Spent $28 on gas this morning, then, after the gym, went to Panera for my free bagel. I can get one every day this month, but frankly, it just feels weird to go in and ask for a free bagel every day. I've taken advantage of the offer twice.

Gas was $2.45, even with the discount I get from shopping at Food4Less. It seems we always have high prices this time of year because of some foolishness at the Midwestern refineries along with the switch to "summer blend." Don't know why they can't ever solve that.

Later I'm going to see "Going in Style" with C, and then we will go to our grandson's first baseball game of the season this evening.

I finally got over my bug, but I think I will take the advice to throw out the macaroni salad just in case. It's not like it's terribly expensive, anyway, and I have lots of other food to eat.

I took a little walk to the mailbox yesterday, but other than that, I missed two days of exercise. I'm glad I got back to the gym today.

I also need to get back to working on my mother's diary. I'll be starting on 1941, which should prove to be an interesting year.

The gas purchase pushed variables up to 91%, and the movie will push it up to 92%. But I still think I can make it.

Well, Easter dinner was very good, but this morning I woke up with some real discomfort that you don't want to hear about, but it makes me wonder about food poisoning. I took some generic Immodium just so I don't get a replay. I haven't heard if anyone else got sick. Of course, I wasn't feeling well, anyway, so it may be I just had a bug and it finally manifested itself that way.

C. was not there because she was not feeling well. Of course, that makes me worry. I texted her about seeing a movie tomorrow, but I haven't received an answer yet.

Meanwhile, I'll just take it easy. No laundry has to be done today, and, while the house needs a good cleaning, it's not going to happen. Not today.

I will order my items from OTC Essentials today, since it's the second quarter of the year already. And I'll apply for that AAA credit card that offers a $100 bonus. That will be my financial work today.

I brought home the macaroni salad that was uneaten. I was planning to mix it with cubed chicken for some meals this week. Now I hesitate, even though I am sure it could not have been the culprit. I used all fresh ingredients, and it did not sit out -- the only time it was not in the fridge was when it was out on the table to be served, and that wasn't very long. There was a broccoli salad that might have been at fault -- or it may have just been my "bug." Hmmm, to eat or not to eat?

I'll be heading out for the family Easter dinner soon. I got up early this morning and made the macaroni salad and brownies to take. Looks like they both turned out, except the brownies are a bit too baked on the edges. And I even cut short the cooking time!

I don't actually feel well, but I can't even say what's wrong. Just very tired and groggy, but I've been sleeping, and I'm not overexerting myself in any way. Hope it is something that passes and my energy comes back.

After yesterday's spending my variables budget stands at 87%. Ten days to go. I still have my $15 Wal-Mart card to get any necessities. Getting low on gas, so some money will go there. (But I can't get gas at Wal-Mart -- not mine, anyway.)

I've decided after next pay day I'm going to go ahead and get another pair of the Remonte sandals I bought recently. The same style comes in navy, which would look good with jeans and other blues and pastels. I feel I am going to be wearing those shoes a LOT, since most other summer shoes just won't work with the orthotics. I should have another pair to switch it up. And I have a $25 coupon this time. Or I could see if online is even cheaper.

That said, I did dig out some old Skechers which I wore while my ankle was healing. I tore out the liners and the orthotics do fit in those. They will give me something to change into as well -- but they are showing their age. They would be more for knocking around.

I got an offer for a AAA credit card, where I can earn $100 for spending $500 in 90 days. And the $100 is not a gift card, but cash. Pretty sure I'm going to do it. My snowflakes need a boost. I don't know if I'm going to be able to raise the $300 per grandchild this year, at the rate I'm going.

Can't think of any other financial news, so I'll check out!

Today I went to a movie with my grandson - $13 for the two of us, plus $6 on treats. I spent $19 on groceries and I slipped two ten's into Easter cards which I will give tomorrow. So that's about $60, about what I was predicting.

I should be assembling the macaroni salad, but I came back from the movie tired and drained. No reason, either! GS was well-behaved and I was not stressed out at all. It could be the sudden surge of warm weather, making me lazy. I also took a walk in addition to my bicyling at the gym -- and I've eaten junk food all day, so I'm not even reporting on my menu.

Anyway, I will make the salad tomorrow. I have plenty of time before the 4:00 dinner. Just have to be sure it has time to cool in the fridge. For now, I am cooking off the rest of the chicken so I will have it to use in recipes.

I found a penny, and I earned $5.29 in coupons (which I add to snowflakes.)

I'm so tired, I think I will go lie down.

Had a very quiet day yesterday. A true no-spend day.

My experiment with making dressing from leftover rye bread was not terribly successful. I used a recipe that called for cornbread, and I think the sausage and apple would have been good with that, but the rye bread has a strong taste that is overbearing.

That said, I will eat it. This morning I drizzled some maple syrup on it, and it was better. I don't recommend anyone make it, though!

Today's menu: Breakfast - rye/apple/sausage dressing with maple syrup. Lunch - chicken medallions & veggies. Dinner - Bibimbap beef fried rice.

Tomorrow, when the free MyMixx deal comes out, I will also pick up a few items at the grocery. I need kitty litter, minipads, and, in order to make the macaroni salad for Sunday's potluck, black olives, green onions, sweet & spicy pickles and roasted red peppers. I am making the Pioneer Woman's recipe -- decided not to wing it with my own concoction -- not for company.

I'm also taking my grandson to a movie (if he has earned the right at home) and I am going to stick a couple of ten's into Easter cards.

All told, I will probably spend $50-60 this weekend.

I thought I got my license plate renewal notice in the mail today, but on closer inspection, I see that someone else's was mis-delivered. Still, I know mine is coming up. I got online but I can't pay until I have the pin number, so I just have to wait to get my notice in the mail. Or by email, if I have set that up. Can't remember.

I did my gym routine today, and I plan to get back in my mother's diary and do a little housecleaning. Love real retirement!

I can't look at individual entries today. I get the sad baby face. This seems to happen a lot. I hope that later I'll be able to click in and see what y'all have said beyond a couple of lines....

I was hoping to make yesterday a no-spend day, but I decided to go ahead and get my airline tickets to Florida. The money will not come out of variables -- travel expenses (except for little ones) come out of savings. I got a good deal - $184 round trip, which includes the cost of a carry-on bag.

I am flying Allegiant, so can't fly out of Chicago. I'm going to fly out of Indy, and BFF will cart me to the airport from her home. I'll stay with her the night before I leave and the night I get back.

I'm going to pay her $50 to schlep me there -- that would be the cost of a shuttle, which is so much more trouble and time. Parking at the airport would be $72, so I nixed that.

The flight will take me to Jacksonville, which is more than an hour away from Gainesville. My son said they could pick me up. I hate that, though, so I'm going to look into car rental, see if I can get a good deal. So far it looks very expensive.

As I have found in the past, the airline fare is only a portion of the expense, not even a large one.

But, hey, I made $3 yesterday on a Pine Cone survey!

It feels weird to no longer have an "extra" income. And the gap year is coming up! It starts July 2018. That will be a challenging time.

Today's meal plan: I had toast for breakfast, and for lunch I will have mac & cheese with a side of veggies. For dinner, I will make dressing out of rye bread, apples and sausage. I haven't tried this before. I'm also thawing a huge boneless chicken breast. If it's ready to cook, I'll have some of that with the dressing.

My fridge is looking quite bare, but the freezer is still pretty full.

I don't think I reported on yesterday's meals: I had apple pancakes & sausage for breakfast, quiche and an apple for lunch, and pan-fried tilapia with cauliflower & broccoli for dinner.

I am transcribing the entries chronicling my parents' first few months of marriage. My mother never mentioned what she ate before, but now she is, because she is cooking it. She has lamented burning the toast, a fried chicken dinner that was a "flop" -- and it sounds like they had waffles a LOT. They were given a waffle iron as a wedding present. I'm pretty sure I remember that waffle iron! It was a big, heavy thing! She also mentioned getting a silver pitcher from her sorority. I'm pretty sure it's now sitting in my cupboard. Because knowing my mother, I doubt she ever bought another one!

She also mentioned my father's draft number: 745. I didn't realize they even had draft lotteries back then. The war had not started yet -- it's about a year away. By then, my brother had been born, and my father was not called up. I believe both his brothers were, though. It will be interesting to read about that.

Yesterday would have been a no-spender, but I decided to do a load of laundry. I know it must seem like I do tons of laundry, but the washers I use in the basement are small. Not sure what the capacity is, but when I visit my friends and family, and eye up their washers, they are clearly almost double the size.

I have four skinny hampers that I bought from Wal-Mart years ago. I put my dirty clothes in them -- one for whites & lights, one for darks, one for colors, and one for reds. When one of the hampers gets full, it fits perfectly in the washer. Sometimes it seems like every day one gets full.

Even though it seems like a lot to spend on laundry, it is cheaper than what I used to pay just for water in my former apartment, where I had a washer and dryer in my unit. It generally adds up to under $20 each month.

Yes, I've looked into installing a washer/dryer in my unit. I can't do it without either sacrificing my dishwasher, or making structural changes. (My unit is very small, about 800 square feet.) It is okay to do my laundry in the basement. The biggest problem is navigating the stairs, but since I've been working out, that is easier. It is also easier to get done when I am home all day, and not trying to do it on weekends or weeknights, when everybody else is.

Whenever I get low on quarters, I "buy" a roll or two at the grocery store or the bank. I keep them in a bowl in the kitchen. Every load takes six quarters to wash and dry. I also save quarters in my daily commerce, but since I rarely pay in cash any more, I don't get a lot of quarters. But as long as I stay on top of it, I hardly ever have to scrounge for quarters.

In order to cut down on my loads, I try to wear pants two days in a row (not always possible). Most of my workout wear doubles as pajamas. I hand-wash my bras. Still, always the laundry. My mother used to say I was either the cleanest or the dirtiest person she knew!

Well, I didn't know I was going to expound on laundry today. I guess there is not much else going on!

I did finally get to the point in my mother's diary where she and Dad married. She did not ever say anything about a proposal. She just started talking about buying housewares and furnishings, and looking for apartments. Then there was an "announcement party" and then the marriage. No description of dress, flowers, anything. Not even where the wedding took place. Did my grandfather officiate? Nothing.

But here is something interesting. They honeymooned in Chicago (which I already knew). I always thought they stayed in the Drake Hotel -- someone told me that, not my mother, obviously, because that was wrong. They stayed at a hotel called the Del Prado. Well, I looked it up. I couldn't believe it. It is just a few blocks from the museum, but here is something even funnier. When I stayed with my friend K in Hyde Park a few years ago, we were mesmerized by a vintage building nearby that was decorated with the faces of Indian chiefs. K didn't have any idea what it was, but we were all intrigued. Well, it was the Del Prado! Now an apartment building, but back then, a pretty luxuriant hotel. I can't believe how often I have walked in my mother's footsteps, unaware. It's not like we grew up in the same place!

So, I think my sentimental journey will have to include a tour of the Del Prado -- or at least a peek into the lobby!

Yesterday was a no-spend day. Which of course means it was uneventful, too. I did get back to the gym (and went again this morning, so I can claim that I've gotten back in the routine).

I've gone through the perishables I had to use up, and I'm now using food from the freezer. Today I have pulled out chicken-french-fry casserole for lunch and potato soup for dinner. I'm going to add some cooked cauliflower to the potato soup. I also pulled out some frozen apple pancake batter for breakfast tomorrow. Today I had toast. I was hoping to get a free bagel at the gym, but I guess I missed the time frame.

I've been invited to a pot-luck Easter dinner, and I've decided to make a macaroni salad. I already have macaroni on hand, plenty of mayo, and some frozen veggies which I'll cook and chop up for flavor and color. If that doesn't pan out for some reason, I'll make brownies.

Oh, I guess yesterday was NOT a no-spender, since I sent Easter cards to my Florida grandchildren with a $10 bill in each. I think I can make it a no-spender today, though!

Yesterday's spending was $1.50 for laundry, and $10 to attend a play my niece was acting in. She is a middle-school student, but this was not a school play. She auditioned for a children's troupe and landed a part on her first try. The play was very professionally done -- not "kiddie" at all. I hope she will take part in many productions in the future!

Also got a free breakfast yesterday -- brunch at my ex's house (with other family members, of course). We played cards after the meal, and it was a good day.

Yesterday was our first really warm day, so I sat in the park while the grandsons played for at least an hour.

My budget is kind of slipping away from me - 79% gone and still more than two weeks to go. I do think I will be okay on food.

Easter is coming up, and I'm going to give each of my four grandchildren a $10 bill; not going to mess with buying Easter baskets, candy, etc.

I have promised to take one of my grandsons to a movie next weekend.

I will probably have to fill the gas tank before pay day.

Thinking ahead, I've made tentative plans with my Florida son to go down and stay for a week, probably the third week of May. My DIL will be recovering from knee surgery, and will need some help. Her father and her mother are also pitching in for other weeks. Since the timing is not firmed up yet, I can't search for airline tickets, but that will be an upcoming expense.

And, of course, my girlfriends weekend is just a few weeks away now.

But for now, it's time to go to the gym. I haven't been since BFF came on Thursday. I've been a very bad girl!

I say weekend, because it felt like a weekend. We kept thinking Thursday was Saturday, Friday was Sunday, etc.

We had a great time together. BFF left early this morning in order to make it to a medical workshop.

I spent $8 on a movie ("Gifted"), $24 on groceries, and $34 on eating out. At Goodwill I spent $19 on clothing (pants, capris and a bra), $4 on games & toys to keep at home, $11 on gifts & gift wrap, $9 on books, and $17 on kitchen & home stuff, which included a beautiful large bread bowl for $5. My big splurge was $165 for two pairs of shoes at DSW. I got no deal there (though the receipt says I saved $15 -- minor "our price" reductions, I guess). They are summer shoes that have closed toes and heels, so I can wear them with my orthotics. Just something I had to do. One pair beige, one pair black. One pair is Clark's, the other "Remonte" - not a familiar brand to me, but it is a very well-made shoe. These should last me a long time.

Of course my variables budget is somewhat blown up, now at 76% with two and a half weeks to go. I think I will postpone my dentist appointment, since it is only a checkup. I have no dental issues to be addressed. That will help me get through the month.

Anyway, it was a very fun few days and I have no regrets!

Today I'm keeping a promise to take my grandson to "Boss Baby." Hope I can stay awake, since I slept very poorly last night!

Doing some laundry now. My cat threw up on my bed -- and of course, I have company sheets to wash as well. Laundry just never ends.

No spending yesterday, though my medical premium was automatically withdrawn. No effect on my variables, as that is a fixed cost.

BFF is on her way to come up to stay with me a few days, an event I always enjoy!

My grandson called me last night to ask if I could take him to "Baby Boss" on Saturday. Since BFF will leave Saturday morning, I said yes! Hope the movie is better than I think!

I worked more on C's lineage last night. Since she is also a grandmother to my grandchildren, I wanted to get her family into our tree. Followed a really interesting line that goes back to the Boone family, as in Daniel Boone, though she is not a direct descendant (if the info is correct, she is a direct descendant of his first cousin) -- and the whole line is somewhat iffy; I see lots of conflicting information. Another line goes back (maybe - not proven) to Sir Thomas Hinton, who was in Parliament, and who was the major investor in the Jamestown colony, though he never left England. She will be blown away.

Back in my mother's world, she is buying stuff like a kettle and Glasbake (like Pyrex). She's not saying that it's for her hope chest, but I think she is nesting. She and my dad went to a "penny supper" so I had to stop and look up what that was. Apparently, back in the 30's and 40's churches would host suppers (prepared and donated by parishioners) where they charged nominal amounts for each food in the buffet. One thing was always a penny -- usually coffee or tea. The funds raised from the supper went to the church. It was a way to raise funds for the church when offerings weren't enough.

My dad's father was a minister, so it was likely a penny supper for his church.

Another interesting entry was about her trip to Lexington, Kentucky, with my dad and my grandmother. It was my grandmother's hometown. They went to Faraway Farm where Man O' War and other famous racehorses were stabled; they also toured the Henry Clay mansion and Mary Todd Lincoln's childhood home. And they toured Transylvania College (my grandfather's alma mater) and what she called State College -- probably the University of Kentucky. They also visited relatives -- and packed this all into a weekend! Looks like I've got another stop for my sentimental journey!

Yesterday morning I woke up late (9 AM!) and didn't go straight to the gym, as I usually do. I didn't go to the gym until 6 PM. It was really crowded!

After the gym I stopped at Jewel to change out my expired transponder and buy cat food. It was crowded, too. I've gotten used to being able to shop at odd hours and have already forgotten what it's like to cram errands in after work.

Anyway, I stood in line at customer service for quite a while and when I got there, I realized I had left the transponder in the car. Duh! So I had to retrieve it and start all over again. At least the second time, the line was shorter.

The cat food was $11. I had a $1 coupon, and, since it was a large bag, it was already a lower unit price than what I usually pay.

I started working on C's line of the family tree yesterday. I have asked for her input, but we never seem to get it done, so I just decided to see what I could find in public documents on ancestry.com. I actually found quite a bit, and I've traced one of her bloodlines back to the early 1800's. And still lots of lines to investigate.

Also worked a little more in Mom's diary. I found an entry for the day her grandfather died. I didn't have the exact day in my family tree, so that was a good find. My mother was not close to this grandfather -- he was essentially divorced from my grandmother, even though they lived in the same house. They divided the house between themselves and lived separate lives. I remember my mother saying that sometimes she heard him coughing through the walls, but she had little contact with him. This grandfather is the most recent immigrant in our family tree. He was born in England in 1861. Family legend had it that he stowed away to come to America when he was a teenager. However, I have found his name on a crew list on a ship arriving from Liverpool in 1880, when he was 19. I can't research it any more deeply without buying the international subscription to ancestry.com. Could be a different person with the same name and birth year. Or it could be he really did stow away and was pressed into service on the crew. Anyway, his life ended on May 3, 1940, living separately from his family (yet just on the other side of the wall.) Sad.

This morning I put a sliced onion in my little slow cooker along with butter, olive oil, salt & pepper. At the end of the day I'll make French onion soup from it, and I'll use up the end of the Swiss cheese.

For lunch I made potato soup and used up the end of the sour cream in it. (Made a sour cream/brown sugar dip yesterday which I had with apple slices.)

I think everything but the cheddar cheese is used up now, and that will go into quesadillas tomorrow.

What a time I had slicing the onion! I usually just do it the old-fashioned way, with a knife and a cutting board. But I decided to do it on my mandolin. Well, I found all the different blades, but I did not find the mandolin. I can't imagine what I might have done with it. I wouldn't have given it away without the blades.

Then I decided to try out the Kitchen Aid mixer attachment I got as a gift. It slices and shreds. It was pretty easy to attach, but it did a horrible job of slicing the onion. Pulverized it, really. I think the attachment might work well for other things, but it's too hard to position the onion correctly, and it's too small.

It really brought out the juices, though, and tears were streaming down my face before I was done. I'm going back to the knife and the cutting board!

Today was voting day for the mayor, aldermen and school board. There is also an amendment to raise taxes for the school district. I voted "yes" and I hope it passes. I would vote yes even if I didn't have grandchildren in school here. Good schools benefit everyone, and I know the schools need the funds.

I got a notice that I have to turn in my transponder for a new model. I can do that at the grocery store, so I will probably do that when I need to pick up something. I suppose that will be tomorrow, because I'm out of dry cat food.

I did another $1.50 load of laundry today, and that is my only spending. I hope I'm caught up on laundry for a while now.

After a few days off, I'm back to working on my mother's diary. No revelations, though, except it's starting to sound like my father is actually working in her office -- not the way I understood it. I thought he was a journalist and she was a secretary for some kind of business and they met because they went to the same luncheonette. She doesn't explain. She is so spare with her words, it's frustrating!

My weight is creeping back on again. I could really tell this morning when I pulled on my pants. Oh, how I hate to diet again! But first I have to get rid of all this perishable food.

I ate mac & cheese for breakfast this morning. Maybe it's time to freeze what is still left. Never again will I listen to my grandson's advice to make TWO boxes. His eyes are bigger than his stomach.

There are still several servings of sausage & kraut to eat up. I learned today that it is pretty good with hot mustard!

Still have grated cheese to use up, both cheddar and Swiss. I may make French onion soup, using the Swiss, and I'll make quesadillas or grilled cheese sandwiches with the cheddar.

And I have quite a bit of sour cream. Not sure how to use that up. Maybe I'll make a mashed potato bowl, though that will only use a dollop. Making a dip would be a good use of it, but I have nothing to dip! And I am really trying to put off going to the grocery store, at least until BFF visits.

Before the St. Pat's party, I got some chicken noodle soup out of the freezer, and promptly forgot about it. It's still sitting in the back of the fridge. It MAY be good, but I'm not going to eat it. So I DO have to throw something away. That's a fail for me. Darn!

I spent $1.50 on laundry today, but no spending otherwise. Variables are now at 36%, with 31% of the pay cycle gone. Still some catching up to do. This is one of those rare 5-week months for me.

My last check from the museum arrived! I put it into the slush fund this morning.

I didn't spend anything yesterday. Don't expect to today, either. C texted me to ask if I wanted to go to a movie with the grandsons. Then, before I could answer, she texted that one of them didn't feel well. So, no movie today, and that's okay.

I'm not even going to do the MyMixx deal today, because it's a BOGO for mustard, and I already have plenty of mustard (and don't use it that fast).

Not much planned for today -- I will read, clean the fridge and use up leftovers. I have plenty of food on hand, so that will keep my spending down the next few weeks.

I've watched the first two episodes of Back in Time for Dinner on YouTube, and I love it! Wish we had an American counterpart, though. British food and customs are a little different, though interesting. I'll watch another one today.

Time for breakfast -- I'm having scrambled egg, cheese and spinach on a tortilla. Using up! Lunch will be Polish sausage & sauerkraut, with mac & cheese on the side, as well as honey-glazed carrots. Dinner will probably be something from the freezer.

Had a quiet day yesterday. My only spending was a load of laundry for $1.50. I went out for coffee with DIL, but she paid. It was rainy and cold, a good day to cuddle up with a good book, which I did.

My new payment from TIAA will hit today. I don't know exactly what it will be, because I don't know how much they will withhold, but I am expecting it will be just under $300. My bank sent me another warning about my low checking balance, but it should be rectified today, when the payment shows up. The reason the balance is low is that the automatic payment to the gas company slipped in there. I've got money in savings, but I just don't want to transfer again. It is only a low balance, not overdrawn. And nothing else can possibly be automatically withdrawn until the 6th, when my Medicare supplement payment is withdrawn.

I had another awful sleepless night. I had coffee in the afternoon, so I suppose I can blame that, though I've also had terrible nights when I have had no caffeine at all. At least I don't have to go to work, or babysit! I can have another day cuddling up with a good book! And try to avoid napping so I don't have another sleepless night.

My BFF is going to come to visit on the 6th and will stay a couple of days. Really looking forward to her visit, but since it is before pay day, I will be trying to keep spending down as much as possible. Variables spending is at 35% right now with 26 days to go. And I have a dentist appointment to pay for. Which will probably be too high to cash flow, but I would like to try.

It was certainly different to be a guest at the museum than it is to be an employee! But nice to be an employee, too, because I could just bypass all the lines with my handy-dandy badge. There is just so much there. We couldn't possibly take it all in. The boys loved it, especially the "Idea Factory" which was basically everything you can do with water (except get in it -- not allowed). They also loved the Mirror Maze, the robots, and the electronic screens where they could see themselves as butterflies, dancing animals, etc. Kind of like Snapchat, only huge.

I spent $35 on food, between the snacks bought ahead of time, and the ice cream at the museum. In hindsight, I spent too much on the snacks, but there are leftovers which will get used.

There was no cost for tickets or for parking, because of my status as an employee.

The boys were full-speed-ahead all day, but I was the one who came back exhausted.

Today I'm going to make some apple pancakes, do a load of laundry, and work more on my mother's diary. Other duties as they pop up!

Yesterday in the mail I got a settlement check for $4.36 and a Wal-Mart gift card for $15. I would be even happier to receive my third invoice payment from the museum.

Speaking of the museum, I will be going there today with the grandsons. Hoping this will be a good way to keep them entertained all day.

I checked my pantry for snacks to carry, and I don't have anything that would interest the boys. So we may make a stop at Trader Joe's beforehand.

I had to transfer funds back into checking from savings because the balance got too low. That's because the assessment fee was withdrawn before I got the TIAA payment. (Still waiting on that.) I need to remember to keep about a $100 balance in checking. Or maybe a $1000 balance -- then it would be my slush fund. There is certainly no reason to keep it in savings, since the interest is almost non-existent. And I wouldn't have to worry about the possibility of incurring a fee.

Right now my slush fund is very low. I need to build it back up, but don't get many opportunities. I usually put random checks into the e-fund, which is at my credit union. I do that just for the ease of depositing by mobile phone. I could set that up for my bank, too, but haven't bothered.

Checked my Groupon account again and realized I also have a $15 credit for a restaurant in the area where I go to the dentist. So I'll use that in a couple of weeks when I go to the dentist.

My only spending yesterday was $1.50 for laundry and $5 for a birthday card.

Well, I babysat the grandsons all day today and did not spend anything. I made them lunch, and deflected requests to go to the arcade. To make up for the arcade, I made them milk shakes and popcorn in the afternoon.

On Wednesday I'm going to take them to the museum. I'm going to pack snacks, because the food there is expensive! But I will get in free, and so will they, because they are members. The major cost will be the gas to get there and back.

Getting back to my mother's life, I came to an entry where she went to Chicago for the first time! She went with my father (still not married to him) and his mother to visit with his aunts for the weekend. She even put the address in her entry, so I Googled it and found that it is about a half a block from the train line I commuted on every day -- probably could have seen it from my window! It is an area that is very sad and downtrodden now, but it looks like it was once a charming row of houses. She went to the Field Museum (which is not my museum) and did some unspecified sightseeing. She seemed excited to be in the big city.

She also mentioned several times, with excitement, that her uncle has received compensation checks. I was wondering about their financial situation, given that he was hospitalized for months with no apparent income, and underwent two surgeries and a long convalescence. Apparently he got some kind of compensation after the fact. She herself does not seem to worry about money, but she is working and living at home, and doesn't have any expenses. She seems to spend mostly on movies, clothes and gifts. She does not mention helping out her aunt and uncle, but then, it would be perfectly feasible that she did and saw no reason to mention it in her diary.

Whew! Another chilly day! And wet!

I just got back from visiting with C's friends at the local Hyatt House. They came up to surprise her for her birthday. DIL and I took them dinner (DIL made it; I just helped carry). It was a nice interlude, and I was amazed to learn that the suite at the Hyatt was only $108 per night and offered two queens and sleeper sofa, a beautiful kitchen and nice sitting area -- great views as well. This would be a nice option for when my family comes to visit, since my space is too small to host any more than one (on the couch!) This was way cheaper and way nicer than I imagined.

I got a free dinner as well, for the little bit of help I provided.

My only spending today was $9 for a Groupon for IHOP. Since IHOP is my grandson's favorite restaurant, I know it will be used. The $9 voucher will purchase $16 worth of food.

Speaking of Groupons, I realized when I got the voucher that I still have one for Tall Ship Adventures that I never used. I invested $15; and it is no longer worth $30, but I can still put the $15 toward a ticket. I think I would like to do that this summer -- maybe as a birthday present to myself!

I forgot to report yesterday that I spent $25 on gas, and $1.50 on laundry.

Tomorrow I will babysit the boys all day. DIL starts a new job tomorrow. She is keeping the old one, so she'll have two part-time jobs. Spring Break starts tomorrow, so the boys will be home all week. I'll sit for them on Wednesday, too; the other days are covered.

Spent the afternoon playing Smallworld with my son and my grandson. (Other grandson declined to play, and read instead.) It's been a nice day!

I stopped at Walgreen's after going to the gym this morning. I had a $5 reward to use, and I bought a big round brush. It was a two-for-one deal, so I picked one out for C to add to her gift bag. Out of pocket cost was $8.

Then I went to Jewel to get the free MyMixx deals. They were especially good this week. I got a 22 oz. package of frozen fried rice ("Ling Ling") and a 16 oz. bottle of Sunny D. The total value was $8.99.

I also found two pennies in the very wet parking lot. It's a cold, rainy, dreary day. I'm just kicking back. I did some more work on Mom's diary. Sometimes her writing is very hard to read. Even though it looks fine, when you try to decipher the words, it sometimes doesn't make sense. I struggle with it. It doesn't help that she wrote in pencil and those pencil marks are now almost eighty years old!

Anyway, here is how she described a date with my dad in 1940: "G & I went to the city, mailed a card, chased around looking for mints, came home and looked at a magazine." Another time she went to his folks' house, where they had a "waffle supper, Chinese Checkers & Hearts." They clearly enjoyed the simple pleasures, though they certainly did their share of going to concerts and movies and restaurants, too. Oh, and she also said that when they went to see Garbo in "Ninotchka," G "almost had hysterics." I cannot picture that at all! My dad was always a chuckler. I'm not sure I ever saw him laugh out loud.

I did some spending today. It's my newly-initiated monthly "deal day." I've decided to start putting aside coupons and promotions and not looking at them until after pay day. Then I sort through them and decide if I want to use them. I usually have a coupon from Kohl's and BB&B. I hit both today, getting a frying pan at BB&B for $17 (20% off) and a bra at Kohl's for $9 (30% off). I also went to DSW with a $10 coupon and got a wallet for C's birthday, spending $11 out of pocket. And it was haircut day; I spent $16 on the cut and $15 on shampoo. (No deals here, except the senior discount for my cut.) The shampoo I only buy a couple times a year. It's Paul Mitchell for platinum blondes. I alternate that with Head & Shoulders (and I only wash my hair every third day) so it lasts a long time. I also made a $20 donation to a fundraiser.

I won't do any more "me" shopping until my next deal day, which will be after my next pay day. Unless I shop at Goodwill; that doesn't count. But I only shop at Goodwill when BFF visits, which happens less often than once a month.

I realized today that I will have to get a different kind of sandal to wear this summer. When I was cruising this winter, I tried using my orthotics with sandals, and they slide around and work their way out the front. Not good. I need a summer shoe that is closed at the toe and heel. Espadrilles, maybe? Should have looked at DSW, but I hadn't thought of it then. Maybe flats with cut-out sides, or mesh. It's unfortunate, but I cannot walk comfortably without the orthotics any more. But that's a next-month project.

Today's spending has pushed my variables to 22%.

I didn't go to the downtown meeting last night, because I checked beforehand and found I wasn't registered! Apparently I put it on my calendar, but neglected to go through the registration process.

I was glad I had such a good excuse not to leave the house. I really wasn't up for it, and I saved some money.

Today I shopped at PetSmart and Aldi, spending $19 on cat food & litter, and $25 on groceries. My ten items at Aldi were: apples, spinach, mushrooms, toilet paper, butter (2), spreadable margarine, turkey gravy mix, mayonnaise and granola.

Have to buy a birthday present for C before Tuesday. I'm going to check out DSW. I have a coupon to save $10 on a $25 purchase, and they have nice socks, slippers, wallets, etc.

Forgot to mentally budget for the upcoming tune-up. Think I will put it off till after the next pay day.

Will put off the oil change till I go to the dentist. It will be cheaper in that suburb.

Tomorrow I will get my hair cut. Much-needed.

Today I will do some more laundry and make the quiche. However, I will probably not bake it till tomorrow.

Such is my busy life!

This morning I went to the gym, then to Food4Less (discount Kroger's), where I bought ten items for $24: Coffeemate (2, to use a coupon), cat chow, Polish sausage, pie crust, onion, pantiliners, strawberries, half & half, and bacon bits. I plan to make a quiche Lorraine, and Polish sausage with sauerkraut.

After I got home DIL called to let me know that C had a good medical report; her chemo is working -- at least it is keeping her stable. We all went out for lunch to celebrate, and C paid, because she said it was her party. We went to a very good taco place.

I came home and paid the mortgage and credit card bills.

I'm supposed to go to a professional group meeting tonight, but I'm kind of dragging my heels now. It's very cold, and I don't like walking around in the city when it's cold. I'll have to check how close the El runs to the cafe location.

I did get a load of laundry done. My variables spending -- for this one day -- is at 4%.

No real news in the diary, except that Mom has clearly settled on Dad as her steady -- but I knew that!

This was the last day in my pay cycle, so March is done, financially speaking. Here is the breakdown:

Housing: $695
Taxes: $449
Fees/Services: $229
Groceries: $176
Eating Out: $128
Household Supplies: $63
Medical/Health: $55
Phone: $52
Gas: $39
Entertainment: $33
Vet/Pet Supplies: $30
Vacation/Travel: $28
Laundry: $12
Furnishings/Equipment/Decor: $3
Fares/Parking: $1

Grand Total: $2186

I went 12% over on the variables budget. I'll try to make that up this coming month.

There were several driving factors this month. I spent a lot on groceries because I hosted a dinner -- and I did some stocking up. Eating out was high because I did more socializing this month than usual, and I also took my grandsons out three times. They are turning into growing boys with appetites.

I couldn't really help that my ancestry.com subscription and my I-Pass renewed at the same time.

Generally, entertainment is a really cheap category for me, but I saw three movies this month -- and at one of them I treated a friend.

And of course, I had taxes to pay. Could have waited till April, but I wanted to get it over with.

Today's spending was $6 to see "Beauty and the Beast," which was amazing! Such artistry.

I skipped the gym, saving my one clean pair of workout pants for tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow will be a busy day. I'm going downtown at dinnertime (riding the El) for a professional group meeting. Before that, I will go to the gym and go to the grocery. I will only get ten items, since that's all I can carry upstairs, so I'm going to peruse my list and choose the most important. I'm sure another grocery trip will be on the docket on Thursday.

I also want to get at least one load of laundry done. All my bins are pretty full.

As usual, it feels pretty good to know that pay day is imminent!

Successful at spending nothing today, but I will spend a little tomorrow. C wants to go see "Beauty and the Beast" on Senior Day, and I will do about anything she wants.

I got a notice from TIAA today about my interest-only monthly payout. It will go down a little; I'll be getting about $45 less per month. While it's not a lot, my budget is already tight. I've made the adjustment in my variables budget. It will be a little harder to meet.

Looking at the things I'm scheduled to do next month, I realize I may have to do some juggling. I have a dentist appointment coming up, the cats need their checkups, the car needs an oil change, and I need a haircut. I also have Easter expenses. Something will have to give, and it will probably be the cats' checkups. That can wait till next month, but then I'll have my eye exam, and my girlfriend weekend getaway. Sigh. I know I have plenty of savings, but I just hate to use it for anything but true emergencies. Not to mention, my 16-year-old car could give out any time.

Not much new in the diaries. My mother mentions giving a ride to "Danny" -- that is my dad's younger brother, who outlived them all, passing away a few years ago at age 90. He was my favorite uncle. Mom and Dad celebrated their birthdays together for the first time -- their birthdays were only two weeks apart. Mom mentions having rabbit for dinner, and I thought of Lucky Robin! I think her rabbit was a wild one, though. She is working for the Red Cross after work, teaching Sunday School, and playing her violin at receptions. Also doing a lot of work for her sorority. Busy lady.

Again, spent nothing yesterday. I used a bit of gas going to the gym, but I won't have to fill up before pay day, so it doesn't matter.

I ate Reubens, potato salad, grapes and carrots again. Also working my way through the sherbet so I can free up more room in the freezer. Tonight I am going to babysit my grandsons while my kids go out, so I am going to take over a carton of ice cream.

There is only one Reuben left to eat today. Yay! But I still have a lot of rye bread, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and a bit of corned beef, not to mention the Thousand Island sauce I made. I'm not going to make more Reubens but need to figure out how to use up these items. The cheese I can use in a quiche. The TI sauce is great on hamburgers. The sauerkraut I can eat with Polish sausage or hot dogs. But I can't do any of these things until I can grocery shop again on Wednesday.

Went over to my son's yesterday and we played Splendor (a board game). We tried to get the grandsons interested, but they are only interested in video games now. I'm sure they are having fun, but I miss the shared experience of playing a board game together. They are not mature enough yet to realize they are missing something.

My grandson tried out for the travel baseball team, and he felt it went well. He is starting to figure out that he will not ever be a pitcher, but he is good at fielding and catching, and at hitting. I hope he is selected for the team; he enjoys it so.

No big changes in the diary. My mom is still dating both JB and Dad, as well as an occasional date with someone else entirely. She and her sister spent a week at a lake resort which I have also visited with my sons when they were small. I don't know if it even exists any more, but in my day it was a place with a variety of rides, pools, mini-golf, etc. She mentions "tobogganing" -- which must have been a water flume or something -- and dancing in the evening in the dance hall.

I really enjoy her descriptions of her clothing. She sewed a lot, and made most of her clothes. When she says she bought a new dress, she means she bought the material. But occasionally she gets ready-made stuff. She had an "old rose Sloppy Joe sweater" that she apparently liked to wear a lot. She also enjoyed wearing her "black & white gingham" -- a dress. She seemed to buy hats often, including a "doll hat." Turns out that is one of those little hats that perched on the side near the forehead. (No explanation how she got it to stay!) She mentions only once buying a pair of slacks. My guess is she only wore them at home. She also buys gloves, hose and purses a lot. It was a different world.

War has broken out in Europe, and she is impatient with all the "war talk."

I suspect I am reading about the happiest time in her life, and it is nice to see.

That was yesterday. I did not spend anything. I am not even doing laundry until payday.

I did make croutons, as planned. I only used half the loaf, as that seemed to fill up the baking pan I used. The croutons turned out great. It is pumpernickel bread that I am trying to use up, and it makes pretty good croutons.

I finished reading my book, and I'll be starting a new one today. Luckily, I have a nice stash from my last trip to Goodwill.

I'll be eating Reuben sandwiches again. It's like Groundhog Day! Same day over and over! Luckily, I really like Reuben sandwiches. I'm also working on the potato salad, grapes and carrots.

I will go to the gym later. My only challenge, so far, with not spending until Wednesday, is that I'm going to run out of clean workout pants. I'll have to come up with something else. Or maybe I can handwash a pair.

Now, to the diary. JB has reappeared and Mom is dating both him and my father, though from her tone I am getting the impression that she is only dating JB because she is feeling sorry for him. She is clearly getting more involved with my dad's family. My grandparents were very fun and personable, so I can see that they must have been a big attraction for her as well as the attraction to my father. She had a wonderful time with the whole family at a hamburger cookout in one of the state parks on July 4. Dad is driving now, so he must have come up with a car somehow.

She finally spelled his name right, but then reverted back, so she is still not sure.

Almost forgot! I got a check from the museum yesterday! It covered two of the three outstanding invoices. (This doesn't change my no-spend plan -- museum money is designated for savings.)

And it was a success! The food was good, the company was good, and it seemed like everyone had a good time! The only bad thing is that I have so many leftovers. For instance, I have a whole loaf of bread that won't fit into the freezer. (And there are already three loaves in the freezer.) The freezer has been reorganized and it is packed like a puzzle, so I'm just going to have to eat that bread. Maybe I'll make croutons, which can be stored in a bag.

I had about five half-sandwiches left over. I wrapped them in foil and will eat them the next few days. There's also a lot of potato salad, which won't keep, so I'll have to eat that. Most of the fruit was eaten, and all of the chips, but I have a lot of baby carrots left. They will be no problem to use up, however.

My nephew brought two pies, so we didn't even touch the ice cream I bought. I have five containers. (I would say half-gallons, but I don't think they are true half-gallons any more.) I bought five because it was cheaper that way. Since I cannot have much ice cream at one time, it certainly will last a long time! Perhaps my grandchildren will help me.

I am really committed to NO food waste, so this will be a challenge.

I progressed a little in my mother's diary today, but not too much, since I had a lot of prep work to do. And for some reason, I had a headache all day, but it went away before the dinner guests came.

It seems that while my mother's previous boyfriend took her to restaurants and movies a lot, my father seems to be taking her to musical programs, especially big band groups. They do not eat out at fancy places, but at diners. She has already met his parents (my grandparents) after going out with him one month. She has also met his brother, my uncle who died so young, and who I do not remember. In all the time she went out with JB, she did not mention his family.

It is also clear that JB loved to drive her around, but my father comes to see her on the bus. Neither one of them has a car. They don't live in the same town, so clearly getting together requires some effort and planning.

I also find it interesting that she is spelling his name wrong. He has one of those names that can be spelled two different ways, and she has picked the wrong spelling. I'm going to see how long it takes her to get it right!

After the gym this morning I went to both Gordon's and Jewel to finish buying supplies for the dinner tomorrow. I spent more than I hoped to -- the real kicker was the cost of paper plates, napkins, plastic cutlery, plastic bowls, etc. They cost $38, even at Gordon's. But I'll probably have plenty left over for another day. I chose plain green, so I can use them for Christmas. Food cost $35.

I also picked up a prescription for $6.

So, my variables budget is 107% spent and I'm six days away from payday. I think I'll be all right spending nothing those six days; I'm just a little sorry I went over. If I had decided to use my own china, napkins, etc. I would have made it, but I opted for easy.

I heard from BFF. They are definitely going to the zoo on Saturday, so I'm out. It's a good thing, really. If they had gone to the museum, I would have tried to make it work, but even though I get in free, I probably would have ended up spending money for food.

So, to the diary. The very first mention of my father! Their first date was on March 25, 1939, and they went to see Vincent Lopez, a big band leader. Not clear whether they saw him in person or went to movie. My mother made no comment about my father other than they went together. The following day she wrote that she went out with "a bunch of kids from Edinburg." He was probably one of them, because that's where he grew up.

Looking forward to filling in a little family history!