Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

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MackerelCat
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Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

Post by MackerelCat »

Sandi, when corporations here sent everyone home, we had the clearest skies I've ever seen. Every day was like a china blue bowl had been hung over the city. Now we're back to daily air quality alerts.

That is some discount! Wow!
Last edited by MackerelCat on Thu Jun 23, 2022 1:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mackie
HappyDaze
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Re: Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

Post by HappyDaze »

SandiSAHM wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 4:15 pm The 19% off at DD's store turned out to be 10% PLUS 19%, so over 1/4 of that grocery bill knocked off. I feel a little less bad with canned coconut milk that didn't cost over $1, :lol:

We have an anniversary this week; the poor man has tolerated me for not quite a quarter of a century.

DS has to practice parallel parking to take his driver's test. Heaven help me, all those savings are about to *poof* - disappear. In OK you can have a permit and your folks not have to pay more for car insurance, but the minute you have an actual DL, bam, the premium goes UP. Seventeen y.o. boys are expensive :lol:
Happy Anniversary to you and your DH!!
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
SandiSAHM
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Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

Wow, the price of everything is crazy. Gas is coming back down a bit but still nowhere near what it was last year.

Everyone's working, weird time differences though - DS from 6a.m. to 4p.m. 4 days a week; he carpools with DH (Prius, for the gas savings) when possible, but while DH can start/stop whenever he wants, 6a.m. is a little early! They're both home Fridays (DS is off, DH is WFH). DD is all over with clinicals (night shift this week) and the store job; she does take a full day+ off every week, and I'm "on" from 7:30-4ish M-F.

DD met a budding violinist, 13, whose Mom asked if she could teach her. DD said sure, so more $ per week; then she got a side thing lined up where she will do the online marketing for a local 503(c), they're going to pay her to learn to code then do it. Learning will be during her downtime between summer and fall semesters. I would have spent that time at the beach at her age, but she's super focused (not that we have a beach near here, but I would have vacated on my vacation; when I was almost 21 I lived less than 2 hrs from the beach and a favorite little hotel with a balcony that had a sliding glass door - sleeping to the sound of the ocean by night, goofing off by day). She has a savings goal for 2022; I believe she'll achieve it!

Next family vaca will be the Labor Day weekend, tacked on extra time to go play. Sure hope it's cooler by then, but I doubt it. We'll have to hope that elevation makes a big difference.
SandiSAHM
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Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

In the words of the late Glenn Frey, "The heat is on."

Not the way he meant it, but apropos. Even the dog has sense enough to hang around by a fan.

Only prepping cold foods. If you are what you eat I will soon be a cherry tomato :lol:

Fortunately the people like sandwiches and sides (cowboy caviar, grated carrots or purple cabbage with oil & vinegar, potato salad (boil the potatoes at night rather than when temps are high), coleslaw, it goes on but the gist is that it's too hot to eat hot food. It's nearly, IMO, too hot to eat. Bleh. But I think that may be a 50+ female problem not a 'people in general' problem.

Tofurky slices are expensive; mock chicken (tofu) salad is much less costly, and there's a bizarre (I thought it was the strangest thing, saw it on a TV broadcast while on vacation - tried it, and it's fantastic) bean and olive spread that's bread and cracker friendly (also carrot and celery stick friendly, I don't eat bread or crackers because diabetes = no more carby things) and has a decent amount of protein. Egg salad apparently does not appeal. C'est la vie.

Made a chart, stuck it on the fridge, this is the amount of $ we're spending toward food / ga$ / necessities per month and when it's gone, that's it. Everyone writes down what they've spent (we're the worst, we went grocery shopping this weekend :shock:). Found that makes it easier to 'pay ourselves' before shelling out at a higher rate than I'm willing, and it inspires more "hey, let's make...." moments over "let's go get..." moments. We're also playing "Chopped" a lot more. Turns out crushed kiwis (just a little past their prime) are just as good as applesauce in making vegan banana bread :lol:. I'm told you can't tell the difference.
SandiSAHM
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

Tracking expenses in real time so it's visible to all is helping to keep expenses down - at least more 'down' than they would be otherwise, they're still 'up' in some areas, like gasoline. :?

Weird thing happened Thursday. A former pseudo-boss, he was one of three people whose work I managed 20 years ago, called out of the blue and offered me a job. Because he needed it 'done right.' Every now and then I don't mind an ego stroke, so that was nice, as was catching up. But the only person I've ever worked for, "before" that I will work for ever again is my current boss. If things went badly and I wind up unemployed, I guess I'll just stay that way (unless things were to change to a point where any job is preferable to no job, at that point I'll work for anyone who needs an old lady with a narrow skillset).

I am unwilling, currently, to do the grind; the whole get up, get dressed (real clothes, not the shorts or sweats, T's and socks-only I work in now :lol:), PLAY IN TRAFFIC - I sold my car - play nice in an office environment thing. I prefer WFH. Preferably from home soooo far from the "office" (current employer also offices at home, but we have a couple warehouse / workshop facilities) that I will never be asked to go "in" for anything. In my mid-twenties I was once awakened just after 1 a.m. by a third shift supervisor who couldn't find something so he determined it was not "there." At the time exH was the person who made the schedule for the plant so he called - he got me (procurement) instead of exH. Drove all the way to the plant (just 12 miles) and turned a big box around on a shelf so the label showed - here are more than you will use this whole month... "Oh," he said, "I didn't see those." Well sure, you weren't really looking :roll:.

Never again. Hopefully.

My disposition might be improved a little through forced socialization, but probably not ;). I used to be waaay more outgoing.

!!! This week my semi-adopted twins from elsewhere are getting their own place :P so we get to help them move. Turns out they think owning 3 plates is having "dishes," so I'm going to rectify that. I don't think they own cookware or glassware, either. It's a one-time expense, not hung up on that.
SandiSAHM
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Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Sandi's 2022 multipart challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

Well, it was bound to happen. A company the hubby has worked closely with, but never for, for quite a while, made him an offer he couldn't refuse. It's totally WFH with occasional site travel, much like now, so when he's at the office he'll be... in my office. Which is to be 'our' office, so we're making it over. We both really like DIY and he's super good at it (I can design, and I can paint, stain, finish, re-finish :lol:, source and plan with the best of them ;), and he can install things, run basic electric, make everything behave wirelessly), this should be fun.

But he has to leave his current co and the folks who work with & for him. Boy that's reeeeally dragging on him this time, those are some awesome people. Some are local, so that's okay, but some are the opposite of local, and that's harder. I guess the upside of all today's tech and connectedness is that you can stay in touch with folks no matter where they are, though.

Beyond that, things are just trekking along. Not quite as hot out (4-6 degrees lower overall than last week) and I bought a Trek e-bike which lets me keep up better with the young'uns, even with a bum knee. Going UP hill will no longer be as challenging; the motor can be switched off for downhill. My knee shouldn't look like a cantaloupe after a couple days riding anymore, so that'll be an improvement.
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