Increasing expenses

 M had his last day on Sunday, which means we need to adjust our budget in two ways - 1) for the drop from his income and 2) for the additional expenses we will need to cover.

Increased expenses:

• Health care. This is, by far, the biggest expenses. We are planning to do COBRA for a few months, as both of us are actively job searching. This will allow us to stay on our existing insurance, as establishing care at new specialists for me takes months. Covering all four of us each month will cost $2950. The state of health care in this country is absolute insanity. 
• Internet. The company M worked for provided a monthly internet reimbursement, as he had a hybrid WFH/work in the office role. Monthly cost = $70. 
• Cell phone. Similarly, the company M worked for also provided full cell phone coverage. He is now joining our shared Fi plan, which will add another $40 to our monthly plan. (Our total is $160 for the four of us, for unlimited plans, including international. It's actually a really affordable plan for four, although certainly not the cheapest out there.) 
• Car charging. We've been charging our electric cars for free at work for years (since we got an electric car). We charged up on Sunday, and will now have to find an affordable place to charge, or install charging at our house. Cost per month increase = ? I'm going with $50/month, but I honestly have no idea. I'll update our budget as we get a more solid estimate. 
• There are plenty of other miscellaneous options (portable life insurance, free food & drinks at work, a gym, etc), but we're still working on estimates for all of those.

This corresponds with a very expensive season of life for us, with one kid in college, one graduating from high school & starting college, and all of the expenses associated with that. But, thank goodness we've been financially conservative for years, and can afford this. Because, the job market is really something these days. More to come, as we begin additional belt tightening!

If you have any inspiring money savings from your household, please share! We all need motivation, and I love hearing how everyone else is stretching their budget! 

Fitness Monday

 It was a frustrating job searching week that involved a lot of 1) providing availability & then waiting around for recruiters to set up calls and 2) much more delayed feedback/responses than expected. As a result, I wasn't able to get in as many gym workouts, and had to make do with at home workouts more often. I'm so grateful we bought an elliptical during COVID (at a large discount, as my sister worked for a manufacturer of fitness equipment at the time.) My eating was also not great. Definitely more snacking than usual, which you see coming out when I'm stressed or anxious. Instead of my typical afternoon walks, it was cold & rainy & I didn't get those in either. I guess this means this will be a better week! Fingers crossed.

But, posting for accountability, because it really helps me stay (or, get back) on track. 

Weight: I haven't weighed in, but will try to remember in the next couple of days.

Calories: As noted above, my average calories last week was higher than usual - 1,628, with two days right around 2,000 calories.

Steps: My steps were 13,648, which is lower than previous weeks, given I didn't get as much bonus walking in due to the weather. 

Workouts: it was a weird workout week, with fewer gym classes.

• One regular workout class
• One "dry triathlon", super hard workout class
• A 7 mile hike with a friend
• A 90 minute walk with another friend
• 3 -1 hr elliptical workouts

Overall nutrition: Definitely not great. Trader Joes was giving away free chocolates this week, and I foolishly accepted them. I only had 2 No S days for the week. 

Goals for the week: I'd like to have 5 No S days for the week, and keep my calories at 1,450. I'd also like to get in harder workouts & generally feel on track.

What about you? How did you do with your health & fitness goals last week?

Menu Plan Sunday

 It has been a struggle to come up with a menu for the week! I wish I had a good reason for that, but it's just how things have unfolded. I haven't felt like cooking much, I've also been busy, we've had lots going on for Nick, etc. We've made plenty of creative freezer meals, which I suppose is a win.

• Friday - we debated getting delivery, to go along with an at home date night. In the end, I found a single serving of chicken shawarma for M (freezer) & I had cheese, crackers & an apple.
• Saturday - delivery, using Door Dash credits. We opted for Indian food, as it's one of the cuisines I don't make well on my own. 
• Sunday - lemon chicken with orzo
• Monday - tacos (freezer)
• Tuesday - leftover lemon chicken
• Wednesday - orange chicken & rice (freezer)
• Thursday - the boys will have either pizza, or spaghetti & meatballs. I'll have a snacky meal ahead of my evening class
• Friday - baked fish

What about you? What's on your menu this week?

Saturday Happenings

I'm up early this morning, as I'm doing an 8 am workout & needed to get a move on a bit earlier. One of my goals in 2025 was to try new things that make me a bit uncomfortable. Let's just say that 2025 has delivered on opportunities for this! Some I've planned on my own, and other things have been dropped in my lap. But, plenty of uncomfortable personal growth has been happening this year. 

As part of that goal, I wanted to try some new workouts, so this morning I'm joining a friend for a "dry" triathlon at the workout studio I go to. It's 2000 meters of rowing, 300 body weight exercises (including my ultimate hated burpees) & a 5k. It should be challenging, but doable. Getting it done will be a bit of a mental game with myself, as you finish with the 5k, after you are already tired from the other two. I will report back, once I've recovered.

Edited to add: the class was good! I misread the number of burpees (each body weight exercise had a different amount, and ended up doing 2x as many as I was supposed to.) By the end of the last round, I was sort of crawling. ;-) It was not great form. But, I finished! I burned 750 calories in 50 minutes, which is pretty nuts. It was a very hard workout, but I did it. 

Here's what else is on the agenda today:

• Class prep
• Work with Nick on some senior trip planning & budgeting. He's paying for his trip, but I want to make sure his budgeting & planning is sound, because...he's 18 & this seems like a good time for some life lessons & help.
• Start organizing photos for Nick's graduation poster (something his school does).
• We are ordering delivery, so no need for dinner prep. Woohoo!
• Clean & organize bathroom drawers & medicine cabinet. 
• Go through & give away some stuff on Buy Nothing

That should get me through the day. What about you? What are you up to today? 

 

Frugal Friday

It's been a quiet week, as we try to avoid spending money & work on other things. There was good "use it up" freezer progress, which is always nice. 

Saving on things we buy

• I've really tried to avoid spending lately, and I've largely stayed out of the stores. I did upload another gas reward to my credit card, and received $2 back from a gas stop Nick made.

Earning money

• Stopped by the bank to shuffle around a couple of CDs that were in their renewal period. I opted for a slightly lower rate, but a much longer term (10 months vs 4), as who knows what type of interest rate will be available in 4 months. Lots of volatility in all of the financial markets right now. 
• Cashed out some survey rewards & made a whopping $7
• Sold a pair of shoes on eBay & earned $10

Avoiding spending

• I reached out to the college about some fees on Sam's college bill that didn't make a lot of sense. I had to file an appeal, but we received the money back & saved $375. 

Eating what we have

• We've eaten a lot of leftovers this week! Kebabs & rice, with M making additional rice to round out the second meal of the kebabs. We finished off the last of a container of yogurt in the tzatziki sauce as well.
• We got home late from Nick's senior night, so I found a bag of coconut shrimp & a few spring rolls in the freezer. I baked those up & served with a salad for a quick meal.
• I also defrosted a container of carnitas. When I made these the first time, they weren't very popular, so putting them in the freezer probably wasn't going to improve their taste. ;-) I doctored them up with some additional seasoning this time around, and they were fine. Still not my favorite, but they were good enough to enjoy for dinner. Sam had his in tacos, using up additional cheese & salsa, plus the tortillas that need to be used. I had mine over a salad.
• M is not a carnitas fan, so he had the last of a kebab, plus a few leftover chicken wings. 
• We continue to use up lettuce & basil from the garden & lemons from our tree.

For others 

• Had a call with the student I'm mentoring
• Gave away some kitchen stuff on Buy Nothing

That's it from our side. What about you? Any wins to share?

Tuesday Things

Nick had his senior night for tennis yesterday, and it was so fun to see him with all of his friends. It was the opposite of soccer senior night, as it was really, really warm instead of super cold. I was wearing jeans and a top & I was *very* warm. He has a really lovely friend group, and they all showed up with signs, flowers & banners for all of the boys. I will miss seeing all of his friends at the house.

As for today, I'm not feeling like doing much, but things still need to get done! I am not going to my workout class, because I (possibly?) have an interview at 11. This hiring manager has been nothing but flaky for a month. It's so frustrating when someone doesn't confirm in advance, as of course, I adjust my schedule to accommodate his. That's no problem, but on the fourth reschedule, I'm less enthusiastic. 

Other things going on:

• Recruiter call
• Laundry
• Yard work
• Some sort of exercise, likely after my recruiter call
• Figure out toll bill payment
• Update budget
• Meditate

That's pretty much it. I will be thrilled if I can get myself together enough to accomplish this list! What's on your to do list today?

Fitness Monday

April is whizzing by! I find it so much easier to stay on track when I don't have travel planned. One of my goals is to figure out how to stay more on my plan when I do travel, because I love it, and I know that eventually when we are retired, I'll want to be traveling semi-regularly. But, I'll still need to stay on a healthy eating plan.

Weight: My weight is down 1.2 lbs from last week, which is up about .2lbs from my low of 2025. 

Calories: Yesterday was a day of eating chocolate cake, drinking mimosas & having a few pieces of Easter candy. Combined with a delicious Persian dinner. Otherwise, the week was really good on the calorie & nutrition front, and my average daily calories for the week was 1487. 

Steps: I'm doing a good job of getting in 12k steps/day, and the nice weather is always helpful on that front. My daily average for the week was 15,233, so well over my target. 

Workouts:

• 3 fitness classes
• 2 - 1 hour elliptical workouts (while I watched classes for my teaching)
• 1 - 3 mile walk

Overall nutrition: Other than yesterday, it was a pretty successful week. Lots of salads for lunches, stayed on track with eating & minimal snacking, etc. 

What about you? How was your health & fitness this week?

Menu Plan Sunday

Happy Easter, for anyone celebrating. We will be having our traditional egg hunt, plus mimosas on the patio. 

Here's what we're having for dinner this week:

• Friday - wings & pot stickers
• Saturday - one pan chicken teriyaki rice
• Sunday - kebabs & rice, plus cupcakes (Nick is having two bonus guests for dinner)
• Monday - leftover chicken teriyaki rice
• Tuesday - leftover kebabs & rice
• Wednesday - carnitas (in either tortillas, or over salads)
• Thursday - I have my class, so I'll have a snacky dinner, and everyone else will eat pizza
• Friday - TBD

What about you? What's on your menu this week?

Frugal Friday

 It's been another week, and we are looking forward to Easter this weekend. Nick is having a few friends over for dinner, where M will be making Persian kebabs & rice. I'm in charge of dessert, although I haven't figured out what I'm making yet. 

Saving on things we buy

• Picked up a few things we needed at the store (a family sized bag of Caesar salad, two containers of oat milk & the largest sized of unsweetened iced tea), and redeemed a $10 reward. I paid $7.67 out of pocket, and uploaded my receipt to Fetch. I also earned $.05 back on iBotta for the oat milk & found $.10 in the change return at the self check out. Making me rich! ;-) 
• Picked up plants for our garden boxes, and used a Home Depot gift card. I bought the Home Depot gift cards at our grocery store, as every $50 generated a $10 reward. 
• This doesn't really fit into any other category, but I filled out both boys taxes, & they are getting a small amount back ($80 & $140). I used two different tax software programs, as one didn't work for Nick. But, I paid $14.99 for Sam's state return, and figured out a way to do it differently next year & get it for free. Lesson learned. Nick's entire return was free. 
• Used a CVS Extra Care reward & a couple of coupons to pick up: two gift cards for the boys for their Easter baskets, some candy, and Advil. I also earned $2 back on iBotta, as well as 4% back on the full purchase from iBotta. I tried to choose candy that I won't eat before Easter, so wish me luck. 

Earning money

• Cashed out additional survey money ($15)
• Received a Costco executive rebate of $354. I minus out the cost of the membership, leaving us with $224 that I'll count towards our side hustle. 

Avoiding spending

• Nick went to Pinnacles National Park for a day trip on his spring break. He requested a park pass for his 18th birthday from my parents, so he was able to use his pass at the park, saving the admission fee.
• I also treated Nick for lunch on his spring break, and he requested Subway. Had enough on a gift card to get us both lunch (and, used a coupon for the second sandwich) for no out of pocket spending.  

Eating what we have

• Made an easy spaghetti & meatballs + garlic bread dinner, which we always have ingredients on hand for. I like this menu item, because we can customize the amount easily, and it doesn't require anything beyond what we keep in the pantry & freezer. (We use cheater frozen meatballs from Costco, which are really great.) 
• We splurged & allowed Nick to select takeout for dinner one night of spring break. He opted for Greek food. We had enough leftovers for 3 additional lunches. 
• Used the leftover mini containers of tzatziki sauce (from the Greek takeout meal) with grilled chicken.
• Finished off the leftover broccoli & beef one night, and the rest of the burgers as well. We are doing a good job of staying on top of our leftovers & keeping food waste to an absolute minimum. 
• Used garden lettuce, peppers & lemons in our salads.
• Had leftover burgers for another dinner. 

For others

• Found a lost phone at the grocery store. Went around to everyone nearby, and no one was missing it. Stood in line at the customer service desk to turn it in to the lost & found. 

What about you? Any wins to share?

A second class

One of my goals for 2025 was to try things that are "new & uncomfortable". I can definitely say that teaching my first class fell into that category!

While I wish I could say that it was the easiest thing I've ever done... it was most certainly not. It was a rocky start, as the calendar invite I received from my employer had the wrong Zoom link in it. By the time we got that straightened out, I was 5 minutes late for class. And then, the audio on my setup didn't work. I had practiced several times, but tech glitches... Ahhhh, so much fun! The actual class was okay, and I was happy to see the student surveys, as they were generally positive, with a couple of folks complaining about the same thing I dislike - we are required to use Zoom for the class (fine), but we run all of the in class engagement using Slack. It's clunky & requires a lot of switching back & forth, which is disruptive on all sides. Hopefully I'll get better at the switching, and/or the program will figure out a better option.

I spent about 15 hours over the last week getting ahead of my class prep, organizing all of the resources, watching recordings from other professors, and really getting into the modules. I will practice the tech prep again before class (the monitor, having three windows up, and the back & forth Slack engagement). Fingers crossed. 

My hourly rate for this class is quite low, as I like to be very prepared. If I end up teaching it again, I think it would get much easier on every session, as the first one is the one that requires all of the prep work. 

Fingers crossed that tonight's class goes smoothly!

Fitness Monday

It's been absolutely lovely spring weather, which has encouraged me to get outside more.

Weight: I finally weighed in, and I've gained 1.4 lbs since my last weigh in. Drat. I am doing better with watching my calories, so hopefully this will start dropping again. 

Calories: 1,548 - within four calories of the last time I posted my average ;-). Apparently, I'm pretty consistent. If I can drop this down by another 100 calories/day, I should be in the right spot for a slow & steady drop. 

Steps: 13,552 - my goal for the week was above 13,000, so this was a solid win. The nice weather definitely helps. 

Workouts:

• 4 workout classes (combo of strength, running & rowing)
• 1 running class
• 2 -1 hr elliptical workouts
• 1 - 2hr & 10 minute elliptical workout (I was watching a class training I need to take, & broke this up into two sessions). I prefer to learn while doing something easy, like being on the elliptical. 
• Some bonus walks, to increase my steps.

Overall nutrition:  I've been doing reasonably well getting back on the "No S" diet train, although I tend to have a glass of wine with dinner Friday-Sunday, which is not in the plan. I'm okay with that. M also asked me to sit outside & have a glass of wine with him on Tuesday, as he was reviewing various job stuff. It was lovely & we enjoyed our discussion. All that to say that I had three No S Days during the week. I'll keep working on improving this, although I'm definitely getting more No S days than I did in previous months, so progress is being made. 

What about you? Any health & fitness wins to share?

Menu Plan Sunday

 The schedules are heating up recently, with Nick working a few nights a week at a restaurant, me teaching a class one night a week, and this is Nick's spring break, so he may go skiing with friends. All that to say that this is a general menu plan, and things will almost certainly change. 

• Friday - we had spaghetti & meatballs + garlic bread
• Saturday - garlic beef & broccoli + pot stickers
• Sunday - M is grilling burgers
• Monday - creamy Dijon chicken
• Tuesday - leftover beef & broccoli
• Wednesday - leftover chicken
• Thursday - I have a snack earlier in the evening & then fast. I don't like to eat after my class. Everyone else will have leftovers. 
• Friday - TBD, but likely something easy, as Nick is working. Perhaps grilled fish & salads

What about you? What's on your menu plan this week? Any new recipes to share?

Frugal Friday

 There were a few wins here & there this week, although we were primarily focused on other things. 

Saving on things we buy

• I go through my credit card offers about every week or so, and click anything I think we might use. There's no harm in adding them, and they just expire if you don't use them. I ended up getting gas at a station we rarely use while out of town, so I earned an $.84 reward. Please don't be jealous of my big wins. ;-) That said, it's money I was spending anyway, and getting any amount was a nice bonus.

Earning money

• I taught my first class this week! I get paid at the end of the session (10 weeks), but it's my first time "working" in a while. 
• Worked on doing surveys (Prolific) here & there, making ~$25.
• Lots of interviews, interview prep & networking. 
• Received $40 as part of a settlement.

Avoiding spending

• Disputed a $14 charge, and got that refunded back.

Eating what we have

• We don't often have much bread at the house, but ended up with a bunch for various reasons. I've been making the teens sandwiches for lunches, and also froze some. We also keep baguettes in the freezer for making garlic bread. We cut it into 1/3 chunks when we buy it, and then wrap & store it. It's the perfect size for garlic bread making for 1-2 people, and that way you don't have a bunch of leftovers. 
• Blitzed some of the leftover bread to make bread crumbs for a delicious chicken parmesan
• Used up two frozen pizzas, which helped clear some space in our freezer!
• Picked a bunch of Meyer lemons off of our tree, as well as peppers & lettuce from our planters. 
• Cut back a bunch of herbs from our garden, and dried them 

For others

• Gave away additional fresh herbs to our neighbors.
• Filled out reports as part of my volunteering efforts. 

What about you? Any wins for the week?