Last night I did a mystery shop at 9:30 pm. I didn't get home till 10:15 or so (took the wrong route home) and then I had to complete the survey. So I didn't get to bed till 11, which is late for me. Of course my cat woke me up at the usual time, so I'm feeling pretty sleepy. But I can't nap; I have grandma duty today.

I did another load of laundry yesterday for $1.50.

I bought groceries for $7, using a $5 gift card from Target.

Variables are 39%.

I used my Panera gift card to buy a couple of bagels, which my grandson and I had for lunch with the rest of the sandwich spread I'd made the day before. No cost.

We had heavy rain and flash foods in the early evening which made me wonder if I should even attempt the mystery shop, but it cleared up before it was time to go.

I'll be spending more than a weekend at my brother's; he graciously invited us for the rest of the week after learning that my kids had taken vacation time at work. Don't know how I missed that conversation, but I guess I did! So I'll be contributing to the cost of feeding us next week. I'll need to get more feeder blocks for the fish and poor Iggy will have to spend some more time alone (he hates it!) And I will need to fill the tank again today.

I'll be glad when the summer draws to a close -- it will be more restful.

BFF's mother continues to hang in there. I hope she finds peace soon.

Spent $1.50 on laundry yesterday after Iggy threw up on his quilt. I threw in the towels to make it a full load.

Otherwise, it was a no-spend day. I took GS2 to a local frozen yogurt shop because I had a coupon for a free serving. I didn't get any yogurt for myself.

I made sandwich filling from cream cheese, walnuts and olives, and GS2 loved it! That was a surprise -- I thought it would be too savory for him. I also added some Trader Joe's Everything seasoning.

I have a mystery shop tonight. I accepted it over the phone and didn't understand that I was assigned to be there just before the restaurant closed. It closes at 10 pm and it's about a half-hour away. I don't have much interest in eating at that time of night. I wouldn't have accepted it had I understood, but I thought he was saying I just had to be there any time before closing. This is an annoyance, but I'll do it.

There's been a misunderstanding about the Michigan trip coming up. I thought son & DIL would be working on Monday and so told my brother we would all leave on Sunday. Turns out son & DIL will be on vacation the following week and they were planning on staying longer. I honestly don't remember any discussion about a longer stay, but I admit I am getting more spacey, especially when I am feeling overwhelmed, as I have been lately. So I have a call in to my brother, which he is not returning, and I'm feeling like everyone is mad at me.

I found a double entry in my checking register -- I added my TIAA payment twice. I wondered why the balance was so high. I corrected that, and I'm still in the black. Then I made some corrections in my variables spreadsheet, and it is higher than I thought -- 36%.

As I said -- spacey!

When I checked in last night, I forgot to report that variables are now at 32%, with 16 days to go. I am supposed to go back to Michigan this weekend, which means more gas. And I will be going back to Indiana soon for a funeral. (Not sure if I will be able to do both.) Other than that, I don't think there are any unusual expenses to worry about.

I left my AC on while I was gone this past weekend, because it was so very hot, and I didn't want my cat to suffer. The AC is still on, though summer storms are expected today and may give us some respite. So I'm sure I can expect an unusually high electric bill.

I'm still doing fine on food, as long as I'm not picky about what I eat!

I got back from my trip to Indiana about an hour ago. BFF's mom is "actively passing," as they put it in the health center, but she may hang on for a week or even two. The first time I went to see her, she was very uncomfortable and struggling in her bed. They have since shortened the interval between morphine doses and she is now much more peaceful. But she does not connect with anyone, she is in her own zone.

BFF is all over the place emotionally, which is not surprising.

When we weren't at the health center, we were cleaning and straightening the house in anticipation of overnight guests. We did go out for dinner last night, which she covered.

Her brother will arrive today and I hope he can help her through some of her mood swings and anxieties.

I will go back for the funeral, when it comes. I think she will have ample help from family until then.

It was a pretty low-spend trip. I had enough gas in the car to get there and back. I spent $14 on road food.

I'm exhausted!

Oh yes -- another expense. My tollway pass refreshed -- $40.

Thank you for your get well messages!

I am better today, feeling ready to tackle grandma duty again. GS2 is coming over in about a half hour. I vacuumed the house (because he sits on the floor a lot) and now I am bushed!

My BFF's mother has just gone into hospice care. She has been in a facility a pretty long time with dementia, and she no longer recognizes her family. Her oxygen levels have diminished and she doesn't want to eat, so her team decided it was time.

BFF is thrown for a loop, even though she has been expecting this for a long time. Expecting and experiencing are two different things. I offered to go down and stay with her this weekend, but first I have to see how well I get through this day.

I did another $1.50 load of laundry yesterday -- had to, to wash a "sick" towel, so I just washed everything I could find to make a full load. I shouldn't have to do laundry again for a while.

I don't know if it was the way I was feeling, but I seem to have been in an apocalyptic mood for entertainment lately. In the last few days, I watched "The Road," "How it Ends" and five episodes of "The Rain." I guess when I'm feeling bad, it makes me feel better to see problems that are so much worse!

It was a bad day yesterday, and I didn't sleep much last night, but this morning I woke up feeling better. I still have a stomachache but I am much improved. I did have to bow out of child care today.

I did two loads of laundry yesterday, just trying to keep up with the mess my illness was making. $3.

I found a big error in my variables table -- I neglected to remove the income I am no longer getting from the College. Duh! Kind of what Gap Year is all about. So last month, my first month of Gap Year, I actually came in at 99%. Well, at least I was still under. This month's, so far, is 13%.

I took a shower this morning, and when I get some energy back, I'll put fresh sheets on the bed. This will make such a big difference in how I feel.

I ate only crackers yesterday (which I didn't manage to keep down.) Today I had a piece of unbuttered toast. Here's hoping. This should help out my food budget, anyway.

Yesterday evening there was a concert in the park behind my building. Two different bands played music from the 60's. My window was open and I enjoyed a free concert while lying in my bed. Would have been fun to be there, if I were not feeling so bad. But I'm hopeful that I'll be almost back to normal tomorrow.

I felt tired yesterday and became quite sick in the night. Today I'm not really better, just spent.

I didn't spend anything yesterday and I won't today.

I really need to do laundry but I can't manage those steps until I feel a lot better.

Thank goodness, DIL is not working today and I don't have to watch GS2.

Hoping when I check in again I'll be much improved.

Did my mystery shop last night, spending .78 over the amount I will be reimbursed. But I'll also get an $8 payment. Not till next month, of course. I brought home a bag of leftover fries, which I will turn into home fries.

Afterwards I went to son's house and played a new board game with him and GS2, who is already lonely for his brother.

I need to get a few groceries today. I may have time to do that after the gym. But I have to be on Grandma duty at 9:30.

Variables are at 9%.

I helped send GS1 off to camp this morning, and afterwards we all went out for breakfast. GS's grandpa and uncle picked up the tab -- so nice! This evening I have a mystery shop to do at a hamburger place. I don't think I'll need to eat anything else all day.

My contract with Spark Energy ended and I chose not to renew. I'm going back to ComEd as the supplier. I thought I would have a hard time cancelling, as SE was very aggressive in signing me up in the first place. But I was able to do it via email, and I just got the confirmation from ComEd. Don't believe they ever saved me any money, and I never did like the way they hooked me in the first place. (Salesperson made it sound like they represented ComEd. It was all very shady.)

I have a day of rest ahead of me before I go back on Grandma duty tomorrow. It will be just one boy for the next two weeks. Not sure if it will actually be any easier, as they entertain each other!

Weather is finally beautiful -- clear, cool and sunny. No AC needed. I think I'll take a nap!

I got back from my Michigan vacation today. I'm very tired, because it's not much of a vacation when you're running after two little boys. That said, they were really pretty good at entertaining themselves. But with a pool and a lake in the back yard, I had to be vigilant.

I spent only $56. $27 of that was for gas and the rest for food on the road. We hit a few garage sales on Friday morning and I spent $2 on things the boys wanted as well as a Christmas gift. We also went to my SIL's antique shop and I spent $10 there on a gift for DIL.

I caught up on my bill paying, as pay day came the day I left. Everything looks to be in order.

Variables for this new month are now at 8%.

Now I'm going to get some serious rest! Really, I had a lovely time. The weather was perfect, if a little cool, and my brother served up some fabulous meals. I am truly lucky to have a brother who is a chef -- and a good one at that!

It was a low-spend month overall, but mainly because no assessment fee hit during this month. (It hit twice last month.)

Housing: $321
Utilities: $171
Property Taxes: $168
Groceries: $110
Eating Out: $99
Fees/Services: $60
Vet/Pet Supplies: $59
Gas: $57
Phone: $52
Medical/Health: $36
Household Supplies: $29
Entertainment: $25
Laundry: $19
Furnishings/Equipment/Decor: $18
Car Repair/Maintenance: $17
Gifts/Charity: $5
Fares/Parking: $1

Grand Total: $1265

This has been my first whole month of Gap Year. I hope they all go this well. I spent 68% of my variables budget.

I have an extra $79 to put into the coming month's variables budget -- a combination of mystery shopping, surveys, cashback rewards, and money found on the street.

I was able to add $333 to the mortgage fund.

Next month will probably be more of a challenge. I'm driving to Michigan tomorrow with the boys, and I plan to go again later in the month with my son and DIL as well. That will be to celebrate my birthday.

I looked at the HelloFresh wine club site, and found that the $45 off is being offered to everyone. It does appear I could cancel at any time, but the wine prices are pretty high, so it's probably not worth the trouble of ordering and cancelling.

I took another alley walk today and found four more boxes. One contained some toddler girl's clothing in pretty good condition, so I'll add that to the sale, after washing it.

Since I cannot arrive at my brother's too early tomorrow, the boys and I are going to the children's movie at 10 a.m. (Paddington 2) and then we'll hit the road. Maybe stop at Culver's on the way. I'm not actually packed yet, but I have everything set out, ready to stick in the bag. I can't pack the bag till the last minute because it upsets Iggy so much!

Yesterday the boys asked if it could be Eat Out Day, since they were going to Six Flags on Tuesday and will be in Michigan the rest of the week. I caved. I guess I'm glad they enjoy Eat Out Day so much. (But this is hardly going to be a week of deprivation for them!)

We settled on Outback Steakhouse, since they were offering free bloomin' onions yesterday. But it turned out awfully expensive, anyway. The boys ordered ribs from the kids' menu, and they each ordered a drink. GS1 got root beer, which came in a bottle. He asked for a refill, and we got another bottle -- another charge, of course. I only ordered a cup of soup and water. The free stuff was two small loaves of bread and the onion. The total bill, with tip, was $37.

After lunch, we were almost home when we got a text from my son that GS1 had left his violin at music lessons. We went back to get it, but when we arrived at the music teacher's home, she wasn't answering the door. By that time, we were all needing to go to the bathroom (and we were 30 minutes away from home) so we went seeking a public restroom. We ended up using one at a gas station, and I spent $5 there on ice cream treats. (Around here, you don't use a public restroom unless you're a paying customer!) In fact, the person on duty was in a tirade because someone had tied up the bathroom for 25 minutes without buying anything.

We did finally get the violin. It took a while because I didn't have the music teacher's phone number, so I couldn't text her directly. But that's been remedied now.

I brought home enough food for a lunch or two. Enough meat to make a sandwich, and most of the onion, which I have frozen, but I'll use later in potato scramble. Oh, and GS1 didn't touch his side of fruit, so I'm going to have that for breakfast.

I got my reimbursement from the warranty company yesterday, and I've deposited it into the mortgage fund, since I don't need it in checking. I'm going to try to put all extras into the mortgage fund, as there isn't enough there yet to pay the mortgage through the year.

This is the day before pay day. I'll probably do a monthly recap later in the day, since I'll be leaving early in the morning for Michigan.

It was a calm Sunday. My only outings (which I combined in one) was to go to the library and the gym.

I pulled out some old files and went through them, throwing away about 90%.

I logged $8 income from IntelliShop. There is more coming, which apparently didn't make the cutoff, but I was glad to see that income.

Iggy threw up on my bed yesterday, so I had to wash the sheets and mattress pad. I hadn't made the bed, so he didn't get the comforter or quilt.

I logged my annual payment to AAA, which goes on my credit card. $58. Variables are now 66%. Only two days to go.

Today I am babysitting from 7 to 5:30. My DIL is working at a conference in Montana, so I am on duty according to my son's work hours today. I'm leaving as soon as I finish this. I doubt that I will get through this day without spending something.

Yesterday I went to Jewel and got my free MyMixx items -- barbecue sauce, coconut water, and a coffee smoothie. I saw ketchup on sale, so I bought that. Total price - .90.

I also gave $1 each to two panhandlers. One was actually raising money for a team; the other was just there with his cup.

From there I went to PetSmart. I had it marked in my calendar that Top Fin supplies were 30% off. I picked up two different kinds of fish food, but when they were scanned, I got no discount. I asked the cashier about it, and she said to find the original email and come back with my receipt.

Well, I went to the car, and I quickly found the email with the offer. Took it inside and got the adjustment. Turns out, there was a Top Fin associate set up at a table inside the store with coupons. I should have used one of those coupons, but I had no idea. Unfortunate that the cashiers had no idea, either.

After all was said and done, I paid $16 for the fish food.

Sometimes you just have to fight for your money.

Today I'm going to the gym and the library. I'm also going to get back to decluttering. My poor dining room is now completely devoted to the garage sale. I'll be glad when I can move it all out.

I spent the whole day at home yesterday. I did go out for a walk in the morning, hitting the alleys once more. I found a great box from Hello Fresh. When I got home, I discovered it still contained a card offering $45 off your first order of wine, if you join the Hello Fresh wine club. I'll have to read up on it to see if I could cancel after the first order. I don't drink wine any more, but it makes good gifts.

I also found some paper plates and plastic cups still in their wraps -- just set out, not in the dumpster, so I felt okay about taking them. There was other disposable tableware, but I passed them up. They were not wrapped.

Also found three Thanksgiving place mats, which will go in the sale.

And I found .11 as well.

I did a load of laundry, and continued pulling out things for the garage sale. I had a huge stash of fabric that I know I'm never going to use, so it's going on the block. I did save the material for a quilt I was was working on and forgot about. That would be a nice activity this winter.

I've gone through the whole house now, except for the kitchen and the storage unit.

I'm beginning to wonder how I'm going to get this all to Indiana. It will take several trips, for sure.

I also did some kitchen stuff yesterday. I made some chicken fajita filling, and I pulled out some hot dog buns from the freezer to dry and turn into breadcrumbs. They were too dry to use as buns.

Mostly I read and relaxed. It was a good day.

I went to Food4Less and Aldi yesterday, which pushed my grocery spending above $100 for the month. I don't like to ever break $100, but it happens once in a while. At Aldi, in particular, I did some stocking up -- for instance, meat to keep in the freezer. I think this food should last for a while.

I had a bit of a scare at Aldi. I pulled up to the store and there was a huge construction fence and the store itself was stripped of any recognizable feature. I thought they were demolishing it! But no, it was a remodel, and I was able to follow a path to get in, where everything was intact.

I also went to the gym, and, of course, babysat in the afternoon. The boys take their lunches to morning sports camp, and I have been going through the remains they bring home. Yesterday one of them brought back a whole sandwich. Knowing it would be thrown out otherwise, I ate it for my dinner. A free meal!

Next week will be a change of pace. Monday will be normal, Tuesday the boys are going to Six Flags, so I'll be off, and on Wednesday I'm going to take them to the kids' movie (Paddington 2), grab lunch, and then drive to Michigan. We'll stay at my brother's until Saturday morning. This will be the first time it's been just me and boys at my brother's house, and I hope it goes well.

The trip to Michigan will begin on pay day, so all of the cost of it will go on next month's budget.

Right now, variables are at 55%. Only five days till pay day.

I found a $5 bill yesterday! It was just lying in the street, folded up. I'm getting so close now to picking up $100!

I took a walk in the alleys yesterday. I found about six boxes, but nothing new to put in the garage sale.

I went to the last baseball game of the season. Our team lost pretty bad, and GS1 had a bad game, striking out twice and missing an important catch. But they all went out to Portillo's afterwards in good spirits. I drove separately, so I passed on the meal out. Not only do I not want to spend the money -- I don't want to eat that late in the day.

Today I slept kind of late, but I need to get to the gym and shop a little before I go take care of the boys.

GS2 is very sad that his cousin, who is almost the same age, has moved out of town, all the way to Oregon. We are all trying to think of ways to let them see each other. I am toying with idea of BFF and I taking the train to Portland with our grandchildren. She has a brother there. I haven't even introduced this idea to her, and it won't happen for a while, even if she likes the idea. It would be hard for me to do during Gap Year. But it is something to think about and aim for. BFF and I were planning to take another trip together, anyway. Maybe next summer?

My mystery shop went well, and I've entered my report. I have not received payment from this particular company for more than a month, so I'm not going to accept any more from them until they do. Unlike some of the others, there is nothing on their site showing what has been paid and what is pending, so it's a little nerve-wracking.

After the shop, I went straight to GS1's playoff game. It was a VERY LONG game. It was stalled many times because of issues with the ump and the coaches. In the end, we finally won, in an exciting comeback, but it was three and a half hours!

I found a Trader Joe's before the game and bought some snacks, spending $7. Most of them I ended up bringing home. Those snacks were my supper. I was planning on going out with the kids after the game, but since the game ran so long, I begged off. Saved me some money.

Variables are now at 51%, with only one week to go.

It was another no-spend day for me, other than $1.50 for laundry, which I don't really count as spending. I took the boys to the library after their sports camp. They had eaten lunch at the camp, so there was no decision about what to do about feeding them. We were there a short while and then GS1 had to go to baseball practice.

In the evening, I went to GS2's championship game. We lost, but it was an exciting game, and GS2 got his first trophy. And I found a nickel in the bleachers!

I ordered my free OTC drugs -- $50 worth. This time I got low-dose aspirin, dairy pills, generic Zyrtec, famotide, acetominophen, and a small box of pantyliners.

This morning I took a walk around the neighborhood. I headed home by way of the alleys, where I found a nice cardboard box. I also found a plastic wastebasket, a small tire and a 12" baking pan, all in good condition. I'll put the wastebasket and tire in the garage sale, but I'll keep the baking pan. I also found a set of paper lanterns still in plastic wrap -- but they had been damaged by rain, so I left them.

These are all things that were set out by the dumpsters, not in them. I don't actually go dumpster diving!

It seems many of the millennials I live among declutter by taking things to the dumpster and do not donate to Goodwill. So wasteful! But I'm sure there are others like me who come along and snatch them up!

Today I have a mystery shop to do, which may interfere, time-wise, with GS1's away game tonight. I have to do the mystery shop, once I'm signed up, so it will get priority.

My cash back from Discover hit the bank, almost $8.

I cleaned that tank, I hung those pictures, and I squeezed in a visit to the gym in between the baseball games. I also managed to put aside more stuff for the garage sale. I've worked my way about halfway through my house.

My only spending yesterday was .50 for lemonade at the ball park.

It was a good day, especially for GS2, whose team won all three games and will now play in the championship game tonight.

This week the boys are going to a morning sports camp, so I don't go on duty until 1:30. With DIL coming home around 3-4, it will be a light week. (My body appreciates that!) Next week I'm taking them up to Michigan. Not nailed down yet, but probably Wednesday through Friday.

I need to do some more laundry today, but first I need to go get quarters. I think I'll take a walk to the bank before it gets too steamy and hot.

There are things I don't like to do. One of them is cleaning the fish tank, which actually has to be done pretty often. I was supposed to do it yesterday, but I didn't. I was also supposed to hang some pictures, and I didn't do that either. I can only credit it to procrastination. Probably added and abetted by the heat. I didn't turn on the air yesterday, trying to be frugal.

But the good news is that it was a no-spend day, other than the $3 I spent on doing laundry.

Today I have three games to attend, so I only have freedom until noon. I will put it out here that I intend to get those two neglected chores done this morning. I am also supposed to do strength training at the gym, according to my own schedule.

I slept poorly and don't feel good, at least not yet. So this is going to be a challenge.

Yesterday was a pretty calm day. GS1 left early to go to the batting cages with his friends, so GS1 and I played a board game. He "taught" me how to play. His instructions were hilarious. He's 8.

No spending at all. For lunch we had leftover pizza.

Today I'm off duty. I'm going to do some laundry and some general housework. I found a couple more boxes so I'm going to continue boxing up things for the garage sale.

Tomorrow there are three baseball games. It's raining this morning, so I hope that means there will be a cool-off.

I got a coupon for a free full stack at IHOP, which I will have to use by the end of the month.

Variables are at 45%, with 11 days to go.

I had a restaurant mystery shop yesterday which I did with the boys. My portion of the bill will be reimbursed, but what they ordered cost $22. Then, after the evening ball game, the team went out to Fuddrucker's. I ordered a veggie burger and water, and it was $8. I am spending more on eating out than I want to, but it just seems to be a casualty of summer, with its hectic schedule and child care demands.

DIL had a bad day yesterday. Her grieving for her mother is hitting her hard now. It so often happens that way -- the grief really hits later than you think it would. For that reason, I'm not even going to bother her about the extra expense I had yesterday. I'm sure she assumed that the mystery shopping would cover the boys' portion, too.

I'll be caring for the boys today, as she has to put in an extra day at work. I was hoping to go visit BFF this weekend, but that will be postponed. Just as well -- there is so much I need to do at home.

Yesterday's spending included getting gas - $28 (another big summer expense). I also stopped and got my free car wash.

I signed up for another comic store shop this coming week, even though the last one didn't go so well. This is a different location, though, and I should have a better idea on what to do.

Found a nickel yesterday! My found money is inching toward $100!

Well, Mamma Mia II was really fun -- and quite touching, too! I liked it better than the first one, but probably because I knew what to expect and I just went along with the campier, cornier aspects of it. I sat next to a very nice woman who caught me up on what happened in MM I (it's been a while!) and that really kept me from getting lost and confused.

My spending yesterday was $6 for nachos at the water park -- which made me sick later in the day. Not because there was anything wrong with them, but because I didn't have my dairy pills with me. I don't know what got into me, ordering them in the first place. They just looked good.

I also spent $6 at McDonald's on the boys and $17 for guest passes to the water park, but I am assuming I'll get reimbursed for those.

I got a $51 payment from a mystery shop company.

Variables are at 37%, and so far, Gap Year is going well!

Yesterday I took GS1 and a friend of his to a pool in an adjoining suburb. GS1 had a pass, but the friend and I were charged $15 as guests, since we were out-of-town. There is no public pool in our suburb.

DIL reimbursed me, and also reimbursed me for the IHOP meal yesterday.

Today GS2 (who had a playdate with a friend yesterday) will be going to Six Flags with another family. So it will be just me and GS1 again. He may want to do another swim day with his friend, but we may do the beach instead. Certainly a lot cheaper.

I spent $7 on ice cream.

In the evening, after a great baseball game, I went to PetSmart, which is very close to the ball park, and spent $42 on dry cat food. This enabled a $10 coupon which I can use on my next bag.

Variables are at 37%.

Tonight I'm going to see a complementary showing of Mamma Mia II. I got the invitation as a subscriber to the Cinemark loyalty club (which is free). I wasn't crazy about MM I, but, hey, it's free entertainment and it will be nice to have a night out. Wish I had a movie buddy, but since C's death, I haven't had that kind of friend here in town.

I signed up for another mystery shop at the hamburger place. This one will happen on July 29. That's in addition to the one I'll do tomorrow. I really like these shops because I get a fee in addition to a free meal.

I got my tire yesterday, but I had to pay the full price in order to take my car. The tire place had not heard from the warranty company (after the initial authorization) so they advised me to pay and get reimbursed rather than wait days for payment to come directly to them. I guess they go through this a lot.

So I paid $351, and later in the day I faxed the invoice to the warranty company. They have authorized $334 in payment. I hope they are quick in cutting me a check. Since I don't have a land line, the fax cost me $2 to send at Office Depot.

My hair dryer pooped out yesterday, so I picked up a new one at Walgreens. It was $18, on sale for 20% off. I do hope it lasts longer than the last one.

My other spending was $21 at IHOP, where I hung out with boys while I waited for the tire to be delivered to the tire shop. I'll give the receipt for that to DIL today. I'm not sure whether she will reimburse me, since it's not our regular Thursday Eat-Out Day -- but this Thursday I'll be doing a mystery shop for lunch, so it should be pretty cheap for the boys.

We also went to the library, where I picked up three new books.

Variables are now at 33%. The bulk of the tire cost is not counted in this, but I did count the difference between my payment and what the warranty company has authorized.

Two weeks and a day left till pay day, so I'm doing pretty well, despite some surprises.

Yesterday I rode with my son to an out-of-town baseball game, which we lost, but it was a good game. Afterwards my ex (who had also come to the game) took all of us out for dinner, which was nice. It was a free meal for me, but one that I didn't really need, since I had already eaten about as much as I should have for the day. But I couldn't turn it down, as I had no separate transportation.

Came home and had a long telephone conversation with my other son, whom I hadn't heard from in a while. He is feeling the pinch for dental work -- his daughter and his wife. But he was in good spirits, and lifted mine, which were rather low.

Today, since I am still using the temporary tire, I'm going to try to just stay home. I'll have to drive a lot tomorrow getting the boys to music lessons and then to the tire store, so I'm just staying off the wheels today.

The flat tire kind of took front page news yesterday, so I didn't even talk about my experience with the pizza delivery mystery shop.

It happened on the day I was not feeling well, but I had to follow through. Because I was a little woozy, I did not comprehend the instructions as thoroughly as I should have. I knew I was supposed to take at least three pictures of the pizza at a 90 degree angle. What I didn't get was that I was supposed to put notes beside the pizza showing my ID number and the store number. I took the pictures, and then I ate a piece. And then I saw the deal about the notes. Well, I couldn't add the notes and take a picture of a pizza with a piece missing -- even moving the pieces was a no-no.

So I emailed the agent and explained why I was not filing a report. I assumed I was going to have to absorb the cost of the pizza.

Next day, in the midst of all my flat tire drama, I saw an email from the agent telling me that they needed a report or my assignment would be cancelled. I returned a rather snippy reply that I had already sent her an email to explain, and she should check her inbox.

Well, it turns out she had sent me an earlier message that they could still use the report (which I had missed because I was driving) and I should go ahead and file it. So I had to apologize, hat in hand, and I promised to file the report by 4 pm. That meant I had to retrieve the labels from the box, which was in the trash, but, thank goodness, not in the dumpster. I got the report done and sent it in.

I'm not sure, at this point, whether it will reimbursed or not, so I counted the expense as "eating out" and I will remove it if I do get a reimbursement.

No one was around to eat the pizza, so after I ate the one slice, I put the rest in the freezer.

So, back to the car. I got a call yesterday from the tire dealer saying that there was a possibility the tire will come in today. I am hoping so, because I have to take the boys to music lessons at 9 on Monday, and I'd like to have the car all fixed by then.

This morning I took the short trip to the gym and then to Food4Less, which is in the same plaza. I spent $35. I am hoping this will be enough food to last the month, with only emergency fill-ins. I WILL have to buy some pet supplies, but I don't count those in groceries.

Between yesterday and today, I've spent $4.50 on laundry.

Variables are now at 25%.

I signed up for another mystery shop at lunchtime on Thursday. This time I'll take the boys with me. I've done this particular shop so many times now I don't think they'll be a distraction.

Why, you say?

Because I hit a pothole, hard, on Lake Shore Drive (during rush hour), got a flat and bent the wheel, and I can't get a new tire & wheel till Monday.

I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

I should have been scared, going flat on a busy road like that, but it happened so fast I didn't have time to. I just got over (four lanes) and took the first exit, as there was no shoulder. I had to drive a bit to find any place I could park the car. That's how I bent the wheel. AAA came and put on the baby spare. I had to go all the way back home and beyond to find a tire store that would fit me in. (Every place was overbooked because of the holiday.) And even then, there was no tire like mine in stock. So I'm grounded. No Michigan this weekend.

My warranty will cover all but $20. I don't know why it isn't completely covered, but $20 is not going to break me.

Meanwhile, I'll go back to reading my book and attending baseball games!

On the Fourth, I went with my kids to my ex's house for a cookout. Well, really a cook-in. After dinner my kids and I went to the beach to watch the fireworks. The beach is an easy walk from our condos, but I had to find a parking place, since I had driven to ex's. It took me ages! And I ended up parking too close to a fire hydrant, but I didn't get ticketed, so it all worked out.

Then last night, I woke up feeling a little unsettled. Soon that feeling turned to -- well, a terrible night in the bathroom. I admit I did eat a cheeseburger without a dairy pill, but I don't usually get much of a reaction from cheese. Something must have been a little off.

I felt so bad and lost so much sleep that I begged off taking care of the boys today. I still feel like I'm in recovery mode.

Today I have to order a pizza for a mystery shop. Of course, I don't feel like eating one, but you have to follow through if you've asked for an assignment. I can do it any time today, so I'll order later in the day. I've offered to share with the kids; we'll have to see if their schedule permits.

I'm leaving for my Michigan trip tomorrow. I have to get there by 1 to meet my friend P. That means leaving at 9 at the latest. I'm taking my laundry, so I don't have to pack! Except toiletries, of course. Really looking forward to it, but I hope I'm feeling better.

I don't believe I spent anything yesterday. I did figure out that I have enough padding in my checking account to cover the property tax bill and the other automatic payments that are coming out. I always round up on withdrawals, and round down on deposits, so that I build up a bit of a cushion. Sometimes it comes in useful!