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.

Thursday
Saving log - $5 tip box
Spending log - $20 drinks

Friday
Saving log - $5 tip box
Spending log - $4 coffee, scone + $8 lunch

I haven't been blogging too much about my work with Global Vortex Radio and DJ friend, probably because I don't do very much with it on a day to day level. But I have been doing some writing for the Internet radio station when DJ friend has a project for me. Mostly its been crafting a message to get a precise tone and effect. For instance, DJ friend needed other DJs to send their remixes and programs in certain way, and he REALLY needed that to happen. I crafted what we lovingly call the "hammer letter". It had to set a polite but firm tone. Please do this, and if insist on not, your show won't go on. It worked very well, with no problems with compliance and no hard feelings. I also wrote a thank you to the DJs that gave the all rights to one of their songs to GVR for the compilation album. It had to thank them for their gift, ease their mind that they weren't being ripped off, and tell them what will happen because of their gift.

I was paid in barter yesterday - I got a free copy of Global Vortex Radio's first CD compiliation (2 CDs) and a thank you in the liner notes! I'm buying another copy to give to my sister. I also got a free invite to the CD launch last night.

Here's a picture to give you a flavor of where I was...too bad my battery gave out right after.


The first half was an event to Seattle's Fashion week - a student fashion show. To tell you the truth, it has been over twenty years since I've last been "clubbing". So long ago, that at the door I proudly held out the top of my palm for the stamp, 80s style. Current style is underside of the wrist. Observing cool kids is a lot of fun for an old fart geek like me. Lots of fake hugging - women & women pat at the base of the back, women & men pat at the top of the back, men & men at the shoulder blades. My only compliant is that "Kitchen" was in the name of the venue: kitchen was closed by 9pm. Its how the fashionistas stay thin, apparently. The bartender was a generous pourer. I'm sure I got 1/3 of a bottle in my wineglass.

Our event started at around 10:30pm - very fun. We got to go up into the DJ private aerie up above the bar (in the picture) and dance floor and I got a chance to meet new people and talk with some friends. Morgan's (our kitty) rescuer was there so I got a chance to catch him up and tell him how she's doing, a couple of former co-workers came by, and the couple of DJs that I met on the 15 bus and we later discovered that we had a connection to DJ friend (that's my boss! DJ friend later told them)- they showed and I had a chance to talk with them.

Today, though, I really felt it. How did I ever do this in college? Thank heaven it was Friday and I could rest up. DJ friend will be resting too.

Saving log - $5 tip box
Spending log - $2 juice

Double plastic fantastic project.

Project 1: New debit card came in the mail. Spent a few minutes activating the new card online, checking to see if the number is the same (hey, you never know). Then I looked at my recurring charges and changed the one due in about 2 weeks.

Project 2: declined the Cap One card. The automated part was very easy - no one begging you to stay.

Interesting results from the only recurring charge - a yearly one - on the Cap One card. It was Vindigo, a PDA program that I use for movie times, restaurants, services, maps. Turns out that the story from the billing company was that Vindigo folded in September, so the billing isn't going to be billing them. Last to know, I guess, since we haven't gone to many movies and I haven't eaten lunch out in many new places since September. I hadn't really noticed that I wasn't getting timely updates.

For laughs, I hot-synced up my PDA and clicked into Vindigo. Mysteriously, I got new movie times. (cue the theremin music) I wonder who is still out there running the updates?

During the Oscars, alter your Netflix queue...

Saving log - $0
Spending log - $8 groceries

Or Mafia kiss, I'm still trying to decide about that. I received a little missive about changes in my Capital One credit card. Many of you have also received it, so you'll know what I got.

24.99% APR.

DH asked me what Capital One was thinking. Its pretty easy - I am a deadbeat, paying my bill monthly. They don't make any money on me anyway, so they might as well hike it up to either clear the decks (get rid of the non-performers like me), or if I keep it, they can lie in wait to pounce when I slip.

Its a little like keeping a fiscal hungry tiger in the backyard. Time to shoot it between the eyes and decline my card. I have until April 17 to do so; by May 15 it will be gone. I have one yearly recurring charge on it that I have to fix and I would rather do that than assume that Cap One will close the account before it gets charged - the odds haven't been on my side.

In other news, sister is in the midst of fixing up the kitchen walls and ceiling at the farmette...now that the floor looks good.

Saving log - $0
Spending log - $0

Last night we got a new little rolling can for food and yard waste. Seattle will start composting food and yard waste starting the end of March. Another change in the routine because I'll need another container in the kitchen to hold the food waste in a fairly sanitary way, then dump that container daily into the can. I get the feeling that summer is going to be a challenge.

Right now I have a large rolling can for newspaper, mixed paper, clean cardboard foil, cans, some plastics; three plastic stackable bins mostly now used for glass; and a mini can for garbage.

A nice payoff in being frugal and not buying a lot means we don't throw away a lot either - the mini can is enough for a couple weeks worth of waste. No pizza buying, no pizza box tossing in the garbage (now) or in the food/yard waste can (end of March).

Crazy day, and I got word that lawyer friend's youngest brother is very, very ill. Hope he makes it.

Tuesday
Saving log - $2 tip box
Spending log - $8 lunch + $12 groceries

Wednesday
Saving log - $3 tip box
Spending log - $0

Helped to replenish the freezer by buying a bag each of frozen peas and frozen corn. That and some salad - needed green in my diet. Bailed out on my brought lunch for a bought lunch with lawyer friend, lawyer friend's partner, and screenwriter friend.

DH used his Christmas gift and got the haircut, the manicure, the pedicure, and the straight razor shave. Looks like a million bucks, and hopefully it has cheered him up some.

Worked out a bit Tuesday at the very last minute - work got the better of me, so I did my homework: ran for 15 minutes on the treadmill, did the 45 squats, a few wall angels and 10 chest presses. 30 minutes was better than no minutes. Did manage to get back down to 180 again.

All told, not much fiscal happened today. I guess I'm like most everyone else these days - quiet, spending only a little on want, and mostly on need. Payday on the 13th.

Saving log - $3 tip box
Spending log - $0

Woke up this morning to a very sad Post-it on refrigerator from DH:

We must eat what we can
Freezer and refrigerator were OFF last night.

Bummer. He called this afternoon. We'll try saving a pot roast that hadn't been in the freezer that long, and we'll save the butter in the freezer, along with the bottle of good gin. Everything else he tossed. As far as the refrigerator was concerned, anything that hadn't been put in the night before gets tossed.

Sad, but it would be even sadder to risk food poisoning for several $1.49 bags of frozen vegetables. I think, well, hope, that we only lost about $50 worth of food. Its why I have to remember to treat food as food to be eaten, and not as heirlooms.

DH traced the refeer culprit to an odd design - you can control the cold inside on the middle of the top shelf - and lately the top shelf was quite packed. A few things knocked the control, a careless hand brushed the dial down, and there you are. No cold? Refeer can do that. At least it wasn't that the power cord was chewed on or it got unplugged accidentally.

Time to restock the refrig over the next few days.

Speaking of entities that chew cords and dangly things, a breakthrough of sorts. I said, "Morgan", she looked up from her scratching post. I said "Morgan" again and she came. Without bribery even.

Another bit of good news - DJ friend showed me the cover of the new, first compilation CD for Global Vortex. Vol 1: Electronic and House. Its a beautiful cover. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I have bought CDs on the cover alone. And if it was in the CD stacks I definitely would have touched it and thought about buying it.

Saturday
Saving log - $0
Spending log - $12 breakfast + $108 earbuds + $12 groceries

Sunday
Saving log - $0
Spending log - $3.34 bagel, coffee + $13 conveyor belt sushi

Spending mostly on Saturday. DH bought a bit of stuff for kitty at Target including a large toy mouse ($2.50) which Morgan destroyed in two hours of pleasure. My very decent earbuds mostly gave up the ghost this week after Morgan clawed and bit 'em - the left ear cuts in and out and most songs crossfaded (separate tracks for the left and right ear mixed), it means that everything sounds even worse than 50%. The decent ear buds cost 100$, which seems atrocious, until you spend 20$ to 40$ a pop for cheap mistakes.

Last night I finally had to change my username online. Chase has been in the process of digesting WaMu - now only small WaMu logos are left, next to the big Chase logos. To the victor go the branding spoils.

Checked up on my 403B. You might remember that pre-October that my old money was invested conservatively (40% stock/60% cash & bond). In October I changed my new contributions to 90% stock and 10% bond. So far, I've made up my losses from last quarter.

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

Didn't take out my wallet once. Tomorrow I'll be having lunch with the gang, so the NSD was needed.

We watched the inauguration at work (9am on the west coast) on the streaming CNN.com hookup. Just in a couple of spots - we were told that if everybody tried it in the privacy of their own offices, the network would go down. As the kids would say - streaming sux. I was very glad I have an MP3 player with an FM radio, I could listen continuously and watch the picture shudder and stall and pixilate. The only issue was that NPR was a good 30 seconds ahead of the CNN sound feed. If I cheered at a good line, I'd look like I had Asperger's to everybody else.

I'd sympathize with everyone else watching the pixilation without augmentation, but I'm getting old and cranky. Remind me again why we don't have TVs at work any more?

Now to bore you all with a kitten picture...
This Trader Joe's bag is mine, mine, mine!

Sunday
Saving log - $2 tip box
Spending log - $3.35 coffee, bagel + $1.50 apple + $10 groceries

Monday
Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $5.70 mocha, bagel + $5 cup of soups, juice

Coming down with a cold - it was a 'not quite right' feeling yesterday, but today it tightened its grip. I've have to tell Morgan to stop sneezing directly into my face. Why can't she sneeze into her paw like we're supposed to?

Yesterday I tried out my Christmas gift- a

wristwatch-heart rate monitor (2 parter with the strap around the sternum). I learned a lot, especially why I can do 7 miles of walking, yet not drop weight. It turns out that unless there is an incline, even speed walking puts me at a heart rate of about 95-106 bmp. An incline will put me in the 120s bmp, any decent hill (like nearly any Seattle downtown street going from 2nd - 5th) puts me in the 130s, while jogging will get me to 135-145. Sigh. Good to know that my heart rate drops quickly after the little jog, but unfortunately it has to be less walking and more jogging.

Today is a holiday for me, and a chance to be lazy and catch up on Battlestar Galactica. (I'm only on the beginning of season 2, so frak you if you make spoiler comments.)

As far as the fiscal is concerned, here's the reason why the fixed rate really determines whether you buy the I-bond or not. If there is deflation or no inflation, the fixed rate is what you get.

And finally, giving thanks that we've survived the 43rd president. Please let the 44th be better; he can't be much worse.

Saving log - $3 tip box
Spending log - $10 lunch + $8 groceries

I stopped in my tracks as I walked to the bus. 15 pennies were strewn about. I picked them all up. Actually, there was one Canadian penny, so 14 pennies. Then this evening, someone dropped a mechanical pencil on the sidewalk. Picked that up, too.

Hunting good. OOoogh.

Had lunch with lawyer friend, lawyer friend's partner, and screenwriter friend. Lawyer friend's father died several days before Christmas, so he was very subdued. I was tempted to do for him what he had done for me but it turns out, ironically enough, that his dad died without a will. Or rather, the father revoked his will. Odd to me, I guess. I mean its one thing if you never made one, but to make one, spend the bucks to set it up, then revoke it and spend more bucks, then not make a new one ... well, you're already in for it.

Saving log - $0 tip box
Spending log - $7 groceries (apple, box salad, canned beans)

7 mile walk today. I ate 1/2 of yesterday's mistake breakfast, so DH bought me coffee at the coffee place for breakfast today. No bagel.

Hit the library also and checked out 4 books and 7 CDs. Had to lug them home during the beginnings of the next snowstorm, but other than that inconvenience, a good day.

Saving log - $7 tip box
Spending log - $5 office party

Third day of brown bagging french press coffee. Except for adding money to the tip box and paying my share for the department soiree in late December (different and in addition to the all-office party), I would have spend no money today either.

Tomorrow I field trip and eat lunch with lawyer friend's partner and screenwriter friend. Lawyer friend is in DC. His brother is ill and his father is waning. He might be away tending to family for awhile.

Tonight I got back to my third pile of catalogs. I've gotten twelve this week. I'm sure for a serious shopper twelve catalogs is a light read, but for me, it seems like a lot of temptation. I've pored through them and especially noticed the gadgety ones are selling the same things.

Saving log - $5 tip box
Spending log - $6 lunch + $20 beer, snack, dinner

The office had a drawing at our internal United Way campaign. I won the other Obama book, Dreams of My Father. Another co worker on my floor won The Audacity of Hope. We can have a little lending library in the lunch room, a place even more convenient than the library. Got a certificate for our floor's first place in the Halloween decorating contest...so actually we just won bragging rights. And brag we will.

Had a beer and dinner with DH, and I tried the snack that I've always wanted to try - fried crunchy pigs ears with mustard @ 4.99$. They were french-fried strips, no curve. Tasty, crunchy, like fries with third and a fourth dimension. DH had one, and had no more, so I had the rest. I felt like Mike Tyson, bearing down on these guys. I probably won't order them again, but it was great to try them and have nearly everything but the squeal.