I stepped on the scale this morning & the good news was I’m down a ½ pound… must be all that eating at home & packing lunches for the past 3 weeks…. I haven’t been exercising as much as I should but hopefully once I finish some organizing this weekend & clear off my treadmill (currently there are boxes of old clothes, wire hangers & Jolie’s toys sitting on it) I can finally get on it!! The teeny-tiny number win of course meant I was a little more susceptible this morning - the battle was on - Friday Breakfast Club Pecan Coffee Cake, Fresh Fruit, and a Boxful of Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter & Sugar Cookies vs. Lil Ol Me….. You know who won - THE EVIL CHOCOLATE CHIP SUGAR RUSH COOKIE….oh well, I have the 3-day weekend to get back on track…..
The good news is that Appu is coming back tomorrow - one week early from Vietnam…. I’m so looking forward to a relaxing 3 day weekend with him….. Actually, relaxing may be from my perspective… he’s going to be put to work cleaning my car & our study… I really should take Before & After pics – you never know when they might come in handy…
Friday, August 29, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
The $250 Challenge
As part of our endeavor to figure out where our paycheck goes each month we’ve been trying to figure out how much we spend on the necessities – food, utilities, gas and the like. While the hubby takes care of our one humungous bill – the mortgage, we trade back & forth on utilities & such. It’s pretty much a “whoever gets to it first” situation – occasionally its Appu but usually me. The months the latter happens I sometimes feel like I’ve spent my paycheck even before it hits my bank account. Between bills, eating out, the stuff I buy to try & get my stuff organized (Container Store anyone?), and my one weakness – Barnes & Noble - I’m never quite sure how much I spend in any given month….
Since I do most of my bill paying online I do at least have a handle on what our more or less fixed expenses are. Electricity, water, trash, phone, landscape & swimming pool maintenance guys, groceries and the occasional housecleaning visit are variables. In any given month the total for these hits within a $100 plus or minus range… Sure, we could be a bit more mindful of these expenses as well & shop around for better deals but that’s going to be the subject of another post. At the moment my first priority is figuring out how much I spend on the fluff stuff…
To that end I have decided to take a $250 challenge. There are numerous variations of this on the Internet ranging from $100 all the way up to $1000. I figure $250 is a good round number to start at. The timing couldn’t be better – Appu’s in Vietnam till after Labor Day. So my 4 weeks started the day he left – August 7th & ends the day he’s back - September 5th. I hit the ATM last weekend to withdraw my challenge amount in cash – when it’s gone, so will be my fluff spending for the month. Of course as with any challenge there will be some rules – so here goes nothing:
1. Defining Fluff – Anything that isn’t absolutely necessary for day to day living. This includes but is not limited to - movie tickets, all meals out, all entertainment expenses; books, shoes, clothes; haircuts & mani-pedis; gifts; all alcohol; home organization & improvement (with some exceptions)
2. The home improvement exceptions are the guest bathrooms – I have been planning to redo these for the past few months. I’ve finally selected my wall colors & have been window shopping for new lights, and faucets. Now I just have to get the electrician scheduled to change out the lights & then I can get to work stripping the existing wallpaper & painting them my chosen colors.
3. Gas – Given that coming to work is a necessity, gasoline is not a luxury item. However, with the ongoing energy crisis it would behoove me to be mindful of my mileage. To that end gas is going to be included in my fluff list. However, if I have an empty gas tank & no fluff cash left at the end of the month I will go ahead & fill my tank with my “overdraft” allowance.
4. Charities - I usually give to causes that are near & dear to my heart. National Public Radio, the Humane Society, the Leukemia Marathon in Bath (my cousin runs in memory of his sister) & Breast Cancer research. Apart from that if any of my friends and family are conducting fund raising activites I usually try & contribute. Also, every once in a while we get middle & high school students knocking on our doors for their fundraising activities. If I get "hit" for anything this month I'm not going to let my fluff limit hold me back.
Lets keep our fingers crossed and see how long my challenge money lasts....
Since I do most of my bill paying online I do at least have a handle on what our more or less fixed expenses are. Electricity, water, trash, phone, landscape & swimming pool maintenance guys, groceries and the occasional housecleaning visit are variables. In any given month the total for these hits within a $100 plus or minus range… Sure, we could be a bit more mindful of these expenses as well & shop around for better deals but that’s going to be the subject of another post. At the moment my first priority is figuring out how much I spend on the fluff stuff…
To that end I have decided to take a $250 challenge. There are numerous variations of this on the Internet ranging from $100 all the way up to $1000. I figure $250 is a good round number to start at. The timing couldn’t be better – Appu’s in Vietnam till after Labor Day. So my 4 weeks started the day he left – August 7th & ends the day he’s back - September 5th. I hit the ATM last weekend to withdraw my challenge amount in cash – when it’s gone, so will be my fluff spending for the month. Of course as with any challenge there will be some rules – so here goes nothing:
1. Defining Fluff – Anything that isn’t absolutely necessary for day to day living. This includes but is not limited to - movie tickets, all meals out, all entertainment expenses; books, shoes, clothes; haircuts & mani-pedis; gifts; all alcohol; home organization & improvement (with some exceptions)
2. The home improvement exceptions are the guest bathrooms – I have been planning to redo these for the past few months. I’ve finally selected my wall colors & have been window shopping for new lights, and faucets. Now I just have to get the electrician scheduled to change out the lights & then I can get to work stripping the existing wallpaper & painting them my chosen colors.
3. Gas – Given that coming to work is a necessity, gasoline is not a luxury item. However, with the ongoing energy crisis it would behoove me to be mindful of my mileage. To that end gas is going to be included in my fluff list. However, if I have an empty gas tank & no fluff cash left at the end of the month I will go ahead & fill my tank with my “overdraft” allowance.
4. Charities - I usually give to causes that are near & dear to my heart. National Public Radio, the Humane Society, the Leukemia Marathon in Bath (my cousin runs in memory of his sister) & Breast Cancer research. Apart from that if any of my friends and family are conducting fund raising activites I usually try & contribute. Also, every once in a while we get middle & high school students knocking on our doors for their fundraising activities. If I get "hit" for anything this month I'm not going to let my fluff limit hold me back.
Lets keep our fingers crossed and see how long my challenge money lasts....
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Chocolate Overload
It’s been 2 weeks since my last weigh-in…. I stepped on the scale this morning only to startle poor Jolie with a resounding shriek…. I think the batteries on my scale must have given out ~ after all, what else can explain the 3 pound weight gain??? It can’t be that I come home in the evening, barely exercise and then flop down on the couch & grab the remote….. With Appu back in Vietnam for the past week there’s been no one to keep tabs on me & my good intentions disappeared under the onslaught of chocolate…
First up this week were dessert trays brought in by a colleague – Damn you, chocolate fudge!!! Soon to follow – the last spoonfuls of icecream in the tub in the fridge, innumerable cups of hot chocolate to fight the sugar slump in the afternoon at work, and finally today – a ginormous chocolate chip cookie…. Oh chocolate, you will be the death of me…..
Ok, time to crack the whip… I have 3 weeks till the hubby returns to Dallas & another week thereafter till my parents hit…. That means a potential 4 pound weight is needed to avoid the ribbing I might receive from the familia… Hmm – is it doable, yes…. Shall it be achieved – ummmm – lets cross our fingers…
First up this week were dessert trays brought in by a colleague – Damn you, chocolate fudge!!! Soon to follow – the last spoonfuls of icecream in the tub in the fridge, innumerable cups of hot chocolate to fight the sugar slump in the afternoon at work, and finally today – a ginormous chocolate chip cookie…. Oh chocolate, you will be the death of me…..
Ok, time to crack the whip… I have 3 weeks till the hubby returns to Dallas & another week thereafter till my parents hit…. That means a potential 4 pound weight is needed to avoid the ribbing I might receive from the familia… Hmm – is it doable, yes…. Shall it be achieved – ummmm – lets cross our fingers…
The Long Goodbye
A dear girl in our friends circle lost her battle with cancer… It had been a while coming – she had been trying to fight this for the past year & a half but M’s body could no longer take the onslaught…. Her husband S is a dear colleague & friend of Appu’s – I met them last year just before the cancer returned (she had fought it before) and really admired this amazing, gracious, courageous woman …. The tests, the chemo, the radiation, the drug cocktails – they tried everything till her organs finally started giving way…
Sups & I went over last evening to meet S… I have never seen anyone look quite so bereft – he truly seemed a ship without an anchor – …. After being married for 16 odd years with an adorable 10 year old I just can’t imagine what he’s going through… Appu & I both pray that S & his daughter will find the strength & courage to carry on & live their lives the way M would have wanted….
Adieu M – we’ll meet again someday
Sups & I went over last evening to meet S… I have never seen anyone look quite so bereft – he truly seemed a ship without an anchor – …. After being married for 16 odd years with an adorable 10 year old I just can’t imagine what he’s going through… Appu & I both pray that S & his daughter will find the strength & courage to carry on & live their lives the way M would have wanted….
Adieu M – we’ll meet again someday
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