(perhaps an entry would be helpful)

Missed the caucus this weekend - we just didn't get out and about from Saturday breakfast, coffee, paper. And our caucus was 50 blocks away. Yeah, I know, excuses excuses. So much for being a decent citizen. I much prefer primaries vs caucuses and totally wish they were open (you didn't have to declare a party before voting). 20 years ago, Washington state voting took on a fun dimension - sometimes you sacrificed your vote by voting for the other party's nutball.

Mid afternoon, we hit Trader Joes' picking up a month's worth of .99 clif bars, two bags of salad, two pounds of pasta, which .79/lb.

I walked about 1.75 miles along Greenwood Ave and back, on errands and small purchases. Dropped off a CD at the library, did a little window shopping (debating about whether to get that Hillary Clinton nutcracker for my sister), bought a 1 lb of fun pasta and while there got advice on how to use some very concentrated and salty sheep cheese (lasts forever - grate some into warm pasta, put into sauce, use it along with yogurt to bake in filo dough), bought a book on the history of Greenwood (love the pics), chocolates for Valentine's, and bubble bath for me.

Sunday was a gym day and another walk day - and I bought some walnuts (for beet walnut salad and waldorf salad), grapes (still terrible price at $2.50/lb, but better than I've seen anywhere else, blue cheese, and rye bread.

Even those the prices are terrible compared to my price book, I've got to lighten up a bit and not worry so much about spending a little. I have about $150 from this paycheck and I get paid this Friday.

Saturday
Spending log - $13 brunch and coffee + $46 Trader Joe's + $7 pasta + $19.95 book + $33 chocolates + $4.50 bubble bath (2 bottles)

Sunday
Spending log - $1 apple + $1.55 decaf coffee + $16 groceries.

Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $1.19 coffee + $6.50 lunch

Just in case you're new and you need to know about the mysterious tip box:

http://baselle.savingadvice.com/2007/04/10/the-infamous-tip-...

DJ friend was excited about getting several more coupons to his favorite Indian restaurant, so we went. The coupon, however, was for 11-noon and 1-2, leaving that critical lunch rush 12-1 at full price. Look at your coupons carefully!

Still not looking at my stocks and equities this week. We've had the drop in prices, now we have the rally. Of course the rally didn't really make up for the drop.

In gym today two other trainers were teasing my trainer. We now have a little index card binder into which my trainer writes the wicked routine she devised for me. Index card binder = $4.50, including index cards with the holes. The binder opens up the long way, like a checkbook, so when my trainer writes notes, it looks like my trainer was bribing me with checks during my routine. 15 pushups for a buck, anyone?

Still holding at 184!

Saving log - $0
Spending log - $1.19 coffee + $13 lunch + $5 magazine

And now I'm coming into the busy period at work, where one day gone means a very, very busy next few days. Such was the case today.

But I got brilliant news at gym. I dropped two pounds and another inch around the waist so I am now back down to 184, where I was in August.

Time also to clean out the tax launch pad - a green folder where I kept last years W2, various DIV and INT tax statements to prep for this year's tax season. Does anyone use a CPA? How did you find him or her?

Wednesday
Saving log - $30 monthly interest in small accounts
Spending log - $3 bagel, coffee + $14 drugstore + $11 groceries

Stayed at home to greet the plumber. Plumbing got fixed at about 3pm, but I just was not feeling it to go into work for an hour. So I bought some groceries - we had no fresh vegetables in the house, so I picked up the cheap three: carrots, celery, onions.

While I was waiting for the plumber to come, I got a number of financial and gym tasks done: I set up my 2008 Roth ($5K is the maximum this year), I checked out my online Ameriprise account (grandma's trust is in Ameriprise, they've made an account in my name to move it from her to me), transferred $5K into the farmette account, and I put gym routines as little date journals into my PDA. Throughout the year, my trainer wrote out the exercises of the routines that we did on a small pad of paper. This pad of paper is nearly full. When we transfer to a new pad of paper I know the old one will disappear.

Yesterday, sister was online so we did some IMing. She sent the Excel spreadsheet that I made for her in October. I should have remembered to get it while I there, but I didn't so I taught sister how to send attachments.

I suggested she go through her checkbook and bank statements coming from the joint account for the farmette and IM me the transactions so I can update. Turns out we were $350 in the black for 2007 after taxes, electrical upgrade, solar panels, propane, new front door, redoing the milkhouse and foundation. Whew!

But not so whew - at least for sister - is that she hadn't done any of her paperwork to get grandma's trust transferred to her. Still in a serious, serious snit with the cousin, thinking somehow that he's stolen something or is hiding something. Its so bizarre to me why she's stamping her feet. Frankly, she's hurting herself - I've looked at the trust that has been transferred over into my account. Its a little more than what the cousin estimated it would be.

As it is, I now have to at least ask a CPA for advice on my tax situation for 2007. My ship has come in, but my moorage for it is not nearly adequate.

Saturday
Saving log - $0
Spending log - $13 brunch + $50 wine + $30 groceries

Sunday
Saving log - $0
Spending log - $3.38 coffee, bagel + $16 thrift store + $11 groceries

The shopping spree continues. New Years is the big day for liquor - all the wine shops are open, even on Sunday. DH got champagne with his own money - I went for 3 nice bottles of vino to go with our vast collection of 4 buck chuck. You have the nice wine first and then deploy the chuck for the second bottle. Not as if Robert Parker's coming to visit.

I've been going to the gym on Sundays for the last few months to get that 3rd session a week in. I've been on a plateau for a whole year now, and while I'd much prefer not to be, at least I've only been gaining and losing about 3 pounds even during the holidays. Any how, I just didn't feel inspired by going to the gym today. Instead I caught a bus that would drop me off on 24th Ave NW and I walked back - about 3 miles.

Of course I did a little shopping at the thrift store and a grocery along the way. I picked up another pair of jeans which were new, fashionable, and fit. I would have preferred them to be $5, but you can't have everything.

The groceries were for a nice New Years Eve to hole up in. DH and I have no plans for going out - just staying in, drinking champagne, seeing a racy DVD, and figuring out my net worth for you all!

Saving log - $2 tip box
Spending log - $1.19 coffee + $15 chirashi lunch

I'm on disc 2 of an F/X series called 30 Days. 30 Days is made by Morgan Sperlock, who famously tried to live on McDonalds for 30 days in Super Size Me. Different people lived a different lifestyle for 30 days. For the purposes of this journal, the two interesting 30 day experiments were of 1) Sperlock and his fiancee trying to live on minimum wage for 30 days in Columbus OH and 2) a couple trying to live "off the grid" for 30 days. Both couples managed it, with some insights, but 30 days is not that long a time. They are both punks compared to lrjohnson, living for ONE YEAR on CA minimum wage. I miss her...is she coming back?

Managed to lose 1% of body fat last week. How did that happen?

Work is crazy, of course, but now a tad strange. One of the higher ups (defined as anyone higher up than me) is having issues that I find hard to describe. The closest I can come up with is mental confusion. Not emotional issues, and not dangerous, but ...odd.

Saving log - $6 tip box
Spending log - $4.50 groceries

New temporary staff orientation with a little breakfast provided. And again, another lunch with turkey salad on top of a toasted english muffin. There's only enough salad for a couple more days; even so that's a good 4 day run of bringing my own lunch.

Also paid a total of $375 to my DRPs - $300 in one, $35 for another, $40 for another.

Homework for gym last week was to hold a hollow plank - on the back, legs up at a 45 degrees, arms parallel to legs, shoulders up off the mat - for a minute and a half. I told the trainer that I practiced and that I'm ready.
Want a countdown? the trainer asked.
No, let's just see how long I last, I said.
So in the middle of this, I'm thinking that this is the llloooonnngggest minute and a half, and I was about to drop when the trainer said that I had nine more seconds. I made it past the nine seconds...and it turned out that I had held the position for two minutes.

Saving log - $11 tip box
Spending log - $13 groceries (end of day)

Lots of good, frugal stuff happened to me today. I took my batch of turkey salad to work, along with an apple and a 6 pack of english muffins. I hope to eat "in" for most of the week. Today I did.

Got busy right away at work, so I drank the work coffee, instead of going out for it.

At the chiropractor, I found that I had quite a bit of credit - so no copays for awhile. "Your money's no good!" the receptionist said.

I put a lot of the savings today out in the tip box.

Black Friday was gym Friday for me. The trainer went to her parent's home for the holidays. I was supposed to go to the gym three times last week; I only made it twice - Friday and Sunday. Does the fact I made it on Friday count twice?

Saving log - $3 tip box
Spending log - $1.65 coffee, cup of milk + 10$ lunch + $12 groceries

Yesterday, I found I had lost another two pounds, so I'm back to 186. Also lost another .5 inch of the waist. I'm trying and getting better at not sticking my head in the fridge when I get home. Eating an apple instead of an energy bar in the afternoons really helps too. Right now its all really about the waist, its giving up it's fat slowly. Not that I'm emaciated in other places, but the arms and legs are getting firmer.

Not much on any money front. It looks like I've gotten another fee for no reason that I have to ask about. I swear they just stick 'em on there just to see if the poor schub will just pay and they can get away with it. Getting the bank to take them off is not my idea of a great hobby.

All of my stocks have dropped. I feel happier about dollar cost averaging when the denominator is going down like that.

Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $1.84 coffee, milk + $10 lunch + $7 ham

Lost 2 pounds at gym today, getting back to the stage where I was 2 weeks ago. I've substituted apples for a second energy bar to keep myself from sticking my head in the refrigerator in these darkening days.

Heard about the possibility that I can learn French. (MIL in Paris said - the family likes you, it'll be great if you learn French). One of the temp staff taught English in France, and a couple of co workers have a lunch where they speak only French.

Got a compliment on the email that I sent to sister's lawyer from my lawyer friend. The tone was good, and I was complete and told him what sister and I wanted out of the whole thing.

Got over 200$ in interest this month, so far (doesn't include the CDs).

Had a philosophical thought. If Daylight Saving is from April 1 to Nov 4 (7 months) and Standard Time is now from Nov 4 to April 6 (5 months), why is it still called Standard Time? Doesn't Standard Time imply that you are in it longer than Daylight Saving?

Thursday
Saving log - $1 tip box
Spending log - $4 lunch

Wednesday
Saving log - $1 tip box
Spending log - $1.84 coffee, milk + $15 lunch

The hold on the 95K dug a bit deeper - I tried to send money to me to pay a credit card and to sister and couldn't do it. This time I called and sent an email. They will unblock at the end of the week. It was a security issue - the system thought the transactions looked funny, so close to a deposit with a hold on it.

I asked the bank's customer service to send the checks by physical mail. I'll see how long it takes to the electronic - electronic so far takes 4 days.

Today our HR at work unveiled the market research data - the average person working at my job (or jobs like mine) makes about 14% more, so I can expect a few more payraises in the next few years, which means that setting the 403B at 15% ensures raises there also.

I still do gym. My weight has been rising again - its at 190. Sigh. However, my new clothes fit better than they did 6 months ago. Go figure. We did the tape, something we haven't done in awhile - I lost .5 inch off the hips, .25 inch off each arm, and 1.5 inch off the waist. I'll just have to lose weight the old fashioned way: lie about it.

Saving log - $0
Spending log - $3.28 coffee, bagel, cream cheese + $1 apple

Two things -

My weight has been creeping up and now its at 187 (from 184). My trainer suggested a bit more cardio, preferably at the gym. Last week I made it in on Sunday for 40 minutes. Since the gym is on special weekend holiday hours today, I did the marathon 30 block walk - from 24th Ave NW - and promised the trainer that I would not saunter. I managed it in 45 minutes.

Second thing. I figured out that, month in and month out, with interest and saving, that I increase my net worth by $500/ month. This month it was $508. I used to have to save the whole thing, now I let CD interest do some of the work.

Saving log - $20 tip box
Spending log - $3 cherries + $2.45 groceries

I nearly had my no spend day until about 1:00pm. I had my Starbucks coffee from the gift card ($1.60 left - so Monday it will be coffee for a dime), and the co worker took me to lunch, even paying for the tip. We went to my hideout in the Pike Market (2 doors past the first Starbucks) and managed to trip over only a few tourists celebrating its 100th anniversary.

Also, the place does a strictly cash business - not tourist friendly either - so it was a lot of Seattle regulars chewing away.

I got led away from the no-spend path coming back through the market heading toward 1st Avenue. We had to slalom past rings of tourists camcordering street musicians (noticed few coins and bills in the hats, fyi), veered around lots and lots of looky-loos listening so sincerely and intently to the speaker proclaiming some blather that the Pike Place Market will never die...

Well, it will if you don't buy stuff! Its a market, guys. Markets sell stuff. If they don't sell enough stuff, they go away. I see it right now - not nearly so many produce stands as there were even just five years ago.

So there were a ton of tourists standing there like logs in front of a produce stand. I couldn't stand it anymore. I very publically bought a bag of cherries. Good karma there.

Then an hour later I gave the cherries to my trainer and the gym - because of the picnic yesterday we rescheduled gym for today. Good karma again.

It blew my no-spend day but frankly good karma, leveraged on both ends, doesn't come any cheaper.

Saving log - $1 tip box (yesterday)
Spending log - $3.28 coffee, bagel + $28 Walgreens + $2 parking + $5.50 produce stand

Today and tomorrow I have the day off. It was a relaxing day, mostly, but I got a lot of work done.

I drove DH's car today, hitting my errands. Ordinarily, who would mention it? It was the first time I've driven any car in 2 years, so it was fun because the novelty of it was very high.

I picked up 3 dozen canning jars from my friend, who works at the Burke Museum. Apparently he alerted reception, so she knew me right away and led me behind the exhibits to the staff and curator quarters. I love going back behind museums. Its such a secret world full of cabinets, where most of the good intellectual stuff is stored. The back often makes the front exhibitions just that - exhibitions, a facade. Kennewick Man, for instance, is stored in the back of the Burke. (I didn't pay him a visit.) Unfortunately, it was just the jars, say hi and a thank you to the friend, and then off.

It did cost me 2$, though.

Then on the way back I hit a produce stand - .59$ grapefruit, $1.09 peaches, .59$ tomatoes. Who could resist?

Then gym and the only snafu of the day. I forgot gym pants! Here's a milestone - I got into and used my trainer's M/M gym pants. They were a bit big on her and they will be even bigger because I stretched them out a bit. But just the fact that I could actually wear them, well, that's a cause for celebration.

Saving log - $3 tip box
Spending log - $1.84 coffee, milk + $15 chirashi lunch

Payday is tomorrow and I was up around $200, so in celebration I had the chirashi sushi lunch.

I was weighed today in gym. Still holding at 185, but I lost 1/2 inch on the hips and waist since Paris. Since I started, I've lost 7 inches on the hips and 7 around the waist. (We didn't have enough time to measure the rest.) My body fat dropped, so instead of simply losing 25 pounds, I've really lost 40 pounds of fat and gained 15 pounds of muscle.

The trainer asked me if I would indulge her in a demonstration. She, along with another trainer, helped me into a 40 pound vest. We took a stroll around the gym and went up the stairs. It all came back - the sluggishness, the shortness of breath, and while my joints didn't hurt they were unhappy. Actually, I was worse off then - I didn't have the extra 15 pounds of muscle to help me out. When they took the vest off I felt I could fly to the ceiling!

I'll have to remember this while I'm offered that next piece of cake.

Saving log - $3 tip box
Spending log - $1.84 coffee, milk + $9 lunch +$13 Fred Meyer

Ever since I photographed that penny stuck in the blacktop, I've been averaging finding a penny/day. The least likely place that I found a penny was in front of my neighborhood ATM machine. Too busy collecting those 2 twenties to notice the cent at your feet?

My little fiscal project for the summer was to move my 3 recurring monthly charges from my credit card to my debit card, because I found out this spring my credit card was going to increase the interest rate on deadbeats from 9% to 12%.

ISP - $19.95/month - moved to debit
Netflix - $10.88/month - moved to debit
NYT newspaper - $49/month (will increase beginning next week) - still on credit.

Not that I hadn't tried to get the third one off. Its weird, but the NYT customer service told me over the phone that my card must be a credit card, not a debit card. Doesn't matter if it has the little Mastercard logo on it, no sirree bub, picky about the plastic.

I suspect that the NYT has an old validation algorithm. All credit cards have them, because they are supposed to have valid and invalid numbers in fairly random patterns. Think about it. If you gave out credit cards in sequential order, it would mean that you wouldn't have to steal a number - pick any number and you could steal anyone's credit. Anyway, I suspect that debit cards use a different algorithm and the NYT just doesn't have them.

I'll move the NYT to my bank credit card, along with charging the trainer's time. If nothing else, it consolidates a couple of accounts. I plan to keep the old credit card account open, but not use it.

Made a little purchase at Fred Meyer - something that would have been sci-fi to me 2 years ago - I bought lifting gloves for gym. Yesterday, even though the gym was air conditioned, my palms were sweating so much that the bars were slippery and it was difficult to grip. The weights I'm using for the upper body are in the (drumroll) 60-70 lb range. Not like you can tell by looking at me!

Savings log - $0
Spending log - $3.28 coffee, bagel + $16 gym shorts

It was 80 today. I wore shorts in public for the first time in 10 years. Actually they were gym shorts, so my trainer was excited too.

The second insurance estimate for the farmette was even a better price than the first one, which is a little weird to me.

Hope you all had a great fourth! The Lake Union fireworks show was lovely, but the 1 hr traffic jam at the end was a nightmare.

Saving log - $1 tip box
Spending log - $1.85 milk, coffee + $7 lunch

Today most our department was getting CPR training, so it was my boss and I. We both thought - great, it will be nice and quiet and we can both get a lot done.

Boy, were we wrong.

Not only was it a steady stream of minor things, its the time of year when the sales staff was asking, "is all the money booked? Did we miss something?" A whole day of freakouts.

Apparently I did miss something, though. This is the part of the year that is trying to my freaky, perfectionist, control freak soul. Yes, I cannot be perfect and I can't control and organize everything. Stuff is going to happen and I will just have to remember that every year I will find out in a new and strange way some new and strange mistake.

Gym was gain a couple of pounds, lose the same couple of pounds. I've still only lost 20-25 lbs during this whole deal. Losing a half of an inch here and there, so I will have to settle for other milestones. If I'm doing something with the machines, its in the 30-40 lb range for the arms, 60-80, even 100 lbs for the legs. The other trainers gave my trainer a good report on me - I'm now a regular. The weather's been nice so I've been consistently walking from 15 Ave NW, instead of 8th Ave NW.

The image today is a couple of weeks old, with the first attempt at the museum setting. (no flash). Seems to work for aquariums, too. This was at the HT Oaktree. If you ever need live shrimp, that's where you go.

Yesterday, April 25, 2007
Saving log - $1.35 tip box
Spending log - $.65 milk + $8 lunch at the food court

April 26, 2007
Saving log - $2.35 tip box
Spending log - $.65 milk + 7$ curry lunch + 12$ grocery run

Yesterday I had lunch with lawyer friend. He made the "affirmation statement" but he is not long for the job; he's talking that anything would be better. It will surprise me if he is still here after I get back from Paris. I told him that I want to avoid looking like a tourist; he mentioned that they don't wear fleece.

I'll remember that. Or I might go the Ugly Betty route.

Today more fun happened. First off, it was Take Your Child To Work day. Several of us from different departments met with the kid crew this year. We all introduced ourselves.

The first question: What are your job titles?
We went around...
Second question: Why are your titles so long?
We laughed, out of the mouths of babes. We honestly said that if a workplace can't give us money, they give us a fancy title instead. Why not tell them the truth, they're ten or so.

Did two bank moves. I called and got the note put in my account so I don't look like an identity thief having a good time in gay Paree, and I moved the first $1500 out of savings to the checking account for the Paris trip. I had two things in mind for that:
1.) Get a quick supply of euros.
2.) Time how many days it took the transaction to occur, to plan ahead so if I have move it from Paris, I know how long it takes. 3 days.

And finally, I did something at the gym that I have been fantasizing about from the beginning. Today, there was a fairly buff guy...

Ha, ha, not that

There was a fairly buff guy struggling with a flared leg lift, which strengthens the side of the leg. He was working with his trainer, who set his weights and watched his form. They left to do something else. I came in to do the VERY SAME EXERCISE and had to INCREASE the weight. Wow.

It was from 5 lbs to 10 lbs, but still a victory.

Saving log - $0
Spending log - .65$ milk

Our department got the proverbial 'free lunch' in honor of the co worker's last day, so along with DJ friend's free coffee, I got away with the nearly no spend day today.

Trainer is now off - her wedding's this week, and after that a two week honeymoon in Costa Rica. She told me last week that all the other trainers are keeping an eye out for her clients (like moi). Today's the first day that I went to the gym myself.

I came prepared. Sunday, I wrote out 6 routines - 3 upper body, 3 lower body - onto index cards. Today I picked an upper body one and rubberbanded it to my forearm. I managed to get through it with a minute to spare. How did I get through them and still had time to gossip with the trainer? Its a mystery.

So at the end, I buzzed by the table where the trainers hang out, and showed them my index card rubber band thingee. The trainers laughed and told me that they'll give my trainer the full report.

No images lately - I just haven't taken any interesting ones in the last several days.

Saving log - $7 tip box
Spending log - $.65 milk + $5.45 curry

Gained 1 lb back, dang, but I lost another 1/2 inch on the waist, 1/2 inch on the hips. The trainer and I were job shadowed by a trainer-in-training. Today my body behaved and I showed good form during most of the workout. I managed to hold a full plank position for one minute, one second.

T-bill matured and I got $15.96 in interest on the purchase of the next one. Put $40 in one Drp, automatically put another $50 into another Drp.

Saturday DJ friend and I hammer out an easy way to manually generate the royalty logs for the radio station. It looks like we can automate the log, but it will be a month or two of broadcasting beforehand. DJ friend is a bit depressed - like most big undertakings, this is a marathon, not a sprint - he needs a second wind. And he's worried that with all the hoops, he won't have enough time and energy to do what he really loves - create and broadcast his own mixes.

Saving log - $44 (from tip box into savings) + $10 rebate check + 15$ rebate check
Spending log - $5.50 lunch

Ah, free coffee. I could get used to this.

Getting a lot done at work and now I'm relaxing a bit. Had gym today, get measured Thursday. T-bill matures on Thursday too. Waiting for the next paycheck on Friday.

Waiting for DJ friend to give me some files so we can finish up with the logging.

Even found a dime in the parking lot. Steady as she goes, really.

Saving log - 2$ tip box
Spending log - $1 coffee (didn't have the nofat or the lowfat milk, so I didn't buy milk) + $6 lunch

Now that life is quiet at work, it means that its quiet in the refrigerators, so I went back to my get a foot long, cut in quarters, nosh for couple of days trick. Planning ahead here - Thursday we have a lunch-time meeting discussing our 403B. I'm not sure whether this is a couple of times a year update thing or something more serious, but now I can have something to eat while I listen.

Dropped an 18 lb bar on my foot in gym. Ow! My trainer got a promotion, which means that her price is going up a bit, and apparently I'm a good enough customer so that I get a grandfathered in price break. Yay boo! She is worth it and she shouldn't but herself up for sale. But it does mean that I'm going to fool around with my numbers or get a training buddy to make 12 sessions last 2 months.

Right now rent has gone up slightly, so will the credit card, and now this. Time to squeeze a bit more out of the routine on all fronts. At least the HT flyer has some good deals on groceries.

The Ha Ha in the title comes from the preliminary results from Seattle mail-in vote on viaduct or tunnel. I voted for neither; it turns out that a majority of Seattleites did the same. Traffic sucks, but the voters here have been so disrespected by the governor, the mayor, and the powers that be on all fronts for years that two no-s was really the only way to go. Bwwwaphlt!

Saving log - $0
Spending log - $1.62 coffee, milk + $15 lunch

Just a lot of Robert Altman-esque Short Cuts today.

Succumbed to the lure of chirashi today. I got a new sushi chef, who gave me a slightly smaller plate but wasn't stingy with the fish. I'll have to remember that my usual sushi chef works on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

Found out that the first person I met at work had died. A remembrance of his is tomorrow. He was the computer/network guy who showed up to fix your computer when it was ailing. He retired five years ago, but its still a bit of a shock.

Gave my assistant a little hug as she was leaving on her last day. She told me that she had done more varied stuff in 5 months here than she did in 7 years at workplace unnamed.

The 2007 Poetry on the Bus competition is up and running. I'm a bit lukewarm on the theme - but I have my idea and my twist. All I need is a bit of incubation on a couple of words (you only have 50) and I'll send my shot off. We find out on June 1 - perfect, I'll be in Paris not fretting about it - but by then I'll sure be able to use the $125.

Speaking of the bus, I relearned the pole slide today. It's where you use your angular momentum to slide into a window seat, usually stealing it from someone who hasn't discovered the trick.

DH discovered old stewing hens at .99/ each at the HT. Coq au vin tomorrow!

Wednesday, March 7
Saving log - $2 tip box
Spending log - $1.67 coffee, milk + $7 lunch

Thursday, March 8
Saving log - $4 tip box + $16.00 T-bill interest + $40 DRP + $35 another DRP
Spending log - $1.67 coffee, milk + $16 lunch

Right now I have about 41 million dollars of electronic data to book. Don't get too excited - most of it is going to other places. It was easy for my boss to triage my time and get me out of several commitments to other people in other departments. It feels different than last year - calmer - because with time I know I can get everything done and the 41 million is a great reason to leave me to do my task. I just have to remember I will always have something like this this time of year.

We also have issues with daylight saving. This brands me as an old fart, but I remember when you got the word in the paper when and which way you changed the clock, you changed the clock by hand and you went on with your life. The Windoz-ation of everything hasn't made anything better... but it has given you a great three week excuse for being late.

Tomorrow is my assistant's last day, so today I took her out to lunch. Lunch was curry, and for dinner DH made ... curry.

Lost another 1/2 pound, 1/2 inch of my hips, and 1% of body fat.

Saving log - 0$ tip box (right now I get $3.20/day in ING)
Spending log - $10 Denny's + $1.50 tea + $35 Fred Meyer + $3.80 thrift store + $2 spinach

this entry dedicated to Princess Perky.

This afternoon I kicked around my neighborhood after deciding to buy some new underwear. I've dropped two pants sizes, and it means I've dropped two underwear sizes too. Lately I've been rolling the excess - in a sense creating fake "boy shorts" - but after pitching a couple with holes, it was time to refresh the inventory. Of course I buy new and aim for sales; used underwear isn't frugal, its just weird. I walked to Fred Meyer and along with the bikini briefs, just for laughs I got real boy shorts (black), 25% off.

There are few things sweeter, more secret, and more delicious than new fresh undies of a smaller size. The other thrill is that my size is now a medium there, too. I'll have to remember that when that dish of ice cream comes knocking and when I'm trying to do my 10 minutes of night calisthentics.

Inspired, I hit the thrift store. Nothing in the jeans/pants category, but I picked up a couple of tops, one for $1.49. I love dark colors - pastels do nothing for me.

Rounding off the spending by picking up 2 bags of spinach at a $1/bag. I consider bagged spinach (without E. coli) to be frugal because of the rinsing involved. The grit is gone, so it makes it easier for me to eat only vegetables as a late night snack. All that for a $1/bag means its worth it to me.

Saving log - $9 tip box
Spending log - $1.37 coffee + $5 lunch

Pleasantly surprised at work - I walked in expecting piles and I saw only a little one. There were a couple of shockers on the work email - people leaving. Its February and it seems like all of the energy of fall disappears into a morass of depression in late winter. But our department is humming along. The temp staff that we hired to process the paper is mostly gone and its quiet again. I still have plenty to do and I'm now a week behind!

My trainer is going back home for a few days so the schedule is a little different this week. I worked out today and will tomorrow, which picked up my energy level a lot. Wore the medium gym shirt I was given when I joined the fitness challenge - it fit great. One year ago I still would have been an XL. I got weighed again today, and lost .8 of a pound over the past three days.

Again, not much on the financial front. I expect to finish the month (payday is Wednesday) with about $60. Bought another $100 I-bond at the end of this month; put another $50 in a Drp; all I expect to do this week (actually any Thursday) is watch my current T-bill rollover. Its amazing what you can save when you are in no condition to spend.

So close that I bought DHs Saturday breakfast to celebrate. The pinkeye disappeared and while the cough hasn't completely gone away, I'm not coughing every 30 seconds. Still have the earache at times. For awhile last week my head felt like the plane would never land.

I didn't go into work on Friday, but I was out and about a bit more. Took care of some business at the gym - and I weighed in at 186. At -2 pounds the flu/pinkeye eating plan is a winner.

Finished with picking through my MP3s, then reloaded my player. There were enough dups, mediocre and ickily ripped MP3s that I managed to get 17 Gigs down to 12. Being sick made me ruthless.

I didn't spend much money but one thing financial hit this week - our yearly lease is up and rent is going up by $45/month. We'll have to decide whether that's acceptable or whether the rental market is soft enough and our ambition is high enough that we move. Its the first rent raise in 5 years. My first impression is that we stay. Ambition is in short supply lately.

Feb 6, Tuesday
Saving log - 0$
Spending log - $2 coffee, milk + 9$ lunch

Not much money movement yesterday, but a little gym movement. Lost 2.5 pounds, so I'm now at 188. Got chided a little for not drinking enough water, but the trainer and I had a number of good moments yesterday too. I could do situps to my toes on a padded incline set at the steepest incline. I even managed to do 3 sets of 10 situps (30 situps), which is very exciting. The best part was glancing over and seeing a relatively buff guy set the incline down a little to do his situps. The trainer nudged me... didja notice? Hah!

Feb 7, Wednesday
Saving log - 0$
Spending log - $2 coffee, milk

Several of our temporary staff are leaving at the end of this week, so we took them all out for a lunch on the department's dime, making it very nearly a no spend day. Got a little old fart jolt when the lunch conversation turned to Iowa, and I jokingly mentioned that The Music Man was set in Iowa. Blank stares all around. Man do we have trouble...

Thoughts while I was walking home... You stereotypically can be mean and cheap or kind and generous. I think I'll mix and match and try to be cheap and kind. After all there are a couple of people at work who really are mean and generous. Ick.

Saving log - -4$ (took money out of the tip box)
Spending log - $2 coffee, milk +$9 lunch

Man, that little soiree into Radio Shack cost me a bit. I had to move some money out of the savings account into checking, just to make sure that all my checks are covered. Ironic, because I had just got done depositing 25K. I timed all my money moves ($ going into other saving accounts) to happen at once at the beginning of this week so I only have myself to blame for getting into a box.

On top of that, I promised to take one of the auditors to my favorite lunch spot and I really couldn't back out in a graceful way. So it meant that today, the last day before payday, I did the unthinkable: I took money out of my tip box at work.

Overcommittment is bad for your net worth. TG its the end of the month and payday.

A little conversation with DJ co worker, after we debated the relative merits between Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kreme donuts...

DJ: so which is your favorite?
Me: after looking in the mirror, neither one. It had better be a celestial, cosmically mind-blowing donut for me to have one.