Monday, February 6, 2012

No Spend Monday Because I.....

don't have any money in my wallet to spend!

I have not been doing very well in the NO/LOW Spending so far this month. I got paid last Wednesday and thus entered a new budget month. I spent on groceries and gas but as they are sorta necessities and part of my bi-monthly budget I don't count them as "spending" per se. I also needed to purchase ink cartridges (over $80) and then on Friday bought a coffee and as Kazi was feeling down we went out for beer and wings - ka-ching!

Saturday wasn't too bad - I just spent $5 on coffee and a newspaper. Then I thought Sunday would be a No Spend day for sure as we were going hiking but then we ended up going to The Waltzing Weasel again for wings (and wine) - DOUBLE KA-CHING!! = EMPTY WALLET!!

So I have a whopping big empty space in my wallet and $242 left in the bank for misc spending. Squeezing out $88 for TV savings is going to be a challenge for sure. Whine whine whine!

One thing I'm not whining about is my weight! I have lost another pound and only have 3 more to go to reach the Ten Pound Loss goal! Even with all of those wings! Not to mention the apple dumpling for dessert! I find that as long as I stay on the straight and narrow from Monday to Friday indulging a little on the weekend doesn't seem to throw me off track too much. And my pants are thanking me for having to stretch out a little less around the waist. You're welcome, I'm sure! The frequent exercise has a little something to do with my weight loss too.

Here are a few photos from our mud bath of a  nature hike yesterday. It was a real cross country trek as most of the paths were impassable unless you didn't mind a trail of muck up your backside. Which we did. Mud is very slippery so it was a little less treacherous to climb over tree limbs and through thorn bushes... just a little.

 Entering the pine forest...
 Disturbing the Canada geese...
Not quite as idyllic as it is in the spring but the potential is there...
Look away from this one if you want.  A deer tried to cross the lake on thin ice and fell through...nature can be very cruel at times...
 Michael taking the high road...
Resting on the golf course...
A small opening in the clouds put a sunny spotlight on the trees for a brief moment...
Even the birds won't eat these...
 There go the geese again...
 And there I go again...walking beside the trail...
and here's where we ended up for wine and wings - guess who's watching the football game and guess who's taking the picture!!

I hope you're doing better than I am at NOT spending this month!!

24 comments:

  1. Congrats on the weight loss!! Awesome job! :) Good job on not spending the $$ you don't have! ;) lol!

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  2. How lovely it must be to stroll in such a beautiful place.

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  3. 10lbs?  I'm jealous!  I'm working on that too but it's taking longer than I had hoped.  Maybe I should start that wing and wine diet!  Or hiking across golf courses?
    Great photos!
    Now stop spending!!!
    m.

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  4. I love your nature photos.  Did you know that we have some of your "Canada Geese" down here?  They fly in v-shapes from pond to pond, seemingly just a few yards over our heads.  I wish I could capture it on video.  It's really majestic the way the large creatures, in such a formation, cross overhead just outside of our reach.  As you can tell, I just love them.  They startle me, but in a good way.

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  5. My spending is up as well this month but I am still keeping the wasteful spending down a bit!! Lovely photo's of your walk.

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  6. Thanks for sharing your photos, Jane! Lovely! That poor deer...Of course I had to look so it's my own fault I'm unhappy about that. I know what you'll say if I ask if she got out... :( I saw a young moose almost get swept away in a river last summer - the current was SO strong, even for him - but fortunately he got out. There was literally nothing I could have done to help him, but still...Nature is what she is.

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  7. Two people tried to help the deer, to no avail, it was so sad. This winter the ice hasn't had a chance to thicken, we've had so few really cold days.

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  8. Other than the wings (twice) all spending has been necessary so far. The printer must print! I guess we made up for eating out by NOT going to any movies this past weekend. (me trying to justify the expense!)

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  9. Feel free to keep as many as you want; we have far too many! Although I agree with you on their beauty, and I love to hear them honking as they pass over, they have become so prolific they have become a hazard to airplanes and you can hardly take a step in some areas for goose poop. 

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  10. It's amazing to be out on the trails with NO SNOW! Unheard of this time of year! 

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  11. I guess that's one way to look at it! lol! I could be spending money I don't have! I guess I HAVE made progress!

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  12. OK... why are you spending $80 on ink cartridges when you could go to 123inkcartridges.ca and get them for about one third of the cost. I've used them for my Canon MP830 and had no issues whatsoever. I also bought a Brother laser printer for  about $40 less than I could find anywhere else. As for my budget, it's so tight I squeak when I walk. It's impossible to for me to stick to my budget because it's ridiculous and has NO wiggle room at all. Sucks to be unemployed but I did apply for a job in my trade of printing... rare to find an open position. It will probably go to a bilingual person, though.

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  13. nice! I get to enjoy all these wonderful hikes from the comfort of my p'jammies and warmth and dryness of my house LOL! keep it up! :-)

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  14. Hey, I never thought of that lol! I have to admit the muckiness wasn't pleasant but it was nice to be outside!

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  15. I hadn't heard of 123inkcartridges - I will check them out. It's not that one cartridge cost $80 but that I have to buy a black one and 3 coloured ones and all were running out at the same time - they run approx $17 to $19 each which for one doesn't seem to bad, it's when you need all 4 at once that it gets pricey. But thanks for the tip - I will go see what the difference is - but then there' shipping charges isn't there?

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  16. so cute - I am like you - I think I have $1.40 in my wallet in change!  If it isn't in there, I can't spend it! 

    and great job on the weight loss!  I am at a 4 pound loss, but I am not really trying too hard!  I was doing well & now I am just eating crap ;) I should try to get back on it! 

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  17. I am completely amazed at the pic with Michael laying on the grass.  It's green...in February!!

    What's with the weather?  I hope it continues, because I don't miss snow at.all.

    I just spent $90 on ink cartridges (if I bought 2 2-packs, I would get $20/off).  It took a dent out of my wallet cash for sure.


    Congrats on the weight loss!  I wish I could say the same, as my pounds are not getting lost at all!

    Oh well.  Looks like you are having fun *spending* so, I say go for it.  Your wallet will tell you when to stop...oh wait...it did!

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  18. You chicken wing piggy you!  Then you lose weight on top of it!  You are so close to losing a blogging buddy. 

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  19. Well, what I didn't tell you was that I'd lost two pounds before eating the wings, only one pound after eating the wings!! So shhhhh! Don't tell anybody!

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  20. That is probably the key to your success-a little fun here and there!
    I'm proud of you!

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  21. you should not apologize for having fun!  Life is short Jane!

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  22. You're right Lisa! It's not like I'm out gambling my money away like some people I know! (But I won't tell who!)

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  23. Shipping is cheap. Something like $5 and free on orders over $49 (or thereabouts). I know about how those cartridges all run out at the same time. Mine was taking 2 blacks.... something to do with the photo quality prints. It's a nice printer or was... got the phone cord caught in the back paper feed and now it's always saying it has a paper jam even though it doesn't.

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  24. Oooooh thanks I am really going to compare prices! LOL about your printer though I really shouldn't laugh (tee hee!) I won't ask how the phone cord got in the paper feed or comment on the fact that your phone has a cord!! Oh, I'm so bad, it's the wine!! That, and it's late and I should be in bed. Not that I'm one to talk - we have 4 printers in the house and only 1 works! Tried to sell 'em but it seems no one really wants a Brother laser printer from 1998! Probably has something to do with needing a small pickup truck to move it! When I look at how much they cost now compared to the $500+ I paid for it new (back in l998) I cringe, weep and gnash my teeth! Why do they become obsolete in like 5 minutes??....oh...

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