A quick update

It's been super busy around here! 

Nick is on his senior trip, and by all accounts, having a fabulous time. I'm teaching my last class tonight, and then M & I head to Las Vegas tomorrow. It's his birthday & Father's Day, and he's also playing in a tournament of some sort - blackjack, I think? 

Things are progressing nicely on the job hunt front, but I don't want to jinx anything until offers have been signed, given how long & bumpy the process has been to date. 

Things to do today:

• Work out
• Drop off stadium chairs I borrowed for graduation
• Pick up Tshirt for Nick's Tshirt quilt. Send all of the shirts off to the quilt company.
• Clean the house
• Finish packing
• Review content for class
• Teach my last class tonight!

What about you? How has your week been going? 

Menu Plan Sunday

 We have leftovers in the fridge & need to ensure we use everything up before M & I head out on a weekend getaway!

• Friday - we had fantastic grilled steak, caprese salad & roasted brussel sprouts
• Saturday - leftover barbecued chicken + macaroni & potato salad
• Sunday - chicken fajitas (freezer)
• Monday - we didn't end up making the Southwest chicken skillet last week, so it's on the menu again
• Tuesday - leftover fajitas
• Wednesday - leftover Southwest Chicken skillet
• Thursday - finish up any remaining leftovers
• Friday - on vacation/not home

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

Frugal Friday

Another busy week, and Nick graduated yesterday! So fun to see my baby graduate, and we celebrated with my parents.  

Saving on things we buy

• M always buys champagne for my mom when she visits, and I noticed that iBotta had a $6 offer, which was a nice surprise. 
• Continued to upload receipts to Fetch, and iBotta when they have offers. 
• Nick asked if friends could come over after graduation to quickly eat food ahead of needing to get on the bus for the grad night party. We ordered a bunch of pizzas, threw together a snack tray & enjoyed the company of very excited teens. I used a $10 off coupon for the pizzas. 

Earning money

• Sold an unused makeup item on eBay, making $10 & getting it out of the house before it expired
• Received $7.25 of free grocery rewards through their current promotion, plus a free package of shredded cheese. 
• I got paid $2000 for the first half of classes I've taught. I can invoice the second half (although, I missed two due to graduation events, and can't invoice those of course) when the course is complete. My hourly rate was abysmal, as there was a huge learning curve involved. But, I'm very proud of myself for trying something new. 

Avoiding spending

• It's been a very spendy week, as we prep for house guests & graduation, so nothing much here. 

Eating what we have

• I've continued to eat sandwich fixings (purchased for another event, and not used), which is not my top lunch choice. I'm 2/3 of the way done! I make a little fun lunch platter with crackers, deli meat, cheese, fruit & veggies. I prefer salad, but it's using it up for now. 
• Using tons of garden lettuce, herbs, strawberries & lemons + green onions from the garden. My first zucchini is almost ready to be picked as well. 
• Made an easy ground beef tomato rice bowl dish & had enough for: one full additional dinner for four for the freezer, the initial dinner for four, and two lunches. 
• Had hot dogs on hand that M picked up at Costco when they were on sale, and hosted an impromptu dinner for Nick's friends on Sunday night. I served those with watermelon & chips. The chips showed up at our house after a friend gathering, so it was nice to use those up.

For others

• Had Nick do a round of reviewing his clothes, to determine what he's outgrown, won't bring to college, and/or school related items. Gave away a bunch on Buy Nothing. He's at that hard to buy size (or, you have to buy from more of a pricey "teen" store), so parents really appreciate receiving items. He also enjoys shopping at thrift stores, which is how he typically now sources his clothing.

What about you? Any wins to share?

Fitness Tuesday

I'm a bit late getting this together, as I had an interview yesterday & house cleaning & graduation prep! 

Weight: I've been really out of my routine, and haven't been weighing in lately, so no updates to report. 

Calories: 1,642 - up from last week, due to a couple of very snacky days + eating a bunch at a picnic with lots of homemade food on Sunday.

Steps: 14,871 - up quite a bit, thanks to the two hiking days.

Workouts:

• Workout class + unexpected bonus 7 mile hike with a friend (I was exhausted afterward)
• 3 days of workout classes (combo running, rowing & strength training)
• 1 day of a treadmill running class
• 1 7 mile hike with a friend
• 1 no workout day

Overall nutrition:  I felt very snacky all week (hence the higher daily calorie average) & tried a lot of delicious food at the picnic we attended on Sunday. I still want to increase my veggie intake. We have gorgeous garden lettuce that I want to be sure we're using up, and that I'm eating as part of my lunches. 

Goals for the week: We have guests this week, plus graduation & a bunch of stuff happening for Nick, so my goal is to have two full No S days (yesterday - check!, and today). Then keep the snacking & treats to zero, while I can have an adult beverage celebrating graduation. It won't be perfect, but it will be a lot better than a full on indulgence week.

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

May Goals Recap

 I can't believe it's June! 

May was a pretty good month for goals, but as always, progress not perfection is what I'm aiming for.

Here's how we did for the month. 

Financial:

• Bank all of M's severance, and open CDs.  - No severance yet, so this rolls over to next month
• Shuffle existing CDs for better rates - yes, and dates added to the calendar for the next round
• Sign up for COBRA - yes
• Find a job - well, I've invested a ton of time, but nothing so far
• Continue with part-time job, and invoice for the first half of classes - yes, and done
• Earn $300 in side hustle - $107 in side hustle, but also the class. I'll count that when I'm paid. 
• Get rid of 3 pantry items - I've used up a dressing, and barbecue sauce. So, 2/3.

Family:

• Plan Nick's graduation - yes! It's next week
• Date night with M - yes, we went out after photos for Nick's prom
• Work with the boys on various life stuff - Sam got signed up for summer classes, joined a gym, found a job, and found a dojo for his martial arts. Nick took his AP classes, finished out the school year and tennis, and is in the home stretch!

Fitness:

• Lose 2 lbs - I lost .9 lbs
• 15, 20, 15 -  strength workouts, No S days, meditations - 19 strength workouts, 8 No S days, 6 meditations
• Try a new workout - nothing really jumps to mind, although the day I did a hard workout class, followed by a hike with a friend was definitely...more than I'd bargained for. ;)
• Average 12,500 steps/day - 12,210, so pretty close but not quite

Personal:

• Get together with friends x2 - yes. Met two friends for a hike, got coffee after a workout 3x with friends, introduced two other friends for a group hike
• Say yes to adventure & try new things - I have been working on expanding my social network, and meeting up with new friends, which is going well
• Reduce screen time - I'd say maybe a 5% reduction. Definitely a little improvement, but nothing drastic. 
• Declutter 50 items - 39/50

What about you? How did you do with your May goals? Any wins to share, or goals you will roll over to next month? 

Menu Plan Sunday

 Another wild week, as we have my parents in town + graduation. Having a plan helps us minimize eating out to just planned events. We will still have some splurges, but they will be planned for.

• Friday - grilled chicken + salads
• Saturday - beef and tomato rice bowl
• Sunday - southwest Chicken skillet
• Monday - tacos (freezer)
• Tuesday - leftover southwest chicken skillet
• Wednesday - barbecued chicken & potato salad with my parents
• Thursday - we will likely have pizza delivered to the house, right as we get back from graduation. Nick has his grad night party, so we will be going out to lunch to celebrate
• Friday - steak + caprese salad
• Saturday - leftovers (my parents are heading home)
• Sunday - beef broccoli + noodles (freezer)

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

Goals for June

 We have a lot of exciting stuff happening in June, and several trips + graduation & house guests. I'm looking forward to all of the fun!

Here are our goals for the month. 

Financial:

• Bank all of M's severance, and open CDs
• Shuffle existing CDs for better rates
• Find a job
• Finish teaching class, and invoice for all sessions
• Earn $300 in side hustle
• Get rid of 3 pantry items

Family:

• Have a fantastic graduation for Nick (including time with my parents, and celebration in Washington)
• Have an on budget and fabulous trip with M to Las Vegas 
• Work with the boys on various life stuff. Help Sam decide on fall plans

Fitness:

• Lose 2 lbs
• 15, 15, 15 - strength workouts, No S Days, meditations
• Try something new in my workout routine
• Average 12,500 steps/day

Personal:

• Get together with friends x2
• Say yes to adventure & try new things
• Reduce screen time
• Declutter 50 items

What about you? What's on your goal list for June?

Frugal Friday

 It's been another busy week, with lots of activities & interview prep. 

Saving on things we buy

• Used a $20 grocery store gift card to pick up ice cream and treats when we unexpectedly had some teens over this weekend. Also picked up the Friday Freebie (a sports drink of some kind) & uploaded my receipt to Fetch. 
• I occasionally meet friends for coffee after our workout class. The class is fantastic, but not really conducive to chatting. I buy Starbucks gift cards on sale (or, in exchange for a grocery store reward) & use that when we meet. I also bring my own container, which yields additional rewards (and, is better for the environment). 

Earning money

• Sold a pair of shoes on eBay & two pair of pants, & made $40
• As I mentioned yesterday, Nick won two scholarships & a service award at the Senior Awards ceremony. The scholarships, while not large, will be super helpful for college! One was from the sports boosters, and the other from the PTSA. 

Avoiding spending

• Nothing to report here.

Eating what we have

• I froze an entire batch of fajitas, as we ended up having fewer diners than expected.
• Picked some really delicious strawberries from the garden

For others

• Gave away a few items people requested on Buy Nothing, as well as items I just didn't need any more. 

What about you? Any wins to report?

Thank you

 Thanks so much for all of your lovely comments about upcoming Nick's graduation! We are all very excited.

And, Anne, I really laughed at your remark about me coming in strong with the gene pool for Nick. Sam looks much more like M, but Nick is all my side of the family. In particular, he looks like my father, to the extreme. Their personalities are also very similar & they are very close.

Last night was very fun, as we attended the Senior Awards ceremony. It was so lovely to see all of Nick's friends together, winning awards & being celebrated. Nick won a community service award, along with an athletics booster scholarship, and the school PTSA scholarship. We were very surprised, thrilled, and proud of him for his accomplishments. 

I'm off to go get ready for an interview presentation & Q&A session. When I'm done with this, I'll have completed 10 interviews for one job, and we will have been in discussions about this role since January. The job market is not for the faint of heart at this point. 

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Fitness Monday

 Overall, it was a pretty solid week. As always, plenty of areas for improvement, but generally the week looked like I wanted it to, if a bit light on the steps & heavier on the calories.

Weight: My weight is up 1/2 a lb from the last time I weighed in, which isn't the direction I'm hoping to be going

Calories: 1,565 - I've definitely dropped this from last week, but would still like to be right at or below 1,500/day. 

Steps: 12,528 -  barely snuck this one over the 12,000 steps/day target, but I'll take it!

Workouts:

• 5 workout classes (combination of running, rowing & strength training)
• 1 - 4 mile walk
• 1 - 60 minute elliptical workout

Overall nutrition: I did a MUCH better job on eliminating snacks this week, and am feeling like I made solid progress on that side. However, I had fewer lunch salad & more leftovers, which generally means I ate less fruit & veggies. I'll go back to keeping a closer eye on that this week. I need at least one salad a day to hit my goals, as I'm not good at eating a lot of veggies throughout the day otherwise. 

Goals for the week: we have a lot going on this week, so my goal is to avoid snacking, eat more produce, & not to have any treats at the two senior events we're going to for Nick. 

What about you? How did you do on your health & fitness goals for the week?

Menu Plan Sunday

 It's a chaotic week ahead, with the final full week before Nick graduates!

• Friday - chicken parmesan (freezer) & caprese salad
• Saturday - Philly Cheesesteaks 
• Sunday -  chicken fajitas
• Monday - grilled chicken & Persian rice 
• Tuesday - leftover Cheesesteaks
• Wednesday - leftover grilled chicken & rice ahead of the senior awards night
• Thursday - tennis banquet potluck
• Friday - any remaining leftovers

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

Frugal Friday

 This week has whizzed by! Here are a few things on the financial side to share. 

Saving on things we buy

• I earned a credit card cash back rewards for a few things I picked up at CVS last week. $1.75, so watch out!
• Continued to upload all of my receipts to Fetch 
• Nick is quite crafty & convinced his girlfriend that it would be a fun project to make their own boutonniere and corsage for prom. They turned out really well, and were definitely cheaper than purchasing, if what Sam spent last year is any indication. 
• Collected $.50 of grocery game store credits.
• Bought a Home Depot gift card at the grocery store, and earned a $15 grocery store reward. 

Earning money

• Taught another class this week. I'll have a sub for the following two weeks (Nick has senior awards, and then graduation that conflicts) & then one last week. I'll have taught a total of 8 of the 10 classes. We invoice for any class that we taught. 
• I saw a mention on a financial blog with a credit card offer. Disclaimer: credit card offers are only useful if you can pay them off in full each month, and aren't tempted to spend more than you normally would. Rakuten was offering a $150 cash back for signing up, and Chase offered a $200 sign up offer, if you spent $500 in the first three months. It's a cash back credit card, and not as good as some of the other cards we use for travel points accumulation, but the $350 in combined cash back is a great deal. And, the card is free. So, I'll run $500 of spend through the card in a few months, and then will move my spending back to my higher rewards generating cards. 
• I received a $12 settlement from Clif bar, and completed $6 of surveys that I cashed out. 
• Made $25 selling a hoodie on eBay

Avoiding spending

• M is a pretty handy guy, and does things like change the oil in our car, does quite a few DIY projects, etc, but he's very reluctant to solve plumbing problems. He was able to fix a leak we had outside, thanks to the help of YouTube videos.
• M also repaired our pool cleaner, which is on probably repair #5 since we bought our house. 
• He also washed all of the windows in our house, and it looks sparkling! 

Eating what we have

• M & I had leftovers for dinner (shawarma one night, hot dogs another). The hot dogs were left over from Nick's impromptu pool party, which was repeated with a smaller friend group over the weekend. He's really soaking it in, and has more free time, now that all AP tests are completed, he has almost no assignments (AP classes pretty much wrap when the exams are done), & sports are over. He's usually so busy, that he is very much enjoying all of the free time. 
• We have picked a lot of beautiful strawberries from the garden.
• And, we finally grew a huge cilantro plant that we managed not to kill! Progress. 
• I planted a bunch of the 2lb package of green onions that M bought, and I now have lots of green onion tops that I can cut off & use in recipes. 
• 
  

For others

• M & I helped a neighbor with a tech issue
• Not me, but M taught Nick how to change a tire, and apparently, he's the only one in his friend group that knows how! He met up with a friend to help him change his tire, which I know was appreciated. 

And, a frugal fail. I ordered a few dresses & skirts to try & find something for Nick's graduation and/or potentially our 20th anniversary trip to Hawaii. I was successful & found a dress I really like, and when I went to return the other items, one of the skirts was final sale! I don't know that I've ever made that error before, but I was very annoyed with myself. I listed it immediately on eBay, and managed to sell it in a few days (I'm guessing the value goes down as the store starts to clearance it out, so prioritized speed of sale), but with fees, it wasn't the full cost of what I spent, but at least I got some of my money back? I then had a second eBay sale on Wednesday, and together, they covered the cost of the skirt. But, still annoyed with myself for not paying attention, and will definitely make it a priority next time!

What about you? Any wins to share?

Fitness Monday

 It was not the best fitness week for me. Too much snacking, not enough focus on healthy eating. And, I've fallen off of the wagon of focusing on my 12k/day steps. That will be a renewed focus for the week.

Weight - haven't weighed in this week.

Calories - 1,620/day on average. 

Steps - 11,878/day. Need to make sure i'm getting in a short afternoon walk most days, in addition to my workouts. 

Workouts:

• 5 hard workout classes
• 1 4 mile walk
• 1 3 mile walk

Overall nutrition - I was too snacky this week, and only had one No S day. I need to really clean this up, in order to make progress. 

Goals for the week - increase steps, decrease calories & reduce snacks.

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