Wednesday
Saving log - $0
Spending log - $1.75 coffee + $23 office supplies + $8 lunch/snack fixings
Found money - $0.03 (sidewalk, floor)

Tuesday
Saving log - $0
Spending log - $6.75 coffee, breakfast for DH and I
Found money - $0.01 (sidewalk corner)

So much for hoping for newness; the landlord came in and replaced the element. So touchy grandma stove is back from hospice. And just in time, too. Sister mailed me a butternut squash, cut in half to get in the box. I cleaned it up, and then took a cheese slicer to the cut side to remove the outer layer and expose the better one. Said squash is now roasting comfortably in the oven along with the new element. (Squash soup). One advantage to the fix is that now the dial and the oven temperature agree. It used to run about 25-50 degrees too hot.

Another fix it - our DVD has been cranky loading DVDs and tracking. DH googled our DVD make and the problem, took the DVD apart, cleaned the lens with isopropyl alcohol wipes (had some to clean monitors), put the DVD back together and now its a lot less cranky.

Monday
Saving log - $6 tip box
Spending log - $11 lunch
Found money - $0.01 (road)

Sunday
Saving log - $0
Spending log - $3.88 bagel, coffee + $5 trail mix, salad
Found money - $0.05 (by wastebasket, sidewalk, road, bus floor, Safeway floor)

Deposited my monthly tip box collection - $47. When one pulls out $40 from the ATM, it perhaps is a little strange. Still, saving is saving.

When I got home I expected a round roast dinner. Instead, I got a taken apart stove. DH filled me in. He turned on the stove and the element caught fire. He called the fire department, who told him how to trip the fuse to the stove and disconnect the element so it would cool off. He called the landlord - fingers crossed that it is done and should be replaced. I've cooked a lot of great meals with the stove but it came from the 70's and behaved like it was 70. Touchy, in other words. Now... whose stove do we borrow?

Saving log - $0
Spending log - $4.20 breakfast + $56 greek groceries + $20 greek dinner

It seemed like a spendy day, but it really wasn't. Upon advice in the comments, we hit both the Free Museum Day and the Greek Festival.

We really went on an adventure today - we got to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma from home using our free museum pass, my bus pass, and DH's ORCA card. While it was cheap (about $3 without the passes and no driving, gas, parking), it took a bit more time to get there (2 hr versus 1 hr). A few pics...

Close up of the ceiling of the bridge one uses to get to the Museum of Glass - we are in Chiluly land.


Museum of Glass is a smallish building behind a huge honking cone.


Inside the huge honking cone is the "hot shop" where you can watch the glassblowers at work.


To tell you the truth, there was only 3-4 galleries of glass, so it took maybe an hour to go through it. We could take the bus back to Seattle, and we were dropped off within a block of a bus that I knew would take us to the Greek festival. This was the pricey part - I get the good olive oil in the metal gallon tin, feta, grape leaves - this year, I also got jar of hot pickled veg, a package of the least deadly sugar cookies (dozen baklava is just too dangerous), and a small pack of pistachio halva.

Then there's the eating. This pic sums up the Greek festival to me.

Sunday
Saving log - $0
Spending log - $3.88 coffee, bagel + $26 vitamins, bath salts, apple
Found money - $0

Saturday
Saving log - $0
Spending log - $12 coffee, breakfast + $16 various yard sale finds in the neighborhood
Found money - $.10 carpet of breakfast place + $.01 crosswalk

It was this year version of the Greenwood Yard Sale - it used to be held in April, but ever since last year when it hailed the day of the yard sale, the neighborhood re-set the time to September.

I don't whether it was due to the recession or that it was such a nice day that a lot more people participated (what? not going to the new Bravern mall), but the pickings were very good. I got a map from the Senior Center just up the street and began. I was specifically looking for a dutch oven for my sister, but I got:
2 bars of homemade soap (senior center) - $1
4 homemade brownies (senior center bake sale) - $1
1 metal bowl - $2
1 encyclopedia of container gardening - $1
4 burly patio chairs, 2 cushions - $7 (one had a strap out)
1 fold out patio table - $4

I could have gotten a foam cheesehead, a dehydrator, 2 bread machines, boodles of TVs (ha ha), a couple of flat screen monitors, a Bell & Howard film projector (got a flashback to second grade on that one).

We are in the process of getting rid of our ancient, flimsy patio chairs. Here's are two of the yard sale chairs. Stripping and repainting a patio table is in my future somehow.


In addition, we are going to give sister the smaller of one of our dutch ovens - we have two cast iron ones, each burly enough to make the NYT no knead bread recipe. I got the dutch oven that we're planning to give her from in a thrift store in Tucson for $10... made a lot of great meals in it.

Friday
Saving log - $2 tip box
Spending log - $1.75 coffee + $17 groceries (blueberries @ $3.88 for 2 lb)
Found money - $0

Thursday
Saving log - $1 tip box
Spending log - $22 Overstock.com purse
Found money - $0

My knee felt much better and I was much more confident on it than I had been, so I was bossed around by the trainer this afternoon. Did no knee exercises specifically, but during the twists and turns it was obvious that everything is connected. Got weighed today and I am at 173, so eating carefully to make up for no heavy exercise worked okay.

Received the purse at overstock.com. Some people are seduced by shoes, some by jewelry, some by jeans and skirts and belts... me, the purse. But this one fills a need. Vinyl, with a zipper at the top, useful because everything else I have is open or snapped at the top, I walk, and it rains in Seattle. As I was loading up my new purse, it occurred to me I carry expensive stuff routinely:

MP3 player - got it at $300
PDA - $150
Digital camera - $100
Spare prescription glasses - $200
Phone - $40

...depreciation, of course, so none of it will sell at those prices, but still, it gives me a jolt that I daily lug a pile that cost me $800. Bumping up against that 1K limit.

Sunday
Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $24 groceries, sister's birthday card
Found money - $0.01 (under the elliptical machine at the gym)

Saturday
Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $2.00 coffee
Found money - $0

My knee is still bothering me and it felt iffy to jog, so I did 45 minutes on the elliptical machine. And I got paid for it too by finding that penny underneath.

I'm down to $50 until the next paycheck next week - I broke down and transferred $200 from ING. With the chiropractor, mailing sister's birthday gift, and next weekend, I wasn't going to make it.

Saving log - $1 tip box
Spending log - $1.75 coffee + $4 smoothie/juice + $8 salad, grapes

2 ironies about our soon-to-be-ex mayor:

1. named Nickels (is that why I can't find any on the sidewalk?)
2. a former Chicagoan, he got tripped up in exactly the same way as several Chicago mayors did: lack of snow removal.

Tuesday
Saving log - $1 tip box
Spending log - $1.73 coffee
Found money - $0.01 (sidewalk, corner of 1st/Cherry) + $0.01 (next to wastebasket on 1st)

Monday
Saving log - $1 tip box
Spending log - $1.73 coffee
Found money - $0

My knee swelled a little bit. I can walk on it, its just stiff, but I'm taking it easy - no long walks, no stairs, no jogging, aspirin, and (R)est, (I)ce, (C)ompression, and (E)levation. The chiropractor gave it some gentle stretches and twists yesterday and it moved a lot better. Today, better, but I'm thinking that the workout Friday is going to be iffy. Better to lose a week than lose several weeks.

Yesterday I did make it to the bank to deposit the tip box earnings for the month.

Buying the beef set me back - after my monthly commitments, I only have $90 from my current paycheck to last me until the end of the month. I probably will have to grit my teeth sometime next week and take a bit of money out of savings. I'll hold out as long as is convenient, then break down. Bartering for a duck is a go, though, and that will feel good - I suspect my Duvall friends could use the bucks and the customers.

Wednesday
Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $12 groceries + $50 birthday gift
Found money - $0

Thursday
Saving log - $2 tip box
Spending log - $19 birthday gift
Found money - $0

With the exception of birthday gift for DH and birthday gift for sister at the end of the month, absolutely nothing fiscal has happened.

Saving log - $0
Spending log - $91 groceries
Found money - $0.01 (parking lot behind a concrete brake)

We now all vote by mail - we got the ballots 2 days ago and the voter's pamphlet today. We have to get the ballots mailed by Aug 18. The 20 cent plastic bag tax is on it - apparently the plastic bags that you put produce in does not count, just the ones at the front. Mr. goodspaceguy is running for mayor, which provided most of the reading entertainment from the voter's guide.

Walked the 7 miles downtown today, picking several blackberries along the way. They are nice and glossy black, but still a tad too sour. Give them another few days. I still don't understand why anyone in Seattle would actually buy blackberries, when there is such good hunting all around.

Saving log - $5 tip box
Spending log - $1.25 half 'n half
Found money - $0.25 (in gutter along curve, half buried in disintegrating leaves)

Tonight I found the rustiest quarter ever. When I saw it next to the curb on the road it was just a metal curve and I thought it was a rusted bottle cap. Nope - 1978 quarter. Surprise 1.

I renewed my prepaid cell phone a couple of days ago - my leftover minutes rolled over which was sweet. However in the last few days I've gotten a couple of calls from a collection agency. I have no debt, so they are not mine; I suspect they're coming from the previous owner of the phone number. Half buried surprise 2.

Question is: do I call them and tell them, or ignore them?

Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $22 beer, dinner
Found money - $0

DH and I had a little date night tonight. At one point in the conversation, we toasted Walter Cronkite.

"That's the way it is," we said, and clanked our glasses.

Saving log - $1.01 tip box
Spending log - $3.80 coffee, cake
Found money - .01 (sidewalk on 1st/Pike along Pike Market)

I splurged on a store bought coffee, but I remembered to say that I had a bus pass. Twenty cents off, or about 5%.

At the lunch hour, I walked with DJ friend - he had an errand to buy flowers (3rd wedding anniversary), and it was on my list to deposit my tip box. Along the way I found the penny and added it to my deposit.

We walked past a demonstration in front of Jimmy John's (sandwich shop) - it was a picket line with signs and chanting. According to the flyer we grabbed, a delivery guy was fired at JJ's without cause. I have no dog in this fight, but it was interesting to note that someone will raise a ruckus for you.

Saving log - $3 tip box
Spending log - $0
Found money - $0.01 (sidewalk in front of parking meter)

Forty years ago Thursday, hours before a celebrated event, a check was written to pay off a quick loan.

Fascinating to think that with all the last minute preparations said writer of the check had it on his to-do list. Probably didn't want it on his mind as he left Earth. Imagine if he used a payday lender.

Saving log - $3 tip box
Spending log - $10 lunch + $11 lb of coffee

Had lunch with the gang today, and since I seem to have only one restaurant lunch in two weeks, I don't feel all that bad about it.

After paying 2Q taxes last week and in the next couple of weeks I will be paying off the gym personal trainer, it will be a very spendy couple of weeks.

As of this writing I have $120 to last me a until my next paycheck 6 days from now. The weekends seem to be the worst, but in any case, I'm going to be feeling the frugal burn.

I worked out a bit yesterday. Sunday I ran one mile in 16 minutes, walked the next mile, and ran third mile in 18 minutes. Ugh. I was fairly depressed at doing not very well - but it was in the mid 80s. Hot for Seattle. If at first you don't succeed and all that.

It is with great sadness that I've read about the passing of Oscar Meyer and the actress who played Mrs. Slocomb in Are You Being Served? My childhood is slipping away.

Sister sent several pictures of the garden. The tomatoes that we planted on vacay are now about 2 feet high!

Thursday
Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $15 haircut

Wednesday
Saving log - $3 tip box
Spending log - $8.80 stamps


Yes, I still buy stamps. Hopefully we will use the sheet by the time USPS hikes postal rates again.

We have tomorrow off, so today felt like Friday. Lawyer friend took pity on my sadness for the last ten days, and treated me to a coffee. Actually he treated me to his freebie from the punchcard. As he paid the cashier for his he told them, "and I have a bus pass."

I keep forgetting that some places give you a discount if you have a Seattle Metro bus pass.

Tonight I walked past where I get my haircut and saw a small sign in the window: $9.99 Haircuts Happy Hour 7:30 - 9:00 pm. Easy enough to get my haircut 2 hours later than I planned. (and it means the stylist gets a better tip).

Paid to be alert.

Okay, I'll give you time to stop laughing and wipe your eyes reading that title.

Sister gave me a couple of pounds of rhubarb to do with as I pleased. Since I can't compete with her on the pie front, I decided to make a rhubarb cobbler. I've done the biscuit making in the past but I felt pretty lazy, so true to my Midwestern roots (we are the cooks who have most fully explored the uses of cream of x soup), I went for the easy route - biscuits in a can. I bought the biscuits, put them in a bag, then went on the bus. The bus hit a number of bumps and BANG. The most impressive part was that it startled the guy sitting across from me as he was listening to his iPod, drumming to the beat.

I sometimes get comments on how my pictures - how do I get such funny shots? Let me tell you about the ones that got away! For instance today, I failed to bring my camera, and I missed:

1. An extremely lazy panhandler downtown. He was standing at the corner of Olive and 4th, clean shirt, shorts and sneakers, intently reading the newspaper, and holding his cap out. That's it. I thought it was a bit of performance art for the tourists.

2. A message sign over Hardwick's that read, "Larry/Thanks for less than adequate service over the years."

Still might go back and get that one.

Saving log - $300 SYY drp + $40 MMM drp
Spending log - $12 breakfast + $26 tights & MP3 speaker + $40 cell phone + $4 watch battery

Ran a lot of errands today. Mailed in my first optional payment to buy more SYY stock.

We went to Joe's, formerly GI Joes, now bankrupt Joe's and soon to be no more. I had gotten shoes and running tights there in the past, and noted the $40 flip flops (!). Now its in its final stages of liquidation. The back had a lot of empty stands and round racks (also for sales). I figure that maybe 25% of their stock remained to be picked over. Its funny, when we used to talk about liquidations, it was a time to really get the 90% off deals. Nowadays, not so much - only about 40%-60% off - because liquidation is a big business by itself. And the ammo was only 25% off. What gives there! .

I saw something that I would have taken a flyer on, but in doing the math the price would have still been about $30.

I went across the aisle to Ross and while I didn't find tights, I found running pants that were my size for $12. When we got home, I cut the ripped tights off at the knee and tried them on. I'll try them out in their new guise.

We are going on a road trip in June, hooking up with sister and visiting the farmette (which has no land line), so we broke down and entered the 21st century and each got a no-contract cell phone. $40 flat with 300 minutes and a 60 day trial.

Lastly, I bought a new watch battery and tried it out. My heart monitor lives again.

Saving log - $5 tip box
Spending log - $12 lunch

It might be just me but payday seemed extra, extra welcome today.

Not a lot going on but somehow there's more on my shopping list this weekend: a battery for my heart monitor, new set of running tights (DH suggested I cut the old ones off at the knee and use nail polish or something to stabilize the spandex. I might try it, but I'd prefer to buy a new set when it doesn't work out), a cell phone for the June vacation.

I can console myself in thinking that no matter how much I think I'm spending myself into the poorhouse, it won't be but a drop in the bucket compared to this guy. Read this guy's story, then read our refreshingly boring blogs.

N.B. The guy's story referenced above has a very interesting "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say.

Wednesday
Saving log - $2 tip box
Spending log - $2 coffee + $12 groceries

Thursday
Saving log - $0
Spending log - $10 groceries

Two months ago Capital One sent a missive setting the new credit card at 24.99%. I called Capital One to tell them to cancel my account. What do I get in the mail but ... drumroll please...

A new Capital One Card!

Woo whee.

Well, its just as easy and fun to cut up an inactive credit card as it is to cut up an active one.

Let me predict that in six months I'll get some sort of message like "noticed you didn't activate your card." Nothing escapes them, apparently.

Monday
Saving log - $3.41 Temper check
Spending log - $5 latte, apple turnover + $11 lunch

Tuesday
Saving log - $0
Spending log - $0

Deposited what was in the tip box for the month - $45. Added a $3.41 refund check from Temper. (Temper bought my first share of Sysco - SYY - along with a 10% just in-case-the-price-rises cushion and did it for $3.41 less).

Took the day off yesterday and spent a glorious morning with a latte, an apple turnover, and 3 newspapers. Can you tell I was once an academic? The only difference is that my papers were the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times. I'm trying to get a feeling for the investment climate. I can always stick my head in the sand and wait, but its still better to make or not make a move based on trying to understand what what the climate is.

Yesterday afternoon I cleaned the living room and bedroom. Ah! Clear space and stuff put away properly is like a vacation that keeps going on and on.

Today I brought my gift of flatware to our floor's lunchroom at work (bought 7 forks and 7 spoons at the Goodwill on Sunday when everything was 50% off). Within 15 minutes I got a "whoever brought the utensils, thank you very much!" email. Hard to produce that amount of joy for $3.21.

Saving log - $6 tip box
Spending log - $11 groceries

Added to my tip box at work and popped the 1Q tax pre-payment in the mail in advance of tax season 2010. Nothing else happened fiscally today.

Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $12 breakfast + $10 bath salts and apple

I overheard this night as I walked through the Summer Streets program: "If you don't want to learn about memoir, try using our teleporter ... or study alien spores and brains."
(from the guy out in front of Greenwood's Space Travel Company - its a front for a non-profit writer's group).

Made me smile.

Again, I jogged the 3 miles, aka the mock 5K. Also did it in 47 minutes, jogging all the way, so it wasn't a fluke that I did it. Also my hips felt far, far better than last week. I could actually walk back home after the jog - much slower and took much longer than 47 minutes.

Planted purple carrots in an orange po- um, CONTAINER. Who says p-um, CONTAINER gardeners don't have a sense of humor.

Read an article in the New York Times today whose tone saddened me a bit. I'm not frugal as a competitive sport. I'm frugal because greater amounts of savings makes me comfortable in my place in society, and I'd rather have the money rather than greater amounts of branded stuff. I'm quiet about my saving in real life. If times get much worse, its really best not to brag about what you saved.

Saving log - $3 tip box
Spending log - $.50 apple

I ordered a CD from CD Baby and this email invoice made me laugh out loud....

"Your CD has been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.

"A team of 50 employees inspected your CD and polished it to make sure it was in the best possible condition before mailing.

"Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CD into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.

"We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Monday, April 6th.

"I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did. Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!

"Sigh..."

...Spending money for the invoice is not a great reason, but it is a pretty fun one. Got the box today and I was a tad disappointed that it wasn't gold lined. In the invoice the company suggested that I call them up "just to vent if I had a rough day." Wonder if they'll take a rain check.

Monday
Saving log - $5 tip box
Spending log - $0

Tuesday
Saving log - $5 tip box
Spending log - $2 coffee

Catching the bus
Reading the paper on the bus
Coffee and a bar
Morning work
30 minutes of gym
Box lunch
Afternoon work
Throwing money in the tip box
Watching the lettuce grow (4 leaves!)
Petting the cat
Sleeping

Look! spending money is not on the itinerary.

Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $3.50 coffee, bagel + $8 iced tea and sandwich @ Starbucks + $49 workout jacket + $4 fresh vegetables

Because I jogged yesterday, I decided to take it a bit easy and walk from my house to U Village (about 4 miles), through the thicket of Ravennas - Ravenna Blvd to Ravenna Ave, avoiding Ravenna Place.

My first assignment was to get that kosher Coke. Easter Sunday, and the Passover stuff was all there, but no yellow top, cane sugar, kosher Coke to be found. I looked all over the store. Bummer, I guess. My trainer I'm sure will completely disagree.

It was a chance, though, to walk through U Village. Despite the recession, there sure looks like a lot of spending going on. The parking lot was totally full with a lot of crazy driving going on, while certain nooks and crannies contained a lot of over-indulgent parents and kids. I did buy a light weight warmup jacket, but for 50% off. I have to think back to three years ago - I bought my MP3 player, which I still use daily; some gym clothes, which I generally use at least weekly and are now just a tad big; picked up and drank the Coke which my (then) trainer scolded me about; I took the bus there, thinking that that's a long way - now I take and hour and a half to walk there.

Just looked at my stats. Over 3/4 of a million hits. Who knew?

Saving log - $0
Spending log - $3.50 bagel & coffee + $25 groceries

I did a super long walk - from coffee to the Fremont Bridge, then over to 3rd Ave NW, and back up to 85th. It was about 7 miles. I timed the leg between the coffeeshop and the Fremont Bridge, because that's about 3.2 miles...in other words about 5K. The new trainer suggested that to spice things up and give me a goal, I should think about participating in a 5K. (Any advice, Laura?).

With jogging 10%/walking 90%, I made it to the Fremont Bridge in 55 minutes.

There was a PCC near the Fremont Bridge, so I brought my 10 remaining Clif bar coupons. They were also a bit thin on those, and had signs about the peanut recall. The flavors that they did have I liked, so I used all the coupons.

I told the checker how I got that many coupons - he thought it was a fine idea, and also told me that some of the smaller food companies will give you a coupon or two even if its just an email that says "hi, I like your products." Something to try - all I'd lose is time and a few electrons.

But the frugal acts of kindness were:

1. Out of the grocery store, I gave one of the Real Change vendors a couponed Clif bar. Didn't cost me anything but built up a tiny amount of karma.

2. On 3rd Ave NW, the wind came up, and dropped a bit. A garbage can tipped over and its lid was in the middle of the road. It took about 30 seconds to fetch the lid and re-unite it with the can.

1/2...After a little grocery shopping, I took the bus home the last ten blocks. At my stop home, two bus riders ran up and just caught the bus.

Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $16 purse

A local boutique, Lemon Meringue, is closing. I walked past tonight, as I've walked past many nights. I've been in several times, enjoyed the nice things, even got seduced by a couple of bags --

Then I'd look at the price, and thought, "nice, but not THAT nice."

This time I came in, made a beeline for the deepest sale racks, and saw a lovely bag for $19 (original price $80). Actually, with an additional mark down, it went for $16.

I felt, and still feel, a bit like a vulture. The co-owner I chatted with was sympathetic - we would do the same thing, she said. We're developing perhaps an online presence...if nothing else, we will be doing something else. And thank you for shopping locally.

She poured both of us each a glass of wine; both vulture and victim drank.

Wednesday
Saving log - $7 tip box
Spending log - $0

Thursday
Saving log - $6 tip box
Spending log - $2 coffee + $2 groceries

Re: 2$ coffee. What can I say? Every couple of months I crave a professionally made cup of coffee.

I'm starting to see the food sales - one sign said: "Ignore the prices on the menu, everything is $6.95". Cabbage is now .19/lb, and now that I have Clif bar coupons, I can only dependably get Clif bar at Trader Joe's or PCC. The coupons last until 12/31/09...I can wait.

Busted:


Now for the unfortunate news. I learned that lawyer friend's younger brother passed on this morning. I never met him, but I feel the loss.