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! 

Frugal Friday

 It's been another week - and, we survived it! Nothing super exciting on the frugal front. 

Saving on things we buy

• Picked up snacks at Trader Joes for our upcoming hiking trip. Light weight, reasonably nutritious & calorie dense are good options when spending all day hiking, as opposed to normal snacks. I uploaded receipts to Fetch & iBotta, and got a $.30 cash back offer from iBotta. The snacks brought from home will be substantially cheaper than anything we could buy in the parks, and it's unlikely we will be near any food locations for the majority of the days. 
• I bought Nick a season's ski pass for the mountain near his college. I took advantage of the Labor Day sale (last day before it went up in price) & he was also able to get a promo code through the college ski club. This is his big Christmas gift, as ski passes are not cheap. 

Earning money

• Today is my last day of full time work! I move to part-time (Monday-Wednesday) when I'm back from vacation!
• I sold a shirt on eBay for $12.You might recall that I purchased some items at Uniqlo in Japan for the boys. There were a handful of items that weren't a perfect fit, so I'm selling what didn't work out. 

Avoiding spending

• Sam is planning to take us to the airport before he has to go to work on Saturday, which will save us the cost of an Uber. 
• Worked hard to fit my very different items (hiking boots, day pack, hiking clothes, plus much nicer clothes for Las Vegas) into one suitcase, to avoid the need to check a bag. 
• I needed to pick up a prescription, and CVS had to send it to multiple pharmacies to get what I needed. In the end, they delivered it for free, which saved me time, gas money & the potential for spending money on other things while I was there. 

Eating what we have

• M froze & then re-used his chicken marinate from the weekend before. It takes quite a bit of time to put it together, so he's started making it one weekend, then freezing it for a second batch. We are also stockpiling chicken for Nick, who has asked M to bring another big bag of frozen grilled chicken (Dad's special marinate) when we go to Boulder for family weekend.
• I've been continuing to eat the occasional potato (microwaved, & then in a pan with eggs) for my brunch, as we have a large bag of potatoes in the pantry. 
• We took the leftovers of the sheet pan with cabbage & sausage, and I added a few extra sausages to round it out & add more protein, which served as an extra diner.
• We also had extra tomatoes & fresh mozzarella, so I made a caprese salad (bonus for basil from the garden) 2x, to round out some leftovers.
• I had a scrappy lunch of an apple, a ciabatta bun that Sam abandoned & the last slice of cheese & made an apple & cheese panini, which is a great combination. 

For others

• Hosted a volunteer event for work. 
• Mentioned last week that I was chasing the process to get a corporate match for the donation we made to Guardian Scholars (a program that helps students existing the foster system & starting college). That got approved, which doubles the amount of my donation & impact to the non-profit. Woohoo! A small amount of work for me that will hopefully have a meaningful impact on the program.

What about you? Any wins to share? 

Saving up for family travel

M & I are working on saving up for some big family trips. 

Turkey with M's mom:

If things ever settle down in Iran (the airports are currently all closed), we would like to meet his mom in Turkey & bring both boys. It's unlikely Sam will be able to go, as he is on the wait list for a year long internship, but we would likely go in May, so Nick could attend. While we aren't able to pay for flights due to sanctions, we would cover all other travel expenses for M's mom + whomever else comes along. This trip is currently just a bookmark for May, as there's no way to know what will be feasible until it gets closer.

My dad's trip to Japan with my nephew:

My nephew would like to take my dad to Japan before the trip becomes untenable due to my dad's health. I've offered to sponsor most of the trip. I don't think my dad's back can hold up in an economy seat for an international flight, so I'm tentatively earmarking flights to be a very big expense. 

An international trip with my mom & sister:

My parents don't have a ton of disposable income, and I know they would both love to do an international trip before they are no longer able to. My dad's big dream is Japan (above), but that's not on my mom's wish list. My sister & I are working on short list of options to share with her, as she's asked us to select something. A lot of things are being discussed, but she's not a big city person, wants something reasonably active, safe & easy logistics from San Francisco. So, more to come on this one.

Travel is already a significant portion of our budget for myself, M & the boys. I'll likely plan to pull forward some of our spending in 2027, and expect that it will level off quite a bit after that. I'm happy to have the flexibility to make these trips happen for our parents. As a result, we are going to work hard to keep other expenses in check & save up extra funds! 

Travel planning, budgeting & optimizing perks, rewards, miles, etc is one of my favorite things to do, so stay tuned for more details on how I try to optimize these trips. Without work travel, I will not have many miles or points to leverage, but I will have the glorious advantage of having a flexible schedule. 

Are you daydreaming of any trips? 

Fitness Monday

Last week was a much more challenging week, as I had to be in the office two days, had a work dinner event, and a bunch of meetings in the evening with our team in Tokyo. As a result, my workout flexibility was quite limited. I also had a bigger weight drop last week, so not surprised to be flat for the week.  

Weight: 146.1 - same as last week

Calories: 1,386/day on average

Steps: 9,873/day. This is quite low for me, and I had a few days with back to back meetings that meant my steps were below 5,000 steps. 

Workouts:

• 7.5 mile hike with a friend on Labor Day
• 2 hard workout classes
• 1 -20 minute elliptical workout between meetings at the office gym
• 3 days without workouts :-( 

Goals for the week: I have more schedule flexibility this week, and would like to go to 3 strength training classes. I also need more steps!We will be traveling on Saturday, but have hikes planned for Sunday as we kick off our week of PTO. 

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

Menu Plan Sunday

 I'm hoping this week is a bit more stable than last week, but who really knows?! 

• Friday - frozen pizza + salad. Dinner of champions, really ;-) 
• Saturday - sausage sheet pan dinner that didn't get made earlier
• Sunday - cheater chicken fajitas (made with rotisserie chicken)
• Monday - leftover sheet pan dinner
• Tuesday - grilled burgers
• Wednesday - shrimp + rice
• Thursday - grilled salmon
• Friday - any leftovers

And, after that we are off on an anniversary trip to Utah & Las Vegas! Looking forward to minimal cooking. ;-) 

What about you? What's on your menu for the week? 

Weekly Spending

 As opposed to last week, this one was expensive, as it involved house repairs. 

September 4th-September 10th

• Friday - the plumber came, and we paid $1700 for a bunch of repair work we needed to have done.
• Saturday - Trader Joes + Costco, $225.78
• Sunday - Lunch/dinner combo out at after our hike (we had oysters, a burger, a shared salad, wine + a blood Mary) - $186.17
• Monday - I bought a national park pass, in advance of our trip to Utah, and a trip to Joshua Tree with my parents - $80. Also had to order a house wide water softener, which is basically required in our neighborhood - $2429.81. Not having this is causing other plumbing issues, so in the long run, this is the better option. Note that this doesn't include installation, which we haven't paid for yet. The plumbing above is related to our failed sump pump. We also have a leak in our bathroom, so the plumbing fun continues for sure. 
• Tuesday - no spending 
• Wednesday - Bought lunch at the office, in the middle of a crazy day. It's been a work week, so I spent $7.67 on a large salad.
• Thursday - I again bought lunch, but brought home leftovers for dinner for Sam, before he left for work. I spent $10.41 on a sandwich. 

Total eBay sales for the week = $50.29 (summarizing, vs trying to keep track of which days they were on).

Total net spend (spend above minus side hustle) = $4589.55

As you can see, it was an incredibly expensive week! Let's hope next week is very inexpensive, but I've heard the plumber will be back soon to install our water softener system. 

Frugal Friday

Note to add that I wrote most of this earlier in the week & scheduled it, not thinking of the timing of this post falling on the anniversary of 9/11.  

It was exactly the week I expected... in other words, definitely not great thanks to some work stuff going on. But, only two more work weeks until I go part-time! (I have a week of PTO also in there). 

Saving on things we buy

• We had to buy a pricey water softener/purifier (the whole house kind - not just for drinking, as we've been having plumbing problems) & they had a Labor Day sale that we weren't expecting. It was still expensive, but we saved $200, which I suppose is better than a kick to the face. 

Earning  money

• Sold two jackets & a textbook on eBay. I took advantage of a 50% off promo coupon that was offered recently, and it made a difference in sales, so that was nice. 

Avoiding spending

• Not exactly sure which category this falls into, but we recently purchased a Southwest voucher at a discount from one of M's coworkers who needed to sell it. It has an expiration date, so I cancelled Nick's flight for Christmas that I'd booked with United miles & rebooked on Southwest. The miles don't expires, so this gives us more flexibility in the future. 
• My frugal fail is that I bought lunch at work on Wednesday (not avoiding spending), thanks to a very wild work week. However, I did get free snacks & fruit at the office, along with four free hours of car charging + a free team dinner. So, I suppose I still made out okay. 
• Almost identical to the above was Thursday - I bought lunch, but got 4 hours of free car charging + snacks & fruit at the office. 

Eating what we have

• I used up the arugula I purchased for the sheet pan BLTA recipe in salads during the week.
• Sam ate my leftover lunch & dinner from work events.
• We had leftover chicken & rice 3x, because....I was too busy & stressed out to cook.
• For the lunches when I was home, I made my current go to of a potato (heated in the microwave, & then diced), added to a pan & topped with two eggs & cheese. Super easy, fast & pretty healthy. Also, super filling.

For others

• Jumped through more hoops to secure a corporate match for our donor advised fund gift to the program I mentioned last week that helps students coming out of the foster system transition to college. 

What about you? Any wins to share?

Weekly spending

I found it interesting to track my overall spend (not utilities or standard bills) and will try to keep up as I can, for myself if nothing else.  

August 28th-September 3rd

• Friday: M & I went to the outdoor mall to drop off my suitcase for repair. They waived the $25 fee to mail it in because the wait was quite long. We had a glass of wine & a couple of appetizers on our date, and received the happy hour pricing. We spent $40 (including tip) for that. I sold an MP3 player I found in the garage on eBay for $13. Total net spent = $27. 
• Saturday - Picked up two Olay lotions for my face (with sunblock) & paid $13.60 after a bunch of rewards, discounts, etc. Total net spent = $13.60
• Sunday - Picked up groceries - $42.47. Sold two shirts on eBay, for $40.03. Total net spent = $2.44
• Monday - picked up my prescription at CVS - $20. 
• Tuesday - heard back from the repair shop on my suitcase - it is $198.83 to repair, which I approved. The suitcase is 12 years old, so was out of warranty, and has lasted through countless international trips & I love it. A new one is significantly more, so I decided to keep this one in use. - $198.83 in net spend. 
• Wednesday - Swapped Nick's flight home for Christmas to Southwest, to use up some of the credit we bought. You aren't able to pay taxes with a voucher, so $50.68 total net spent. 
• Thursday - no out of pocket spending

Total flexible spend for the week = $312.55. It was a reasonable week - wait until we pay for a plumbing issue in the next spend summary! ;-) 

Fitness Monday + Point Reyes

 First up, we had a fabulous day hiking yesterday, and went to Point Reyes National Seashore where we did the Tomales Point Trail. We got in about 10 miles, and it was absolutely stunning. Right on the water, and the hike winds through an elk preserve. We saw a lot of elk & I can't believe we've never been there before. We wrapped up our day with a late lunch (lots of local oysters for M & a burger for me + a glass of wine). Such a wonderful way to spend a day!

Now onto my regular Fitness Monday updates...

Weight: 146.1, down 1.6 lbs since last week

Calories: 1,250/day

Steps: 12,119/day (helped a lot by yesterday's 24k day!)

Workouts:

• 3 hard workout classes (combo of cardio + strength)
• 1 full body strength workout
• 1 - 45 minute elliptical workout
• 1 - 10 mile hike

Goals for the week:

The previous week had a lot of wins, and I had more schedule flex than usual. This week is going to be a lot crazier, so my goals are to stay the course, try to find ways to sneak in workouts as I can, and continue to focus on eating enough protein & fiber. I'm starting off the week with a hike with my friend this morning, which should be fun.

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

Menu Plan Sunday

 Next week promises to be a crazy work week, with a lot going on, so I'll try to keep things pretty easy.  

• Friday - leftover burger patties, on salads
• Saturday - sheet pan BLT salad
• Sunday - we are hiking & will likely grab food on our way home as part of our date afternoon
• Monday - M will grill chicken & make rice
• Tuesday - BLT salad, take 2
• Wednesday - grilled chicken & rice for M, I'll be at a work event
• Thursday - any remaining leftovers
• Friday -  Pierogi sausage sheet pan dinner

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

Long weekend Saturday

I'm very jazzed about it being a long weekend, as next week promises to be a challenging week at work, due to some looming organizational changes. 

A mini rundown of things I'm up to today.. 

Travel planning

I've been spending a lot of time working on planning for our next "big" trip, which will be a trip to Italy in September of 2027 for M's 60th birthday! Our current plan is a Dolomites hiking trip (Alta Via 1), followed by relaxing on the coast for a few extra days. The Dolomites lodging (huts along the trail) book up very quickly, so we need to have our itinerary ready to go by October, to hand off to a company that will manage the bookings & plan the routes. I've found it very fun to compare all of the companies, refugios (huts) & options for the trip. M wants to do the full AV1, but we may also do more of a highlights trip, and then cut out slightly earlier. The full hike would take around 8-9 days, and I'm not sure we have that much time to spend. Once you factor in transit time to & from, plus a day of buffer when we arrive, that doesn't leave us much, if any time to spend doing anything else in Italy. So, more to come in this space!

Trying a new recipe

M & I have enjoyed watching the All Recipes videos by "Nicole", who is very practical and fun to watch. So, today I'm going to try a new recipe "Sheet Pan BLT Salads", which looks fun & different from your standard sheet pan recipe.

Workout class

I finally feel like I'm getting back into better shape (although much slower than I used to be while running), and I can feel more definition popping up in my arms, which feels really motivating. I'll be going to my hard workout class this morning (combination of running & strength training, although looks like today's workout also includes rowing). I've been working hard to get to a minimum of four workout classes a week, particularly on weeks that are less busy. Next week will be a challenge, as I have a bunch of in office event. So, may as well make hay while the sun shines this week. Today will be my 4th workout class of the week. 

Finalize plans for tomorrow

M & I are going to Point Reyes to hike tomorrow, and do some exploring, as we've never been there. We will also likely stop for a late lunch or early dinner on our way home. I'll get out the day pack, water bladder, electrolytes & set out some snacks + the all important layers & sunblock. 

Clean the house

Enough said. As always, all of the fun! ;-) Sam is only working one shift today, so he will also be assigned chores, the lucky duck. 

What about you? What are you up to on this long weekend, for those of you in the US?

Frugal Friday

 It's been a pretty good week on the frugal front at our house. 

Saving on things we buy

• My dermatologist gave me positive marks on my sunblock routine for my face (not so for my arms/chest, so increasing that), so I went to get more of my Olay daily face lotion. They have repackaged it & no longer sell the kind I use at Costco. I was able to find it at CVS, and thanks to rewards and a couple of coupons ($10 off a $30 beauty purchase, CVS rewards, 30% off a full price item, etc), I bought two large containers for a total of $13.60, which is an awesome deal. The SPF is actually higher than what I have now, which I suppose can't hurt. If I'm being active, I use the Super Goop sunscreen, which doesn't come off as easily. Nick reports (who knows how he obtained this information) that the Trader Joes kind is a great dupe of that product, so I will pick that up & try it next time I'm there. Anyway, saved quite a bit & then uploaded receipts to Fetch. 
• Stopped by the store to pick up a few ingredients we needed for dinner, and uploaded my receipt to Fetch, as well as the one in my cart. I also randomly had two iBotta offers, totaling $3.18 (including an ice tea, which was free after purchase & Sam will enjoy). That finally pushed me to be able to cash out my iBotta. It's been a while.

Earning money

• I sold Nick's guitar + some accessories for him for $70. The buyer was a college student & so excited to get a very intro guitar to start practicing on.
• I also sold a new in package MP3 player, circa who knows, that I found in the garage. Previously M's, but origins unknown, and I'd speculate pre-dates the kids. Maybe now it's an antique? Made $15 on that on eBay, as I think it might get tossed at the Goodwill. 
• Sold a pair of shoes, jeans & a shirt on eBay. I took advantage of a 50% off promos offer, and that definitely increased my sales.
• Cashed out my iBotta account for $21.40

Avoiding spending

• I have a goal of stockpiling as much cash as possible for 2027, to reduce what I need to pull from my CDs during my first year of not working. As a result, I've been pretty disciplined on what I am spending on.
• I met a friend for a workout & a coffee, and used a gift card for no out of pocket spending. 
• I had to go to the office on Thursday, and while it wasn't a great use of time (no in person meetings), I made the most of it with 4 hours of free car charging, as well as free breakfast, lunch & snacks. 

Eating what we have

• We still had a bit of bread leftover, so I made sandwiches for lunch for myself & Sam one day. We are out of garden tomatoes, and the taste difference is extreme! I almost forget how good the "real" ones are, and then you get a taste & have to go back to the store purchased ones. What a let down.
• We have leftover fresh mozzarella, so picked up a few nectarines to make the mozzarella, peach/nectarine, basil, balsamic, olive oil salad that we love. I used the basil from our container garden.
• Similarly, I made chicken chile tacos, but substituted jalapenos from the garden for the chiles.
• I used the meat mixture from the chicken chile tacos leftovers & used that to top a baked potato for lunch, which made a great & filling meal. 

For others

• Joined a volunteer group that helps foster students as they transition to college. I'm signed up for letter writing, care packages & we made a contribution from our DAF (donor advised fund), so the organization can support kids as they need it. I'm so excited that Boulder offers this resource for students who need it, as I can't imagine starting a college journey without any family support. 

What about you? Any wins to share? 

September Goals

 M & I are going to be in Utah & Las Vegas for a week for our anniversary, & it's my last month of full time employment!

Financial:

• Stay on top of food waste by using up 3 pantry or freezer items
• Continue to track net new savings for 2026
• Final budget adjustments for part time
• Make $100 in side hustle
• Find one expense to optimize
• Adjust post work budget & plan, based on bonus payback
• Determine whether it makes sense to switch depending to a different credit card through EOY
• Determine feasibility of saving 2027 expenses (without pulling from CDs, etc)

Family:

• Continue to help the boys navigate college & life
• Plan something fun for Labor Day weekend
• Monthly date with M
• Finalize details for Utah trip & have a fabulous trip
• Have a family dinner with Sam's GF before she heads back to school
• Continue planning for our next big trip

Fitness:

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

Personal:

• Make list for part time schedule (to dos, fun, etc)
• 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 you hoping to get done in September? Let us know, so we can cheer you on. 

August Goals

I was home for almost all of August, minus the a couple of days in Oregon with my parents, and moving Nick in mid-month. That led to more time at home, more schedule predictability & a bit more productivity towards my goals. 

Financial:

• Stay on top of food waste by using up 3 pantry or freezer items - I used up chicken broth, black beans & Costco frozen veggies for roasting
• Continue to track net new savings for 2026 - yes
• Finalize part time adjustment & exit date - yes! I'm going part time in October, and I'll be done working at the end of the year.
• Make $100 in side hustle - I had a great month & made $275
• Find one expense to optimize - we are still working on some options here, including Nick's transportation costs
• Adjust post work budget & plan, depending on exit date & benefits - I'm pretty much done with this, minus understanding how much of my sign on bonus I need to pay back. I haven't gotten confirmation on this yet from HR
• Determine whether it makes sense to switch spending to a different credit card through EOY - not done yet

Family:

• Continue to help the boys navigate college & life - yes, all going well here
• Get Nick moved in & have fun with my mom. Minimize cost - yes to both. It was a really great, although super busy weekend. It was expensive, but well worth it & we made smart tradeoffs to keep the costs in check.
• Monthly date with M - yes, we went to happy hour after running an errand
• Reschedule family dinner - serendipitously, M's cousins (the ones we were trying to schedule) were in our area over the weekend, & we got some of the group together. Nick is not available of course, and Sam was working, but the rest of us met up.
• Continue planning for our next big trip (M's 60th) - yes, I've made some inroads here. 

Fitness:

• Lose 3 lbs - I lost 3.9 lbs
• Research & finalize medication - Yes, done. 
• 10 strength workouts - yes, 11!
• Track nutrition - yes, done daily
• Average 13,000 steps/day - 11,620/day, so just shy of my yearly goal of 12,000. I need to boost this up to hit my yearly goal!
• Sort out any medical appointments before EOY - Sam scheduled his checkup & I scheduled an eye doctor appointment, which I need to do for a medicine I take. 

Personal:

• Make list for part-time schedule (to dos, fun, etc) - I have a few ideas brewing
• Declutter 50 items - I absolutely crushed this, with 222 items gone in August
• Get together with friends - met friends for dinner, another friend for a hike, and a third friend for a workout + coffee & another friend for lunch
• Try something new/say yes to adventures - planned an impromptu trip with my parents for October
• Get to know our neighbors - yes, went for a walk with my neighbors
• Try a new recipe - egg bites & the baked chicken Chile tacos

Overall, I'm pleased with the month & my progress. How did you do with your August goals? 

Fitness Monday

 It was a relatively good health & fitness week. Any time I can get in three hard workout classes & have enough energy, it's a great week, honestly. I'm still taking my weekly injection, but noticing less of an impact on my energy level, which is awesome & as expected for this medicine. Over time, I should notice an overall decrease of my lupus symptoms, which would be amazing. I'm not quite there yet. 

Weight: 147.7, down .4 lbs since last week

Calories: 1,221/day

Steps: 12,196/day

Workouts:

• 3 elliptical workouts: 45 minutes, 60 minutes & 75 minutes
• 3 hard workout classes
• One day without a workout

Goals for the week:

• I feel like my progress is finally starting to be noticeable with my clothes & I'm slowly getting back into the shape I was in before I went back to work, so my goal is to stay the course!
• Continue to track calories, get a lot of protein & work out consistently.

How are you doing with your health & fitness goals?

Menu Plan Sunday

 This really isn't a plan - more like a loose collection of ideas at this point. ;-) 

• Friday - we went out for appetizers & a drink, and then came home & I made a salad for M, to round things out. 
• Saturday - we went out for Persian food with M's cousins, in a very unexpected last minute plan. Otherwise, we would have skipped Friday night. 
• Sunday - M is grilling burgers tonight
• Monday - I'm going to try these baked chicken Chile tacos we saw in a video
• Tuesday - baked salmon + salad
• Wednesday - leftover burgers
• Thursday - chicken fajitas
• Friday - leftovers

I'll report in if the baked chicken tacos are any good! What about you? What's on your menu for the week?

Frugal Friday

 It was a pretty standard week for us. Here's what happened at our house. 

Saving on things we buy

• Uploaded a receipt to Fetch & iBotta ($.05 offer) & found $.02 in my shopping cart at Trader Joes. Big money wins here!
• I was really craving a sandwich with the fresh garden tomatoes from my coworker, so I picked up sandwich fixings during my Trader Joes stop. While groceries aren't particularly cheap these days, I got what I needed for $12, and enough to make multiple sandwiches. We don't keep bread on hand, so it's a nice treat when we do get it. 
• I was "in charge" of the Costco shopping this week, and found a few iBotta offers for things we were buying (grapes, Advil) & saved $2.40. I also uploaded the receipt to Fetch. 
• We weren't exactly seeking this out, but M's coworker offered to sell him a Southwest voucher for $150 off of the value. We can fly Southwest for a variety of places we go, including Nick to/from Boulder. We have a year to use it, so we will ensure it gets used up ahead of expiration. Given flight prices, saving any amount is valuable. 

Earning money

• Not really earning "money", but as part of Nick's room cleanout (this is sanctioned by him - he wants to get rid of stuff to make room for a bigger bed), I found a few gift cards that had slipped to the bottom of his desk. He will be thrilled to have them back - particularly the Chipotle gift card. 
• Sam took the boys highest value Magic the Gathering cards (Nick hasn't played since middle school, Sam for 3ish years) & sold most of them. The boys split the money. We have a plan for the rest of the cards - they just need to get packed up & sent off. 

Avoiding spending

• Nothing special to report here. I suppose that I didn't spend a bunch of money on decorations for Nick's college apartment? Seeing all of those Instagram videos really makes me wonder how much money folks have! ;-) 

Eating what we have

• My stomach was a little sketchy from the new medicine I'm taking, so meals have been pretty light. Dinner was popcorn one night, which is frugal if not completely nutritionally sound as a dinner. 
• Used up a zucchini I got from a coworker, and the remaining half of a bag of frozen Costco vegetables intended for roasting in our dinner on Sunday. We didn't love the Costco veggies the first time we tried roasting them, but they were better with this preparation. Now that the bag is gone, we will likely just buy fresh in the future, as it changes the texture of most of the veggies for roasting, and makes them a bit mushy. Overall very pleased with getting that bag out of the freezer, and ensuring we used up the garden zucchini, which was delicious.
• Made lots of sandwiches & breakfast burritos, featuring the fresh tomatoes from my coworker. They were so delicious, we didn't want to waste any!
• Sam asked for suggestions to make for lunch, so I pointed him to the leftover rotisserie chicken, tortillas & cheese, and he made himself a chicken quesadilla that he thought was great. 

For others

• Offered to help out a friend with a resume review & intro for a potential new role. 

What about you? Any wins to share?

Weekly Spending

Inspired by Sam, I thought I'd do a daily spending tally, to see what we spent over the past week. Disclaimer, I don't track any of the boys spending, unless I bought them something, as they have their own money for spending. I used to do this semi regularly, but stopped along the way. Who knows if this will be a regular recurrence. I'm actually looking for ways to automate my spending tracking (a retirement project for sure), as it's a time commitment to track every purchase & categorize it. 

Friday: No money spent. I went to a workout class, but it was covered by a class pack I bought in December. I also walked in the neighborhood with a neighbor. - $0 spent

Saturday: I went to a workout class, although same as above on spending. I returned a pair of jeans to TJ Maxx & received a refund of $16. I went to Costco & spent $281.57, which was largely groceries, but also includes: Advil & cold medicine. Net spent = $265.57

Sunday: I met a friend for a hike (free) & picked up M from the airport. M just drives around until the traveler is ready, but I find that annoying, so I paid $4 to park & wait for him to come out. Net spent = $4. 

Monday: I worked, worked out at home & didn't spend any money. - $0 spent. 

Tuesday: Costco was out of a few things when I went on Saturday. M went back on Tuesday & picked up the missing stuff. Net spent = $92.45

Wednesday: this was an unexpected spend, but M's coworker offered him a $1k Southwest voucher for $850. Southwest flies almost all of the routes we travel (to visit my family, Nick's flights to/from Boulder, etc), so we should have no problem using this. And, we have money in our travel budget, but just wasn't planning on making the purchase right now. Regardless, a good deal. - Net spent = $850

Thursday: No spending for today, as I'm hoping to go to a workout class (included in a class pack paid for last year). 

Total spent = $1212.02 - that's quite a banger of a way to kick off a week of tracking. I expected it to be much less, as the travel voucher spending was unplanned. 

What was your last unexpected purchase?

Fitness Monday

It was a pretty good week for me, in the health & fitness results space, even though I didn't feel great for a few days of the week. I made the most of the days where I did feel okay.

Weight: 148.1, down 1.4 lbs from my last check in, which was 2 weeks ago. 

Calories: 1,294/day

Steps: 12,193/ day

Workouts:

• One 45 minute elliptical workout
• Two very hard workout classes
• One 2.5 mile walk with a friend
• A 7 mile hike with another friend

Other health related things:

• I'm back on the injectible medicine that I took for a few weeks before I went to Japan. I had to stop taking it when I went on antibiotics for the foot infection. Unfortunately, the first 3+ weeks you take it, you are exhausted. Like, need 11 hours of sleep exhausted. However, the long term benefit is that it makes the overall lupus symptoms better for most people - you just have to stick it out. I've been really tired over the past two weeks, and start my third injection on Thursday. I'm hopeful that I can stick it out & see the longer term benefits. It takes a while for them to kick in, sometimes as much as six months. So, it's definitely a long term investment. Fingers crossed!
• My back has been really bothering me (more than usual), so I'm getting a massage today & I'm very happy about it!

Goals for the week:

• Consistent workouts, even if I have to dial it back to accommodate for the days I don't feel well
• Balanced eating. I find that I'm so tired lately, I'm skipping dinner, which is not ideal from a nutritional perspective.

What about you? How are you doing on your health & fitness goals?

Menu Plan Sunday

I didn't end up making some of the dinners I posted earlier in the week (it was just me, so I tend to skip meal prep as a result). So, you'll see some duplication & carryovers.

• Friday - breakfast burritos (tortillas, eggs, cheese, garden tomatoes from coworker)
• Saturday - grilled burgers
• Sunday - fall sheet pan dinner
• Monday - carnitas 
• Tuesday - leftover fall sheet pan dinner
• Wednesday - one pan chicken fajita rice
• Thursday - leftover carnitas
• Friday - leftover chicken fajita rice

What about you? Any fall recipes starting to creep into your menu plan? I'm still adjusting our menu to continue to use up what we have, but also adjust for fewer diners at the table.

Frugal Friday

 Move in with Nick was expensive, as expected. A few wins, against all of the spending the weekend entailed. Also, zero regrets, because one of the reasons we try to make other financially advantageous choices is so we can help our kids & their friends during times of transition. 

Saving on things we buy

• We had a huge cart at Target, stocking up on kitchen supplies, plus some apartment furniture, towels, etc. The cashier offered us a 20% off college student coupon, but you had to jump through a bunch of hoops to verify identity. We had to pull our cart off to the side (after checkout, but before we paid) & spent another 10 minutes getting it to work, but we saved $120 on that coupon + some others I'd clipped in the app. I also earned a $15 Target gift card, but I rarely go there, and there's no one close to Nick, so I gave it to my mom to pass on to my special needs aunt. 
• Uploaded all of my many receipts for the weekend, and one of them triggered a 2800 Fetch bonus, which is unheard of for me. 
• Boulder has a "resale" shop that the university operates. They had tons of used dorm move in & apartment move in items. They were pretty cleaned out by the time we went on Sunday, but he did get: a headboard, multiple extension cord & power strips, some cups, an organizing container, and a shelving unit for $11. 
• I've gone back onto a new medicine that makes me exhausted, so offered to buy lunch for Sam if he would pick up my lunch as well. I was craving chicken & wild rice soup when I got back from Boulder. Used a $15 gift card for Panera & paid out of pocket for the rest. 

Earning money

• Just the usual stuff around here. Sam is working two jobs, Nick is going to test out going to a nearby company (the same one he worked with this summer) to help them out. He's hoping it is feasible without a car (he'll need to take the bus.) 
• Nick had a yearly physical (it had been a couple of years) & didn't really want to go, but he's had a lot of ear problems when flying. I remembered that I get a $100 (taxable) bonus from my insurance 1x/year for each person on our health plan who has a physical or from a list of other screenings. I offered him $50, and he somehow got in on the last day before we flew to Boulder. He was very happy to go to the doctor for $50. ;-) 
• Sold a shirt on eBay & made $12. 
• I'm actually home for a few weeks in a row now, so I listed a few new items on eBay. 

Avoiding spending

• I got three free checked bags on United, thanks to my status. I also offered the other three free checked bags to Nick's old roommate, who was flying with us, but he didn't make it to the airport in time, unfortunately. He had to pay out of pocket, and two of his bags were over weight. Poor guy. 
• We skipped our standard grocery store run last weekend, as I was in Boulder with Nick, and we knew M would be gone mid week for a trip of his own. Which, is good, because we certainly spent a lot outfitting Nick's apartment with food & supplies!
• Serendipitously given the above, I had to go to the office on Wednesday, and a coworker brought in tons of garden tomatoes, a few cucumber & squash. No one was taking it, so she encouraged me to take as much as I wanted. I left a bunch for others, but ended up with a very generous amount of grape & beefsteak tomatoes, a cucumber & a squash. I am so excited to have garden fresh tomatoes, and expect them to go quickly. 

Eating what we have

• Nick & I went to the lounge before our flight on Friday. I filled up my water bottle, and he had a bagel. He reports it wasn't very good, but it was free, so...? 
• Made Sam a freezer dinner of spring rolls & meatballs, and paired that with pineapple slices. 

For others

• Provided lots of transportation, took kids shopping with us, fed kids meals & generally tried to provide as much support as possible last weekend.

What about you? Any wins to share?

Thursday things

 It's very quiet around the house this week, so I'm using that time in between meetings & work to try & clean & organize Nick's room. He has asked to upgrade to a bigger bed, and to remove his desk. Once you start moving furniture, the dust bunnies (dogs, really) come out in full force. Lots of cleaning happening & hopefully we will be able to find a reasonably priced second hand bed frame for him & give him a bit more space.

We also leveraged the college dorm room trick of moving his dresser into his closet, which does free up a lot of additional space. I have some feelings about all of these changes, because the bed frame is so lovely, matches all of the furniture, & I bought them for both boys as they moved out of cribs. I suppose at 19 & 20, they are ready to have something a bit bigger. ;-) 

I'm also going through & gifting things on Buy Nothing, listing things on eBay & FB, and trying to remove stuff from our house. I've found a renewed incentive to do so, as this is the first stretch where I'm home for multiple weeks, since the beginning of June. 

As always, there is way too much to do on any given day! What are you up to today? Are you focused on any organization projects at the moment?

Mini menu plan

 We are down to two diners this week, and are getting a late start on menu planning, so this is just mostly for myself & to organize my own mind on meals.

• Sunday - DH grilled burgers
• Monday - DH grilled salmon
• Tuesday - chicken caesar salad
• Wednesday - carnitas burritos
• Thursday - dinner out with friends
• Friday - leftover carnitas burritos
• Saturday - chicken Caesar salad
• Sunday - Fall sheet pan dinner

That's it from my side. I'm definitely going to have to adjust my cooking to plan for fewer people, with Nick back in school.

What's on your menu this week? Any fun new recipes you are trying? 

Move in weekend trip recap

We've gone back & forth on letting Nick have his car in Boulder this year, but we agreed to have him wait until second semester. As a result, we needed to arrange flights & a car rental for move in weekend. This is what I consider a "logistics" trip, and definitely not a vacation, so here's how we optimized to keep costs in check. 

A few weeks before the trip, my mom asked if she could join, so that's also reflected here. 

Note that this doesn't include the actual costs of moving Nick in (grocery runs, etc) as that's included in his college budget. 

Flights: $637.18

• One way flights for me + Nick: $279.36. The rest was offset by various travel credits on United. I booked the flights this way so Nick could have access to my checked bag allowance I get with airline status. The United flights were about $10 more per person than Southwest, but the free bags I get make all the difference & more than offset that cost. 
• One way flight home for me - $280
• Flight for my mom from Portland to Denver: This was largely covered by my United miles, but I got her a better seat & the rest is taxes on the miles -  $77.82

Transit: $319.08

• Car rental: $228.04. Pretty steep, but it's move in weekend, so cars are in high demand. I also will be moving a bunch of stuff, so couldn't rent a compact car. I actually got upgraded to an even bigger car, which was incredibly helpful for moving things around, but also quite hard to park!
• Gas: $56.04
• Tolls: $35 (estimate). Not completely sure, as this will get billed through the rental car company.

Lodging: $0

• Staying with a friend one night, so we can hang out & I can also get Nick's stuff out of her garage
• Using a Hyatt free night award for the second night. The location make this easier for the second night, as her house is a drive from Boulder, and the hotel is down town. 

Food: $295.80

• Chipotle on Friday for lunch for myself, my mom, Nick & his friend - $33.05
• BFF provided dinner & appetizers for dinner on Friday & breakfast on Saturday - $0
• Shared an order of fries & a water with my mom on Saturday as "lunch", because we had absolutely zero time to do anything else, bought Nick lunch -  $18.98
• Took Nick, my mom & two of his friends to dinner on Saturday night - $166.97
• Had a coffee & a piece of toast for breakfast (included) at the hotel with my mom - $0
• Planned to have lunch with my mom & Nick before the airport, but ran out of time, so my mom & I got food & a glass of wine at the airport. - $76.80

Total spent = $1252.06

Price aside, I have absolutely zero regrets of flying in & helping Nick set up for his next year of college. We were able to drive him around, get what he needed for his apartment, spend time with his friends, & ensure he was ready for the year. Because we had a car, we also took his friends to various shops with us, and helped them with their move ins as well, and we are so happy we can help them out.

I'm exhausted - lesson learned for next year! Definitely need an extra day, plus also need M! 

Frugal Friday

Nick & I are heading to Boulder for move in weekend, which I anticipate to be very pricey! Getting someone set up in a new apartment tends to be that way, even though we've gotten really lucky on a few fronts. His apartment is mostly furnished & my BFF has a few items she's giving him that her daughters don't need. Those will both make a nice dent in our spending needs. I'm also just grateful we don't need to carve out time to try & cobble together furnishings in an apartment, and then figure out what to do with them at the end of the year. 

Saving on things we buy

• Picked up a few things we needed at Trader Joes (my favorite yogurt, mini cucumbers for Nick, and the peanut slaw mentioned below), as well as mini cones for Nick's last week before he heads back to college. I uploaded the receipt to Fetch & iBotta, for the $.25 cash back offer. That's pretty much the only offer I use with iBotta, as we don't buy many brand name items. 

Earning money

• I have a count down on of how many full-time paychecks I have, as well as how many part-time checks I'll be receiving before my employment ends. I'll be very excited to "retire" (I may pick up future part-time work), and have a clear plan for how we will handle our finances until I can tap into my 401k. 
• On a related note, my employer matches the first $1k you put into a college account per year, up to two dependents. Based on my understanding, that match doesn't happen until late January, and I thought I would be ineligible because of the timing of my departure. But, I jumped through a bunch of hoops & filled out the paper work. It turns out that if you are already at $1k by June 30th, they match at that time, and then if not, they match at the end of the year. So, my early planning & saving resulted in a $2k match from my employer for college - which I'm absolutely thrilled about!
• I went to the bank to deal with a CD that was up for renewal. My banker pointed out that if I added a bit from savings to the CD, I would qualify for a higher tiered interest rate. The current CD rates that are paying the highest at my bank are 4 months, so still ample time until I need my savings after my last paycheck. I'll earn another $400 in interest, which is great for no work on my side. 

Avoiding spending

• I attempted to get free car charging at work, but in a frugal fail, my charging app wouldn't log me in & I couldn't reset my password. So, frugal fail on that front. 
• Arranged for M to drop us off at the airport on his way to work today, as Nick & I are headed to Boulder - let the second year of college commence! 
• I was finally successful in getting Nick's health insurance waiver approved for school, saving us close to $3k. This was a multi week journey, and a huge time investment, thanks to some technical hurdles. DONE!
• Took advantage of my 3 free checked bags on United (thanks to status), for all of Nick's stuff. 

Eating what we have

• With the cost of food, we have amped up our attempts to reduce food waste even further. It's not exactly the season in our lives for a lot of elaborate meals, or complicated recipes. But, we have been attempting to stretch our meals further, get creative about incorporating leftovers, etc. On Friday for example, I paired leftover rice with chicken meatballs (TJs) & then topped with a peanut slaw, which really makes the dish. The original "recipe" calls for TJs fried rice, but I preferred M's leftover rice. 
• I found a few small tomatoes that the squirrels somehow missed! So, that makes 4 for the season. ;-)
• I also picked a bunch of fresh herbs for the chicken M made on Saturday (so delicious), and lemons for the chicken. M marinates it for hours before grilling. It's a family favorite. 
• I had leftovers of the rice/meatball/peanut slaw dish above for lunch after my Saturday workout, ensuring no waste. 
• We had eggs that no one was eating, so I made a double batch of egg bites (inspired by Kristen at The Frugal Girl). I included: spinach (had to buy this), cottage cheese (needed to be used), shredded cheddar (purchased for another recipe), diced red peppers (found in the pantry, no idea why it was purchased), green onions (garden) & some salt & pepper. I made a double batch & they were fantastic. Need to work on the cooking time a bit, as they were a PITA to get out of the pan. Sam had some in the late afternoon when they came out of the oven, as he was headed to work. I froze a bunch, and now easy breakfast is in the fridge. They are also really high in protein, and largely used up things we already had on hand. 

For others

• Nick's friend is joining us on our flight to Denver, and then are giving him a ride to where he parked his truck for the summer, to save on transit flights. I will also feed him of course on Friday, as we will be together in transit all day. 
• Hosted one of Nick's friends who doesn't have anywhere to stay for a few days. 
• Offered to check some bags for Nick's friend, who was joining us on our flight, as we still had additional bags we could check for free. 

What about you? Any wins to share? 

Micro organization projects

When I was in Greece & Tokyo recently, I was gobsmacked by how messy my toiletries bag had become with medicine, and various travel antidotes (Tums, vitamins, cold medicine, etc). I really wish I would have taken some "before" photos, but you will just have to trust me that my old system (I had 9 ziplocks in my toiletries bag & then 5 ziplocks in my travel backpack) was ... not the best. 

I also knew that my habit stacking reminder of setting out all of my medicine at home each day & then putting it away when I'd finished taking everything was... also suboptimal. For home, I bought a larger medicine organizer at CVS using rewards, and put everything I need for the week in it, by day. This is particularly helpful as my lupus medicine is 2x as much on odd days vs even. That's the actual prescription, which seems strange, and can be difficult to remember. 

Here's my home solution:

 

For travel, I wanted a couple of options, so I could have one organizer in my toiletry bag (in my roller suitcase) & one in my travel backpack. I very rarely check a bag, but it does occasionally happen, and in case that gets lost a long the way, I want access to my medicine. 

Having a few pain relievers and the like in my back pack also means I can more easily access medicine on the actual flight, instead of trying to dig into my roller bag. This is more about organization than frugality, but all of my prescription medicine is quite expensive. M

My previous process was a bunch of ziplocks, medicine mingling in & I recently had something spill in the bag that got everything damp, and it all had to be tossed. I promised myself that I would invest in a better travel solution, particularly now that I take multiple medicines, and carry other things like sleeping medicine (if needed), as well as what I take if I get a mosquito bite, to prevent an outsized immuno response. 

Let's hope this saves me time & money in the long run. If nothing else, it's absolutely delightful to visually see what I have, vs the ziplocks  As you can imagine, this is a pretty big step up. 

Toiletry bag organizer. This came in a three pack set, and also came with labels. I haven't gotten around to adding those, as I typically recognize everything I take, and they are quite differently sized/colors, etc. 

Size reference of both organizers:

And, here's what I'll keep handy in my actual travel backpack. My travel purse is tiny, so no medicine is stored in there. 

This project cost me about $10, given I had the CVS rewards for most of the larger organizer. I also bought a travel jewelry organizer, as I was previously using a small bag. As you can imagine, there have been a lot of tangled necklaces. I haven't used that yet, but will report in if I like the organizer I purchased.

Have you done any mini organization projects lately? Sometimes it's the little things that put a smile on your face, or make every day or travel life easier!

Fitness Monday

 Finally, a week with four strength training sessions! I'm very pleased, as that's my overall goal. I'm hoping to see some downward movement on the scale soon. 

Weight: 149.5 - down the pound from last week, which makes me even with my lowest weight of the year. I am also finally feeling like I'm getting back into shape, and focusing on building muscle, so I'm hoping this is a sign that things are trending in the right direction & I'll see some actual downward movement on the scale soon. 

Calories: 1,281/day, so definitely about where I should be for weight loss, as a menopausal woman attempting to lose weight. 

Steps: 11,888 - very close to my goal! Should have tracked this earlier in the week a bit closer, so I could have hit my target.

Workouts:

• One 60 minute elliptical workout
• Two days without workouts (in office day + a day I had to go to the tire shop 2x for Sam's car)
• 4 very hard workout classes (combo of cardio & strength training)

Other health related things:

• Set up an eye doctor appointment, which I'm required to have every year or so to keep on top of an macular changes, due to a medicine I take. 

Goals for the week:

• Three strength workouts
• Staying the course with healthy eating & lots of protein
• Hitting my step goal for the week, in spite of my trip to Boulder for Nick's move in

What about you? How did you do with your health & fitness goals last week? Any wins to share? 

Menu Plan

 Another week with plenty going on, as we help Nick get ready to go back to school.

• Friday - mostly from Trader Joes: teriyaki meatballs, soyaki sauce, peanut salad slaw, and then leftover rice
• Saturday - grilled chicken + rice
• Sunday - Nick & I are having dinner with one of his friend's mom, as a thank you for us hosting her son many times. Which is super sweet. No idea what's on the menu. I asked what I could bring, but was told no. I will probably bring flowers, as I'm not sure she's a wine drinker. 
• Monday - ground beef tacos
• Tuesday - leftover grilled chicken + rice
• Wednesday - leftover tacos
• Thursday - any remaining leftovers
• Friday - I'll be in Boulder with my mom, Nick, my BFF & her family. I will pay for takeout or something at my BFF's house, as a thank you to her for storing Nick's stuff all summer, and letting us crash at her place on Friday night. 

That's it from our side. What's on your menu this week? Are you trying anything new? 

Saturday Happenings

I'm looking forward to a productive day today, and I got to sleep in a bit this morning, which is always a treat! I've had a lot of early work mornings this week, so I appreciated the extra time to catch up. 

After being out of town last weekend, our house is most definitely not clean. Nick was also home alone for most of that week, if that gives any clue about its state. ;-) 

I'll be meeting a friend for a workout later this morning, and M is in charge of dinner tonight. Hurrah.

Here's what else I'm going to get up to today:

• Clean the house
• Workout class
• Laundry
• Pick up prescription + use CVS rewards before they expire
• Drop off an Amazon return
• Freeze the leftovers of the chicken & rice dish I made

That will probably take up the majority of the day. What about you? What are you up to today? 

Frugal Friday

 Combining a few weeks, as we were at the beach last Friday. 

Travel planning/savings

• I'll post more about this trip in the recap, but my sister, parents & I are planning a trip to Palm Springs in the fall. I'm trying to keep costs very low all around. Neither of my parents had enough Alaska miles to cover the flights, so I creatively booked two one ways out of one account, and one out of another. Alaska doesn't allow for free miles transfers, or a cash + miles option that would have made this entire process easier! Nonetheless, it saved a bunch of money. I also booked the hotels using Hyatt points, so it should end up being a reasonably budget trip. 

Saving on things we buy

• Went to the dermatologist for a yearly skin check (good for everyone, but extra important as I'm both pale, and the medicine I take makes me even more sensitive to the sun). This is making the list of frugal wins, as I've already hit my deductible for the year, which means I may as well squeeze in as much as possible. 
• Uploaded receipts to Fetch & iBotta ($.05 cash back offer that they run semi regularly). 
• Picked up a prescription at CVS & rewards to offset the cost of sunblock (one for me, one for Nick, who burns & is working outside a lot this summer). The "retail" value was $15/each, and I paid $10.75 for both, after the rewards & coupons. I wouldn't have paid $15 for sure, but the actual retail (according to a quick search is around $12-15).So, a good deal on something we needed. I try not to be enticed by the frequent CVS offers they send out, but if I'm already there to pick up a prescription, and we need things, I can usually do much better than a sale price. 
• The reasonably priced wine I like to keep on hand was on sale at Costco. If I buy at case at the grocery store, and it's on sale I can get it for around $14. It was $6.99 at Costco. I bought two cases, as it doesn't go bad!
• I filled out some mileage updates for our car insurance, and our policy dropped by $550. Note that Nick also dropped out of the under 18 category for most of the year, which also helped a bit. Insuring the boys is very pricey!
• I bought a large canvas print of my BFF's daughter's engagement photos with her fiance, as an engagement present. I used a 50% off Shutterfly coupon, clicked through Rakuten & also used a free shipping coupon, bringing the price down quite a bit. 

Earning money

• Just my regular check, plus the boys working their standard summer jobs. 

Avoiding spending

• Met a former coworker for lunch, and she invited me to the office cafe, which is free. It was a real flashback to be back at my former office!
• Bought iced tea for myself + my sister on our way from the Oregon coast to my parents house. I used expiring Starbucks stars & a gift card for the rest, so no out of pocket spending. 

Eating what we have

• Made chicken curry for dinner, using up a bag of rotisserie chicken from the freezer. That's not what the recipe called for, but it turned out great & made the recipe even easier. Yay! Included the last of a bag of snap peas that were leftover from a veggie tray during the World Cup finals. 
• Made lunches for the boys when they were around, in use it up mode. 
• While we were at the beach, we went through quite a bit of food, but my sister & mom were able to take home all of the leftovers, which is awesome. No waste!
• Had the curry (above) for dinner the following week. It was in the freezer, so still good! M made rice.
• M picked up the Costco street tacos for dinner on Sunday, when we got home from our trip. Next time we will just buy the prepped chipotle chicken meat, vs the taco meal, as the sides aren't worth the value. However, still cheaper than takeout for sure. Sam & I had the leftovers for a second lunch. 
• Turned the leftover sides from the street tacos (plus some rotisserie chicken meat that M also bought on Sunday - we knew it would be a lazy cooking week) into this easy Southwest Chicken skillet. Bonus points that it used up chicken broth (freezer), diced tomatoes & black beans (pantry) & green onions (garden). 

For others

• Had a call with one of Nick's friends who is going through a breakup, and doesn't have a lot of other family support. Nick also brought her flowers & made her brownies to cheer her up. 
• Referred a couple of folks for roles at my company, connected with two other people on LinkedIn (through coworkers), who are job searching. It's a tough market, so I try to help out where I can. 

What about you? Any wins to share? 

August Goals

 Let's hope August is a bit more stable than July, because I'd really like to make progress on a few things, and work on my overall fitness. Here's what I would like to accomplish this month.

Financial:

• Stay on top of food waste by using up 3 pantry or freezer items
• Continue to track net new savings for 2026
• Finalize part time adjustment & exit date
• Make $100 in side hustle
• Find one expense to optimize
• Adjust post work budget & plan, depending on exit date/benefits
• Determine whether it makes sense to switch spending to a different credit card through EOY (evaluate ROI)

Family:

• Continue to help the boys navigate college & life
• Get Nick moved in & have fun with my mom. Minimize cost
• Monthly date with M
• Continue planning for our next big trip (M's 60th)

Fitness:

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

Personal:

• Make list for part-time schedule (to dos, fun, etc)
• 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 you hoping to accomplish in August? 

July Goals Recap

Buckle up, because July was a wild ride! I was in Lake Tahoe for the 4th, work trip to Tokyo, got cellulitis (a foot infection) & couldn't work out & was sick. Then I was at the Oregon coast. I also started a new drug for lupus that had quite an impact on my energy level.

Financial:

• Stay on top of food waste by using up 3 pantry or freezer items - we had our very hungry house guest & used up some stuff, but I didn't track it at all.  
• Continue to track net new savings for 2026 - yes, this has continued
• Give notice at work & set an exit date - YES!!!! This is done
• Make $100 in side hustle - I made $0 in July, as I had eBay largely shut down due to being in & out of the house & not consistently in town. 
• Find one expense to optimize - yes, our car insurance. Filled out some low mileage forms & got that submitted. We are saving over $500 this year (take that with a grain of salt, because insuring the boys is extremely pricey). Some of the discount is due to the low mileage, but likely more of it is due to Nick turning 19. 
• Finalize post work budget & plan - yes, more details on this to come. 

Family:

• Continue to help the boys navigate college & life - yes. As always, plenty to do here. 
• Finalize Nick's move back plans - this is sorted, and my mom asked if she could join last week, so I've added her to the trip. Should be fun. She wants to spend as much time with the grandkids and kids as she can while she's still able to comfortably travel. 
• Monthly date with M - we had several in Lake Tahoe
• Reschedule family dinner - we've had a few more impromptu dinners lately, which has been really nice.
• Continue planning for our next big trip (M's 60th) - lots of discussions, but nothing booked. Depending on another friend's 50th birthday trip, we may do the Dolomites in September. 

Fitness:

• Lose 3 lbs - I'm exactly the same. Not exactly shocked, as I was unable to work out for much of the month & super low energy due to my new medicine. 
• 10 strength workouts - 3/10, and I'm definitely feeling out of shape.
• Track nutrition - yes, I've continued to do this. 
• Average 13,000 step/day - 12,638, which is not too shabby given for almost a week I couldn't wear shoes.

Personal:

• Do well at Japan external event- session went extremely well. Getting a foot infection was a lot less fun. 
• Declutter 50 items - 21/50
• Get together with friends - went for a hike with a friend
• Try something new - Rented a house for the family & planned out Oregon trip + some work excitement in Japan
• Say yes to adventures - pretty much same as above. Added my mom to Nick's move out trip, which will be a bit of an adventure
• Get to know our neighbors - we tried hard to find a date to get together with our neighbors before our kids both go back to college, but couldn't find options that worked. We are getting together for dinner after school starts. 
• Try a new recipe - I honestly can't remember? 

How did you do with your July goals? 

Cost for a family trip to the Oregon coast

We've been trying to get back to the Oregon coast with my family since we sold our place. It's taken a while, and it was definitely hard to get all of the cousins together. We ended up with a great group, and finished it off with a family party at my parents house over the weekend. We were there for 5 nights & 6 days, total. 

As we left the airport yesterday, Sam said it was one of his favorite family trips, which was so nice to hear. My dad said something similar. All of the boys/cousins are at an age where they are adults & very enjoyable to spend time with, plus they all get along great. 

The Oregon coast, on a stunner of a day (Wednesday, I think)

Flights: $301.72, for four flights

All of the flights were broken up a bit, to use some United credits. Why were they all different costs? No idea. Mine is slightly lower likely due to a company discount I can use for personal travel.

• My flight ($556), completely covered by a United credit, from the time United stranded me overnight in London, and then dropped me from business class to a middle economy seat. Good times. ;-) Bonus, I got upgraded to first class on the flight from SFO to Portland, which was an unexpected treat!
• Sam's flight ($566), completely covered by a United credit, because Sam had originally planned to go to family weekend in Boulder last year & then couldn't make it due to work.
• M's flight  ($611), completely covered by a United credit, leftover from my London debacle. 
• Nick's flight to Seattle ($264), used Alaska miles. Paid $5.60 for taxes. Nick flew to Seattle on Friday, hung out with friends & then his friend drove him to my parents house. 
• Nick's flight home ($353), covered partially by a United credit. Outstanding amount we paid = $296.12 

Transit: $434.88

• Pre-paid parking at SFO airport - $96. Unfortunately, we had to fly in & out of SFO to use our United credits (United doesn't fly that route from our closer/preferred airport), and the cost to get to & from the airport is higher. I did research, and this is the cheapest option, by quite a stretch. This is also the "far away" parking, that requires 20-30 minutes of transit. Our flights were at reasonable times of the day vs late at night or super early, which made the less convenient parking more appealing. 
• Car rental in Oregon - $228
• Gas - $38.91 + $71.97

Food: $362.60

• Groceries = $102.59 + 97.01+ 1.50 + 4.29 
• Pizza = $120
• Airport meal for the boys - $16.51
• Beer - $13.05
• Ice cream - $7.65

Lodging: $2443.32

I paid for a very large house on the Oregon coast, & covered the cost for everyone (family, plus my BFF + her daughter). This was much cheaper than finding hotels, which are in limited supplies on the Oregon coast, or finding several smaller, separate houses. We had a total of 11 people & spent 3 nights at the beach. 

Activities:

• Walks on the beach
• Meals out (largely covered by other folks)
• Family party
• Poker games
• Happy hour on the back patio

Total spent for the trip = $3,542.52

Considering how many people we had, I think it was a pretty great deal! Of course, not captured here are the food costs everyone else spent, lest you think anyone went hungry. ;-)