Toilet-Paper-Tracker

We had the meeting up at school the other night - it was with the Principal, former lead teacher, secondary teacher, new lead teacher, all of the parents and the head of the Board. None of the parents were happy; all of us wanted the secondary teacher to step up and be the lead rather than bringing in a new teacher.

The Principal has made his decision, though. The concessions we did get: the new lead will be in the classroom more in the next few weeks to help transition, the secondary teacher will be in our classroom more than her current half time, the intern that comes in 10 hours a week is now coming 20, and last year's secondary teacher (who the kids LOVE) will be coming in for a few hours on Monday and Friday.

I am, in the end, ok with it, as long as there is monitoring to see how they're doing and there is communication about that. Many of the parents are still unhappy.

In good news: our net worth is over $1 million. I am so happy! Now... this is a little misleading because $600k of this is the value of our house, but still... Investments are at $471k approx.

Less stress today than yesterday.

I managed to call a few friends about the office (no takers yet - may have to be a bit more "global" about it and post on facebook to a wider audience).

We received new credit cards the other day, and I activated them this morning, then spent about half an hour changing the credit card info on paypal, amazon, itunes, health insurance company, insurance company, netflix. Luckily I have a list of what is associated with that credit card, so I don't have to think about it. The only reason it took so long is that the health insurance company had me on hold forever. And then they were jerks about it, saying that I had a pending payment, and if it didn't go through then they'd charge me $30. So then I had to call my credit card and make sure they were paying the pending payments (they are).

I almost finished a proposal that is due next week. I am waiting for info from my landscape architect, but that didn't stop me from working on other sections.

I went to my weightlifting class at lunch time.

And then I picked up F from school. We are sitting across from each other at the dining room table; she's doing her homework.

I didn't go to a store, and I didn't spend a dime (not on the internet either).

And F will spend the evening with her friend while D and I are meeting the new teacher. Turns out the school is letting the kids play in the library while we meet, but I think F will be happier playing with a friend.

Trying to practices zen mindset since today has just been... weird... irritating... ugh.

- My uncle is in the hospital in Las Vegas; he probably needs to go into assisted living. This was the uncle who my mother and I are trying to help by setting up automatic bank drafts, etc. My mother has been calling me ten times a day.

- I haven't found a tenant for the office space in our office yet. I wanted my friend K to take it, but she hasn't called me back. I need to start looking in earnest. Tomorrow.

- I bought the countertop for our office, managed to remove the backsplash in one piece so it can be re-used (yay!). But my office mate hasn't been in to help me install. Called him, but he hasn't called me back.

- I do architectural review for a subdivision, and when I called one of the homeowners today who is making a minor change, he told me he would not pay for my time. (Other neighborhoods for which I provide this service pay me directly, but this neighborhood has the owners pay, and if they refuse, the neighborhood pays - it's a pain in the behind).

- Got an email from the school today - F's teacher got a job with the State Educ. Dept. and it starts mid-March, and no, they will not let her start the job 2 1/2 months later, and yes, she is breaking her contract. And my daughter's heart.

- The new teacher is a woman who subs sometimes. According to F, she constantly screws up her name (in fact, today she called her by the wrong name! Two other kids tried to correct her). We'll have to have a talk. It's one thing for the sub to call someone by the wrong name, but very different if the main teacher does it! (Just as an aside - there is NO way she'll be able to spell it if she can't even say it right). I asked the Principal if we could have a "connection conference" with her before she starts; this is something we have at the beginning of each year to talk about our kids and their personalities, etc. (and how you pronounce their names!).

OK, enough venting.

By the way, this was not a no-spend day. After school I took F for ice cream; she was crying in the car. Oh my.

We are going to CA to visit my parents in a few weeks, but they also want us to come in May for my Dad's 81st birthday.

We can go two ways:
- direct from our city on a regional jet or
- the usual way - down to the Big City (Albuquerque) on Southwest

Southwest costs $948 for the three of us. My mother always gets us pre-boarding ($60 total). Airport parking is $12 for four days. The gas down there and back is about $14. It's an hour's drive. We'd leave Friday night due to flight times.
Total $1064

The regional jet is $1151 for the three of us. No need for pre-boarding or airport parking. The drive is ten minutes. We'd leave early Saturday.
Total $1151

Difference is $117. So, is it worth it?

While figuring out these costs, I visited the airport parking website and found that you get $1 a day off just for making reservations (no pre-payment or anything). They give you a coupon to print out. So that's good to know!! I reserved for our March trip.

Last night we got stuck for dinner. This happens only rarely because usually I'm a really good planner. But we found ourselves in this situation:
- picked up D from work late-ish to avoid rush-minute
- I was already hungry because I'd done a really hard noon workout class
- I didn't have a meal planned because we usually eat out once a week
- This was the night to eat out, but no one wanted to
- F had quesadillas for lunch so she didn't want pizza or mexican
- I was wearing pajamas so I couldn't go into the store
- D didn't want to go into the store because he hates going into the store
- I suggested we pick up a cooked chicken but everyone said "yuck"
- We ended up at home eating out of the pantry, which is what we should have done in the first place
- But before that we all argued like little kids (only one of us is a little kid)

So, in my meal planning I've planned for SEVEN meals this week to avoid any problems, even though we're already planning to go out tomorrow night.

Meal Planning (each meal feeds three of us):
- sausage, rice and asparagus ($5.86)
- quesadillas with guacamole and a salad ($8.66)
- polenta and some kind of vegetable ($2.67)
- mexican eggs and peas ($5.45)
- lettuce wraps ($8)
- spagbol (that's spaghetti bolognese) ($8.79)
- baker's wife potatoes with broccoli ($3.45)

I spent $125 on groceries this week, which is very high for me, but I did stock up on a lot of stuff. We are going out of town for a week in March, and the week before will be use-it-up week!

Dinner ingredients $58
Lunch ingredients $34
Fruit $10
Staples $5
Breakfast staples $10
Dessert ingredients $7

I am trying out a new dessert recipe from this Guardian article http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/feb/21/white-chocolate-pudding-roast-cabbage-recipes-simon-rogan: white chocolate pudding with white hot chocolate mousse. I'll let you know how it is!

I don't own my office (I wish I did). I rent from the BEST landlord ever. We've been in the space over 8 years and have only had one minor rent increase. It's way below market value for where it is (right downtown). No one can believe it. Actually, it's below market value for anywhere else in our city, too.

Anyway, it's in an old 50s building (with a butterfly roof - architects love butterfly roofs - and I am not the only architect in the building, actually). A lot of the fittings are from the 50s or 60s. The 50s light fixtures are cool. The kitchen, however, is a disaster. There's a countertop with a sink cutout but the sink was removed and put a foot over, so there's now a wood board over the old hole. I will take a photo for you... it will be a Before photo because the landlord just gave me the okay to put in a new sink and countertop. My office-mate and I will install it, and the landlord will pay for everything. I'm so excited!

That's an improvement. Here's the change... The office has an itsy bitsy kitchen, teeny tiny bathroom, two small offices, a storage room and a large area where the conference table is. In the large area, there is an extra desk that I've wanted to rent out, but no one has been interested mainly because it would be more of a drop-in situation and wouldn't come with a parking space. But I'm only asking $75 a month. That's a great price! Includes internet!

My office-mate just told me that due to finances he can't keep renting one of the small offices, but that he would take that desk! That is great news! Now I just have to rent the small office.

I started by calling friends, and the first friend I called (my first choice!) said she might be interested. I would love to have her. And the three of us would be a great combo. She's an architect, too. Cross your fingers for me!

And I promise I will post photos of the kitchen before and after. It can't be any worse than it is now. Seriously.

Got paid at the gym today, and it was definitely higher than it used to be before I added the weightlifting class (which I teach twice a month because I share the class with a friend). I taught today actually, and it was really fun! (Well, at least it was for me). And I was right on time, exactly one hour. Since it's a noon class, people are very appreciative when we're on time, so they can get back to work.

The gym paid me $50, which will go to mortgage principal.

I did end up buying a $7 cable so that I can plug my iphone directly into the stereo at the gym and play the music from there rather than having to use CDs which I've had trouble with (our gym CD player acts weird sometimes). So I guess that's really a $43 snowflake.

Going to go watch some Olympics coverage (on the bbc iplayer) and stretch for 15 minutes...

Are you watching the Olympics? If so, how are you watching?

I had a No Spend Day (personal) today (I did buy something for my business, but that's not discretionary), but I thought a lot about what my spending triggers are.

A lot of you know me by now, and know that I am not a big spender. And you also know that when I do spend money I didn't need to, I feel super guilty. I'm trying to avoid those guilty feelings, and only spend when I actually WANT to and for things that are meaningful to me.

So... what are those spending triggers?
- When I'm in a store (this is the first trigger) I tend to buy things that
- are on sale (another trigger - I really just need to stay out of stores of all kinds) that I don't really need
- Candy or a sweet drink (usually premade iced tea) - I get the sugar craving at about 2, and if I don't have a little square of chocolate or something, I am liable to walk down to the plaza and get a candy bar or a lemonade from the little restaurant which is less than a block from the office.
- My daughter - I end up getting her little treats that she probably doesn't need. It's better if she doesn't come shopping with me. Bear in mind that she never asks for anything; I'm the one who suggests things. This is how I know she really doesn't need anything.

Do you have triggers like this for extra spending? Are there situations you avoid?

Our good friends have been saying for months that they think F should try tennis. I haven't played since high school PE (and I was terrible!) but F really does like any sport with a ball (and most of the others without a ball), so we all met at the local tennis center. They're members, so we didn't have to pay to get in.

Our friends brought a racket for F to have (one that their son has grown out of - I guess it's a grip issue). I love having a small daughter - she gets a lot of stuff that other kids grow out of! (Clothes, a wetsuit last year, this racket!).

Of course F loved it. And actually, I thought it was fun, too! (It's been 30 years since high school, so I guess things change). She got to keep the racket, and they even had an extra adult racket that they gave us (they said they have like 50 of them - wow!). Maybe it was just fun because we like that other family so much...

We're going to go again with them, but I thought I might take F after school one day to one of the outdoor courts (the flip side of the storms in the East is that the Southwest is DRY DRY DRY which is bad - DROUGHT - but we might as well take advantage and be outside).

Today F had a playdate with her friend K and didn't even bring a coat (February - crazy!), and K's mom is driving F home (so sweet!) and then I'll take her to piano.

So a few frugal days that were still fun.

No Spend Days
These don’t include regular bills (utilities, etc) only discretionary spending.

It wasn't a perfect week, but I'm happy that our spending is on experiences rather than things. And x-c skiing is a lot less expensive than downhill! (The amount includes snowshoe rental for D - he doesn't ski - and trail passes for me and F).

Sunday - x-c skiing $47, eat out $53

Monday - NSD

Tuesday - NSD

Wednesday - NSD

Thursday - bought gas (this isn’t discretionary spending, so technically a NSD for me), D bought something at REI $29 (this is part of his clothing budget)

Friday - No school - bowling with F - $27 (so much fun!)

Saturday - Bought groceries as usual on Saturday. No discretionary spending.

When I got our last Shutterfly album (the 2013 photos) I was given a promo code for $20 off our next order (expires March 15). I am still missing 2006 and 2010, but I had the 2006 photos in Shutterfly waiting to do an album; I just hadn't gotten around to it yet.

Well.... today I saw a promo code for 40% everything on the site. And there is a free shipping code, too.

So I am madly trying to finish the 2006 album before the 40% off code expires tomorrow evening! Ack!

I almost have all the photos arranged, but I like to include quotes and stories and things. I have to go see what's in my 2006 stuff... F was between 6 months and a year and a half in 2006.... that's when she started talking, so there should be lots to put in!

F has a long weekend (four days!), so Valentine's Day was actually a day off of school.

Valentine's Day at school was also pajama/crazy hair/lovey day as well. F had to bring a decorated box to school, and valentines for each kid in the class. She made hers and actually, most of the ones she received were also handmade! I'm impressed! And there was very little candy (almost none! I love the parents in that class). One of the moms brought cupcakes for their end-of-the-day Valentine's party.

The teacher's valentines to the kids were also handmade, and they each got a no-homework pass for valentine's day. F declared this "the best gift ever!" which is funny if you know her, because she never uses the no-homework passes. She already has two. I will let you know if she ever uses them, but I'll bet not.

So the school celebrations - frugal.

So F had actual Valentine's Day off, and D had to work. She and I went bowling in a nearby town. The bowling alley is actually in a casino (don't ask) on tribal land. You don't have to walk through the casino to get to it, and it's a really nice bowling alley, actually. The only other people there were another mom with her son. They were right next to us, and it was fun to talk to them a little bit.

Then we went out to lunch together.

Not so frugal, but super fun, and a nice mother-daughter day!

For dinner I made lemon chicken, a family favorite, with broccoli and jasmine rice. And for dessert F requested apple tarte tatin. It is so awesome, I can't even describe it... apples, caramel, pastry - yum! We each made valentines for each other (we don't buy gifts for Valentine's Day). Family celebrations - frugal.

And now that all of the house cleaning is done for the weekend, I can relax for the next few days and have a nice, quiet weekend!

This week's meal plan (each meal feeds three of us):
- chicken with asparagus and rice ($5.67)
- zucchini socca ($3.68)
- pasta with turkey bacon/peas/goat cheese ($7.61)
- lemon crumbed fish with broccoli ($9.79)
- tuna melts ($4.62)
- potatoes dauphinoise with a salad ($4.23)

Our weekly grocery spend was $96.50. I'm happy with that. My budget allows for $140 each week, but my goal is less than $100. It doesn't always happen... but when it does, I have $40 for savings!!
- dinner ingredients $30
- lunch prep items $35
- fruits $7
- staples $9 (mayo, oregano, etc.)
- breakfast staples $7
- dessert ingredients $8

I have an uncle (about 70 years old) who is both mildly schizophrenic and also mentally disabled. He has money from a pension (which goes right into his bank account) and also from a trust that my grandmother set up for him (that my parents manage).

My uncle has been dipping into the trust principal and that combined with the stock market a few years ago means that he'll probably deplete the trust in about six years. My parents worked out a plan to make it last longer (basically only dipping into principal a little bit - I think he shouldn't dip in at all, but that's me).

It means having a budget, which he's never had, and watching his spending, which he's never done. It means paying his bills on time (also - rarely happens). Actually, there is no way he can have a budget or watch his spending. Remember: he's kind of like a 6 year old in terms of emotional age, so this is actually a lot to ask. Also - my mother thinks he might be getting Alzheimers.

My mother has been setting up autopay for all his regular bills. That's a start.

My parents are going to pay his rent and his auto insurance (I know what you're thinking - you don't want to be on the road with him - you're right - I'm glad he lives in another state!)

I suggested:
- have an automatic transfer from his bank account into another "bill pay" account (we have several accounts at our bank for various savings) so he won't spend his bill money (utilities, phone, stuff like that) and is only in control of a limited amount of money for food/entertainment basically - my dad hated this idea for some reason
- if he doesn't go cash only (my mom vetoed this idea for some reason), have the credit card company set a limit equal to what his spending money will be given the budget my mom comes up with (he can't have a debit card - he's too easy to prey on).
- Wondering if the credit card company could set a daily limit, too?

Whatever my parents do, it needs to be simple, and he's been getting really angry about the whole thing - he says "You're trying to take my money!"

It's consuming my discussions with my mother right now, and she is so tired of dealing with it. I am going to call her while I make dinner...

When we go to the UK in the summer, we'll be traveling from my sister-in-law's to my mother-in-law's. D pointed out we'll be going right by the Uffington White Horse, a prehistoric hill figure (done in chalk) that is not only amazing, but it also features in the Thursday Next series of books by Jasper Fforde.

If you haven't read them, you should! Hysterically funny! The first in the four-part series is called the Eyre Affair (as in Jane Eyre).

Anyway, I got on the National Trust website to find out more about it, and saw the National Trust's program called "50 Things to do before you're 11 3/4." It's basically a way of getting kids excited about doing things outside.

Here's the website: https://www.50things.org.uk/

F was super excited and after we set up an account for her, she started filling things in she's already done (such as play conkers and play in the snow) and then she and D went outside and built a little fort out of sticks while I went to the grocery store.

There are lots of good ideas on the 50 Things list! Some of them may have to wait until we're near an ocean...

I've had our 2013 photo book in our Shutterfly cart waiting for a deal (I did the book during Dec. and the first week of January, finished it completely, and just parked it in the cart)... Just got a massive deal, and I'm not sure how it all worked.

I got a $20 off coupon in the mail, also had free shipping (code SHIP30) and it was 20% off photo books. In the end I got more than 50% of my order (I'm not sure how it worked - the number just seemed to get lower and lower).

Anyway, we're right on budget for the photo book (I have a budget category for it), and I can't wait to have 2013 on the shelf!

We paid off $838 last Fri to the mortgage, and our payment posted. We now owe $75,985. We decided to celebrate the $75k, $50k and $25k markers on our route to having no mortgage, so I am hoping that next month we get to go out to a big dinner! We are going to Los Angeles to visit my parents, and it would be nice to celebrate with sushi!!

According to my excel spreadsheet, this means paying down the mortgage by $160 next month. That shouldn't be difficult since I already have $150 budgeted to additional principal payments. Just need $10 in snowflakes.

D's vertigo is gone, but he says that ear still feels full and he has mild tinnitus, so he's visiting all sorts of doctors. It's wrecking the medical budget, but I want him to feel better. We're having to rearrange the budget somewhat to accommodate larger medical expenses.

Still the extra $10 shouldn't be a problem - hoping to have my gym money by the end of the month! And I need to sell a few things on craigslist.

There is so much going on right now (I have a cold, have to draw up some plans by Friday!, have to do a proposal, my uncle needs a budget and I told my mom I would help, etc). But for right now, I am just going to concentrate on our No Spend Days.

These don’t include regular bills (utilities, etc) or grocery shopping (unless I buy something that isn't on the list!!!).

Sunday - neti pot to replace broken one $11

Monday - NSD

Tuesday - NSD

Wednesday - parakeet seed $9.94

Thursday - NSD (picked up book from library - free!)

Friday - NSD

Saturday - NSD (just did the grocery shopping - did not get anything extra)

Meal planning this week...

- tonight - over to friends - we're bringing a big salad (about $3)
- tomorrow - we're going x-c skiing and will eat dinner out
- Lemon chicken with broccoli ($7)
- Homemade Shrimp Sushi ($10)
- Risotto with Goat cheese and Sundried Tomatoes and Spinach ($5)
- Pasta with Goat cheese and Courgettes ($5)
- Posole from the freezer and salad ($1)

We spent $94.20 on groceries
- $35 dinner ingredients
- $24 lunch prep items
- $10 fruit
- $13 staples
- $12 breakfast
- $0 dessert ingredients

I was talking with my brother the other night, and he claimed that to eat "good food" the way that he does, he has to spend about $20 per meal minimum to cook for the two of them. I argued that my least expensive meal is about $2.25 (polenta, red sauce and a salad) total for all three of us, and that most of our produce is organic (I use the guidelines re best and worst foods for pesticides). He argued that it's less expensive to eat meat (he's a vegetarian) which I think is untrue; most of our meals are vegetarian precisely because it is less expensive).

He argued that I wasn't eating the kind of food that he and his wife are eating. I think that's probably true. Our food is probably a lot simpler, and we eat in season and on sale. If we use fresh herbs, it's herbs we've grown in our garden (and I do put the cost of the plants/seeds in my grocery budget). Can you tell he really made me angry?

F gets hot lunch at school once a week. You have to order it a week in advance, but you can't order more than a month ahead, and they don't send you a confirmation. Well, it seems that I messed up the last online order (did I not press send? Have no idea what happened) and they didn't cash my check (because there wasn't an order online? but I didn't notice because our bank statements come on the 19th) and of course, I never got a confirmation (because they don't send confirmations). So I had no idea that F wouldn't be on the hot lunch list today.

Got a call from the teacher, and luckily she is awesome, and loves my daughter. She went over to 4th grade, and there were two kids absent who were signed up for hot lunch, so the teacher snagged one of those lunches. I love that teacher (and so does F!).

But I'm still pretty upset about it. I need to clear up next week now. I called the hot lunch people, but they haven't called me back.

To top it off, my digestive system is acting up again, and that is totally my fault (not half my fault like the hot lunch fiasco). Here is the short explanation of my Terrible Digestive System. I have two celiac genes, and I have an intolerance to lots and lots of foods because I also have lymphocytic microscopic colitis. Oh - and acid reflux (and probably hiatal hernia according to my doctor).

So I don't eat gluten, cow dairy, beef, pork, onions, raw vegetables. I shouldn't eat too many seeds. And eggs aren't as bad as those other things, but I have to limit the eggs. Or at least that's been my thinking. In hindsight, the egg reaction (and I won't describe it here, because, you know - TMI) has been getting worse. But I made pasta carbonara last night, and felt nauseated afterwards (just like last time - duh).

And now I am sitting here in pain fretting about hot lunch.

Thank you for letting me rant - I am going to go and lie down for a few mins. before I pick F up from school.

Oh wait - the good news: No Spend Day!

I had a feeling last night when we went to bed and the snow was falling that there would be a school delay this morning. When the alarm went off, D checked, and, yes, they'd called a 2-hour delay. F slept in for an hour.

As we were getting ready, we got another email and text - they cancelled school for the whole day.

I walked F across the driveway to our neighbor's house and took D to work (in the car with the snow tires!). Our neighbor is so sweet - another grandmother.

When I got back, F and I hung out and played Uno, put dinner in the crockpot and loaded up the car with warm clothes and the sled. I dropped her off at D's office for lunch and taught my spinning class (class was pretty full - lots of school employees off for the day!). Then picked her back up and took her sledding. Then we came home and watched the Aristocats (free on Netflix).

So, all in all, a really nice day! (and a no-spend day) But not what I planned...

Here is what I was supposed to do:
- scan plan at the office and send to engineers so they can give me a price for a new project
- taxes
- buy ink for the new printer
- pay down principal on mortgage

All of that will (hopefully) happen tomorrow; they are calling for more snow tomorrow!

I have an office downtown, but after F gets home from school, I work at home (we do our homework together!) so I have a printer here. It's been making this horrible noise for the past few months, but it kept working. I tried to fix it, and located the noise, but the printer is old, and we got it for free with something else.

It finally stopped working yesterday, and so I bought a new printer. Or I should say, my business bought a printer for me to use at home.

It was recommended by Consumer Reports. Apparently it's not an ink-hog. And I can buy third party ink for it inexpensively. The printer was $80. Luckily that's in the work budget.

I set the work budget for this year based on last year's budget and expected income. I have $133 a month for office supplies. I had $0 in supplies for this month. Other supplies in the near future: just bought ink for the printer in the office and cd's. Also will need envelopes in the next few months.

I'm trying to be as frugal at work as I am at home; afterall, the business is a pass-through entity, so it's my money even though it's a corporation.

My business budget is just shy of $6,000 per month. That includes my salary and health insurance reimbursement. I pay quite a bit for business insurance, professional liability insurance and my licenses (I have licenses in two states and an NCARB certificate to maintain).

The meal plan for this week:
- chicken/potato/carrot pasties ($4.50)
- tuna melts with asparagus ($6)
- veggie tacos ($5.50)
- posole and salad (posole is in the freezer, plus $1 for salad)
- pasta carbonara ($3.80)
- asian meatballs ($8.75)
- out one night - tonight, actually!!

Total spent for the week: $116
- $51 on dinner items
- $26 on lunch items
- $9 on fruits
- $15 on staples
- $12 on breakfast
- $3 on dessert ingredients

I bought some things I already had (grr!) but since they are canned items, I know we'll use them sooner or later.

After I picked F up from school today, we went over to Whole Foods to grab a snack. I needed to use up some time because I wanted to return the choreography notes and cd's that I borrowed from a fellow instructor (who wasn't going to be at the gym until 4 to teach her class). She very kindly let me copy her stuff since I am now co-teaching that weightlifting class. She no longer teaches the weightlifting class, but still teaches spinning).

We each bought a little dessert (I was only going to get a drink, and I don't know what happened! I was weak in the presence of chocolate!) and a drink.

Here is the rationalization: I really wanted to get the stuff back to my friend because I've had it a week, and this was one of the only times I could drop it off. I got a lot of music and choreography for free (thereby offsetting the cost of the treat!). I would have had to go home and come back (so we would have used up gasoline).

All of this is a rationalization. In reality, I should have just gotten the treat for F. I didn't really need anything. I didn't even want anything. This is my weird buying impulse - this is why I don't go into stores. It's not like I spent a lot, but it adds up. I usually food shop early in the morning (when I'm not hungry and weak-willed).

Note to future me: you don't even like the chocolate that much after you get it; next time stop by the cheese samples for a FREE salty treat! (I am going to have that tattooed onto my hand or something.

When I got home today, my internet bill was in my inbox. Yikes! It had doubled since last month! I figured the promo deal I had was over.

So I immediately called to beg for another promo deal. All I said was "I noticed the promotion is now over." There weren't even any formalities or "we'd really like to keep you as a customer" - they just transferred me immediately to the retention department who without any discussion (or begging) offered me a rate that is even less than what we've been paying for the past year. I was prepared to beg; seriously.

We now pay $19.95 plus taxes for internet only. (We were paying about $25).

It's like the other, "non-promo" rate is just for people who are too busy or don't bother to call in. All you have to do is call up and you get the better (way better) rate.

Savings is about $60/year.

Got a check for $75 from my business credit card (cash rewards). I haven't decided if this is mortgage principal or will go into F's tuition account which will be depleted since we just paid next year's deposit. I might wait until the end of Feb. when I find out how much tuition assistance we get.

And now a question, which might be silly... but here goes... how do you determine a no-spend day? Some days my mortgage payment goes through or I pay the gas bill or whatever. But those are fixed expenses that I can't do anything about. Is it a no-spend day if you haven't spent on incidentals/food/stuff like that?

My visa payment went through today, but these were items I bought on other days. To me, this was a no-spend day, but the days I bought those items were spend days. Does that make sense? How do the rest of you figure it?

This is my cleaning calendar (for those who are interested). It's actually three calendars: Weekly, Monthly and Yearly (some things appear more than once on the yearly). It's personalized; lots of things would be different for different people.

There are climate/seasonal differences (I have to wait until after our monsoon season to wash our windows/screens, for example).

There are lifestyle differences (number of rooms in your home, number of kids, pets, where the cleaning and decluttering challenges are, when is garbage day).

There are preferences (such as how often you thing something should occur - should mopping be weekly or monthly? should you deep clean the refrigerator once a year or twice?).

And, there are time limitations... I work about 35 hrs. a week, and work limits what I can get done.

MY METHOD - Every Sunday night I copy and paste the relevant things from each list into my to-do list for the week.

OK, here goes!

WEEKLY
Monday
mirrors or stainless (alternate)
take up bins
Tuesday
F’s bathroom
water plants
Wednesday
dustbuster
Thursday
our bathroom
Friday
fur fight
sheets or towels (alternate)
dust
file emails
Saturday
litterbox
vacuum
laundry
grocery shopping, clear out old food from the fridge
clean birdcage
Sunday
collect garbage
allowance
lunch pictures

MONTHLY
week 1 - magazines to library, clean tile in F’s bathroom, pay RGS
week 2 - clean windows, clean out purple caddy in alcove, straighten rug, go through inbox/filing
week 3 - mop
week 4 - clean shower, clean tub surround, vacuum out car

YEARLY
January
week 1
toaster crumbs - both toasters
clean microwave
go through F’s artwork, scan, put in portfolio
take down Christmas cards - put some in keepsake envelope
week 2
wipe top of refrigerator and top of oven
wipe and clean play kitchen
clean vacuum cannisters (dustbuster and dyson)
week 3
take down all dishes and clean dish shelf
clean trash pullout and bottom
winter clothing sales
week 4
clean tea shelf
inventory for reorder for household supplies

February
week 1
purge medicine cabinet
clean out paper stacker thingy
week 2
wash car
dust legs of wood chairs and tables
week 3
go through F’s sock/underwear drawers - toss, reorder
go through my sock/underwear drawers - toss
toss papers in garage filing cabinet
week 4 
sale on bags/foil at Albertsons - last week in Feb
do individual bookshelves - take all books down

March
week 1
declutter bedside drawer
declutter F’s guys baskets with her
wash and rehang white curtains
week 2
declutter F’s bathroom drawers and under sink
water trees
week 3
wipe fronts of kitchen drawers and handles
declutter F’s dressup drawer with her
test smoke alarm
week 4 
clean fridge (freezer is next week!)
turn mattress

April
week 1
declutter/clean guest bedroom
clean freezer
week 2
survey of things that need repair/upgrade in house
wipe and clean play kitchen
front entry - sweep and tidy, portal too
week 3
paint - touchup 
clean light switches and door handles with wet wipe
week 4 
declutter F’s closet with her
wipe dining room chairs
inventory for reorder for household supplies

May
week 1
declutter laundry room, put away coats, bring out swim bag
clean top of pantry shelves and closet shelves
week 2
water trees
week 3
go through my winter clothes - purge, summer clothes within reach
laundry sink, surfaces, dryer lint
week 4 
go through F’s winter clothes - purge, summer clothes within reach
dust the picture rail in the den

June
week 1
declutter bathroom drawers
wipe down remotes
week 2
tidy and wipe pantry shelves
weed
go through F’s artwork, scan F’s, put in portfolio
put memento envelope on shelf and start new envelope
week 3
dust top of light fixtures in kitchen and dining
wipe kitchen appliances
week 4 
declutter F’s books with her
wipe lampshades

July
week 1
clean engagement/wedding rings
declutter garage
week 2
toaster crumbs - both toasters
clean microwave
week 3
declutter spare room closet
take down all dishes and clean dish shelf
week 4 
wipe and clean play kitchen
weed
wipe cabinet fronts
inventory for reorder for household supplies

August
week 1
declutter hall closet
reorder plates and bowls that are broken
week 2
wash car
dust tops of all framed pictures
week 3
clean out paper stacker thingy
wash and rehang white curtains
week 4 
weed

September
week 1
clean windows - screens and all - level 1
week 2
clean windows - screens and all - level 2
week 3
clean windows - screens and all - level 3
week 4 
go through all kitchen drawers
clean fridge (freezer is next week!)

October
week 1
go through my summer clothes - purge, winter clothes within reach
clean freezer
week 2
clean outdoor light fixtures
go through F’s summer clothes - purge, winter clothes within reach
new toothbrushes
week 3
water trees
wipe and clean play kitchen
week 4 
sell items on craigslist or ebay
clean top of fireplace
vacuum behind sofa
inventory for reorder for household supplies

November
week 1
declutter kitchen cabinets 
start buying Christmas presents - make a list
week 2
tidy art center
tighten any loose kitchen cabinet hinges
washing machine - clean outside with a wet wipe
week 3
book purge
under kitchen sink
week 4 
declutter holiday box (ornaments, etc)
declutter linens

December
week 1
water trees if there hasn’t been much snow
tops of fans
week 2
discard old/expired spices
wipe cabinet fronts
week 3
do photo book in shutterfly for the previous year
toss all receipts from previous year 
week 4 
declutter game cabinet
clean washing machine with 1 c vinegar on hot
clean dishwasher with vinegar and pick out calcium deposits

On the Cleaning Calendar for this week: purge medicine cabinets, clean paper stack.

Haven't tackled the paper stack yet (but it doesn't look toooo bad). Later in the week.

But I just did the medicine cabinet. D had four expired medications in there! And there was some Lactaid. It doesn't matter how much Lactaid I eat, cow dairy still doesn't agree. So I put that near D's sink to see if he wants it. And we had some ten-year-old hippy sinus drops; in the trash. There was nothing weird or old in F's medicine cabinet.

On the monthly list are: take magazines to the library and wipe the tile in F's shower. Both easy tasks. Will probably do F's tile tonight since it's bath night.

The other thing we do at the beginning of the month is pay tuition. And because it's February, we also pay our deposit for next year. I have money in our Tuition account, so it's not a big deal; it's just scary watching it plummet so much in one month.

I need to find out if we got any tuition assistance and, if so, how much. Will report back.

The meal plan for this week (with commentary!):

- pasta carbonara (new recipe! very inexpensive, and soooo good) - $3.81 total
- potato pancakes, applesauce, sour cream (I bought a ton of hashbrowns on sale last week) with salad ($5.00)
- chicken sausages, brussels sprouts and rice (about $6.50 total)
- tilapia (curry powder and paprika) with broccoli and garlic bread - $8.50
- something from the freezer (tamales?) with salad
- mexican eggs and toast ($4.50)

Total grocery spend: $103 (stocked up on some staples)
- dinner items $28
- lunch $26
- fruit $6
- staples $18 (higher than normal because I bought gf loaves of bread on sale to freeze)
- breakfast $13
- dessert $13 (higher because I bought gf flour blend on sale - I already have a lot, but it was 50% off and will get used)

So... the new recipe. I've always loved pasta carbonara, except I was pretty sure I couldn't have it anymore since cream is not a good option for me. Except in the back of my mind, I knew the authentic version doesn't use cream at all, only eggs. When I found this recipe http://www.dinneralovestory.com/restaurant-worthy-carbonara/ I was pretty excited to try it. It was so good! And the whole family liked it (crucial; we had friends over yesterday and E makes something different for each member of the family every night - I won't make anything we can't all eat). I used five strips of turkey bacon.

I have a lot of recipes in our repertoire now. It's been a key to budgeting: I mix up very frugal and slightly less frugal so we're not eating expensive meals every night but we can have fish or chicken a few nights a week. Do you try out new recipes? Any that are yummy and frugal that you want to share?

Just got an email from F's school - they are NOT increasing tuition this year! They usually go up a little each year.

That doesn't mean that we'll get the same amount in tuition assistance, so I'm not changing my spreadsheet yet, but I am pretty relieved that even if we get less tuition assistance, it won't be as big of a problem if the overall tuition doesn't go up. Phew!

We receive our re-enrollment contract next Monday, so we'll find out if we got tuition assistance (and if so, how much) then. Fingers crossed.