shopping, just socializing. I'm sure we'll be eating lunch out, too.

I got more pictures taken yesterday for eBay. Just a few more to go. I have a few silver items which are tarnished, so I guess I have to get some silver polish to make them look good. BFF is planning on coming up this weekend to help me through the process of getting the info online. I'll be glad to get this done so I can reclaim my dining room table.

Got a very nice haircut from my regular place yesterday for $17, using a $3 coupon. I also ordered aquarium filters from Amazon for $14, and I sent $34 to my cousin to join in this year's family football pool. Who knows, maybe this year I'll win something! (I never do.)

My grandson had a bad first day at his new school -- nothing specific, just a shock to his system, I think. Suddenly being a little fish in a big pond. My DIL texted me to join them for dinner at a pizza place, but I was charging my phone and half-asleep over a book, and I missed the text and the dinner. I texted my grandson, since he has a new phone. I'm sure everything will be all right, now that he knows his grandma loves him.

I got started taking pictures of my stuff for eBay. I'm just using my phone, so the pictures are not exactly professional quality. But I'm hoping they will do. I photographed 17 items and then I kind of wore out. I'm hoping to get started earlier and get more done today.

BFF hasn't made any commitment since offering to come, so I'm just plowing ahead.

I opened the windows last night, and it was very windy and almost stormy, though a storm never developed. Storms are predicted today and then a 20-degree drop in temperature. Goody!

Yesterday was a spending day. I started out at Sam's, where I spent $34 on Pledge, lunch bags, bread, Sweet & Salty bars, and a book, which will be a gift. On to Aldi, where I spent $27 on cheese, salad, almond milk, pizza, rolls, cookies, walnuts, chocolate syrup, soy sauce, chocolate chips and cheese dip. And then to PetSmart, where I spent $43 on cat food and kitty litter. At PetSmart I saved $10 by using a coupon, which I generated on my last trip by buying a large bag of dry grain-fee food. In order to use the coupon I had to buy another large bag. I am well-stocked with dry cat food!

My DIL reimbursed me for the spending I did on the kids this week. After that adjustment, and with the new spending, my variables are now at 31%.

It was very hot, as promised, and when I got home at noon I was wiped out. I pretty much spent the rest of the day reading and watching TV.

Today I'm going to make some chicken & dumplings, using up leftovers. I'll get a haircut if I can get an appointment. And I need to order aquarium filters on Amazon. I looked at them at PetSmart yesterday, but they were not on sale, so Amazon is cheaper.

It is continuing hot today, so even though I cut the air off last night, it's back on again today.

Haven't heard yet whether I am to pick up my grandson after school. My older grandson is now going to be handling his own commute on his bike, but the younger one will still need a ride. Since I haven't heard anything, I am assuming DIL is handling chauffeuring on this first day of school. So I may have another day of freedom?