International trip planing with parents

I've mentioned in other places, but to recap, I'm sponsoring a trip to Japan for my dad (my nephew is taking him) & I'm taking my mom & sister on my mom's one & only international trip. The goal is to do traveling with our parents (also still planning to get together with M's mom, when that's possible) while that's still an option. It means front loading some of our travel spend in 2027/2028 vs more spread out over the next 10 years. Travel planning for my dad's trip is a bit on hold as we wait for flights to open up, but we will likely book flights over the next month or so. 

Planning/location:

After quite a bit of discussion & researching options, and hitting the balance of seeing some of the things my mom wants to experience, but doing it in a way that works for her & our group, we landed on a very small cruise in May, that allows us to go to some of the (less) touristy destinations.

We will be flying into Athens, spending a day there before we get on the cruise, mostly to ensure there are no travel delays. Then we will visit three Greek islands, including Paros - which was a huge favorite when I was there this summer, & two islands new to me. We will then go to Croatia & I'm very excited to go to Krka National Park, which looks amazing. 

The cruise finishes in Venice, and we will spend 1.5 days there before flying home, and will do a few Venice tourist activities. 

Cost/optimization:

• I booked the cruise through Chase travel, which means I'll get 8x points for the purchase, and also a $250 excursion booking credit per person. I'll share more details on the cruise as we get further along.
• Because the cruise was quite a significant expense (traveling with three is hard, and requires a second room), I really wanted to keep the flights in check. I also had some complicated travel booking (multi city with Athens & Venice) & then on the way home, my mom & sister will be routing through Portland & I'll be returning to San Francisco. The logistics nearly did me in! But, I found some options to use miles for one of the routes, and then found some less expensive economy flights for the return. There were seat booking fees on Lufthansa that added to the overall cost, but I managed to get all of the flights needed (minus the flight from my sister & mom one way from Portland to SFO the night before) for just under $2400, which felt like quite a feat.
• For the hotel in Athens, I booked a Hyatt hotel on points for two nights, for two rooms, and used a Suite Upgrade Award, which will hopefully secure a nicer room. Total cost on that was $0.
• I'm hoping to use Chase Travel points for the hotel in Venice, as Hyatt has limited options there.

In terms of what else I still need to pay for, and how I'm thinking of the budget, I have planned:

• Transit from Athens hotel to the port
• Transit from Venice port to hotel
• Food & activities in Athens & Venice
• Excursions on the cruise. Drinks & tips are included in the cruise, and there is no additional food up charging. 
• Travel insurance
• A one way flight for my sister & mom from Portland to San Francisco, hoping to use miles for this.

I'm new to cruising, so interested to see what this is like! If you have any tips or suggestions, please share! 

Fitness Monday

 Aside from a nagging back pain (I think I was sore from an exercise in my workout class), it was a pretty good week. Not enough steps, and slightly over my calorie goals, but slow & steady! 

Weight: 146.1, down .2 lbs from last week, and at my previous low

Calories: 1,403/day, with a couple of meals out

Steps: 10,979, even with my long hike. Those in office days with the commute really drag down my average

Workouts:

• A 7.5ish mile hike with a friend
• 3 hard workout classes (1/2 cardio, 1/2 strength training)
• One elliptical workout (30 minutes)
• 2 days without a workout (in office days with long commutes). I won't miss those!

Goals for the week:

• Drop calories back to 1,300/day
• Increase steps
• Daily workout

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

Menu plan Sunday

 It's been a real "fly by the seat of our pants" week, as we got home from our trip on Sunday with no groceries & no plan. As such, this is a bit of an extended edition, so you can see how things look when we have no plan. ;-) 

• Sunday - DoorDash'd Greek food. Which is a pretty rare occurrence for us, luckily.
• Monday - I had leftover Greek food. M had grilled chicken.
• Tuesday - I went out to dinner with coworkers.
• Wednesday - shrimp (M) + leftover pizza (me + Sam)
• Thursday - one pan chicken fajita rice
• Friday -  chicken sausage white bean skillet
• Saturday - Korean beef bowls & rice
• Sunday - grilled chicken & Persian rice
• Monday - leftover chicken fajita rice
• Tuesday - leftover chicken white bean skillet
• Wednesday - leftover grilled chicken
• Thursday - Sheet pan fajitas
• Friday - leftover fajitas

It will be so nice to have days where I can actually cook again during the work week! What about you? What's on your menu for the week? 

October goals

 I'm a big fan of October, with the typically cooler weather & sunshine. I also have two trips this month (Boulder, to see Nick for family weekend + a trip to Palm Springs with my parents & sister). And, I'm officially part time! Woohoo for that!

Here are my goals for the month:

Financial:

• Stay on top of food waste by using up 3 pantry or freezer items
• Continue to track net new savings for 2026
• Make $100 in side hustle
• Find one expense to optimize
• Push hard to fund 2027 expenses (without pulling from savings)

Family:

• Cotnineu to help the boys navigate college & life
• Have a great trip to Boulder with M & both boys
• Have a great trip to Palm Springs with my parents & sister, keep budget in check
• Have a family dinner with Sam's girlfriend
• Continue planning for our next big trip (M's 60th)
• Plan for big international trip with my mom & sister
• Look into flights for my dad's trip to Japan

Fitness:

• Lose 3 lbs
• 10 strength workouts
• Track nutrition
• Average 13,000 steps/day
• Sort out any medical appointments before EOY

Personal:

• Finish list for part-time schedule
• Rough out schedule for post December, when I'm not working
• Declutter 50 items
• Get together with friends
• Try something new/say yes to adventures
• Get to know our neighbors
• Try a new recipe

What about you? What are your goals for October? 

Frugal Friday

This is a recap of a few weeks.  

Saving on things we buy

• Sam ended up having to work early on Saturday (which is good for his income), but it meant we were without a ride to the airport. Typically, parking at the airport is the cheapest option, as long as you book in advance. We were going to be gone for long enough that wasn't the case. So, I remembered I had Lyft credits from my credit card, which offset the cost by $25. I tipped on the full amount, of course.
• Our annual pass for the national parks was an even better deal than I thought. I knew I would be going at least four times in a year, so the math worked out. I didn't know I could get someone else in for free with me, so M's admission was also free. The pass has already paid for itself!

Earning money

• Received a $37 privacy settlement of some sort, when was sent to me through Venmo.
• Helped the boys sell more of their Magic cards, earning another $100.

Avoiding spending

• I apparently didn't pack enough snacks for our Bryce Canyon day, which included a lot of driving. I think both of us were particularly hungry after a few days of hard hiking. We considered stopping on the way home, but ate the last of the snacks in the bag & waited until we got back to the condo, where we reheated leftovers. 
• Charged my car for free at work, although the following day I didn't pay close enough to the time I arrived & while I did get four hours of free charging, I then paid $14 for the remainder of the charge, which is not a good deal. 

Eating what we have

• For the Utah portion of the trip, we packed lunches, brought snacks from home & kept the restaurant meals to a minimum. We also bought wine at Costco, which was nice to have when we returned to the condo each day after hiking. 
• Using the oat milk my friend left in the fridge (they left  a few things & asked us to use & then toss anything left behind, as they were here just before us), as well as a few other items on hand. 
• We ate all of the pretzel bun sandwiches, the celery/grain salad, the fajita kit, and most of a rotisserie chicken + the sesame chicken. We brought the protein bars home with us, left the coffee & two bottles of wine behind for future guests, and M took the eggs (hard boiled) along for the Las Vegas portion of the trip. We did pretty well minimizing food waste, all things considered.
• I had a work dinner on Tuesday, but brought leftovers home, which was my dinner on Wednesday, and lunch for Sam. 

For others

• I'm planning a big international trip with my mom, and helping to fund a trip to Japan for my dad. I enjoy treating other people to experiences!

What about you? Any wins to share? 

September Goals Recap

 September feels like it went by particularly fast, but here we are! 

Financial:

• Stay on top of food waste by using up 3 pantry or freezer items - used up the last of a bag of potstickers & chicken
• Continue to track net new savings for 2026 - yes, this continues, although it was a rough month with lots of plumbing expenses
• Finalize budget adjustments for part time - done
• Make $100 in side hustle - $131.87
• Find one expense to optimize - nope, although the electric car charging is now on my list for research
• Adjust post work budget & plan, depending on exit date - yes, this is all complete
• Determine whether it makes sense to switch spending to a different credit card through EOY - yes, done
• Determine feasibility of saving 2027 expenses - plan is in motion, but unlikely to save all of it, due to part time status

Family:

• Continue to help the boys navigate college & life - this is going well
• Plan something fun for Labor Day - we went to Point Reyes for a gorgeous hike & an early dinner
• Monthly date with M - we had the Labor Day hike + the anniversary trip
• Finalize details for Utah & have a fabulous trip - done!
• Have a family dinner with Sam's girlfriend, before she heads back to school - no, although they came over & we caught up. Would still like to arrange a dinner
• Continue planning for our next big trip (M's 60th) - I handed off a requested itinerary to the folks who book lodging & help plan the itinerary for the Dolomites. We aren't expecting to hear back until November

Fitness:

• Lose 3 lbs - I lost 1.6 lbs this month, keeping on the very slow & steady trend
• 10 strength workouts - 8/10, as the end of the month was mostly hiking focused
• Track nutrition - yes, although estimated a few days for our trip. Average - 1,364/day calories. 
• Average 13,000 steps/day - 12,546. I had a bunch of in office days, but also some high steps days, thanks to hiking. 
• Sort out any medical appointments before EOY - no progress made here.

Personal:

• Make list for part-time schedule - I have a mini list for this week, but would like to build this out a bit more
• Declutter 50 items - 140 items out of the house
• Get together with friends - yes, a couple of hikes + a workout class/coffee
• Try something new/say yes to adventures - lots of adventures in Utah, including hiking through a river
• Get to know our neighbors - yes, helped neighbors with a package, and another neighbor with a plumbing issue, M helped our across the street neighbor out with some repairs as well
• Try a new recipe - tried a new sheet pan bake recipe

That's it from my side. How did you do with your September goals? 

Anniversary trip to Utah & Las Vegas Budget Roundup

We flew into Las Vegas on a Saturday, and flew home the following Sunday. We spent Saturday-Thursday in St. George, Utah & the drove back to Las Vegas on Thursday, where we stayed until we flew home on Sunday. 

Flights: $989.52

• These flights were extremely expensive, for no particular reason other than the fuel surge. I had a few small flight credits that I applied to the reservation, saving me about $90. Not that much. I also was able to leverage my A list status (earned through primary travel credit card) to allow for the basic ticket price, while still getting perks of the next ticket class up. After minor credits, total spent for flights = $989.52

Transportation: $392.52

• Sam had to work really early on the day we left, so we didn't have an option to head to the airport early for a ride & avoid paying for a ride share. However, I did use credit card Lyft credits to get the cost down to $14.50, which included a tip on the full value. 
• We booked a car for the Utah portion of the trip, and spent $235.19 on the car rental. 
• I paid $65 for parking (split across 2 days) at Zion. 
• Gas: $18.03 + 20.59
• I paid $12.16 for a taxi in Las Vegas
• On the way home from the airport, we spent $27.05, including the tip. 

Lodging: $100

• In Utah, we stayed at my friend's condo. I loaned her cash in Las Vegas, and she offered up a future condo trip as a fun exchange. We picked up a couple of gift cards to local restaurants as an additional thank you.- $100
• In Las Vegas, we stayed at a hotel using comps.

Food: $1085.69

• We had a splurge lunch in Las Vegas before we left, after picking up the rental car, and spent $258, which included a bottle of wine & a lot of fun people watching. 
• We bought some supplies for the condo at Costco, including: apples, coffee (will leave what's leftover), wine, protein bars, eggs, three prepped meals for dinners & a prepped tray of pretzel sandwiches for packed lunches. We spent $245.27, and it's not lost on me that's cheaper than our entire lunch above!
• We ate lunch in St. George at Viva Chicken (I was still remembering my salad from the girls trip back in March, & it did not disappoint! I also wanted to pick up a gift card for my friend, as a thank you) - food cost only - $36.61
• We made a stop at the local grocery store for additional bottles of water (not recommended to drink the water at the condo, but I'm not sure if that's a taste preference or not.) Given we were going to be hiking during the trip, did not want to chance any stomach issues. We bought gallons of water (they also use it for the coffee maker, etc), sparkling water, handi wipes for hiking, & deodorant for M (forgot his). Deodorant isn't food, but including here anyway. - $22.86
• We stopped for more water, salt, an onion, two bananas & Sour Patch Kids (my hiking treat of choice!) & paid $20.64.
• We went to lunch after our last day in Zion, & spent $102.31 (includes an after hike beer). 
• We spent $400 on food tips in Las Vegas (the rest was comp'd, but tips are not).

Activities: $222.23

• I bought a national park pass for $80. I'm going to get at least 4 days, so I'll divide the cost into $20/day, for easy math. We went to 3 days of national parks, so this cost $60. The great news is that I was also able to bring M in for free each day with my park pass. 
• We also spent $20 on a day pass visit to Snow Canyon State Park in St. George
• I spent $70.23 on the gear for The Narrows (canyoneering boots, large poles, and a dry bag). 
• The two lottery permits for Angels Landing were $12.
• Massage tip - $60 (the rest was comp'd). 

Other: $500

• I lost $500 gambling in Las Vegas (my trip limit), over the course of 4 days. I have about $100 of comps for our next trip. M was in a black jack tournament, so our room, the majority of our food, the hotel stay & a massage for me was all comp'd. Tips are not included, which is why you see them called out above. Reminder if you are new and/or I haven't explained this before, but many years ago, M won a craps tournament & put the winnings in a "Las Vegas" fund. We don't consider the money "real", although of course it is actual money. We use that initial fund to generate comps, which we use for trips to Las Vegas, & he's since won additional tournaments, and the money again stays in the fund, because you also lose, of course & we enjoy the value of the comps. If I do any gambling, I do so with my own fun money. M made it to the finals of the tournament, but didn't win. Please note, in no way do I recommend this as a "money saving" hobby, a way to save on holidays or heaven forbid "make money". This is something M has done to make the cost of a hobby he really enjoys (tournaments - black jack, craps & baccarat) as close to free as possible. 

Total spent = $3289.96 for an absolutely fabulous trip!

It's Monday, we are back

Ooof, we got back yesterday evening & I'm all feeling all of the Monday vibes this week! It was a struggle this morning, particularly because I had to be up even earlier than normal to get to the office by 7:30. What a way to kick off the day!

It's also my official start to part time (I'll be working just Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays until the end of the year, when I'll then be done). No one knows about this yet, but I will be telling my team this week, so things are going to get interesting very quickly! It will be so nice to have everyone aware, and be able to start transitioning work, etc. 

I'm working on a trip recap for our vacation, so stay tuned for that. 

A few frugal wins for today:

• There were plenty of electric charging spots available at the crack of dawn this morning, which means I will get 4 hours of free car charging
• Breakfast is free (if you don't order hot food), so I had a Chobani yogurt + a sprinkle of granola & grabbed a banana for later
• Someone left out a box of Puff protein bars with a "free" sign in the break room. I've wanted to try those, so I now have one to try before I buy my own. 
• We are in that glorious time of the year where we need no heat or A/C. We had a very moderate summer, and only used the A/C maybe 8 days. I'm hoping we can last until the end of October for the heat, but who knows!
• We installed a new water monitor when we had all of our plumbing issues a few weeks ago. Our water is very expensive & our bills are high. We are hoping this helps us really hone in on our usage & conserve & save money. More to come here!

Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

Hiking The Narrows at Zion

 Hiking The Narrows is a bucket list hike in Zion, but the details need to line up well. The water flow needs to be reasonable, you absolutely need to be aware of the risk of flash flooding & plan accordingly, and the time of the year matters as well. Our timing was nearly perfect, and the water was warm enough that we didn't need the full waders, & could get away with just canyoneering boots, neoprene socks & the poles (not hiking poles - these are much thicker & better for this particular hike - would not recommend them for a standard hike!).

You hike through the Virgin River, into a slot canyon & the views are absolutely breath taking! It's impossible to do it justice in photos, but the way the light comes up through the canyon walls in the morning... So beautiful!

We move on to the Las Vegas portion of the trip tomorrow, and I'm guessing that will be quite different! ;-) So much love for Utah & the national parks. 

Oh my, Bryce Canyon

 Our entire trip has been fantastic, including surprise lottery permit to Angels Landing (I only did the first section, because I get freaked out when it goes from chain to the non-chained section), amazing place to stay, relaxing hikes, great weather, low crowds... but, Bryce Canyon was perhaps my favorite national park I've ever been to, and that was with really low expectations. Absolutely stunning views around every corner. 10/10, no notes! ;-) 

We are hoping to do The Narrows tomorrow, if the weather & flash flood conditions look good. Super jazzed for that. Definitely want to bring the boys back for Zion & Bryce. So much fun! We are hoping to get there early tomorrow, finish at Wall Street, have lunch at the brewery, and head back to the condo to get everything washed & cleaned for leaving early on Thursday, where we will carry on to the Las Vegas portion of the trip. I'm getting a massage! After the hiking, I"m pretty excited. 

Fitness Monday

It was sort of a mixed week, with the need for at home workouts (elliptical) between pretty chaotic work happenings. I managed to hold things together reasonably well, and still get in some sort of activity most days. My steps helped tremendously by my 20k steps yesterday ;-) 

Weight: 146.3 (up .2 lbs from last week)

Calories: 1,322/day

Steps: 13,360

Workouts:

• One hard workout class (cardio & strength)
• One double strength class (upper & lower body + core)
• 3 elliptical workouts (2 - 45 minutes, 1 - 75 minutes)
• One day without a workout (travel day on Saturday)
• Hiking about 7 miles in Utah

Goals for the week: enjoy the hiking, have fun while keeping the calories in check enough to not go totally off of the rails. 

What about you? How are you doing with your health & fitness goals this week? 

Menu Plan Sunday

 This is a very different type of menu plan, as we are at my friend's condo in Utah for a hiking trip, and then heading to Las Vegas for the end of the trip. We opted to buy some prepped Costco meals to keep costs down for the first half of the trip, as we have access to an oven, but my friend doesn't keep spices, etc in the house. Cheaper than takeout or eating out, but not as cheap as made at home. 

• Friday - wings & spring rolls - a use it up meal before we left!
• Saturday - we had a big lunch before leaving Las Vegas after our flight, so we kept things light M having some fruit, and I had a pretzel sandwich (Costco)
• Sunday - we have a beef/chicken fajita kit that we will make tonight
• Monday - I bought the grain/rotisserie chicken salad
• Tuesday - We will try the sesame chicken with veggies & noodles
• Wednesday - wrap up any leftovers
• Thursday - dinner at a steak house
• Friday - dinner at a seafood restaurant

We spent about $240 at Costco, including wine, coffee for the house (will leave remainder there), apples, three prepped meals, protein bars, eggs & a prepped tray of pretzel sandwiches (for packed lunches). I think we will eat one lunch out until we get to Las Vegas, but the rest of the meals will largely be at the condo. 

I will report in on whether any of the prepped Costco meals are worth picking up in a similar situation! What about you? What's on your menu for the week?

Weekly Spending

 Another expensive week, although the big purchase (aside from the ongoing plumbing projects) is a Christmas gift, and our Christmas budget is planned for in our annual budget. 

September 11th-September 17th

• Friday - bought Nick his ski season pass for his Christmas gift, using the college discount, on the last day of the sale before the prices go up - $899.00
• Saturday - groceries at Costco - $139.70
• Sunday - additional groceries (including some hiking snacks for our upcoming trip) at Trader Joes - $41.02
• Monday - two sump pump monitors, to ensure we know if they go out again, and don't cause damage - $233.71
• Tuesday - no spend day. 
• Wednesday - bought M's anniversary gift, which was car wash supplies/tools - $260. 
• Thursday - no spend day.

Made $12.18 on an eBay sale

Total net spend for the week = $1559.45. Yikes! Another expensive week, but two gifts in there, as well as the ongoing fun of house projects & expenses related to that. 

I don't think I'll keep up the weekly spend tracking forever, but it's certainly eye opening when I do it!