Saturday Happenings

I had an incredibly productive day yesterday, as I scrambled to get all of my work wrapped up, try on conservative office attire, get packed, work out, & plan logistics for next week. I also was able to get much of the coordination done for my pre-birthday friends trip to Las Vegas, which needed to happen, so the reservations can get booked. We are going on Halloween weekend to see a concert, and that's a busy time there & we need to lock in the hotel & dining. 

We also had a neighbor who inadvertently received a large delivery of frozen food, but was out of town. She called for help, so M & I brought the package to our house & quickly determined that there was zero chance everything was fitting in our freezer. We then went over to our elderly neighbor, and she was able to make freezer space. While we were there, we helped her with a couple of chores that she couldn't do. Initial neighbor was thrilled, food was saved, elderly neighbor had a few bonus chores done. It was a bit of a time hit, but nice to help people. 

Nick was at the Boulder game. While they didn't win, it does appear good times were had by all ;-)  

As for today, here's what's on my plan:

• 5  mile run
• Last minute packing
• Laundry
• Pick up the house
• Ask M to take me to the airport for my flight

I'm unenthusiastic for the time at the airport, followed by a long flight, and then... the commute from the airport to the city. I've previously flown into Haneda airport, which is so much closer to the city. This time, I need to fly into Narita, which necessitates a 2+ hour bus or train ride. After the very long travel day, that's the last thing you would want. Hopefully things go smoothly, and I will be in my hotel by 8 pm, JST. 

What are you up to today?

Frugal Friday

It was another not frugal week, as I discovered that I needed conservative business attire for my trip to Tokyo. In my previous company, we were much more tech, so while we dressed up a bit from the standard California office attire, it was not as my boss described would be appropriate for my trip next week. So, I picked up a few things on Sunday & also placed a couple of online orders. I'll return anything that doesn't work, but it wasn't cheap & I had to pay to expedite one of the orders, to get it here on time. Sigh. 

Nick has also had a lot of "new school" expenses: application fees to rush, climbing gym add on to the gym, game tickets, school supplies, books, etc. We are sharing some of these expenses, as he didn't have a chance to work many hours over the summer, due to the prolonged restaurant closure, so we are also helping him with some of them as well. For example, we definitely want to encourage him to work out, and he & his roommate are both very into using the climbing wall at the school. The gym is free, and the add on for the climbing wall is $35/semester, which is pretty reasonable. 

Also not fitting into this frugal category, but worth noting - I called the IRS & got a 30 day extension (a missing tax form that didn't get uploaded when I did my 2023 taxes). While I hope not to use it, it takes the pressure off with all of the traveling. I have an entire rant about how I used Charles Schwab's tax import feature, and clearly not everything was imported, but that's a story for another day, and now I have some breathing room to get it resolved. 

Saving on things we buy

• We are going back to Boulder for family weekend. I needed to cancel my return flight, as I'm heading to London instead on Sunday, rather than flying back home with M & Sam. When I cancelled the return segment of the flight, United popped up a note that I wouldn't be getting a credit, because the outbound price was miraculously the exact same price as my original round trip fare, down to the penny. I did a quick price check, and proved that was incorrect. I spent some time on the phone with United & the system glitched out when trying to pull the right price for the single flight. I will be receiving a $270 credit to my card (even better than a flight credit!), so I was thrilled that I 1) noticed and 2) took the time to track down & correct their error. 
• I used $4 of Subway rewards when I bought lunch for myself + Sam. Now, I have $40+ of Subway gift cards, and had planned to pay with those, but the app kept glitching & I was on a tight timeline, so I paid with my credit card, which was irritating. I have gone back in & verified that my gift cards are in the app, so looks like it was a momentary problem. At first I thought they had disappeared altogether, which would have made me very displeased. Luckily, problem averted. 

Earning money

• Received my $1500 employer HSA contribution, as well as contributed $250 of my most recent paycheck. (It takes some time to set up on the back end). 

Avoiding spending

• Filled out my work expense report promptly, as I'm paying with my own card & getting reimbursed. (I can request a company card, but haven't jumped through those hoops yet.) It's $2600 of expenses (not including flight, which is covered on the back end by the company), so plenty of motivation to get it submitted quickly. 
• Speaking of hoop jumping, went through a lot of steps to get Nick's health insurance for school approved. This saves $2800, so it was definitely worth all of the hoop jumping. Although, given this is my second kid in college, I will add that this process is unnecessarily hard compared to other colleges. 

Eating what we have

• Made a creative breakfast on a day when I was pretty hungry (jet lag). Used a brioche hamburger bun, a piece of provolone cheese from a pack that needed to be used up, a sliced tomato from an earlier dinner & two eggs. It was delicious & filling. 
• Use chicken leftovers in a salad, for a quick lunch.
• Made my way through some protein bars that Nick left behind for breakfasts.

For others:

• A package arrived at our house, addressed to our specific address, with another name. I posted about it on our neighborhood group, but got no takers. So, I opened the package & gave away the items (100 Solo cups) to a woman who is hosting a community event. 

What about you? Any wins to share?

A haphazard menu plan

 It's not really much of a "plan", but here we are!

• Friday - I got to go out with an old coworker to one of my favorite restaurants in London - Dishoom
• Saturday - I ate lunch on the plane, and went to bed early. I believe M had salmon & salad, and Sam ate after work
• Sunday - I baked up the last part of a pizza & we had that with chicken
• Monday - M grilled burgers
• Tuesday - edamame, grilled chicken & cauliflower rice
• Wednesday - leftover burgers
• Thursday - chicken samosas & edamame
• Friday - the last of the burgers, or chicken wings & gyozas, if those are all gone

It's a real "winging it" type of week! What are your go to "I don't have time to plan or prep" menu options? 

Monday things

 I've been up since 4:30, as I fell asleep at 7 pm. There's really not much point to getting adjusted before my trip to Tokyo. I've been incredibly productive this morning, as the London office is closed & I have no early meetings. Yay for bonus productivity time.

You'll notice this isn't a menu plan post, or a fitness post, but I am slowly getting back on track with my life. 

Goals for today:

• Work out class -- treadmill version
• Build running schedule for the week
• Work calendar for the week
• Figure out menu
• Go through & update the budget
• Call TurboTax
• Make a list of all the AIs I took while in London, & start breaking them into next steps
• Call Japan Airlines & sort out why I can't view or access my flight for Saturday
• Laundry
• Wash all of Nick's bedding
• Return a pair of slippers I bought Nick
• Sort flights for Las Vegas
• All of the work & meetings

What about you? What are you up to today? 

I'm back & jet lagged

Unsurprisingly, I'm very jet lagged today. :-) I arrived back home yesterday afternoon, after a long travel day. 

Backing up a bit, we dropped Nick off at college! It was emotional & wonderful, and we also got to see my BFF, her daughters & their partners. I met her oldest daughter's BF for the first time, which was so fun & he's wonderful. Her youngest daughter & her BF will be spending a lot of time with Nick (I'm guessing), because he attends Boulder & has been so gracious spending time with Nick, walking him through the rush process, etc. 

We spent a ton of money last weekend on dorm prep stuff, and helping Nick get settled in. His dorm is the oldest on campus, so it's very hot. The small fan we brought was not going to help, so we ended up at Home Depot buying a much larger one. His room is actually pretty spacious, so once we saw the size, we also bought a three tiered rack for him + the roommate to use to store things like: laundry soap, extra toiletries, & other supplies. They each have their own closet. The roommate arrived after we left on Sunday, so we didn't get to meet him, but my BFF's daughter has already spent time with the roommate & describes him as "very similar to Nick". ;-) It was hard to drop him off, and a bit emotional, but no time to worry about that, as we headed back to the airport, & I flew to London.

I successfully navigated the tube, even after a long flight with no sleep. The Elizabeth Line is super straightforward, and I was able to take it almost directly to my hotel. Got off at the correct stop & everything & made my way to the hotel (by now it was Monday afternoon). Checked in, ordered room service & vegged out, & then caught up on some work. Slept for 3 hours & then was basically awake the rest of the night, bringing me to 2 days with 3 hours of combined sleep. I also had to be up at 4:30 on Saturday am for the flight to Denver. 

Work was good, but very intense. Lots of "opportunities" to fix things & transform the team. Which, is great, but stressful & very time consuming. I'm still in learning mode. Went to dinner with some folks on the team, had a night of room service. And, one night had a meeting until 8 pm. (What.a.treat.) On Friday, met up with my old direct report from my previous job, and we had dinner at one of my favorite places - Dishoom. So delicious, as always. I was in bed early, and back up at 6:30 am to make my way to Heathrow & get on the flight. According to Oura (it's a ring that you wear that tracks things like sleeping, etc) I got in a two hour nap on the flight, vs a full night of sleep. 

I did sleep 10 hours last night, so let's hope I recover quickly. I leave for Tokyo on Saturday. I'm dreading it. I'll be home for a week and then back to Boulder for family weekend, where M & Sam will head back home on Sunday & I'll fly again to London. This is so far from ideal it's nuts, but I actually don't think my job will typically involve much travel. This is just poor timing, combined with onboarding. I hope. Otherwise, this is a no for me, for obvious reasons. 

I've gone for more than a week without working out, which I'm pretty sure the last time that happened was a decade ago. I feel like a slug! I'm heading to my workout class shortly, which is sure to be difficult, after my week. 

And, a photo of the Boulder freshman class! 

Frugal Friday

 This is a bit of an abbreviated Frugal Friday because it's been too crazy for me to really even think of anything. I'm usually pretty good about dropping in things as I go, but this week has been wild with work, preparing for my trip to London, and getting Nick packed & ready to go.

Saving on things we buy

• I went to CVS to put together a little "first month" kit for Nick, including some gift cards & extra things he might need. A mom & daughter had just received vaccinations, and there was a $10 coupon associated with that. They handed me the coupon as they walked out, and I was able to apply it to my order. So sweet & thoughtful. 

Earning money

• I received $168.27 from Rakuten, which is much more than my normal amount, thanks to a credit card sign up offer I received ($150). 

Avoiding spending

• We actually bought several small things for Nick's dorm room (extra socks, underwear, a lock for his filing cabinet, etc), so we spent more than normal for sure. 

Eating what we have

• Sam & I greatly enjoyed the leftover Persian takeout for lunches. So delicious. 
• We also ate the kebabs & rice that M made as leftovers throughout the week.
• By yesterday, we needed something different, so I baked some chicken & M made gyozos for us, both from the freezer. 

For others

• Hosted a few more events for Nick & his friends, so they could get lots of time together, before everyone heads out to college. 

What about you? Any wins to share? 

Fitness Tuesday

I'm a bit delayed this week (story of the week, for sure!), but better late than never.

Weight: no change on my weight

Calories: 1,675 - yikes! Too much Persian food over the weekend

Steps: 12,126

Workouts:

• 3 cardio + strength classes
• 1 strength focused class
• 4 mile run
• 3 mile run
• 45 minute treadmill workout
• 30 minute treadmill desk walk

Overall nutrition/goals:

• I'm still trying to find the right balance on getting workouts in during the work week, which remains challenging. 
• I also have had so much going on with the family, and lots of celebrations, which has impacted my eating. Overall, I feel like I'm doing "okay".
• For this week, goals are to keep eating really balanced & get in plenty of running, before I head to London on Sunday night. 

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

Menu Plan Sunday

 This isn't as much a menu plan as a loose list of meals, because things will be pretty crazy over the next few days, leading up to heading to Boulder.

• Friday - M & I ate the last of the chicken curry
• Saturday - M, Sam & I unexpectedly went out for Persian food. It was so much fun & we had such a great evening. The food was delicious. 
• Sunday - tonight, M is making Persian kebabs + rice for Nick & his friends, as a going away dinner. I'll make salad, and cut up watermelon to go with it, and we have ice cream for dessert. 

Other meals that are available:

• Leftover Persian food (including the Saturday dinner out + the kebabs & rice)
• Hot dogs + buns
• Grilled chicken

It's not a great meal plan, but I don't envision Nick being home much this week, and Sam heads to Portland tomorrow. 

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

Saturday Happenings

 It's our last weekend before Nick leaves for college, so we have so much to get done!

Sam did a mini orientation at a restaurant for a new job last night. It's Nick's job that he has to leave when he goes to college & about half of their staff is headed to college this year & they need a lot of replacements. He also finished finals yesterday & is thrilled to have a bit of a break before school starts again. His plans include: Kendo (a type of martial arts) classes, the gym, working, & hanging out with friends. He is also headed to my parents house on Monday for a week. He didn't get a chance to see his cousin this summer, as he was with his other side of the family. They will hang out together, go mountain biking & chill with the extended family.

On the list for today:

• Go for a run before it gets too hot. I ran at noon earlier this week, and it was 80. It was not a great life choice.
• Go to a strength training class
• We are going to a going away "mehmooni" (Persian party) for one of Nick's closest friends. I need to pick up a gift & find a bottle of wine to take. 
• We are hosting Nick's friends for a going away dinner tomorrow night. Need to sort the plans for that. 
• Go through a bunch of tasks with Nick: sort school health insurance, pay tuition (gulp), sort out automatic book charges, review schedule, make reservations for next Saturday, PACK!
• Meal plan & create a shopping list

Tomorrow will be even crazier, as we are hosting, & I have a bunch of work/work to do. 

Our house is also a pit of disorganization, as we have things all strewn about in order to get Nick packed & sorted. 

For visual interest, here's a view from our patio last week when we were in Napa. 

That's it for me! What are you all up to today? 

Frugal Friday

This is unrelated to frugality or any of the below, but wanted to share that M's dad passed away over the weekend. It was especially painful, as we haven't been able to see him in 15 years. That was the last time his parents came to visit. After that, we tried to put another trip together, but his father was getting older, and international trips became very difficult (visiting the US requires a lot of pre-work, including a 2 week trip to Dubai to try & secure a visa, as there are no embassies in Iran), then the ability for them to visit the US changed. By the time we worked out options for us to visit in another location, even a trip to Dubai (relatively close for them) was too difficult for him to manage. It's been very hard for M. When he left home as a very young man, I don't think he or his parents could have imagined that some 40+ years later, it would still be so difficult to spend time together. 

Saving on things we buy

• I picked up two of my favorite sunblock (the spray, but non-sticky Neutrogena ones) when I went to pick up my prescription at CVS. I had a $10 reward, plus another $4 reward expiring that day. And, the sunblock was BOGO40% off. I also then uploaded my receipt to Fetch, as well as iBotta. iBotta pretty consistently has a 4% off CVS receipt offer, so I saved another $.50 that way. 
• Used a $10 grocery store to offset the cost of some dinner ingredients I picked up.
• Nick and his close friend group had their "last hang" last night at our house, so I splurged & ordered pizza to be delivered (it was well after standard dinner time, as Nick had to work). I used a promo code for the pizza. 

Earning money

• Just the regular W2 income this week. 

Avoiding spending

• Took advantage of free lunch & a sparkling water at work, when I drove in this week. Lunch isn't normally free, but it's temporarily being provided as an incentive to come to the office during the ongoing construction. 

Eating what we have

• Made a huge batch of taco meat for dinner on Sunday, and then froze four additional dinners worth. It took a bit more time, but saves a lot of time in total, compared to making & preparing each dinner individually.
• Used jalapenos from the garden in the guacamole I made to go with our tacos. 
• Used up a bunch of vegetables from the fridge in the chicken curry dish we had on Tuesday. Prepped by cutting all of the veggies & chicken ahead of time, so I could still make it to an   afternoon workout class. Bonus: used up coconut milk & red curry paste in the recipe. Also, the recipe is so quick & easy & absolutely delicious. Highly recommend it, if you haven't tried it. 
• As part of the coconut milk used in the chicken curry, after dumping the coconut milk into the pan, I had some coconut milk around the edges of the cans & lids (as you do). I decided to rinse the cans with some water, but didn't want to add that much liquid to the recipe. Instead, I used the liquid in my coffee the next day. It was more of a blend between coconut milk & coconut water. I would have liked it to be thicker, but it was fine. I steam my oat milk typically for coffee, so just subbed in the coconut milk/water. Tomorrow, I'll do half oat milk, half coconut/milk water, for better consistency. 

For others

• Finished my final project for the college counseling program I volunteered for this year. 

What about you? Any wins to share?

July Goals Recap

As expected, July was a really busy month, as I transitioned to a new role. I mostly got done what I wanted.

Financial:

• Spend sign on bonus per the plan:
• Max 401k, HSA & 529 contributions to get full match - this didn't work out as planned, due to payroll processing issues, but I believe it's all in motion now. The HSA requires a 30 day review, and my sign on bonus was paid out in my first paycheck. The 529 process is very complex, so I *think* I have this set up, but I'll need to see after the first contribution trickles in. 
• $5000 to nephew for college fund - yes, done
• Create a new budget - I've kept this very high level for now, so done
• Meal plan & avoid takeout unless planned. - we've done a very good job of this, despite some eclectic meals. 

Family:

• Get Nick's college prep sorted & finish required orientation tasks- still some things left, but all required July items got done. 
• Have a fabulous visit with my sister + BFF - despite it being short, we had so much fun!
• Help Sam decide on fall plans - while I'm still waiting for him to verbalize this, he's registered for classes at the local college. I think he has a bit of a block on saying he's not going back to OSU in the fall. We are very supportive of this change, and I think it will be really good for him. He's also applying to a job, as his summer job just ended. 
• One date night with M - we ended up going to Napa for a mini getaway, when my office was closed. 

Fitness:

• Lose 2 lbs - I gained .4 lbs in July, so definitely not the direction I was hoping
• 15, 15, 15 (strength, No S days & meditation) - 11/15 strength workouts, 8/15 No S days, 0 meditations 
• Figure out a new workout routine for my work schedule - while not perfect, I've actually adapted pretty well & gotten in more workouts than expected. 
• Average 12,500 steps/day - 12,451 - I'll take it! It's very close, and very pleased with this, given my new work schedule

Personal:

• Get together with friends x2 - went for a couple of hikes, & did the mini trip with my sister + BFF
• Say yes to adventure & try new things - yes! Agreed to do a half marathon in October (work schedule permitting) & started planning a trip to Greece next summer. And, decided to do a trip to Las Vegas for a concert. 
• Figure out new work schedule & get settled into new job - this is largely going well
• Declutter 50 items - definitely no, but I did get rid of 10 items, including 4 items of eWaste that have been in my closet for over a year, waiting for me to find & remember to deal with them, plus Nick's BMX bike, which M has been begging to get out of the garage. So, good progress despite the numbers. 

What about you? How did you do with your July goals? 

August Goals

 I feel like July absolutely whipped by. Here are my goals for August.

Financial:

• Keep working on 401k contributions
• Ensure HSA & 529 contributions are properly set up
• Meal plan, & use up 3 freezer/pantry items, preference to those things that are Nick's favorites & we won't eat. 

Family:

• Finish all of Nick's college prep & drop him off at college. (Cue all of the emotions)
• Help Sam decide on fall plans
• One date night with M

Fitness:

• Lose 2 lbs
• Start back with fitness checkins with friends
• 15, & 15 (strength training, no S days - dropped the meditation, as I haven't been prioritizing this at all)
• Start half marathon training plan
• Average 12,000 steps/day

Personal:

• Get together with friends x2
• Say yes to adventure & try new things
• Figure out new work schedule, & get settled into new job
• Declutter 50 items
• Work on planning fun travel & budgets

What about you? What are you hoping to accomplish in August? 

Fitness Monday

 Ooof, it was not a great week on the fitness front. Here's the recap of how things went. I knew it would be a rocky calorie week with Napa, but I was expecting better workouts & not a challenging weekend. (More on that in a separate post, but we had a death in the family, and eating well took a back seat to a lot of other things.) 

But, accountability is helpful, even when it's not the message you want to share, or wish it were. 

Weight: I did not weigh in, but will do this week.

Calories: average of 1,835/day

Steps: average of 12,621/day

Workouts:

• 2 mile outdoor run (my first in a long time) + 45 minute strength training class
• 1 regular workout class (combo of cardio & strength)
• 1 7 mile hike
• 2 - 30 minute elliptical workouts (Napa)
• 1 hour treadmill walk

Overall nutrition/goals: I'm becoming much more aware of my protein intake, which has been really helpful. I've also found a yogurt that doesn't bother my stomach, which is a huge win. I've been enjoying that + a protein granola & berries. It's very filling & a great meal option. 

Goals for the week:

• Back on track with the nutrition
• Get into my running training plan
• No S days

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

Menu Plan Sunday

 Things have been a bit haphazard, as we all adjust to various schedules (Nick is back from Lake Tahoe & working again, Sam has the end of college classes but no work, etc). 

• Friday - grilled chicken (freezer) + quesadillas for the teens. M had the grilled chicken + salad. I found a one serving dinner of a chicken & rice dish in the freezer & made that.
• Saturday - Philly cheese steaks + fruit
• Sunday - tacos
• Monday - lemon pepper chicken + pasta
• Tuesday - chicken vegetable curry + rice
• Wednesday - leftover tacos (late day in the office)
• Thursday - leftover lemon pepper chicken
• Friday - leftover chicken vegetable curry

What's on your menu for the week? 

Frugal Friday

 Another week is flying by! Here are a few things we've been up to. 

Saving on things we buy:

• Used a $20 grocery store to pick up items we needed. As a bonus, they also had $1 off peelie stickers for the oat milk I was buying, so total saved on the trip was $22. 
• As noted in my travel post earlier this week, I was able to use very old British Airways miles to cover two premium economy tickets to Greece (for myself + my sister) for next June. Although it's a long way out, they had limited availability. We're pretty fixed on dates, given my BFF's job at a school, so these dates seem likely. If not, I've checked, and we can adjust to other dates with availability with no penalty. 

Earning money:

• Nothing out of the ordinary here. Sam is finishing his last week of work for the summer, as his job supports summer interns. He was so lucky to find a job that paid well for someone with his experience, and was full time. He was able to save quite a bit of money. On the flip side, the restaurant where Nick works was supposed to undergo a couple of weeks worth of renovations. Instead, they have been closed unexpectedly for five weeks. He had a limited number of weeks to work in the summer anyway, so his savings has taken a major hit. He's enjoyed the time with friends, but is stressed about his college savings & is considering getting a job first semester. We would like him to put that off until at least second semester, so he can get used to college & classes - he's taking very challenging classes as a freshman. We shall see. I like the independence. :-) We will probably provide him a bit more support than planned for his first semester, to dial down the pressure for him. 

Avoiding spending:

• Drove our electric car to our mini vacation getaway in Napa, and charged for free at the hotel, thus eliminating the cost of gas. 

Eating what we have:

• I had a very eclectic dinner that used up a lot of tiny bites in the fridge. Leftover beef kebab with a tiny portion of Mediterranean takeout lunch. One small scoop of remaining tzatziki & hummus. One naan bread. It was delicious all together, and allowed me to clean up the fridge & reduce waste. Always a win. 
• Had unexpected guests for dinner again (oh, teens ;-)), so rather than our planned leftovers, I turned to the hot dogs & buns in the freezer, and we had that with potato salad & fruit. DH also made gyozas, which was Sam's request, despite them not quite fitting with the rest of the menu. Everyone was pleased & full after, which I suppose is the only real goal. It was nice to get the buns & gyozas out of the freezer, and create a bit more space as well. 
• Made banana blueberry muffins for M, using 6 freezer bananas, +1 overly ripe banana from the counter. He requested the addition of blueberries, so I used a combination of fresh, and a small amount of frozen I found in the freezer. 
• Nick's friend's family went fishing in Alaska, and brought some fresh halibut & salmon for us. What a tasty gift! M is the big salmon lover, so he's been working his way through that, and I've had the halibut. 
• I finished up the last of the fruit I cut up with our unexpected guests earlier in the week. Sam wrapped up the gyozas for another lunch. 

For others:

• Booked a flight for my sister for Greece, but in reality, this is a gift for myself, because I absolutely want her to be on the birthday trip!

What about you? Any wins to share?