That's another week gone by. We had quite the mixed bag of weather this week ranging from gorgeous sunshine (got outside for brisk walks with my students) to today's football weather - cold, wet and muddy! The good news though is my school's football team won their semi-final game so Go Crusaders!
On the financial front: wayell (that's my southern accent attempt) I didn't keep that $20 dollar bill in my wallet but I still have two $5.00 bills so I'm only half disappointed...nah, who am I kidding? I'm over the moon to get through a week and only spend $10.00! (that was for my one weekly beer after my volleyball game on Wed. and Red Roaster coffee that I drank at the local library while using their wireless internet on Thurs. The other 3 days were no spend days - woot! I think I'll just pop that $10.00 into my Crofters Lane jar and start myself off with a new crisp $20.00 bill for the coming week - that puts a big smile on my face! That's $10.00 closer to my next summer's trip out to PEI! =)
My heating bill (natural gas & I also have a gas dryer and hot water heater) was $25 under budget so I added that $25 to my misc spending which now sits at a robust $280 (that's for the rest of Nov.) I took the $152 I would normally pay for property tax (but have a holiday this month and next month as I am on a 10 month payment plan) and socked it into my Christmas fund and now have enough to book my DD's and my annual Christmas trip to Toronto.
It's a Mirvish package deal - we are going to see Rock of Ages (love story set to the music of the 80's - Don't Stop Believin....), eat at a New Orleans style restaurant, stay at the very upscale Sheraton Hotel downtown, go see The Warrior Emperor and China's Terracotta Army at the Royal Ontario Museum and shop at the Eaton Centre. Well, my daughter will shop and I will hopefully resist the temptations that will surround me, make me weak, bend my will, torment me aaarrrrgggghhhhh! BUT, if my DD wants to buy me a Christmas gift I'd be ok with that tee hee =)
My DP gave me an extra $100 this month for our budget and I immediately socked that away in the Emergency Account so hurrah for an extra payment towards that goal!
On the down side I find that the rental car I have uses more gas than my little Cobalt. Oh poo. And I just got notice that my condo fees are going up by $25 in 2010 - pretty big increase:(
Heart Beat:
DD went back to her classes on Wed. & she should only have to have the cast on for a few more days. It was touch and go there for awhile as she attends the University of Western Ontario and the professors were in a strike position but managed to achieve a tentative deal by 3am Wed. morning. So between school and her boyfriend I haven't seen too much of her since Tues. night but we stay in contact by texting and I go into her room when she's sleeping and kiss her sweet cheeks (she doesn't even know:)
So far NO CHEATING on the BUY NO NEW CLOTHES pledge (yay me) and only a wee bit of cheating on the diet...ssshhhhh....don't tell anybody!! Weigh in on Monday - eek! Here's how I cheated: beer on Wed. night (no it wasn't even lite beer), broken pieces of warm brownies that we made today at school to go with our lunch (well, I couldn't serve the broken bits now could I?), a couple of teeny tiny glasses of red wine mixed with some fizzy water...that's about it...hey that's not so bad:)
Whew - marathon post!
Cheers!
I may be slow to get on the bandwagon but yesterday my disgust with my eating habits and the flab starting to pile up hit its peak. As of today I've eaten very little and I intend to keep that up for a month. My husband is a musician and he plays the first show with his new band exactly one month from now and I am going to be one of or maybe even "the" "not-fat" wife there. I'm not going to be the wife with the too-tight clothes on with the little flab roll starting to roll over the waist. Wish me success in my perseverance! I'll update in a month on how it went!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you 444 all the way - let's win the battle of the bulge, the murder of the muffin top, the loosening of the waistband so we can continue to wear the clothing we already own - I WILL not go up a pant size - too humiliating! when all I need to do is stop stuffing my face...
ReplyDeleteGreat post Jane. I loved your enthusiasm about putting your extra money to good use, and I,m thrilled to hear you came out of last week with $10. So what if it was,nt the full $20 it,s a lot better than I managed to achieve. I can,t think why I never suggested my Daughter elope !!!
ReplyDeleteI broke down and ate a handful - OK, two handfuls - of the villainous snack food that has me in an addictive grip. I don't even want to name it, it's so embarrassing. Anyway, I limited it to two handfuls (it's airy) which is different than the 20+ handfuls I was probably throwing back previously. This senseless chomping has got to stop.
ReplyDeleteMade something else today "for the kids" (oh yeah, that's a good one!) and I'm going to eat ONE slice. Like you, Jane, I've reached the point where I want to bring the belt in a notch more than I want to stuff my face. I would bet money that your partner says you are fine just as you are - mine says that, too. Aren't they sweethearts? (Love your name, btw - it's my daughter's middle name, chosen by me!)
btw, I meant to say that by your photo of course you do look fine! But we all have our issues that others might not even notice (for example, not being clinically overweight since I'm not, if I talk about losing weight to others I get a blank look or even rolled eyes) - and I think we have the same goal - to wear the very clothes that are in the closet right now! I'm growing a small pile of "those are too tight to button" clothes and I want to reclaim them! :o) As you mentioned, I refuse to go buy a size up just for ease of buttoning.
ReplyDeleteyeah great post! puh-lease tell me that bridge in the picture is for looks only and people don't drive on that sucker!! eeks! I remember my first trip to Houston I had to keep pulling over with all the freeway ramps and tunnel on the east side..shudder! I still don't like being up high and have to think about something else or I start to panic.
ReplyDeleteway to go on the christmas budget! sounds like a nice trip..I've been to New Orleans once about 17 yrs ago..loved the food but the city wasn't what I expected - was dirty and people on the streets..at least parts were but they sure know their food! I remember we got there right before Maudi Gras? not sure of the spelling! but they had on tv about the transvestite parade and my mom thought it was a joke but they were serious! she had a real eye opener for sure :-)
does PEI not have any schools you could work at? I'd be tempted to move out there NOW! :-)
Susanna
Wow, you had a very full week! And spending only $10.00??? Amazing!!!! You are my hero!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the diet??? hahahahahahahahahahahahha
(It was my birthday weekend, what do you expect? :))
Try not to think of things like beer and treats as cheating. Don't diet!
ReplyDeleteDiets begin and end. You want to embrace a good lifestyle change, which means if you're to be successful, you must allow yourself to indulge in some things that you love and do it in a way that allows you to manage your weight.
You're doing great! Now don't be talking poorly to yourself like that - you deserve the best! :)
Just found your blog and I am enjoying reading so far. When I read your "about me" blurb I had to write. When my mother was very little...we're talking less than a year old, she and my grandmother lived in Alberton, PEI while my grandfather was stationed in Tignish with the RCAF during the war. My grandparents made the trip out there yearly while they could. I have yet to visit, but it is up the top of my "must visit" lists.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your goal to move there and I will keep reading!
I love reading how you are doing. I wish I could get our budget on track. You had a cobalt? We just bought a 2006 cobalt for hubs and because the van is about to kaput. I love it but I don't get to drive it much as hubs uses it most of the time.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Hi Johanna - the phrase is "HAD" a cobalt - it's been in an accident and I will be looking for another one. I've heard some people say they don't like them but this was my second one and it was so economical to maintain - I really loved them. I think they're a great car! Hugback!
ReplyDeleteSusanna: I forgot to respond to your question last week about working at a school in PEI. I've thought about that and did a little investigating but didn't find any openings.
ReplyDeleteBut the other major factor in my decision is my daughter. She is 20 and still living at home while she attends university. I won't sell up and move until she is fully "launched". She has two more years of university after this year and although she talks about moving out I don't think she's ready to do that yet, either financially or emotionally. So that's why the 4 year timeline:)