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Home > Archive: June, 2016

Archive for June, 2016

Pre-Vacation Prep and Work and Summer and Everything Else!

June 17th, 2016 at 06:30 pm

This is the most fun, most hectic time of year!

F doesn't have camp this week, but I still have work, and still lots to do around the house, too. She had a friend over Wednesday which allows me to get a lot of work done, and then she went to the same friend's house on Thursday. Friend's mom and I are super close friends, and we work these playdates out together! The girls are more like cousins, and we really rely on each other! (We also spend Christmas together, and Halloween).

I have to teach my weightlifting class today, and F will come with me. No gym payment yet for May, and it's already mid June. Also, the owner of the gym doesn't help me find subs (all of the other instructors of this class except two of us defected to another gym, so now there are no subs) and he doesn't help me tell people when there isn't a sub, so I've just decided to take everyone's emails and email them the night before to tell them the status of class.

We go on holiday next Saturday (back to the UK to see D's family, and then a week in Croatia). D changed his ticket and he's leaving earlier (this Sunday) because his Dad has had a series of setbacks, and is now living with D's sister. D needs to scope things out, find people to come in a few more times a day. I suggested a chair by the door to the garden so at least he can see outside even if he's not mobile enough to go out there (and the garden is overgrown and the ground uneven). I suggested talking to Age Concern about maybe a van that can pick him up for senior outings. If anyone in the UK knows of other charities or organizations we can contact, please let me know!

The ticket change fee was $400. Yes, $400. But this is important for D. So. We are depleting our vacation savings; next year is definitely "all the fun you can have driving within your own state and camping" Luckily we live in a really great place!

So F and I will be on our own for a week before we leave. We are going to eat everything in the fridge and stuff from the freezer, and hopefully the grocery bill will be super low.

In the meantime, I am prepping for the trip, and getting things organized for our house/pet sitter. I have a big list of pre-vacation to-do items! I'm happy to share it if anyone is interested (and if you have a list, I'd love to see it!).

I also have a cardboard box in the bathroom and one in the closet to toss things into for the trip as I remember them (and go through the list).

Oh - and did I mention that water is coming out of the bottom of my washing machine? Ugh. Calling the repair person now. Ugh ugh ugh.

Unexpected Expense

June 5th, 2016 at 04:20 am

I am so tired! I took four girls to Meow Wolf (http://www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/art/museum_shows/forever-home-meow-wolf-opens-house-of-eternal-return/article_4f72acf1-b0be-52d4-ad87-d8c48192ca78.html) today so that they could solve the mystery. It was for F's birthday, and even though I had $250 in the "F's birthday party" account, that cost $55. We made potstickers and edamame for lunch, and a tarte tatin for dessert. F and her friends were super happy, and they did solve the mystery! The "agents" confirmed all of their theories.

By the way, Meow Wolf is worth a visit to Santa Fe!

Anyway, we're having one more birthday party (with the soccer girls) in the park with pizza and I'm taking F and a friend down to the mini-golf/go-cart place, so that will use some of the birthday party money. But I am certain we'll be well below $250.

So that's good because we have a sort of huge unexpected expense. We are going to the UK in 3 weeks, but D's dad isn't well, and D is looking into leaving earlier than F and I. It means changing his ticket (and the change fee is insane plus the difference in cost). I feel like throwing up, but we will find the money somewhere. That is the beauty of having money allocated in different categories. We need to shift some things around, but we can do that. We have some money in our vacation budget, but that was going to be for the future; that may mean that we delay going anywhere else any time soon, but that's ok, too.

Other categories with money that could be shifted:
- $292 in auto fuel which we don't need all of for this month's gas
- money in car savings that we could pay back (we have $13k in there for a new car in the next several years)
- $1800 in airfare - we need to save up for the next trip to the UK, but it just may mean that we go a little later...