Just made this:
http://www.popsugar.com/food/Gwyneth-Paltrow-Carbonara-Recipe-41083033

Best new recipe I've made in a long time, and inexpensive (half a packet of turkey bacon = $2, pasta = $1, three eggs = 60c, some parmesan = 40c).

I had tried another pasta carbonara recipe and this was a lot better.

It was good that I made this comfort food tonight. D's dad fell about a month ago in his apartment, was in hospital, and is now in a rehab facility. Social services decided he could go back to his apartment, even though D's family thought he'd be going into residential care. His dad can't walk, and often can't get out of bed. They were looking at all sorts of places near D's sister. But it seems like the residential care places are mostly full of people with dementia, and D's dad is 87 but no dementia at all! He'd be miserable there. D was super upset; it's hard being so far away (we are in the US, but D's family is in the UK). Anyway, social services is going to have someone come out three times a day to help him out of bed, help him bathe, get him back in bed. And he'll get meals. I think D is now ok with the idea.

The only thing I said is that the apartment he's in now isn't suitable. He needs to be on the first floor not second since he has mobility issues, and he needs to be in the same town as D's sister not 2 hours away.

We have a hotel room booked where he lives now and another booked where D's sister lives. So we'll see what happens...

Other news: F is on a school camping trip (the first since her anxiety last fall). She was really excited about the trip, and I am really excited for her! I hope she's having a ton of fun! She spied the graham crackers in the teacher's truck, and she and her friends were excited for s'mores, too! I spent the evening cleaning weird parts of the house that don't get cleaned as often (top of pantry shelves, etc) and spackling things and tightening hinges.

My parents come to visit on Thursday afternoon... do you do those "handyman" things before your family comes to visit?

This is the final installment featuring my friend H who is having such terrible money troubles.... I am so sad for him, and I can't really help that much.

He came over to my office on Wednesday. I am super busy and I didn't have a lot of time, but we figured out a couple of things.

1. He and his wife keep their finances pretty separate. (I am curious if any of you do this, too?). They even pay car insurance separately (which means, of course, no discount for two cars).

2. They are in the habit of wasting money because it's just easier (he has never gotten different quotes for insurance, for example, so even though he has access to USAA, they have never gotten a quote from them). He "thinks the comcast internet just went up" but he's not sure, and he hasn't called them to ask about promotions. Etc.

3. He pays for major things out of his paycheck (mortgage, etc) and her money (about a third of what they make) is mostly for "stuff." So about a third of their money is her discretionary money for clothes, toys for the kids, etc. He doesn't know at all how this money is spent, and last month she said she ran out of money and he gave her $430 from his account. They do not have a joint account at all. I said they need to have one account where they dump in their money and pay for joint things, and he said they tried that but his wife put the account in her own name, and he doesn't have access, so it was just her money and it didn't work as planned.

4. He had $500 for food last month and said that's about 1/3 of their food spending. So his wife spent about another $1000. That is $1500/month on food for a family of four. It's way more than double what we spend. He said there's a lot of eating out for convenience. Convenience seems to be a theme.

5. He had a new Honda Fit that his parents got him since his other car was so old, and when it was about 2 years old, the Honda dealer called him with a deal on a new Fit, and of course he went for it, so now he has a $300/month car payment for another two years.

6. Their biggest expense seems to be his wife's medical expenses. She doesn't have a major medical issue, but she does do massage and it means that her body is often sore. She has spent (he thinks) about $15,000 to $24,000 on medical expenses last year. I said I didn't think that the max. OOP was that high, and he said she likes alternative treatments and they aren't covered.

We came up with a little to-do list for him, but it will be a drop in the bucket compared to medical expenses and food.

I think he's really frustrated because his wife has most of the control over the money (since what he pays for is pretty much fixed). And he has no idea what she spends, and a lot of it is in cash.

Any ideas about what I can tell him that I haven't already?

It was a busy day...

First - Meeting at my daughter's school to help them get an idea of square footage for the new building they want to build (Art/Science/Performing Arts). I met with the three teachers, and it was fun! Of course I don't get paid at all, but I feel good donating time to the school I love so much!

Then - A little bit of work, and lots of telephone conferences. Fire station, waste transfer station. Engineer calls.

Then - F's teacher called and asked me and two other people to drive the kids on their field trip next week. I said of course. Hope she gives me an easy group! She is only asking three parents to drive, and the rest of the kids will go in the van that they borrow from the high school.

On my way to the next meeting I stopped by the bank to pay down mortgage principal and I saw my good friend H (the one who is having financial issues). I forgot to tell you that he was fired from the job he wanted to quit. Oh my. I talked to him for about an hour on Saturday. Anyway, he's coming over to my office on Wednesday so we can figure his financial situation out. He gave me a big hug. He looked tired.

Then - Meeting at a subdivision I work for (doing design review). There are two houses under construction that are having problems. I'm so glad I don't do houses.

Now - getting a little work done before soccer practice tonight.

The "not frugal" people continue to come into my life...

First an update on H, my not very frugal friend. He still hasn't come over to go over his finances, but we've talked on the phone and I have a little more insight into his financial situation. He and his wife have separate finances. All of the regular bills/mortgage come out of his paycheck. Everything else is from his wife's earnings. Since his wife earns about a third of their income, he has no idea how a third of their money is being spent. He said he wanted to figure out what she's spending money on, and then he'd get back to me.

Next person. We had a soccer coach come stay with us (we host them often). He was super sweet. But it was weird... when he wanted to do a load of laundry, I helped him put in the load of washing. I said "When you're done, you can either hang your laundry here or put it on the line in the yard." I explained it would dry really quickly since NM is so dry. He said "That's ok; I'll just chuck it in the dryer." I said we didn't use the dryer because things dry so fast outside and it uses a lot of energy. He said "That's ok; I'll just chuck it in the dryer." Oh well. I tried.

Next person: my good friend S whose daughter is on F's soccer team. He's awesome, super funny. He manages a Toyota dealership. I was talking with him about when we eventually replace our car, would he be able to look out for a good used Toyota. He said "No, what you want to do is lease a new car." He explained that with depreciation, etc. it'd be cheaper. But we drive our cars a looooooong time. I put away $150/month so that we pay for cars in cash. S says that if you have a lease, and the car is worth less than the purchase price at the end of the lease, you just walk away from it and the dealer eats the depreciation.

OK, time to go to soccer and argue cars with S again!

My good friend, Bad Money Man, called me on Thursday to say "I hate my job; I'm quitting. Call me back." Bad Money Man (BMM) took this job because of the money, and it's a terrible job, and I don't blame him for wanting to quit. He told me all sorts of stories. It's a nightmare job.

It paid $20k more than his last job (wow!) but his paycheck was somehow the same. I am not sure what happened, but I think it was forced savings (401k) which is a good thing, and a very expensive health plan, and some other things. I told him to get his pay stubs and we'll analyze it together. He was going to come over yesterday, but when I called him he was out doing some errands with his daughters, so he decided to reschedule.

Here was the errand: one of the daughters needed (wanted? not sure) origami paper. He was at Artisan, the very expensive art supply store. There are a lot of artists here, and they sell gesso and very expensive brushes, and things that professionals need. I am not sure his five year old is a professional origami-ist.

I said "You're buying origami paper at Artisan?!" And then I went into a whole tirade about how they do not have the income to buy their kids' art supplies at Artisan (and then I texted him a 50% off Michael's coupon). I said that they are not Whole Foods people, and his wife isn't a Lululemon person. But that's how they shop. Maybe they're trying to keep up with a socio-economic group they are kind of-sort of part of. Maybe it's how they grew up - they both had privileged childhoods, and they haven't revised their spending habits to align with the reality of their income.

He says they don't buy a lot. But there is some kind of mis-match.

Did I mention that with the raise, they make the same as us? We save $780/month in our IRAs, $265/month into D's profit-sharing plan. We pay down our mortgage $150/month. We pay for private school tuition ($850 from our salaries each month).

He says that they have no money left at the end of the month for savings or anything else that they want, and that they buy very little.

When we do get together to figure some of this out and create a budget (and he does want to which is very encouraging!), I will let you know how it goes.

What's happening now:

- F went to a friend's house to play yesterday and I finished my wall sections (for work); my engineers will be so happy, and it means that next week is less hectic.

- I did a little professional survey and got a $25 Amazon voucher.

- Grocery shopping today (we'll leave in a few minutes - we like to shop before noon on Sunday because the shops get crowded at noon when they start selling alcohol).

- Meal plan for this week needs to be inexpensive because we have a soccer coach staying with us. I budgeted an extra $80 just in case.

S - kebab chicken with roasted veg (already have chicken in the freezer)
M - baked potatoes, broccoli (maybe our most inexpensive meal)
T - tostadas (another pretty inexpensive one)
W - red pasta with courgettes (also not expensive)
T - chili with cornbread (this has ground turkey so it's not super cheap, but makes a lot!)
F - fish with rice and peas (may do lemon-crumbed fish since I have the lemons and garlic)
S - summer pasta with bacon (not inexpensive, but every coach has loved this!)

- F has indoor soccer today, and I told her we could go to the park and play some basketball and tennis. All free! An active day!

- I really don't want to finish vacuuming the house, but I have to. And I need to make the bed up for our coach. Last night I cleaned the food processor and stovetop with a toothpick; don't ask me why, but for me that's actually fun!

Last night we had a rare night out on the town (after dark!). We got to see my friend who is in from out of town, and her kids, and another friend that lives her and her boyfriend. We paid $5 to rent the air hockey table, and they paid $5 for ping pong. My husband got a beer, but that was all we spent.

It was a lot of fun! F was running the ping pong table. It's a really fun place where you can take kids even though it's basically a bar.

Today I transferred money from our Irish account to pay down our mortgage. Not sure what's up with the exchange rate, but we got more than usual out of our euros. So we now own $36,310. Whittling it down, and it should be wiped out in less than two years.

I haven't been paid by the gym for February or March, and it's starting to feel like the owner is avoiding me. My friend was paid on Monday.

It's on my to-do list to call another gym, but I need to get through my deadline first. F is down in the kitchen working on a project for school, and I am just about to start working on a drawing so that I can finish my set of drawings by next Friday.

This weekend: soccer game, play dates, family time.

I currently have a lot of work, so I'm not doing a super good job of generating any extra income.

My friend who teaches at the same gym I do said she got paid. I'm hoping to get paid this week, too. And I am going to call another gym (I have a connection to the program director at the gym through two different friends, and they both said to call her).

I took our dog to the vet yesterday for her followup bloodwork (she's on thyroid medication). They had said it'd be about $80, but it turned out to be $45 (so relieved!).

I did a professional survey last week, and got a $25 Amazon gift card in return! Cool!

And, finally, here's the stuff that has nothing to do with money:
F had soccer practice last night, and their girls' select team played the boys' academy team. We had to loan the boys two girls to play with them, and the only point that was scored was a pass from one girl to the other, so the boys won, but technically it wasn't them. The girls were all proud. But before they started playing this one boy looked at our girls and said "cheerleaders!" They shrugged it off, but then the same boy started calling my daughter Vanilla and screaming "her name is Vanilla!" and got other boys to join in (that obviously isn't her name, but it it does end in a "la" sound). And when they all shook hands after the game, this boy wouldn't shake anyone's hand. I want to say something to the coach. Yes? No?

Went to my close friend's 50th Girl Get-Together last night. I have to say it was a little bit too girly for me (pink champagne etc), but it was perfect for her and she was so happy. She moved to CA several years ago, and wanted to have a celebration with friends out here. I was so happy to see her!

It was a super late night for me (out until 10:45!) and everyone still said "why are you leaving so early?" I don't drink (honestly, it's too expensive and not fun for me!) and at 10 or so everyone was starting to get pretty tipsy.

It was potluck and I brought chili (and another close friend brought all the stuff for frito pies to go with the chili plus a pie). I took home a big slice of pie for F, who was thrilled!

Today F had a friend over, and we did "make your own pizzas." And I made a big chocolate cake.

Then F had an indoor soccer game (against boys a year older, so it was kind of rough!). Not sure how those 6th grade boys are playing in our age group. But our girls stepped up, and F was super proud to foul someone for the first time! The boys were kind of shocked at how aggressive our girls were, and I was proud!

I did all the grocery shopping for the week. Does it seem like costs are going up to you? We spent $115 for the week (and that did not include the ingredients for the chili I brought to the party which I bought mid-week).

Here's the meal plan:

S - polenta with roasted veggies (red pepper, courgettes, red onion and cauliflower)
M - something from the freezer with salad
T - risotto with peas and goat cheese and sundried tomatoes
W - quesadilla with guacamole
T - tostadas
F - salmon cakes and salad
S - goody plate! (eat up stuff that might go bad!)
S - tuna melts and peas

There was an item in Apartment Therapy today: 4 Signs it's Time to Replace your Blender. I have a really old blender; really old. It was my grandparents' blender, and my grandma passed away in 1981. My blender is so old it looks like a prop in Mad Men.

Anyway, I thought I'd read the reasons why I should replace my old blender, and you know what? I didn't meet any of the criteria. My old blender still works well, so I'm keeping it!

I just had to replace my apple slicer (which we use a lot!) because it totally fell apart, literally, while slicing an apple.

But the blender (and most of my other very-old kitchen stuff) is ok.

I'm a little embarrassed that I even clicked on the link; sometimes I'm in too much of a consumer mindset.

What do you think?

For the past several weeks I've been calling my mom several times a day because her shoulder has been hurting her (she has frozen shoulder and it's on the mend, but she's been sleeping in weird positions, and now other muscles hurt).

We had planned to come out for Spring Break to visit my parents. I figured I could help out with things (dishes, etc). And I did a ton of housework, even changed out a broken dimmer switch so they didn't have to call a handyman.

What I didn't count on was that my mother would be in a super terrible mood (I get it, she's in pain). And the day after we arrived my dad's brother died (he was old and had dementia and wasn't doing well, so it wasn't unexpected).

My mother had all of the shutters closed so it was like night-time in the middle of a sunny Southern California day. She didn't interact with F at all. She went for a walk and I said, "Oh! Can I go with you?" and she said "It won't be hard enough for you." And I said "I just want to go hang out with you..." and while I was getting F a glass of water before I went with my mom, I heard the door open and slam shut; she'd slipped out without me.

The first night we arrived, we went out for dinner, and my mom was so agitated, she nearly got into a fight with another driver. F said she would never drive with my mom again.

I did all of the dishes the entire time, but my mom said she'd do them. I said "Is it because you don't think I'll rinse them well enough?" and she said yes. So I told her I'd do the dishes and if she wanted she could watch to make sure I rinsed them really well, and she did, and that seemed to work.

I made all of the food, but we weren't eating early enough, and she wasn't happy.

It was difficult.

Oh - and did I mention expensive?

I wanted to make sure that F wasn't shut inside that dark, dark house, and my parents didn't heat their pool. We played some soccer outside, and went to the park, but in my (probably misguided) efforts to make this a real vacation for F, I took her to the zoo and paid for the carousel and a churro and all sorts of other stuff. And we got her some clothes (which she needed badly and were budgeted for) but also got cookies and a lemonade while we were out (partly to extend the amount of time we were out).

Also - airport parking and the dog boarding place. We do have the money set aside, but it feels sort of sad to spend that money on a vacation if it's not pleasant.

We did some fun things (including the Broad Museum in downtown LA - super cool! It's free except parking, and you should definitely go if you're there). But F still declared "I am never visiting them again." Grandma was super short with her, and not very nice, and just wanted to watch scary news programs in bed. I explained Grandma wasn't feeling well.

We went to a nearby park, and I asked my parents if they wanted to go and just sit on a bench or something. They said no, they just wanted to play games on their ipads at home. But about 10 minutes after we arrived at the park, my dad showed up, which was great! I got a really sweet photo of him and F, and we got to watch the ducks and turtles together.

When we left, my mom sort of air-hugged D, tapped F on the shoulders as a hug and then kind of push-hugged me (hugged me and pushed me away at the same time - weird). When I called her to say we were home, she said "we're missing you already!" Really? I guess it's possible that she was happy to have us there, and really unhappy about her shoulder.

I'm chalking it up to that. Thanks for letting me vent!

Now - on to April, and hopefully a better month financially!

This is why I don't like to carry cash in my purse... I ended up going by the wonderful bakery, and I had $10 in my purse, and, well.... now I don't. I spent $6.50 on muffins for the family. Not such a big splurge, and I guess sometimes these things just happen.

I would like to note for the future that I NEED to carry at least a square of good dark chocolate in my lunch... that way I don't freak out and buy muffins.

Anyway, I am now in the parking lot of school (yes, I have the internet password - which is awesome because I can also get work emails done at school). I'm waiting for F to come out; I have her muffin all ready in the back seat.

Tonight: soccer practice. We're back at the old racetrack. On Monday I ran 2.3 miles (that's two laps). I might just do one lap tonight... Free exercise!

Dinner tonight - it's supposed to be French Dinner... this is a family favorite and consists of yummy cheese, crackers, olives and a big green salad with lots of veggies. It's called French Dinner because that is what we basically ate every night when we were in France. Yum!

Tomorrow: I need to start thinking about packing, but I also have to work (and I have a jobsite meeting and a proposal due, so no slacking). Next week is spring break and we're going to visit my parents in CA. We leave Sunday (after the Saturday soccer game) and return Friday (before the next Saturday soccer game).

Visiting my parents, believe it or not, is a wonderful vacation for us (we all like living the LA life for a few days and my parents are great) and super frugal! Tickets from here are not very expensive, and my parents like to take us out to eat! But we have the kitchen, too, and my parents have a pool.

The first night we're going to see my cousin and his wife and two kids (who are a little younger than F).

We're also going to try to see the Broad Museum. Have any of you been to it? Not the best chance we'll get in, but we'll try...

And some hikes, trip to the beach, lots of Asian food!

I have been so busy with work (that's a good thing) that I haven't really been able to post.

We are not buying much, but it's D's birthday this Sunday, so we'll be eating out. He also got a new pair of shoes and new suitcase for his bday...

Here is the current excitement in our house:
F's Select Soccer team is now a Gold Team! They won their promotion game and are now the only team (boys, girls, any age) from our soccer club playing Gold in the "big city" league!! They are so excited! The games will be hard, but it'll be good for them... they spent the autumn winning almost every one of their games and mercy ruling most of them, so they needed a bigger challenge.

All of this sort of dissolves when we go to birth year instead of grade level (soccer parents know what I'm talking about) at the end of the spring. Our team is cut in half - seven 2005 girls and six 2004 girls.

We have to drive about an hour to get to the games each weekend, and we have to pay $5 each time per car (for field upkeep). I went to the bank and got $40 in fives, and they're in my glove box (budget category: F's sports).

We also paid for camp... F will be doing 4 weeks of camp this summer (2 weeks of soccer camp and 2 weeks of circus camp). We save money all year so that the camp category is full when we have to pay for camp. The rest of the time we'll spend at the pool or at home or playing with friends.

We also got the summer pool membership already. This year we saved some money by getting a double rather than family membership; D only went a few times last summer. We always get a 10 punch guest pass, so D will use that guest pass if he wants to come. Just like camp, I budget monthly for the pool membership, so there was enough money in there for that.

I guess summer is all taken care of... weird to think it's only a few months away!

Are you thinking about/budgeting for summer plans? What does your summer look like?

This has been quite the month for medical spending...
- D's new glasses (varifocals - so more expensive than regular, but he needed them) and eye exam - about $400 total
- F's trip to urgent care (bronchitis) - just happy that she's well now! - $75 plus about $10 for meds
- I just had to go to the ENT and instead of a simple office visit they did a very minor procedure (scar tissue from past sinus infections) - $274

Ugh.

I met with an accountant last year because I wanted to set up and HRA or HSA or something, but the admin costs for just one person was out of control. He told me just to take a distribution for healthcare expenses since I can distribute money to myself from my S-Corp. I budgeted a monthly amount, and with what we'd budgeted from our own budget and the distribution, I got the medical costs down to 0 for February! The $274 is still on there for March, but I think we can figure that out with underspend categories.

Here is the good news: snowflakes coming in!
- I got $100 from the gym
- Was able to transfer $323 from the Irish house
- Got a cash from credit card rewards of $133
- Tax return - $190

All of that goes toward the mortgage.

We were able to fully pay for our trip to Phoenix, too... it was a strange trip (both wonderful and terrible). The terrible was that F got bronchitis, and that trip to urgent care really upset her. But it was also wonderful.

F got to meet her hero, idol, role model - Meghan Klingenberg (best left back in the WORLD) - and spend the whole day with her. It was a soccer camp for girls, and Kling was with the kids the entire time. She personally taught F a skill, she even gave her a nickname! F is still so excited! (She was showing us "the dance Kling taught me" the other night - wow!) I was excited! She is super nice and funny - the perfect role model!

It's been a while since I posted anything... there isn't a lot to report.

We were very good about bringing food and snacks to the weekend soccer tournament so that we didn't have to buy the junk there or go out to eat somewhere gross (fast food or whatever). We brought fruit and veggies and sandwiches, etc. Only one other family did the same! Weird!

Anyway, as a treat (and because F's team won the tournament in their age bracket!!!!) we went out to dinner on Sunday night. We ended up with enough leftovers for lunch on Monday, so that was good.

Soccer was canceled last night (F was sad even though she was probably exhausted after two days of soccer). We spent a quiet evening at home, and she got a bunch of school work done. (Ongoing projects as well as her nightly homework).

We leave on Friday for Phoenix, and F misses a day of school, so she's turning a few things in early.

I have the food worked out until then:
- Lemon crumbed fish, brown rice, broccoli
- White chicken chile
- Enchiladas (black bean and cheese)

Last night was baked potatoes and asian courgettes. Yum!

I haven't posted in a really long time! I guess there just isn't much to report...

We've had the usual monthly expenses, plus a few others (ugh):
- vet bill $351 plus another $19 for thyroid meds for our dog (but she is definitely worth it!)
- book for F for school $6
- new glasses for D $341
- $61 for x-c skiing (including gear rental for D; F and I have our own gear)
- hair trim for me $30 (but that is budgeted for)

We are now negative in the entertainment category (but I can make up for that with low grocery and dining spending) and medical category (ugh, but I committed to taking some money as distributions for medical each month since I couldn't set up an HSA).

Also $171 over in the Pets category. Next month we'll put in $80 but the follow up thyroid test is $80 so there goes that money. I need to figure this out.

That's it, I guess. Some months are like that.

To make myself feel better, I'm going to post our frugal and yummy meal plan for the rest of the week:
​
tonight - tuna melts and salad
Thursday - tostadas
Friday - red pasta and courgettes (Art Night at school and F is in charge of one of the 5 tables!!!)
Saturday - risotto with peas and sundried tomatoes and goat cheese - D makes this! Yay!

I'm starting to think about our upcoming trips (and there are THREE which is completely over the top for us!).

February - trip to Phoenix (weekend)
March - spring break in LA at my parents' house
June/July - the BIG trip to see D's family in the UK and add-on trip to Croatia

I'm thinking about it this far in advance partly because the two smaller trips are practice for our luggage on the UK trip. You see, we are flying Ryanair from the UK to Croatia (well, actually to Italy) and back.

Have you flown Ryanair? It's the crazy-cheap-but-not-so-nice airline that charges for everything. There's even an I Hate Ryanair website. For the record: I don't. But that's because we adhere to the rules pretty religiously.

In exchange for our low fares, this is what we signed up for:
- no food (who needs food on a two hour flight? we bring our own anyway!)
- not the most comfortable seats (who needs headrests? I am too short for them anyway)
- no legroom (as I mentioned, I'm short, and my husband isn't that tall either, and my daughter isn't even my height yet)
- super high fee for checked bags (but we are NOT checking bags)
- there's a fee if you don't print your boarding pass ahead of time (but why wouldn't you just print it out?)
- if you're American, you have to do a passport check before you go through security or they won't let you on the flight (this is one rule you just have to know)

Did I mention that we don't check bags? (We have, but only if there are extenuating circumstances). This is due to a lot of reasons (Ryanair's fees, checked bags get lost, the less luggage you have the easier it is to get around on public transport). We each get a backpack with no wheels and a small daypack that folds up and can be shoved inside the backpack but can be under our seats on the plane to provide entertainment, a sweater, a toothbrush, warm socks.

Ryanair has more restrictive luggage allowances than most airlines, so we need to meet their restrictions. You used to get just one free cabin bag ​55x40x20 cm (about 21.5 x 15.75 x 7.75). That's smaller than other airlines, and their sizing includes wheels. They're undergoing an image change to improve their reputation and now you also get a personal item 35x20x20 cm (that's a weird shape).

Now that F is older, she can carry her own bag and won't need wheels like our last UK trip two years ago, so these two trips are practice for us. I'm not sure how much she can carry and for how long.

My bag isn't huge, but probably too big for her. But it's really light (1.5 lb) and inexpensive ($30) so I'm wondering if it's a good idea to get her one and use compression straps so it stays tight and small. It's the Campmor Essential Carry-On... it's my favorite bag (it's only lacking those compression straps).

Alternative is one of my old backpacks. I need to weigh them.

I want to note that the restriction for Ryanair is 10 kg (22 lbs) which is more than I will carry and way more than F could carry anyway, so I'm sort of ignoring that.

Do you travel carry on only? If so, what are your reasons? Does frugality factor in?

Tuition. I don't even know what to say. F's school raised the tuition again, and now it's $18950 (that includes the $250 fee to pay monthly instead of all at once; all at once? I can't imagine having the money to do that). It's her final year there, and then the tuition will be higher.

We were told not to bother applying for assistance this year, not because of our income, but because of the equity in our home. Don't get me started on that; are we supposed to take a loan out on our home to pay for school? I guess that's the implication. NOT doing that, obviously.

Next step is high school, and amazingly, it's not that much more. But we will have depleted some of our school savings this year. BUT, the plan is and always has been to pay off our mortgage to free up funds.

My mother said she wants to give us some money toward F's education each year from her social security (how wonderful is she?).

So...
2016/2017 school year: $18950 less gift from mom less $850 budgeted each month for tuition = drawing about $350/ month from school savings.

We have about $8000 in school savings, and that will deplete it by $4200.

2017/2018 school year: not sure about tuition, but probably around $23,000 less gift from mom less $850 budgeted for tuition each month = $650.

$4200 divided by $650 is about 6 months that we can go before we NEED to pay off the mortgage to free up the $650 for tuition that we are short.

The next year tuition may rise and we'll be short $750.

Paying off the mortgage frees up $1086 plus the $150 I budget for paying down the mortgage regularly plus about $400 income from our Dublin house. Plus gym money. We'll have $1700 extra every month - we can pay tuition and save more for retirement!

That's why paying off our mortgage is such a priority. Because the schools here are bad.

Thanks for letting me do all of my math here; it helps to see it laid out.

Yesterday for lunch I had free soup! One of the teachers at school made a big batch of a soup we both like (chicken peanut stew... mmm!) and left me a tupperware in the school freezer. So sweet of her! The community aspect is the thing I like best about a small school.

Last night the school basketball team had a game - we lost but F played so well! She was in defense, and the only girl on either team, and prevented them from making a lot baskets. Also had a great assist. So she was happy even though we didn't win.

When we left the gym it was snowing hard. Made our way home and this morning was a snow delay. But it's beautiful and sunny out now (and still snow-covered).

I finished my business taxes yesterday (including state taxes). And today I received a 1099. Which is completely peculiar because corporations aren't supposed to get 1099s. The amount isn't even right; it's lower than what they actually paid me. Since I don't use the 1099s anyway, I don't really want to spend the time untangling their financial mess, however.

Last thing - I think this is the month we will drop into the 39k's on our mortgage. I am pretty excited! But then all I can think of is getting into the 20k's.

We ran into my friend N shopping with her daughter while we were in the store buying things for F's "hot lunch." (This is the lunch I send once a week with special things since the school's hot lunch is both expensive and, according to most of the kids, gross!).

Anyway, N asked what we were having for dinner this week. I had my phone with me, and I keep the meal plan in Notes, so I read it off to her.

Due to F's activities FOUR nights this week (soccer, basketball game, soccer and another basketball game) we have to have quick dinners on Monday through Thursday.

S - Chicken croquettes with salad
M - Vegetable/turkey stew from the freezer (thank you, crockpot) with toast
T - Pasta with parmesan and roasted veggies (red pepper, courgettes, red onion)
W - Fish, rice and broccoli with lemon sauce
T - Grilled cheese and tomato soup
F - Frittata with spinach and manchego

I am thinking of being a little better about planning my lunches (F's are all planned out). D brings a sandwich or leftovers pretty much every day.

Here is the loose lunch plan for this week for me:
M - leftover croquette with lettuce to wrap it in, banana
T - goat cheese on toast with carrots on the side, pear
W - leftover pasta and veggies, kiwi
T - avocado toast with radishes, apple
F - salad with turkey, pear, piece of cinnamon raisin bread

I missed Thankful Thursday, but I've been keeping a daily thankful note, and I really am thankful. It's been a long, strange week, but everything is good.

- F came in 10th in the County Spelling Bee! I'm even more thankful that she has a healthy attitude about competitions; it's fun, but she's happy wherever she places. And being one of the ten best spellers in our County is pretty cool!

- F loved the books I got her. She loved them so much, she read them all in two days. But better than that, she was super excited to lend them to her friend K who had also read the first two. I love that she loves to share!

- D's mum said that she will help with some of the cost of F's upcoming weekend soccer camp. My mom helped, too. They love their granddaughter!

- D's sister confirmed that our dates to visit her when we're in the UK are ok. I can't tell you what a relief this is, since she has a habit of trying to control our schedule. (Which is difficult when a lot of it is controlled by camps and other things in the summer; plus we already got our plane tickets and those dates were based on the best pricing).

I am also thankful that I have work. I am just about to call a contractor I work with that has a project for me. Cool!

This week's menu plan was designed to accommodate three days of late nights (soccer and basketball).
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S - tuna melts and leftover brussels sprouts and peas
M - chicken piccata with broccoli and rice
T - baked potatoes and roasted carrots
W - fagiole stew and cornbread
T - salad and chicken/rice soup
F - goat cheese and spinach and beet tart
S - pasta with red sauce with a salad

Next week will be "eat out of the pantry" week since it's the 5th grocery shopping weekend of the month. There is still $166 left in groceries, but it'd be nice to take some of that and use if for something else.

This morning was a little hectic, so I ran out of the house without breakfast. It's so tempting on those days to get a muffin or something, but instead I had an emergency noodle bowl here in the office, added hot water and that was breakfast instead! I am very proud, and it's actually a good breakfast.

Now I need to stock the office with another emergency noodle bowl!

So, first the tax refund. We do have a refund, but a very small one. I guess that's how you want it, right? So that you're not lending the government money all year? For some reason the state says we owe ($52), but I haven't gotten to the state tax section yet, so we'll see. I think that should be zero or a small refund, too, based on the federal, but we'll see.

I sold F's teeny tiny x-c ski gear on Craigslist on Friday to a firefighter. I dropped it off at Station 1 and saw the Chief who is not only a client of mine but has become a friend; our kids go to school together, too. Made $25 for the mortgage, took it right over to the bank, and got the bank's Friday popcorn.

Saturday morning was the County Spelling Bee. F was one of 50 kids in it (two each from 25 schools in the County). The studying was terrible, and she says she never wants to participate again! The only thing that made it worthwhile was that the two representatives from her school were her and her best friend. Anyway, she came in 10th and best friend was 5th - we were all so proud!!

Afterward, she had a birthday party to go to. Lunch and a movie. I was tempted to buy some lunch, too, but I kissed her goodbye, hugged my friend (F's friend's mom) and went home for leftovers! So it was a no-spend day!

When I picked her up, we both went over to the house of another friend at the birthday party. While the girls played, my friend A and I hung out.

On the drive home, I thought a lot about how having good friends like that (who are content just to hang out, sip tea, laugh about stuff) helps you save money!

Today: need to do the grocery shopping and then F has soccer practice (indoor!). After that she has a friend coming over for a few hours.

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post - I feel so much better about buying those books for F - they come tomorrow and she will be so surprised.

She is working so hard on learning the spelling bee words! The bee is this Saturday morning, and right afterward one of her three best friends is having a birthday party (lunch and movie).

If you have any soccer girls, the books are called The Kicks, and they were written by USWNT superstar Alex Morgan. F really loved her autobiography, too.

I cleaned up the office a little bit this morning (lots left to do, but a little bit a day will work), posted something on Craigslist and then did a bit more on our taxes. Still need to input:
- D's W2 (which hasn't been issued yet so I guess I have to wait)
- D's work 401K - will this be part of the W2?
- 1099 from energy rebates (also still waiting on this to arrive)
- Irish house rental and expenses - D is working on this
- Irish taxes - D is working on this, too

Turbo Tax doesn't care if I don't have everything. It's tracking our refund.

I know it's a bit early to start our taxes, but I'm a little over-eager! Have you started yours yet?

I've been trying really hard on the No Spend Month (no unnecessary spending) but not doing spectacularly well. Some things have come up. OK, let's be honest: there are some things I've wanted to buy for F.

She's been doing so well with so many activities lately and testing and now the spelling bee this Saturday which she's super nervous about. She borrowed her friend's books that they both love, but I wanted to get them for her as a reward for staying cool under pressure. It's a series of 6 books, and the total was $41.90. They're written by one of her favorite soccer players. Here is my (sort of lame) justification: we borrow books from friends, from the library, but if it's a book you read over and over then it's ok to have some books that you own!

Anyway, I haven't been getting any snacks or treats out, eating all lunches made from home. We've eaten out only once this month.

There is lots of money in the budget, so we're fine from that standpoint.

I need to keep referring back to my "Things to Buy" note in my phone if I want to buy something.

My weakness seems to be buying things for F. It's easy not to buy for myself.

Anyway, the good news is that I got $79.25 for royalties for my book. I don't get a lot, but it's nice when I do get a check. I paid down mortgage principal with it, and we're now at $41,445.44.

Also - I finished my business taxes and started our personal taxes. No - we don't have all of the forms yet, but I already did my W2 and K1. And I downloaded all of the interest statements.

I've been keeping track of things I'm grateful for all week...

8th - I got some tulip bulbs from my client (I never get anything from clients because they work for the county/city and they're not private individuals) - so sweet, and a good reminder of Spring!

9th - We went xc skiing and then sledding, and D took wonderful photos...

10th - Finished 6 hours of continuing education already (need 15 for the year). They were all free!

11th - Finished my business taxes... it all worked out and was relatively painless!

12th - F made a goal in her very first basketball game! So happy for her! And I found a new, faster way to get to the school where the games are held.

13th - I found an old cd and was able to teach my weightlifting class with something new (well not new, but old enough that it's new again)

14th - F finished testing today! Hooray!

And I got paid by the gym, so that's another $80 for the mortgage. We are now at $41,524.69. I am very anxious to be in the 30k's...

We leave in 5 minutes for indoor soccer practice; we bought indoor shoes for F because she was slipping last week and there are several more practices (2 per week all month) AND the team decided to do indoor league in February. The shoes were on sale and the best part: they can be worn as regular shoes, too!

Last night was basketball; it was F's first game ever and she made a basket! It's a co-ed team and the boys aren't too great about passing to her, but the moms were all screaming, "Pass it to F!" She was in exactly the right place all the time (she has a knack for positioning). So one boy passed it to her, and she took the shot and made it in. After that, a lot more of her team-mates were passing to her... she made some awesome passes, too! I'll call it a success.

The hard part about all the sports is working out when to have dinner.

Last night the game was 6:30 so we ate first (tostadas). Tonight, we'll eat afterward - asian meatballs that are cooking away in the crockpot and rice (in the rice cooker).

The other thing is exercise. I designed a little 20 min. workout that we can do while the girls practice soccer - I had to modify my circuit workout because we can't (won't!) touch the disgusting floor where they practice. My friend T does the workout with me and I texted her to remind her to bring a jumprope and little weights. I love T; she is a wonderful person and a great friend, and she does these silly workouts with me! She's the one who ran with me around the horse track when soccer practice was outside.

OK, time to go... I am taking F and her friend G tonight... G's mom dropped her off because she has three kids, and it's hard to schedule. It takes a village, right? (And F is so happy to have G, and G is so happy to be here with F; they are gabbing and giggling... awesome girls!)

Yesterday while F was in Geography Club it started to snow, really snow, hard! It usually takes us 17 minutes to get home, but it took 45. Cars were pulled over on the side of the road, everyone was going about 5 mph. Some cars couldn't make it up small hills. I picked a route home that was relatively flat but it was downhill because we live downhill from school. I was supposed to pick up D from work on the way home, but I had F call him and he started walking toward us and ended up just jumping in the car so that we didn't have to go out of our way.

Anyway, thanks to our snow tires and everyone being very good about leaving room for other cars and not tailgating and going slowly, we made it home last night safely. I may have mentioned that we have an extra set of rims, so D just puts the tires on himself in November, and that saves us a lot of money! We only put them on his car, and we share that car when snow is forecast.

It snowed overnight, too, and we woke up to a beautiful snowy morning! So, we decided to go cross country skiing and sledding. The roads still weren't plowed most streets but they were packed and not icy, and the snow tires were perfect.

It was a really wonderful day, and we had roasted veggies and rice for dinner.

If it's snowy where you are, be safe and have fun!

I can't say we're having a "no-spend" month, but definitely a "no unplanned spending" month.

That means:
- no dining out this month (to pad up the dining budget for the trip to Phoenix, but also to put the rest toward the mortgage)
- no buying snacks or coffees (except I do have a starbucks voucher that someone gave me at Christmas, so I could use that if I wanted something)
- no lunches out (even office lunches)
- no silly toys (it was just Christmas!)
- no clothes
- no items for our home or home improvement projects

We have planned for this month:
- one cross country ski visit
- bag to store xmas tree
- mittens and a balaclava for F

We've already paid for our plane tickets to Phoenix in February, and have reserved the hotel.

Dinner tonight is posole that is cooking in the crockpot right now. It's basketball practice, so not a good night for anything elaborate. Posole is soooo good! Have you ever had it?

F is upstairs doing her homework. Sometimes I wonder if she notices our frugality compared to her friends' families. Everyone was talking about what they got for Christmas this morning at school (it was the first day back). One boy was in Aspen for a week. Another went to NYC and got an entire mountain biking set-up. Most of her friends go downhill skiing. (A full-day lift ticket for a child is $52 and $75 for an adult - not in our budget!). She's ten, and this is the age I remember starting to notice that some kids had huge houses, but she never talks to me about it.

I put the final numbers into my spreadsheet and found the following:

- Income increased by 13% compared to last year (yay!)
- Expenses increased by 10% (partly because we bought our tickets to Europe which is an every-other-year expense)
- Savings was up 83%!!!

- Our goal was 30% wants, 50% needs, 20% savings, and our budget was pretty much right on target
- Our actual was 28% wants, 43% needs, 28% savings - that was good news! (What is actually means is that any extra money we got went to savings).

So it was a good year, and this is the plan for next year:
- 30% wants, 49% needs, 21% savings