My weekend was not too spendy, and still fun.

On Friday night, after the workshop, I went out with some of the attendees for a Happy Hour. I bought a Sangria for $12 -- ample appetizers were provided, and they were my supper.

I ended up paying $3.50 in parking that day.

On Saturday I went garage saling with a friend. I spent $12.75 and bought a serving bowl to match my pattern, a winter hat, photo paper, knight action figures for the toy box, 2 children's books, a children's puzzle, and a ruffly top for my granddaughter. I'll be sending a box of all my found treasures to her today.

My grocery shopping was $30. I bought: toilet paper, 2 cans of tomato sauce, a can of garbanzo beans, a can of diced tomatoes, a zucchini, couscous, almond milk, yogurt, sourdough bread, mayonnaise and granola bars.

Just realized, looking at the receipt, that I was charged for a cucumber instead of a zucchini. I wonder if that made a difference in price? I think maybe it was cheaper.

Guess these young cashiers don't know the difference between a cucumber and a zucchini!

I spent $6 on laundry, and this morning, I filled up the gas tank for $49. (High prices today)

I made and shared the Moroccan chicken stew which Hamchan posted. My son liked it, my DIL didn't, and I was in the middle. My grandsons weren't even willing to try it. I certainly liked the calorie level, though! Between that, and hot & sour cabbage soup for lunch, I had a very lo-cal day.

I drove today, since I was low on gas, and I like to fill up in my work town. So I also grabbed two packages to mail -- also much more easily done in my work town. Unfortunately, I forgot that I'm working at a golf outing tomorrow, so will probably have to drive again. I should have waited!

I forgot to mention the fun part of my weekend -- attending my grandson's baseball game, and then his violin recital. It was a big day for him, and he got overtired and fidgety at the recital when it got long (he was one of the first to perform). But he apologized so sweetly to his teacher. The recital is fun for me, because it's so interesting to see the level of skill rise as the ages go up. One teenage boy was really quite amazing!

I went to the workshop this morning -- paid $2 for parking. While there, I got a text that the books were going to be delivered today. So as soon as the first speaker finished up, I left to wait at home.

Well, so far one package has been delivered. A second package, a bigger one with 13 books, is still on a FedEx truck. It's getting close to the time when I am supposed to take part in the panel discussion. I just texted a colleague to ask what they want -- the books, or my participation in the panel?

I wish things were not so bumpy, sometimes!

I took the time at home to gather up bits and pieces. I combined the ends of four bottles -- mayonnaise, mustard, raspberry vinaigrette dressing and teriyaki marinade, which along with a little extra oil and vinegar, made a good salad dressing. I also gathered up the last bits of vegetables which I cooked with a little onion and will turn into soup. Later on, or maybe tomorrow, I'll gather up the fruit and make a smoothie. I just love to use it all up!

I did miss out on the free lunch at the workshop (unless some nice person has saved some for me). Oh well. I just wish the books would come so I could be on my way!

It was a shiny one, too! I always love to pick up the freshly-dropped coins, rather than the ones that have turned green and been run over numerous times. Though I pick those up, too!

I am coming very close to the $40 mark now. I've done it the hard way. Only $18 has been in bills. The rest is in coins, mostly pennies.

I had another no-spend day, second in a row.

No ticket on my car! I was parked correctly -- but I did have to backtrack to go get it, having forgotten where I parked. Now I don't have to worry about street-sweeping again for another month.

Tomorrow I don't have to work -- I'm going to be on a panel at a workshop. I hope my brain is working better tomorrow. I just filled out a questionnaire and struggled with finding the right words. And writing is usually much easier for me than speaking!

This is the event I ordered the books for -- which were stolen. A second order of 10 has come in, but the original order of 20 -- which I reordered after the theft -- has not yet arrived. There is still a possibility it will come today, and since the workshop is in my town, I can also check for them at noon tomorrow. I did get set up for text messages on tracking updates. I really wish they would come in, because if they come after the event, our organization is going to have to pay to send them to the attendees. Even though it's no personal cost to me, as the Treasurer I hate to see that happen.

Yesterday was a no-spend day. And I found .12!

I had to move my car for street sweeping this morning, and after I got to work, I started to worry that in my early-morning funk, I moved it to a spot that was still banned. So I started looking up addresses on Zillow and mapping them to see if I was on the right side of the street. I think I'm okay. I would hate to pay a $150 fine!

Not much is going on financially. This is the spell I have every month when the bills are paid, and I'm waiting for my next paycheck. I just try to keep the spending low, so that I can make a big sweep from checking to savings. I think $1500 will be a possibility.

Housing - $677
Entertainment - $199 (includes Ancestry.com membership)
Gifts/Charity - $155
Fares/Parking - $142 (includes monthly train pass)
Utilities - $118
Clothing/Accessories - $113 (including jewelry)
Vacation/Travel - $111 (trip to Indiana)
Fees/Services - $103 (license plate renewal)
Eating Out - $77
Groceries - $72
Vet/Pet Supplies - $63
Phone - $51
Furnishings/Equipment/Decor - $36
Personal - $17 (Haircut)
Household Supplies - $14
Laundry - $14
Grand Total - $1,962

As long as the total is below $2000, I'm happy. And I had some annual expenses thrown in there, like the ancestry.com membership and the license renewal.

No gas, and no medical, which helped!

After waiting most of the day for a plumber to show up or call, I called the property manager to ask if one was indeed coming. The person I talked to didn't seem to know. She gave me a number to call, but I could only leave a message there.

Finally I decided I had to call an outside plumber if I was going to get it fixed. I did, but they couldn't schedule an appointment till the following day. I texted work and told them the situation, but no sooner had I done that, than the property manager called and gave me the number of a person on-site who does some handyman work for them. He answered the call, and he came, and he fixed it for $15. Hallelujah!

I don't think this person works for the manager in a professional capacity, because he asked for cash. When I didn't have it, and offered to write a check, he asked me if I would get cash and tape it to my door (in an envelope). I left him a twenty this morning, since I was so grateful someone finally did something! I do hope no one else gets it! Only the building residents have access to the hallways and stairwells, but I don't know who is to be trusted anymore.

He replaced a part, so I am hoping that this will not happen again. If it does, I have his number!

As I was home all day yesterday, there was no other spending, so nothing else to report! Later I will post my May recap.

Remember the ever-flushing toilet? Well, when I walked in the house on Friday night, it was flushing again. It's still flushing. So far I have not had any response from the property manager. Last time this happened, the city turned the water main off and on. This time it was the building manager. I feel that they should send a plumber, or pay the bill, but as I say, so far I can't even talk to anyone. The office opens at 9, so I have some hope. (Last time it cost me $125. I don't like the idea of paying that every time someone messes with the water.)

I did a lot of spending. On Saturday, I went garage saling and spent $6.75 -- the best find was a set of three beautiful bone china mugs of the type that I collect. Then I went to my grandson's baseball game and bought my lunch out of the vending machine, since I didn't get a chance to go home. $4.50. That evening was the celebration dinner for my grandniece's high school graduation. I spent $21 on a card and wrap. Yes! My DIL took me to a specialty store when I said I needed these things. Crazy prices. Then I wrote a check for $20.14 to slip in with the photo frames I got so cheaply last week.

Parking at the restaurant cost me $3.36. However, I found .34 in change below the meter! Some was in plain sight; the rest I found digging around in a dense plant below the meter. I probably amused several onlookers -- I was dressed up very nicely; I'm sure it looked pretty funny! But when I kept finding coins I couldn't stop!

The dinner tab was picked up by my grandniece's grandparents, which was very nice and generous.

On Sunday, I grocery-shopped at Target so I could use some coupons. However, I forgot to use the $5 off coupon for any grocery order over $30! How did I miss that? Oh well, it's good through the 9th. But prices are high at Target. It is not a Super Target, but one of the stores that carries a limited selection of groceries. I spent $54 and got the following:

Dishwashing detergent
Shredded Mexican cheese
Cherry tomatoes
Brussell sprouts
Lettuce
Salad greens
Coffee
Watermelon
Strawberries
Raspberries
Hebrew National beef franks
Bacon
Whole wheat hot dog buns
2 green peppers
Shower cap

Then I went to Jewel and picked up a three-month supply of my prescription - $15 -- and also some wine and granola - $9.

Later in the day I met a friend at a coffee shop and had coffee and pie for $8.

And I did three loads of laundry for $4.50.

Oh, and I hosed off my car in a do-it-yourself car wash for $2.00.

So, no really big spending, just a lot of little stuff that made me feel like money was just draining away.

I'm working from home today, so I can deal with the plumbing issue. Wish me luck!

The books I ordered for our workshop were supposedly delivered on Wednesday, but no package. I ordered a replacement shipment, but I don't know if it will make it on time.

What really distresses me is having another problem with receiving a package. The other one turned up -- will this one?

All I can say is, if someone stole a package with 20 copies of a book on how to do prospect research, they're probably sorely disappointed!

Before I even realized that the package was missing in action, I made a second order of 10, since more people had signed up. I hope THAT package arrives okay.

If this proves to be a continuing problem - with others as well as myself -- we will probably all have to go to the post office to pick up our packages. Yuck.

Today was my weigh-in day and the scale showed a 2-lb. gain! What? I haven't been starving myself, but I thought I was holding the line. Time to be more vigilant.

(Of course I'm very tempted to blame the junky scale!)

Yesterday was a no-spend day, and I think today will be, too, unless I do some laundry tonight!

Last night's dinner went well. The bereaved mom seemed pretty much like her old self, only with a veil of sadness. She did not talk about her daughter, and we did not push her. She has always been a very private person and a very strong lady. I do hope there is someone in her life with whom she can openly share. I also hope it was therapeutic just to sit in the sun and have a good meal, some laughter, some gossip, and a glass of wine. It was good to see that she can still laugh.

My portion of the meal was $21.

The others were amenable to giving me cash and letting me put the whole meal on my Cap One Quicksilver card. I've put $309 on it so far and have two more months to get up to $500, so as far as I'm concerned, the $100 reward is in the bag.

One of them gave me a check. I'm going to use my app from the credit union and put it into savings (by taking a picture). I've decided to do this with all checks that I get. I don't get many, but it's easier than going to the bank, and it's another way to plump up savings.

It's the end of the school year and things are winding down quickly. Graduation is this weekend, but already the campus is cleared out. It's too bad -- when the campus is at its most beautiful, the students aren't here to enjoy it! But that means we 12-monthers get to enjoy it all the more!

I forgot that I had it on my calendar, but I'm having dinner out tonight. It's with the mother of the young woman who died after a heart transplant. It's the first time I've seen her since the memorial service, and I think it will be difficult. Another friend will be going along, so that will help. I hear she is not doing well -- who would be? Just hoping we can make her day a little brighter.

I wish I had remembered, though, so I could have driven. Now I will be stuck with the hourly train schedule that starts up after six. Ugh. Late night.

I bought my train ticket yesterday ($135) but that was my only spending.

I ran into an "old" friend on the train -- someone I used to see quite regularly but who got on a different schedule. We rode together and caught up on each others' lives. It turns out he and his wife have just sold their house and are moving out West. They don't have a place to live or jobs lined up. They just want to be where there is more sunshine. They're not even sure what state they're going to, but they have to clear out of their house by July. There seems to be a hazy plan to start a business. What?? I tried to be non-judgmental but it sounds pretty crazy to me. They are not youngsters, either. I gave him my business card and told him to please let me know how it all turns out. They are very nice, very religious people and pretty certain that "God will provide." I hope they don't get a rude awakening!

Well, I should never plan to get a lot of things done. Fate always interferes! I got sick on Sunday and remained sick on Monday, so I lost two days of my long weekend, plus missed all the Memorial Day festivities.

I'm feeling better today and am back at work. Tired, but functioning.

Before I got sick, I went garage-saling with my DIL and her mom on Saturday. I spent about $10 and found some interesting things. Probably my best buy was a McCoy teapot for $1 -- but once I got home I realized that the handle had been broken and glued, so it isn't quite as valuable as I thought. However, it's pretty!

I also got a Belleek vase for $5. It is perfect. I put it in my glass-doored cabinet with my white ware and I am inspired to look for more Belleek, I like it so much! For those that don't know Belleek, it is a lustrous porcelain made in Ireland, almost always white with a delicate clover pattern.

On the more practical side, I found some cookie cutters to give to a friend, some clothes for my granddaughter (including a brand-new Carter's jacket), and a very cool pewter coffee scoop.

On Monday I dragged myself to Supercuts. My hair was already overgrown and I didn't want to wait another week to get it trimmed. I actually felt pretty good while I was there, but afterwards I went home and went straight to bed. The cut was $17, including tip. I've found a wonderful hairdresser at Supercuts; she cuts my hair perfectly. I just hope she stays a while.

I tried to get my train pass for next month this morning, but there was a huge line. I'll try to get it this evening, when there is more time between trains.

I went through a bunch of papers and mail this weekend, and found a $5 bill in a letter from Nielsen. Thank goodness I looked! It was payment for a survey I had done. I wasn't expecting cash. I'd been looking for an email from them.

Well, it's a short week. Tuesday already! Hump Day tomorrow! I can do this!

I had a bad night because of pain in my legs, but I was able to sleep in this morning.

I did three loads of laundry, then went shopping. First stop was PetSmart, where I spent $40 in the process of trying to get a good deal. I needed fish pellets and kitty litter. The fish pellets are cheap. The kitty litter -- I decided to go with a 27 lb. container of scoopable litter because it was on sale AND there was a $5 coupon. Well, it turned out the $5 coupon was for ProPlan cat food, IF I bought the kitty litter. So I bought the cat food. I had to get a 16 lb. bag to use the coupon. And ProPlan isn't cheap, but I do know it's a good food -- I've used it before, with good results. So that's how I ended up spending $40. I now have three bags of cat food because of various deals. With any luck at all, I shouldn't have to go near PetSmart again for quite a while!

Oh, and those big bags are still sitting in my car. I may have to use my dolly to get them upstairs.

Next I went to Kohl's to use the $10 gift card. I also had a 30% off coupon. I decided to buy two wooden frames, which were 2-for-the-price-of-one. I will give them to my grandniece for her high school graduation. I figure she will want some pictures on her desk at college! The full retail cost was $40 and I got them for $10.

And then to the grocery store. It was difficult to make the choice of only ten items, but I settled on:
ground turkey, bacon, eggs, butter, granola, an onion, pantiliners, detergent, bread, and hamburger buns. Total bill was $26 -- and that was after two weeks of not shopping! (I do have plenty of food in the freezer).

At home again, I made some chicken noodle soup from scratch, and cut up and sauteed some onion and celery to use in sloppy joe's tomorrow. I guess they will be sloppy tom's, since the meat will be turkey!

For breakfast I made an egg casserole, and for lunch a tuna melt. I'm very strategically using things up.

I was pretty tired in the afternoon, but I cleaned out my hutch and put in more seasonally-appropriate dishes etc. (Read that as, yes, I finally packed up my Santa collection!)

My new oven stone was delivered and I washed it and found a place to store it.

I swept all the floors, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, made the bed, and just did a bunch of little housewifey things that I haven't been good about doing lately.

I'm actually looking forward to giving the whole house a through dusting tomorrow!

Got my new Capital One Quicksilver card and made my first purchase -- $15 for Garrett's popcorn -- graduation party at work.

I'm taking tomorrow off, so I'll have a nice, long weekend. That's good, because I have a lot of "home" work to do. Being away last weekend put me off schedule. My laundry is piled up, the mail is piled up, and the house is generally a mess.

It was very warm last night, and I managed fine with the windows open and the ceiling fan on -- but it reminds me that I need to address air conditioning soon. I have two very old window units that I would like to replace. They are not very effective, they are energy drainers and very noisy! So I need to look for a good sale to get something small, quiet and efficient. And I think I need three units -- living room, dining room and bedroom. It may sound weird that I need one in the dining room, but it is a large central room and the sun really beats in the windows. It gets very, very warm, and when company is here, that room is the hub of activity.

I haven't grocery-shopped in two weeks, but I'm still going to try to keep it down to ten items. I do have to make a run to PetSmart as well, to get kitty litter and fish food.

And I'm due for a haircut! I think it's going to be a busy weekend, even if no cookout or family event materializes!

Well, yesterday I averted disaster (i.e. going to meetings in a stinky sweater!) The first morning meeting I did by phone; the second one I skipped (optional). At noon I went out and bought a new top and then went to my two afternoon meetings.

I went to Kohl's -- and kicked myself for not having my Kohl's $10 gift card in my purse! The shirt I bought was $26. I did check the 60-70% off clearance racks, but there was nothing suitable in my size, so I just decided to go for something I liked and that I would wear a lot. So I bought a navy camp shirt with a little bird print in apricot and teal -- very cute.

I almost ALWAYS buy secondhand so retail prices are shocking to me! The $26 shirt was marked down from $36 but still way more than I ever pay.

I also stopped at Barnes & Noble on the way home to order the books -- found out they couldn't order 20 copies, so I went home and ordered on Amazon instead. There was no shipping charge, so it will work out. The only bad thing is they will be delivered to my home and then I'll have to get them to the workshop by myself. Oh well. I have a little dolly that will help.

Sometime back I mentioned that my immediate boss was interviewing for a position at a big museum in the city. She is still on track for getting that job, though they haven't completed the process. She says she will hire me if she gets it. I don't know if this will really come to pass, but it would be a godsend. I would have to put in a few more years of work, but it would certainly make my eventual retirement easier, and the commute would be much better. But as I say, everything is nebulous right now.

I drove to work today, since I have to stop on the way home and order books for a workshop I'm helping to present. The books are gifts to the attendees; our professional association is footing the bill. I could order online, but for something like this, when I'm ordering in bulk and want the merchandise shipped to a specific store, I would rather talk to someone in person. I'm old-fashioned that way!

I STINK today! Yes, really. I put on a sweater that I air-dried flat. Apparently one of the cats took a leak on it. I didn't notice until I was already here. I sprayed it with air freshener from the bathroom, but it still smells bad -- just a different kind of bad! I think I will simply have to go buy a new top at noon; I can't stand it.

I also have four meetings today (ick!) and my boss just asked me to update a profile ASAP. I hate days like this. I'm only checking in because the very act of posting grounds me and calms me!

Hope everyone out there is having a better day than I am!

I had a nice weekend visit, Friday through Sunday, with my BFF. We did our usual -- shopping, eating out, movies -- all the stuff I don't usually do alone. I didn't hold back on spending but it wasn't too terribly bad:

Gas: $45
Food: $60
Shopping: $124
Entertainment: $7

The bulk of my shopping was buying jewelry and a shawl for the wedding I'm attending -- a bit of a splurge but all stuff I will be able to use again. My outfit is done, so no more spending there. We also did our Goodwill run, and I bought some summer clothes as well as some bargains for the grandkids, and some housewares.

We went to see The Grand Budapest Hotel -- hilarious! And watched Twelve Years a Slave on demand. It was hard to watch, but definitely worth seeing.

Mostly we just caught up on girlfriend chatter; it was a great time.

Now it's time to get back on track -- not just spending but calorie counting!

I updated my settings, and my blog name and settings disappeared. Just so's you know....

I had quite a day yesterday. Everything was going fine and then, as I was walking at the station I tripped over some rough payment and fell. There was no way to catch myself and I went down hard. And I fell on my knees. It's been my biggest fear....

Luckily, though I have scraped hands and knees, and a bump on my "good" knee, I don't seem to be any worse off. I was so afraid that this would set back my progress on my knee, but so far, so good.

I ruined the shoes I was wearing, however. I scraped off the dark "skin" of the leather, exposing a light, rough patch on the toe and it looks pretty awful. I can wear the shoes around home but not to work any more. And they were only a few weeks old.

I also got some blood on my pants -- hoping it will come out in the wash.

It was a hard day to come to work. Not only am I scraped up, but the weather is cold, windy and rainy. I got in my car to drive to work, but when I neared the station there was a perfect parking place, so I took it as a sign that I should park and ride!

But it's pay day! I paid my bills and transferred $1250 into savings. I deposited a check via smartphone into my credit union account, which puts me in the running for a $500 prize. I wonder how good my odds are?

This afternoon we are having an ice cream social at work. I am guessing they will move it inside. I am still up for ice cream, despite the dreary cold, so I hope they don't cancel!

By the way, if you can't tell -- this is CB!

Oh yes, just remembered -- I applied for and was accepted for a new CitiBank Quicksilver card. $100 reward after $500 spending in three months. Easy peasy.

1. My boss just confessed to me that she is one of two candidates for a job at another organization. She wanted to know is she should tell her boss -- I said no, not until an offer is made. I think there will be some changes around here!

2. I found a stack of nine pennies on a ledge on my way to the station. I pocketed them, of course, but I wonder why someone would do that? Do people just hate pennies?

3. I think I'm giving up on the crystal cat litter. It smells really good for a week, and then it starts to smell really bad, and then it's really difficult to clean the box. It lasts less than half the time it's supposed to. And it's so expensive! However, I still have 3/4 of a container to use.

4. I took a Nielsen survey that will pay $5.

5. I think I'll go with that oven stone for my recognition gift!

I was recognized this morning as a five-year employee. Got a free breakfast, and I get to choose a gift from a catalog. I think I may go with an oven stone -- I've always wanted one and never had one!

Later in the week there will be a free ice cream social. Love this time of year for the free food!

Planning a getaway this weekend to visit my BFF in Indiana. We haven't been together since before this awful winter, so it will be good to catch up.

Pay day is coming up in two days. It looks like I will be able to transfer $1250 into savings.

The highlight of my weekend was going to an amazing Mother's Day brunch at a local restaurant. I ate WAY too much. I can't even name all the dishes they offered, but for me, the best ones were the crab cakes and Bananas Foster. And we got free mango mimosas, which really didn't matter to me, since my son paid, but I guess that was good for HIS budget!

I wasn't expecting a gift as well, but my son also gave me garnet earrings, which he ordered himself! And my DIL gave me some little vases in the Old Britain Castles pattern I am collecting for my hutch. My Florida son honored my wishes and sent a nice card. The good news I learned from him is that they might be enough ahead that they can fly up for my niece's wedding! That would be so wonderful.

I watched "The Pianist" on Xfinity. I had seen it long ago it the theater, and remembered it as a stunning Holocaust movie. Seeing it for the second time, I think I got even more out of it. It is really an amazing movie -- not a bit of whitewash or softening the horror, yet it was still uplifting in the end. A true story of a survivor, it really shows what it took to endure those times, and at what cost.

This morning I applied for Medicare. This makes my coming retirement seem a lot more real. It is only a year and three months now. That time will pass quickly.

I agree with Deacon's Wife. It is a dreary, dreary day.

I really didn't feel like going to work today when I woke up, so I forced myself ahead with the promise of a muffin at the station ($4, with coffee). After my walk to the station, it was especially welcome. I got SOAKED. Even though I had an umbrella, I was drenched, especially from the knees down. Three hours later I am still damp.

A muffin packs a big punch calorie-wise, so I'll have to be careful today.

Friday is my weigh-in day. There is no change, but since I lost 4 pounds in the last two weeks, I didn't expect any change today. Just glad I didn't gain anything back!

I'm expecting a Mother's Day treat this weekend -- possibly a breakfast at a Southern-style diner -- the idea has been bandied around, anyway!

I'm also looking forward to getting some things done around the house. It's been one of those weeks when I came home every night and did the bare minimum before going to bed. I will feel a lot better if I can get things more orderly.

Looks like I will go with Chase for my new credit card. Just have to fill out the form this weekend. $500 spending in three months, $100 bonus.

That Wells Fargo deal looks good, but I can't commit myself to that much spending.

I made plans to have lunch with a colleague today. I was expecting that she would want to go out, but she wanted to brown-bag it and eat outside, since it will be a pretty day. Have I found a frugal friend?

I normally bring leftovers or frozen entrees that have to be heated up, but today I brought cheese, crackers, an apple, a banana, and granola bars. Might not eat it all, but I am prepared!

I think I have scratched the Las Vegas vacation. I was hoping to meet up with friends attending a conference, but it looks like they won't be going. Next year's conference is in New Orleans. I think that might be something more up my alley, anyway! I've been to New Orleans, once, but didn't get to see very much.

So the next big event is my niece's wedding in July. Not sure how much that will cost me. I have most of my outfit figured out -- just need a scarf, or jewelry. I think I may be able to stay at my brother's house, so no hotel cost, if that is true. I'm driving; no airfare. I'll buy a nice gift, but this event shouldn't break the bank!

The plan started to fall apart just as I was leaving to catch the train. DIL emailed that she'd had a terrible day and wouldn't be good company. I texted to make sure she was okay, and she said it was only that -- a bad day, and no baby-sitter, and she couldn't face bringing the boys into town on her own. So I went ahead and met my niece and her fiance for dinner on my own.

Since it was not too cold and windy yesterday, I decided to walk from the downtown station to the hotel -- about 1/2 hour. From there, the three of us walked to Elephant & Castle, about 3-4 blocks away. E&C is a British-themed restaurant -- it serves Yorkshire pudding, beef pie, bangers & mash, poutine, and other British delicacies as well as the usual burgers and salads. We shared poutine and I ordered a steak sandwich, and it was all good. I gave them $20 toward the bill, which they protested but finally accepted. We all had a good time, did a lot of catching up, and got our pictures taken so my niece could post it on Facebook. (Wouldn't be real otherwise, right? )

The restaurant was very close to a CTA stop. The CTA is not my usual train. I take the Metra, which mainly services the suburbs. CTA goes all over the city and into some of the near suburbs as well. It's cheaper, but seedier. The clientele can be a little daunting, and the stations are very rough and dirty.

My niece and her beau walked me to the stop and then continued on to the hotel. I went up and bought a ticket and got out on the platform and waited. And waited. Finally I looked at the schedule. (Duh!) I realized that I had missed the last train for my line, even though it was only 7:30.

With a sinking heart, I talked to a CTA employee, who explained how I could get home if I took three different trains. Yikes! Not knowing the lines at all, I didn't feel at all confident about doing that. I decided to walk back to the Metra station, which, remember, was a half-hour away.

Granted, I could have taken a taxi, but even though I saw a few, they were always in the wrong place, or already had passengers.

So I walked. I was so grateful to have my smartphone to orient myself correctly. I think otherwise I would have gone the wrong way altogether.

It was daylight when I started, but darkened quickly into twilight. I was probably never in danger, but I was scared. I don't mind walking downtown alone in daylight, but the big city feels pretty threatening when it gets dark, and I felt very vulnerable as an older woman alone. I just tried to walk with a lot of confidence so no one would guess how frightened I was.

Obviously, I got to the station just fine, but I was so relieved to get back to familiar territory. I had one more walk to make when I got back to my suburb, but even though it was very dark then, I wasn't afraid on my own turf.

I was aware all this time that my toes were feeling pinched, but when I got home and took my shoes off, I found that a sharp toenail had drawn blood and the toe of my sock was soaked with it. New socks, too! I also had a bad surprise waiting for me at home -- I had neglected to change the cat litter, and the cats let me know it by peeing on a plastic bag in the closet. Copiously. And they had diarrhea on the rug. So I had that mess to clean up and the disgusting litter box to clean before I could relax.

And when I got in bed, my knees (which had felt all right until then) started aching, and I couldn't sleep until a pain pill took effect.

As I was settling in, I reached to the bedside table for a glass of water, which I proceeded to pour all over myself. I think I screamed, "Worst day ever!" But of course it wasn't, just a bad ending to a good day. And it felt awfully, awfully good to be safe at home.

So that's it, the good, the bad and the ugly!

No spending yesterday, but.....

I went to the ATM this morning and withdrew $60. Yesterday my niece texted me that she and her fiance are in Chicago, and we are making plans to meet downtown this evening. My DIL and grandsons will come, too. No plan yet but I assume we will go out to dinner somewhere. I'm letting my DIL take charge, as she is good at that!

This is an unexpected expense, but I would never turn down the opportunity to see family!

I woke up this morning in the wrong part of my sleep cycle, and I just feel drained and out of it. Hope I will improve before tonight.

Other than that, not much is going on!

I took part in a focus group on campus vending today. I got a free continental breakfast -- unfortunately, I had already eaten, having forgotten about the event -- but I ate again anyway. It will be a challenge to stay under my calorie limit today!

And I also received a $15 coupon for the cafe. It's just a paper coupon, so it looks like I will have to spend it all at once to get the full value. That might be a bit of a challenge, as meals there are not that expensive!

I had a $10 gift card for Kohl's so I went and bought -- more baby clothes! AAaagghhh! I spent $6 out of pocket and got two pairs of pants and a shirt. This will complete a nice package of clothes to mail to my granddaughter in Florida. Her parents are still recovering financially, so I know that new clothes for her to grow into will be very welcome. It's a small way to help without stepping on their pride.

I just got off the phone with a Citi rep -- seems that last year, when I was charging up my Citi card to get the bonus, I used the card to pay for my ancestry.com subscription. Well, Ancestry charged the same card again this year, unbeknownst to me, and I didn't get a bill. (This seems to happen to me a lot! I swear I look at all my email! But it seems I must check the trash folder as well.) So I get a notice that the bill is overdue. I talked to a nice person at Citi who took off the late charge and I paid over the phone with my debit card. So I'm not out any money. The only bad thing is that $191 will come out of my checking account, which will lower the amount I can put into savings.

I went to a big church rummage sale yesterday. I didn't realize I was there on the last day, which meant slim pickings, but everything was half-price! I did find a few bargains. For my BFF's birthday, I bought a teapot, two coordinating teacups and a Williamsburg soap dish -- all for $3.25. For my hutch, I bought a decorative plate for $3. For another friend, whose Pfaltzgraff bowl I broke, I found a Pfaltzgraff pitcher for $6. It would have been REAL luck to find the bowl -- it is a discontinued piece, very hard to find. I think girlfriend will be happy with the pitcher, especially since she insisted that I do not replace it all. I also have a stoneware bowl the same size and in the same color family -- but not a Pfaltzgraff. I think the two together will help make up for my clumsiness!

I also found some little toys for the toybox -- $.50 for seven!

I did three loads of laundry - $4.50. Bought lunch at McDonald's -- $2. Spent $29 on groceries.

Today I'm making carrot-peanut butter soup in order to use up my carrots. Other than that, I seem to have plenty of food on hand for next week and nothing going bad.

I found a dime on Friday night. Coin-finding has definitely picked up!

Well, my first walk to the station in a month netted me .06 in change on the ground!

My only spending yesterday was $2 toward a birthday cake at work.

And I lost another two pounds when I weighed in this morning! (I'm not losing that fast. I think my scale is a little wacky. But I'll take it.)

I decided not to visit my friend in Indiana this weekend. Her granddaughter is in a dance recital, and that would take up a chunk of her Saturday. I'd rather go when we are both fancy-free.

That leaves me free to go to a big rummage sale tomorrow. I went to the same event last year, and didn't find much, actually, but I was a little late. This year I'll go earlier. Still, I'm not expecting much -- I seem to do a lot better with garage sales.

I hope it warms up this weekend. I have another baseball game to go to, and last week's was FRIGID!

It's May -- though it seems more like November, cold and dreary. But we do have pink and white blossoms to look at, instead of brown leaves!

I woke up early this morning, so I got on an earlier train than usual. Still, I saw some of my "regulars." It felt kind of good to be back in the routine. The walk to and from the stations was fine, though my knee is not perfect.

I put a note in my calendar for May 11 to apply for Medicare. I have to do that even though I will still be working. I can do it online. Not sure how it will affect my insurance, but this is what the HR office told me to do.

My friend in Indiana is urging me to visit this weekend. I want to see her, but I am not excited about making the drive, especially after a month of commuting by car. Yet I know I would have fun once I'm there. Maybe I'll just see how I feel Saturday morning.

I guess it's time to look for a new credit card, now that I've earned my latest reward. There's an application on my desk for a Wildlife Federation card, but it is another BOA card. I'd rather not do two in a row -- I'm not sure why!

I lost a necklace this morning! All I know is I put it on this morning, and it's no longer around my neck. Could be anywhere, so I probably won't find it. It wasn't expensive, but it was one that I liked!

Just got my bonus reward from my BankAmericard. With the 10% added bonus for putting the reward into my savings account it is $125. My snowflake total has risen to $510.61.

My April spending totals are as follows:

Housing - $677
Furniture/Equipment/Decor - $253
Home Repair/Maintenance - $212
Gas - $180
Fares/Parking - $156
Groceries - $145
Utilities - $140
Gifts/Charity - $100
Household Supplies - $81
Taxes - $66
Medical/Health - $58
Eating Out - $51
Phone - $50
Vet/Pet Supplies - $46
Fees/Services - $38
Clothing - $21
Laundry - $20
Entertainment - $8

Total - $2302

Not the worst month ever, but not the best. I ended up paying for the train ticket AND for the gas to drive in the same month, although the train ticket will cover next month's commute. Utilities were higher because the electricity bill came twice this month -- at the beginning and at the end. Groceries were higher than usual because I did more stocking up. I had state tax to pay, and medical co-pays. I had the plumbing expense, and the splurge at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

I think I can still handle $1500 savings out of my next paycheck if nothing goes awry!

Today was my last day of driving to work for a while. My parking pass expires today. I bought a train ticket for next month ($135) and also filled up the gas tank ($50).

Yesterday I bought a beach pass ($26). Doesn't seem anything like beach weather yet, but if want to even walk along the shore I have to have a pass. And since the beach is so close to my home, I do intend to use it a lot.

I also wasted .50 on parking only to find out that the train station was closed. (I bought my ticket at a different station.)

Later today I'll do my April recap, since I do not intend to spend anything else today.

Remember the other day I mentioned using a $7 coupon to buy cat food? Well, someone left the same coupon in the break room -- so I'll do it again! Anything I can do to save money on the pets! The cost of pet food has gone up dramatically in the past few years, and I have added the extra expense of taking care of an aquarium -- and buying the more expensive crystal cat litter. However, I've been lucky that the cats haven't needed veterinarian care in the past few years. They are getting older, though -- that won't last forever!