SO and I are both coming down with something cold/flu related. Not sure which yet. Last night I picked up some Airborne (pricey, but it tastes good, and hopefully it helps), vitamin C drops, oranges, and vitamin C caplets. I really want to feel better before our camping trip this weekend.

A friend of mine is trying the new Fat Smash diet. It sounds reasonable enough - lots of beans, fruits, vegetables, and water for the detox phase. I think we might try it next week. Trader Joe's is so fun - I'm thrilled that we finally got one here. I picked up lots of beans and frozen veggies. It would just be nice if my pants were a little more comfortable, so we'll see if this helps.

I bought a few holiday gifts at Half Price Books, too. I love that store - it really stretches the holiday budget. I've got some great ideas for everyone, and now is the time to start putting it all together!

On Friday, I stopped by Target to use up a few coupons and pick up another batch of Pepsi products. I have to stay out of that store for a while now.

On Saturday we visited an apple orchard. The weather was absolutely perfect. I could have wandered around the orchard for hours. We picked up about 20 pounds of apples, and gave about 5-10 pounds to family members. Now I have to find something to do with the remaining apples! We drove past a few houses for sale that we thought might be interesting. Each of them had some sort of flaw (no side yard, close to the freeway, teeny tiny lot). None of them screamed "BUY ME!" so we kept on driving. Also hit the grocery store to load up another gift card and pick up a few things on sale.

Sunday I cleaned the house and checked a few things off of my To Do list. I finally got around to doing an inventory of our household stuff. Four tubes of toothpaste? Multiple half-full bottles of lotion? Hidden deoderant? I'm so glad I wrote up a list.

Clipped my Sunday coupons from the paper. I'm realizing now that the same coupons are in the paper over and over, so there's really no rush to use them.

Nieces and nephews stopped by briefly yesterday...another reminder of why I like my quiet life. I don't think I could handle parenting. It amazes me to see how many people on my high school class reunion website have one, two, three, four kids!

Scheduled a no-spend week for October 22-October 28. It's desperately needed! As for my September goals - I only accomplished enrolling in community ed classes and driving to work just once. The rest - whatever!

I'm salivating over the Olympus Evolte E-500 (link

here, photo above). I want a digital SLR with multiple lenses. The particular package I'm looking at comes with a 14-45mm lens and a 40-150 lens. This camera is great because it fits well in my hand, and has lots of features. I've read review after review, and the vast majority are glowing.



I have an Olympus Stylus 500 (a gift from SO a few years ago), and I absoultely love it. It's a great camera (photo above). It's really the cause for my photography obsession.



My old-school Nikon EM (above) has taught me a lot about apertures and lighting and all sorts of fun stuff. I love that camera too. Since I'm still learning, though, and I don't have access to a darkroom, I end up wasting a lot of film on photos that aren't quite right. And developing a whole roll of film for 1-2 good pictures is expensive (and disappointing).

I thought I wanted a Nikon D-70 after years of admiring Heather's photos on dooce.com. Once I got it in my hands, though, it felt bulky and unmanageable. It takes great shots, and I'd probably get used to the bulkiness, but I picked up the Olympus and liked it so much better.

So, that's my camera story. If I can get a nice chunk of overtime pay over the next couple of months, perhaps I can buy my camera AND go to Mexico in the spring.

Jamming to tunes with my new MP3 toy. Thanks for the music recommendations, baselle!

This morning I provided slapstick comedy for my fellow busriders by slip-sliding down the rain-slicked aisle and nearly plopping onto a teenager's lap. The teenagers found it highly amusing. I had forgotten how juvenile humor thoroughly amuses high school students.

The pottery class last night was a bit...disappointing. Four of the seven students have taken this particular class more than once, and the instructor seemed more interested in chatting them up than helping out the newbies. He was completely unprepared to teach. Afterwards I was quite frustrated, but tonight I am going to the library to scour the pottery how-to books. If he's not going to teach me, I'll figure it out myself. At least I have access to the clay, wheels, glaze, and kilns.

I'm signing up to work overtime during the holiday season again this year. I could stand to make a decent amount of money if we have high product demand. Wish I could tell you what it is!

I found a bunch of random gift cards in my purse, so I decided to tally up the leftover amounts. It came to $155! Nice! I'll have to make sure to use them up before the annual penalty fees kick in.

I decided on a digital SLR camera a few days ago (thought I wanted a Nikon until I actually held it in my hands - way too big!). Yesterday I tip-toed onto dangerous ground. I researched the best price, and then checked out 0% financing credit card offers. I talked myself out of applying for any. I could potentially have the money to buy it by the end of November, if I work hard at it. What's more important, though - a fancy new camera, or that long-desired trip to Mexico? The selfish me says both!

The procedure was thankfully less painful than I had anticipated. Not fun, but it's over with and I hope that was the first and last episode of that melodrama. Boss seems to be ignoring my time off request now. I'm just not up for caring anymore.

I was naughty last night and bought my MP3 player/radio. It was on sale (of course), and so far I'm liking it! I had radio reception the entire bus trip this morning, which is unheard of. The reception is not as great at my desk, but I think I can figure out a way to improve it. I bought a cheap plastic lidded soap dish to store it in so it doesn't flop around unprotected in my bag. Perfect!

Yes - I should have waited for Christmas - but I felt like I "deserved" it after all the trauma lately (silly, I know!). Now I just have to remind myself that I don't "deserve" anything more! Back on track!

About the grocery store gift certificates - I have a credit card that currently gives 5% cash back on grocery store purchases. They are changing it to only 2% back next month. I want to get the best bang for my buck, so I'm buying gift certificates now. I'll have to buy groceries, right? So I might as well get some extra cash back for it while I still can.

Stopped by Walgreens last night and stocked up on a few things they've got on the rebate list. I still need to organize my stash and write down everything I have. No more buying for a while; I need to use up what we've got. Nice deal at Target, though - Pepsi 12-packs were 4/$9, plus we got a $5 gift card for buying. That amounts to $1 per 12-pack. Awesome!

Pottery class tonight!

Thanks for all of your support. I haven't shared the details of the procedure with my boss - all I said was I'm having a medical procedure done. Still no approval to leave, but obviously I'm taking care of myself first. You're right - I've only got one body.

In financial news...I've been working on holiday shopping. I ordered several delicious soy candles from

Crooked Mile Candle Company. They've got new scents - cocoa cappucino! Caramel pecan crumble! Count me in (and my giftees, as well).

I'm contemplating purchasing a MP3 player with radio. I miss listening to NPR every day, and I can't stream it at work. The one I've got my eye on is 1GB, $69.

I've been busy stocking up on grocery gift cards. I have one other store to stop at (perhaps two), and we'll be set for the rest of the year. Neat!

Yesterday we watched a little Globe Trekker (anyone else a fan of this show?). They were bopping around several Carribean islands, and it looked heavenly. I told SO we should consider our Mexico trip again. We've got plenty of time to save up!

I had a busy weekend. Saturday we went to a nephew's birthday party with all of the family. It was nice to see everyone and catch up a little. Sunday I had lunch with my college advisors (our little yearly gathering). They are both amazing women and it was lovely to see them again. Yesterday was a fabulous day for a drive - perfect weather, sunny but cool, and all the trees are changing colors. I enjoyed having a little time alone.

I finally had to track down the doctor to find out the results of my biopsy. They were still abnormal, so I have to have the abnormal cells frozen off tomorrow. I am not looking forward to it at all. My boss is questioning why I need to have this time off. We'll see if I'm forced to take vacation time for it, even though I still have sick time left and am planning ahead. I have never been treated like a problem employee before, and I'm not liking it (in fact, every boss I've ever had has loved me!). However, having pre-cancerous cells removed is far higher on my list, thank you very much.

My pottery class starts on Wednesday. I hope I am feeling well enough to attend. I am really excited about it!

Hoping to make it to an apple orchard next weekend. We have these delicious Honeycrisp apples here...they are incredible!! I'd really love to pick up a bag, and wander through an orchard for a couple of hours. Perfect fall activity.

THE GOOD
~ Received full refund for bad half.com transaction
~ Received full refund for damaged overstock.com product
~ Reserved a campsite in October up north at a park that's said to be just gorgeous - can't wait!
~ Received a card in the mail yesterday from a good friend saying she's there for me!
~ Saved $5 at Petsmart and $18 at Target last night with coupons
~ Free work lunch today
~ SO got up and made me breakfast this morning!
~ My back feels monumentally better after Monday's massage

THE BAD
~ Spent $163 at Target last night
~ Submitted Priceline offer was denied for cheap hotel room - will have to try again later (coincides with camping trip)
~ Have spent $50 in gifts this month
~ Prescriptions and doctors visits are adding up - $110 so far
~ Went shopping last night instead of job hunting
~ Have spent $160 on groceries already this month

THE UGLY
~ Still no word from my doctor about the biopsy results
~ Have not made it to the swimming pool yet
~ Have spent over $400 on things for ME alone - community ed classes, books, fall candles, wine, eating out, massage
~ Won't make most of my goals this month


At least the good outweighs the bad (we won't even talk about the ugly), but sheesh! Obviously I self-medicate with stuff when I'm stressed.

I truly appreciate all of your support. It's a wonder, having all of you here to 'talk' and 'listen' to! It's hard to believe that I've been blogging here for almost two years.

I noticed today that a few of the blogs I always liked to catch up on have disappeared - Retire@50, for one. Bummer. I like hearing about how people's lives are going.

Boss told me today that doctor's notes don't matter. Also found out that I can be sick one day in November or December, but any more than that until some point next year and I will get written up. I really, really hope I don't get the flu. I'll be sure to get a flu shot this year.

I unintentionally had a no-spend weekend! Friday I uncorked a bottle of wine and just tried to relax. Saturday I spent all day - 9:00am to nearly 6:00pm - working on the coupon train. There were a ton of expired coupons, so I tossed those and added over 500 of mine. I organized it to keep like coupons together. I was amazed that it took so long to do. Sunday I made black bean soup in the crockpot, delicious parmesan italian bread with the help of the breadmaker, and a peach crisp. Cooking is so enjoyable with a cool breeze floating through the open windows.

I didn't get much job hunting done like I had planned. Tonight the masseuse is coming over (yippee!). I'm waiting for the doctor's phone call and just trying to remember that it's nice to be alive.

Yesterday I was informed that because I had one sick day in July and one in August, if I have one more unplanned sick day between now and sometime next year, I will be put on written notice. That means no raise, no time off whatsoever, and and my job is at risk.

Ridiculous.

Yes, this fact is in the employee manual, and yes, I should have remembered it. However, I think it's ludicrous to expect employees to come to work when they are legitimately sick. My July time was taken to get my eyelid stitched back up after the cat attack. August's was for a bacterial infection that required antibiotics; I was literally running to the bathroom every 15 minutes all day. At my job, if you are sick with the flu for three days in a row, you're put on written notice.

Again, ridiculous.

I felt like I was one of those people who are out of the office all the time - like I've taken 20 sick days this year. I've taken a total of 4.

I was also told that my error rate since January is unacceptable. Care to know what it is? 1.7%. They expect perfection.

This, on top of everything else going on right now, is too much. I had to have a biopsy last Wednesday and if the results coming in next week aren't good, guess what? I'll have to take more time off to have surgery. Will I get written up for it? I have no idea. All I can say is, my health is more important to me.

So, after I'm done with the coupon train (it's enormous! so great!), I know how the rest of my weekend will be spent. Job hunting.

Last night we hit two grocery stores, and with coupons and advertised savings, we saved a total of...

*insert trumpet fanfare here*

$52.77 !!

One grocery store has double-coupon Wednesdays. (I had completely forgotten until we were at the checkout!) I have never, ever, saved that much on groceries. SO and I were both so excited.

Our pantry is bulging and we have enough liquid products to float a boat on. I think we're set for a while. Now to plan menus around what we have.

We looked into camping up north in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area over Columbus Day, but it's all booked! Amazing. We'll have to remember it for next year. I think we'll keep looking...I so want to camp again before the snow flies!

The doctor's appointment...I don't even want to talk about it. We'll see what the test results come back with next week.

Since Citibank is lowering the cash back on groceries from 5% to 2% next month, I'm thinking about getting a few grocery gift cards before then. Do you think that will qualify for the cash back? It would be a purchase made at a grocery store, but I'm not completely sure.

BOOKS!

I've done it again - spent too much on books. It's an interesting pattern I have going here (Clothes, Books, Personal Care, Hobbies). I've spent $140 on books this month, and only a small fraction of that was a gift. Yikes. Good deals, yes. Necessary? No. I get a little overzealous with book shopping sometimes. Yes, I visit the library, but when the library says it won't order a book for me and it will take a month to get it from another library, and I can't renew it....that places me square in Half Price Books. Oh well. I need to clean out my bookshelves and pass on those books that have already been read.

Last night I cleaned up my coupon mess and organized it all. My coupon train packet is bulging and will hardly close! Can't wait for the train to come so I can pass on some good deals.

Anyone need Silk soy milk coupons? I have about a billion, and can't possibly use them all.

Also picked up a new CD - Be a Bright Blue by Saxon Shore. Really mellow. Good for listening to while you do something else (clipping coupons, for example).

Doctor's appt this afternoon...not looking forward to it. Hoping the results come out ok. Also have to deal with the fact that they billed the wrong insurance company last time and now I have a big bill sitting in my purse - not cool, and they haven't returned my phone calls. It's been a month of struggling with people to get things right!

I'm completely scatterbrained. I'm not sure if it's because I upped my daily headache med dosage, or if it's the winter weather closing in on me, or if it's just life in general.

I ordered a book from overstock.com and it arrived damaged. I HAVE to send that book back, preferably tonight. I don't know why I keep forgetting about it.

I need to mail a box to my mother because she forgot some stuff here. Must do that soon as well.

I ordered a gift on half.com and it never arrived. I filed a claim, but haven't heard a peep from them. I wonder how long it will take me to get my $8 back. Did I mention I'm done with half.com? Oh yeah, DONE.

I've got coupon inserts lying on my counter from Sunday. I haven't even flipped through them yet, much less cut them out and organized them. Good mail yesterday though, I received my prize pack from Flash. Yeah! I need to get this stuff together to get ready for the coupon train.

I have all the stuff to fix my camera now - why can't I find the time to do it?!

I haven't journaled, haven't swam, haven't put plastic over the attic windows yet... and believe me, I need to. I organized my half of the attic over the weekend (felt so good to clean!) and found three disturbing bugs. Some research indicated that they were Western Conifer Seed Bugs. Think boxelder bug but twice the size, kind of resembling a cockroach. They were harmless and went outside without a fuss, but scared me silly when I stuck my hand in a box and nearly grabbed one!


(photo from whatsthatbug.com)

I'm going to write up a to-do list to try to sort my muddled thoughts...

Today I happened upon couponmom.com and noticed that they had a link to restaurant.com gift certificates. I checked it out, and lo and behold - 40% off! So I picked up two $10 gift certificates for $3.60. Amazing. They will come in handy when we crave eating out but don't want to spend much.

Had a nice time with my friend last night...we spent the majority of it going through old stuff from 14 years ago (notes, yearbooks, etc). It was fun. Hilarious to see how silly we were back then. It's nice to have had a close friend for so long. I recently read an article that talked about how siblings are our true life partners - they've been with us the longest, longer than our parents or significant others. My friend is like a sister to me. I feel blessed.

Hoping to get the camera fixed this weekend (if I can find naptha alcohol, whatever that is). I have some neat photos from my trip home, but many of them are ruined because of the light leak. I'll see what I can salvage and post them when I can.

This will be the first weekend in eight weeks that nothing is planned. What a relief! I've been meaning to go to the farmers market all summer - maybe tomorrow I'll finally get there.

I signed up for two community ed classes yesterday - pottery and geneology. It will be good for me to have my own thing to do every week. Pricey, though - $159.

Feeling frustrated with life in general today. I thought the halfway point to my parents' house might be a nice compromise in terms of moving (I miss them, too much). There aren't too many jobs there, though. I haven't had much luck here (in a much larger city) and am getting fed up.

Irritated with SO, my job, my weight, my clothes, my constant headache, everything. It's just one of those days, I guess. *sigh*

I received the camera repair kit...now I just need to do it. I have to find a specific type of alcohol first. Hmmm...

Pizza with a friend tonight...here's hoping it cheers me up.

My family came this weekend and we were busy, busy, busy. We went to the fair twice (SO and I went alone once, and later with family). I steered clear of the deep fried twinkies (YUCK!) but had some delicious cheese curds and fried pickles! It's a nice experience, but crazy busy. After a while in crushing crowds, I can't help but feel claustrophobic.

I'm dragging today...so tired after moving my sister back into her dorm. I definitely got a workout! She has some heavy stuff.

I'm so excited to get great coupons from Flash! Yeah! I'll stay out of the coupon questions thread now. The coupon train will be here soon too, and I can't wait to see it!

SO and I need to schedule another one week spending freeze - maybe next week would be a good time!

September? Already?

August Goals Recap:
~ Limit groc/Target/EO to $300: NO, $132 over, but we stocked up at Sam's Club
~ Put $170 into savings: YES (but had to take it out again)
~ Drive to work no more than 3 times: YES
~ Don't use personal credit card at ALL: HA HA HA

September Goals
~ Limit groc/Target/EO to $300
~ Put $100 into savings
~ Drive to work no more than 3 times
~ Enroll in 1-2 community ed classes
~ Swim at least four times

I'm also going to journal, read up on meditation, call about photography classes in my area, and fix my camera seal. I'd also like to go camping at least once, maybe twice.

I'm not going to the chiropractor anymore unless I feel I need to. She'd like me to stay on the "maintenance plan" of once per month, but the last couple of times haven't done much for me. No need to waste $25.

Hitting the state fair tonight! Hopefully the rain stays away! Almost-any-food-on-a-stick, anyone? Last year I tried the deep-fried candy bar on a stick...ewww. We'll see what culinary finds there are this year!

I blinked, and a whole week flew by. I had a great time...shopping, sewing, taking photos, brushing the 28-year-old horse, rubbing the 15-year-old cat's belly...wish I could go back already. Wishing I hadn't left, actually. Spending time with my family and being back in my hometown really reminds me of the dreams and goals I've had. I'm not meeting any of them here, unfortunately. I feel stagnant. I'm not happy. I think big changes may be on the horizon. Time to break out the tarot cards again.

My sewing...well, let's just say it didn't turn out so well. I found that I can sew in a straight line, but the pattern I chose was not at all flattering on me. It seems I think I'm a wispy, willowy woman, when in fact, I have hips. Large ones. *sigh* My mom and sister claim that I have the same body type as my sister. Hard to imagine, considering I have about 60 pounds on her. I always thought she had my mom's body type, given that she has always been within five pounds of my mom's weight. The last time I weighed what my sister weighs, I was 16, and it lasted all of 15 minutes... In any case, I clearly need to be more realistic when choosing patterns.

Band starts next week...and I'm not going back. I've found I'm happier without it. Perhaps I'll change my mind and go back in the spring, but not now. I've had my fill of playing boring holiday music for four months out of the year. I'll save $30, too.

I spent way too much money in the past two weeks - so much so that I have to dip into savings. I picked up lots of things for my family at Ikea, a few thing for my sister's birthday, developed some photos, bought some books and beads... Ugh. I'll have to have some no spend weeks soon to make up for it.

Tomorrow I take off for my parents' house. I'm making the long drive by myself, because SO has to work a few days next week. No problem - I have my iPod, plenty of snacks, public radio (for half of the drive anyhow), and a few books-on-CD from the library that a friend picked up for me. Nice! Our library charges for books-on-CD, and my friend's library doesn't, so it was great of her to pick some up for me.

I'm a little glad that SO will be home for most of the time that I'm gone. My plants will get watered consistently and the kitties will have company. It will be time alone with my family, as well. I don't see them nearly enough anymore. SO will be joining me later in the week. I'm not so excited about tomorrow's drive alone, but that will be good for me too.

I've been on an antibiotic roller coaster - Wednesday I felt fabulous, good as new (must have been bad bacteria-killing day). Yesterday I felt as though an alien was struggling to push its way out of my abdomen (must have been good bacteria-killing day). Today, I'm so-so. The made-for-TV alien seems to have left. I could use a nap, though. Sometimes the cure is almost as bad as the ailment, but I'm glad the ailment is behind me.

I decided to forgo the Sam's Club trip I'd been planning. I'd rather go to the State Fair after I return from my trip. It will be interesting to see how long I can make our laundry detergent, kleenex, paper towels, and toilet paper stretch. I'm not going to spend as much at the fair as I would at Sam's Club, but I just can't do both this month - and the fair is a once-a-year thing!

So far, I'm doing well on August goals: $80 left in the grocery fund, $170 into savings, and I've driven to work just twice.

It will be an interesting week. Dial-up internet, no cable tv, a long drive to shop anywhere, limited cell phone access...should be cheap! And fun. I love spending time with my mom. One of my goals next week - attempt sewing! I bought a few patterns during a pattern sale last week, but I couldn't find the fabric to go with them. Being in the fabric aisles is like wandering through a foreign country for me. Hopefully, mom can help me find some fabric in her neck of the woods...and hopefully I won't sew my fingers together!

It seems no medical doctor can figure me out.

I'm having symptoms similar to an episode from a few years ago (I'll spare you the gory details), so I went to the doc this afternoon. Still a mystery. He prescribed antibiotics and I'm hoping they magically clear it up again. If the sample I provide them shows evidence of something bad, well, there will be plenty of specialist visits in the future. Please, no. I've just about maxed out my sick time this year, and it's only August.

It's like this with so many things. The eyeball I shouldn't be able to see out of...the mind-numbing headaches that no one can melt away...and now this thing is back in all its glory. I just have to remember that I can see out of my eye, there are plenty of drugs I can take to alleviate the headaches, and antibiotics should help. Plus I'm not disabled, my mind is fully functioning, and I have lots of people who love me. Hard to remember all that when you're hugging the toilet, though.

Luckily, only a $15 copay and $10 for meds.

No word from the job interview front yet!

Thankfully, my sweet cat was back to his normal self the following day. The shots just threw him for a temporary loop. He's incessantly meowing, begging for food, and flopping over to have his belly scratched as always.

It seems it's my turn now. I'm feeling horrid today and I have no idea why. I came in to work three hours late, and I'd like to leave now. At least my cat had a good reason for feeling poorly! Hopefully this goes away as soon as my head hits the pillow tonight. I don't have a whole lot of sick time left and I'm on vacation next week. Nothing as exciting as Mexico, mind you - I'm going the much cheaper route and visiting my parents. I certainly don't want to bring anything viral to them, though!

I guess lying low at home equals no spending...

My cat got two shots and a microchip last night. He's not feeling so hot this morning. He wouldn't eat a morsel of food, which is completely unlike him. I hope he starts feeling better...I'm worried about him.

The bill? $115. Ouch. I suspect it was worse for him than for me, though.

I just cannot sleep well anymore. Every night this week has been filled with nightmares. I'm not sure what is going on with my pysche, but I'd like to get a good night's rest already! Blood running from faucets, snipers trying to kill me, bears attacking...I've about had it. I'm always a vivid dreamer, but enough is enough.

So glad it's Friday...

I had an interview this morning at a publishing company and I think it went really well! I enjoyed talking to the interviewer, and she seemed to think I was a good match for the position. I had to take an hour long test (personality, word definitions, 'this is to this as that is to ____', MATH-ugh), and if I'm chosen to do a second interview, they'll call me next week. At that point, I'll actually get to meet the editorial team. So, keeping my fingers crossed. It seemed like a nice work environment, nice building, and the job would be far more challenging than what I'm doing now (not to mention better paying!).

The only downside is that I'd have to start commuting by car again, on super busy freeways. If I make more money, though, maybe I'd actually be able to buy a better car!

I put on my new suit last night, and lo and behold - the zipper on the skirt got stuck! So stuck, in fact, that it ripped the fabric and was impossible to free. I'm returning it ASAP. I wore my standard black today, and frankly, I'm more comfortable in pants anyway.

Mr. Fat Cat is going to the vet tonight. He's so easygoing that I expect it to be fine. Hopefully he doesn't need a ton of expensive shots...

Glad the nerve-wracking interview part is over...now I'm just hoping for a phone call!

After such a great no-spend week, I can't say I'm too proud of the weekend.

Our dinner with friends on Friday was probably one of the most expensive nights out I've had. SO has this thing for insisting on paying for other people when we go out...admirable, but not when the bill is astronomical. Sushi plates galore, not cheap. It ended up being double what I'd budgeted for the month...all blown on one meal. Sigh. SO probably would have paid for it fully himself, but he forgot his wallet, so it went on our joint credit card.

Then I went clothes shopping and found a beautiful blue-gray suit, originally $200, on sale for $80. I bought it, a pair of pants, and a few shirts. I have an interview this week, so it will be nice to wear something other than black from head to toe. I hope the interview goes well - the job is at an actual publishing company, and it would be a pay increase.

I saved $20 at Target with my fat stack of coupons. The cashier was impressed, and a bit envious!

Our electric bill this month is astronomical. I should have expected it, given the 100 degree temps and our use of the air conditioner, but it is still a bummer.

My plump black cat is going to the vet this week. We were quoted $75 for shots and his checkup. Uh...I don't think so. He had all of his shots last year, and I don't think they all need to be administered yearly. If it truly is $75 for one cat, we'll be switching vets pronto.

I picked up two newspapers yesterday for the coupons. It's interesting to see which coupons are in our two major papers. They weren't the same. There's also this ridiculous city rivalry between Minneapolis and St. Paul, which makes me laugh a little when I can't find the Minneapolis paper in a St. Paul gas station for the life of me. There were huge displays all over the front of the store for the St. Paul paper, but the tiny Minneapolis stand was tucked away in the middle of the store, at knee level. Bizarre.

I can't afford to eat out for the rest of the month, so we'll be cooking! We'll have onion roasted potatoes and perhaps a lentil loaf for dinner tonight. I made up another loaf of cinnamon bread yesterday, which reminds me - Ima Saver, my bread maker is a Regal Kitchen Pro model K6725. I don't usually bake bread in it because I don't like the shape, but it makes fabulous dough for buns, breadsticks, pizza, cinnamon bread, etc. I bought my mother the same model on eBay a couple of years ago, and she loves it too!

My best friend found our high school class reunion website (the reunion is next summer). The page consists entirely of the "popular girls" and lists their many children, husbands, and photos.

Ugh.

Reading that, I suddenly have absolutely no desire to go. It's a shame that none of the people I'm curious about are listed. Glad to note that I am considered "missing"...think I'll stay that way, if that site represents the people who will be attending the reunion!

Day 8 of our no spend week! Today is our last day. SO packed lunch for ME last night. Tonight we're joining our friends for dinner, and I have some shopping to do, so we're done with no spending for now. SO really agrees that we should do this once a month, though! Who hoo!

Last night I baked a loaf of cinnamon swirl bread...love my breadmaker. It makes the best dough. I think I'll have to make another loaf this weekend, because it smelled heavenly (and I don't think it will last long before being devoured).

Seeing that high school webpage reminded me of just how happy I am with my little life here in MN, with SO and our kitties, far away from that era.

Last night I was extremely crabby. SO picked me up from work (very nice) but...what's that? The little need-to-fill-the-gas-tank light popping up on the dash? ARG! He seems to think he'll be able to make it until Friday without filling up his gas tank. I seriously doubt it. He drives through the worst parts of town every day, and I'd rather he not get stranded there. I don't understand why he doesn't plan ahead, particularly when he knew we were doing the no-spend challenge this week.

Then, the glass Sun Tea bottle that my mother recently gave me (something from my youth) slipped out of the fridge and it shattered on the floor into a million pieces. Did I mention that the bottle was full? Yeah, glass shards swimming in tea, all over the kitchen. I snatched up the cats and locked them in a bedroom before they could play in it (they thought it looked like fun!).

Still, no spending.

I started a new book last night in an effort to escape -

The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory - and I'm already 1/3 of the way through. I just finished her book, The Other Boleyn Girl, and it was great. Those novels just suck me in.

Another reason I'm crabby - it's August. I always get a sinking feeling in August, even though I don't have to go back to school anymore. I guess it's the knowledge that SNOW will be here any minute. Yeah, it's 100 degrees now, but I still get a little nauseous when August rolls around...summer goes by way too fast here.

We're doing well on the No Spending Week Challenge. We have been running the air conditioner, although the breaker tripped and it was off for a while yesterday before we noticed.

We bought two Sunday papers and spent $2.75, but also picked up a free 2 liter of 7up (coupon was about to expire). We drove to the store, but SO's parents picked us up for the family reunion. We brought a salad to the reunion that contained less black olives than I had originally planned. I didn't notice that the can of black olives SO opened on Friday was the last one. We made due, though, and it was fine.

SO is mailing the coupon train for me today.

I took the bus into work today, and packed lunch for both of us.

So far, so good! It was a nice weekend, too...no thoughts of shopping.

I wrote to Chiquita and got a somewhat odd reply...

We try to provide as wide a selection of Fresh Express products as possible in stores across the country. The information you shared is very helpful and we will notify our Regional Sales Manager of your inquiry. In the St. Paul, MN area Cub Foods, IGA, and Dierberg.

I have never heard of IGA or Dierberg, and Fresh Express was not at Cub Foods. Guess I will have to do some research.
** UPDATE: The closest IGA store is in Wisconsin, 40 miles away, and the Dierberg is a chain in St. Louis, MO, as far as I can tell. *sigh*

I'm interested in the no-spend week everyone is talking about in the forums. My rules will have to be pretty lax, though, because we've got long-standing plans coming up. There's his family reunion on Sunday, and dinner out next week with friends we haven't seen in months. I'm also not giving up air conditioning - it's close to 100 degrees here, and we've got A/C, so I'm using it (grew up without it - never again). I've proposed a plan to SO, so we'll see! I think we could do it - him without Starbucks, me without my vending machine chocolate.

I need to cull my coupons that expire on July 31 and make sure there's not anything I desperately need. I have to buy a newspaper on Sunday...keep forgetting...and the coupon train is on its way to me!!

I'm glad my guest-hosting streak is over for now. I'm tired.

July is almost over...summertime always goes by so much faster than the dreadful winters. Every August I get a little lump in my throat thinking about the imminent change of seasons. Having nice weather year-round is sounding better and better...

...I need to live closer to my family. At the very least, I have to visit them more frequently. We had a great time with my aunts, and after they left this morning I couldn't help but break down in tears (again). All SO could say was, "I think we need to live closer to your family!" I did the same thing last weekend after my parents left.

We toured the Body Worlds exhibit at the Science Museum. It's an exhibit of actual human bodies that have had the skin removed and the muscles, organs, blood vessels, etc positioned in various ways and plasticized to hold together. It was fascinating to see the blood vessels, and all of the different muscles. I had no idea the sciatic nerve was so large, for example. There were lots of table displays, too, with multiple organs and bones and cross sections. It was interesting, and very sobering, but a little too long. By the time we finished, we were all a bit nauseous. I'd recommend the exhibit, but visit it with a strong stomach.

We also went bird watching along the Mississippi. It was a lovely day, and we had a picnic lunch on an overlook. We saw a juvenile bald eagle soaring overhead...pretty cool.

It's so easy to get wrapped up in day-to-day living and forget the important things...like keeping in touch with family and friends. I'm taking a vow today to do better.

We cleaned the house in a hurry last night and then zipped over to the grocery store. We saved $13 with coupons...I was pretty proud of myself. Shopping was so much easier having SO by my side (as most things are). We only spent $100, and that will last for a while. We bought some neat new Morningstar products to try (with coupons). I am having trouble finding specific toilet paper and specific bagged lettuce, though. Perhaps they just aren't available here.

My aunts will arrive this afternoon. I took the afternoon off. I purchased some more

Cutemol hand cream (with an online coupon, of course) and have to pick it up from the post office before they arrive. I bought a big container for my mom, so my aunts can bring it with them when they visit my parents next week.

I MUST remember to get a Sunday paper this weekend. Coupons on the brain, I tell ya! SO laughs, but he is awed by how much we are saving.