G-man and I rarely go out on our own (unless you count going to Target while the kids are at camp). But like a real date.....I can count on one hand how many times that has happened since we had the kids almost 9 years ago. And given our current circumstances...this is something we need to work on.
I have asked G-man to take the lead on this....but this is just not his bag. So I decided that I needed to show him how to do it. Sort of like when we are teaching the kids something...you have to MODEL it first before you can let them try it on their own.
So on a whim...I decided to plan a date. I called around and found a sitter for the evening (at $10 an hour....but that is the going rate. *sigh*). G-man knows we have something planned, but doesn't know the specifics. Actually....he doesn't know about the sitter.....
We will be going to a new noodle house that opened in town a few months ago that got really good reviews. And we will be going to see Harry Potter! I bought the tickets on line yesterday, and sprung for the 3D IMAX ones. I picked them up already so we wouldn't have to wait in line. It is going to be busy there tonight!
I bought G-man a new outfit (shorts and a polo shirt, from Marshall's), which I will lay out on the bed while he is in the shower. And I got a new skirt (he loves me in skirts...and I rarely wear them. This is long and flowy, and Bohemian). And I got some shoes...which were needed by next week anyway.
Clothes - about $150 for 2 pairs of shoes, shorts, 2 shirts, and a skirt)
Movies - $36, plus popcorn if we choose
Dinner - I am guessing about $30-$40, if we get drinks.
Sitter - $60-$70
YIKES. We are at about $300. Even if I didn't get the clothes....we would still be at $150. For dinner and a movie. Days of a cheap dinner and a movie are gone!! But I am not overly upset. We need to spend some time together. And I need to show him how to plan a date (get a sitter, pick a restaurant.....). The clothes...those were just a bonus.
Sometimes you have to invest in your marriage.
Showing posts with label dining out. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dining out. Show all posts
Friday, July 15, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Another Rainy Day here....
It seriously needs to stop raining.....
The pool liner is STILL on hold until the weather clears. Not like it really matters....the temperature is no where near pool weather. Considering that we are approaching July, and by the end of August we are done with the pool....the $700 we are spending on this seems comical.
Sassy Girl has been having a rough go of it. She is a sensitive kid, and is just needing a little extra time. She and I are supposed to have a "girl date" tonight. I am feeling much better, but she is a little under the weather. Hopefully she will be better later. She wanted to go to mini golf, but the rain put an end to that. So we will go to the movies (Mr. Popper's Penguins....her choice).
The rain makes me very introspective. And overwhelmed. Like....we still have over 64 THOUSAND in debt. That number makes me sad, and scared, and anxious. I know we are working at it...maybe not Dave Ramsey Gazelle Intense....but I just don't think that level is practical for us.
We are missing goals left and right....I doubt we will make the under 60k goal by August 6. I had wanted to pay off 10k this year (really 12.....), that one will be close. Food budget is still wanky (although our no eating out challenge is going ok...minus one $4.97 slip up).
I wish I had figured out this stuff sooo much sooner. What a different life we would have.....
The pool liner is STILL on hold until the weather clears. Not like it really matters....the temperature is no where near pool weather. Considering that we are approaching July, and by the end of August we are done with the pool....the $700 we are spending on this seems comical.
Sassy Girl has been having a rough go of it. She is a sensitive kid, and is just needing a little extra time. She and I are supposed to have a "girl date" tonight. I am feeling much better, but she is a little under the weather. Hopefully she will be better later. She wanted to go to mini golf, but the rain put an end to that. So we will go to the movies (Mr. Popper's Penguins....her choice).
The rain makes me very introspective. And overwhelmed. Like....we still have over 64 THOUSAND in debt. That number makes me sad, and scared, and anxious. I know we are working at it...maybe not Dave Ramsey Gazelle Intense....but I just don't think that level is practical for us.
We are missing goals left and right....I doubt we will make the under 60k goal by August 6. I had wanted to pay off 10k this year (really 12.....), that one will be close. Food budget is still wanky (although our no eating out challenge is going ok...minus one $4.97 slip up).
I wish I had figured out this stuff sooo much sooner. What a different life we would have.....
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Welcome to the June Challenge!
This month is our "no eating out" month. We have gotten a little lazy in this area, and it needs to stop. I asked the family over the weekend what kind of things they would like to eat in the coming weeks. Apparently my family doesn't realize it is JUNE, because the answers I got were:
Meatloaf
Thanksgiving (aka, turkey with trimmings)
Brats (ok...this one I will let go)
Ribs
Whining......this was from Bossy
and I added
Green Pork Chili
Thai noodles
Most of the meals mentioned will have left overs, so it will be a 2 for 1 deal. I am planning a few nights of "ligher" fare when G-man is at work (he won't eat salad), but the kids and I will have salad with fruit and maybe some diced meat.
We have never fully completed this challenge when I have tried it before. Last July, we made it 18 days, and the power went out, and it was late....so I took the kids to Friendly's (but kids eat for $1.99 on Wednesdays, so it wasn't bad). And I think there was one more slip up.
I did make the one concession about Father's Day that if G-man wanted to go out, we could. But he said he was fine grilling some steaks and calling it a day.
The challenges within this challenge include:
1) Bossy has occupational therapy from 5:30-6:30pm every Wednesday. We get home about 7pm. So I will have to pack something for them to eat (vs stopping at McD on our way there).
2) We are having a yard sale (or a tag sale in this neck of the woods) on June 18, and I know we aren't going to want to cook that night. Need to make sure that we have something ready to go.
3) As the weather continues to warm up....I won't want to use the oven. So meals need to be stove-top or grilled. I am sure I will use the oven some...but sparingly (especially since it may be on it's last leg.....yesterday was a bullet dodged).
and
4) Staying on budget!!!!!
I am frustrated at the recent lack of progress. The expenses of the pool and a few other things have thrown a curve ball at debt reduction. But I am trying to take the reigns back and hit it hard and heavy in June!!!!
Meatloaf
Thanksgiving (aka, turkey with trimmings)
Brats (ok...this one I will let go)
Ribs
Whining......this was from Bossy
and I added
Green Pork Chili
Thai noodles
Most of the meals mentioned will have left overs, so it will be a 2 for 1 deal. I am planning a few nights of "ligher" fare when G-man is at work (he won't eat salad), but the kids and I will have salad with fruit and maybe some diced meat.
We have never fully completed this challenge when I have tried it before. Last July, we made it 18 days, and the power went out, and it was late....so I took the kids to Friendly's (but kids eat for $1.99 on Wednesdays, so it wasn't bad). And I think there was one more slip up.
I did make the one concession about Father's Day that if G-man wanted to go out, we could. But he said he was fine grilling some steaks and calling it a day.
The challenges within this challenge include:
1) Bossy has occupational therapy from 5:30-6:30pm every Wednesday. We get home about 7pm. So I will have to pack something for them to eat (vs stopping at McD on our way there).
2) We are having a yard sale (or a tag sale in this neck of the woods) on June 18, and I know we aren't going to want to cook that night. Need to make sure that we have something ready to go.
3) As the weather continues to warm up....I won't want to use the oven. So meals need to be stove-top or grilled. I am sure I will use the oven some...but sparingly (especially since it may be on it's last leg.....yesterday was a bullet dodged).
and
4) Staying on budget!!!!!
I am frustrated at the recent lack of progress. The expenses of the pool and a few other things have thrown a curve ball at debt reduction. But I am trying to take the reigns back and hit it hard and heavy in June!!!!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Financial Goals 2011
I know that some of these are a stretch. I also know that some of these are a little subjective. But here we are!!! We are set to kick some major butt this year.
In order to have some perspective, as of January 1 our current debt total is $68,685.37 broken down to:
- Credit Card - $35,065.23
- Student Loan -$29,225.79
- Car- $4,156.35
- Medical - $208.00
1) Pay off car early. It is scheduled to be paid off December 2011/January 2012. I would like to have it paid off earlier. I am not setting a deadline (but August is the one in my head!), but I just want it done ahead of schedule. DONE!!!
2) Pay off $10,000 in debt (not including the retirement loan). OK....really, I want $12,000 which is about 30% more than we paid off in 2010. But I am setting the bar a little lower in the hopes of SMASHING this goal, and then motivating myself to get to the REAL goal of $12,000.
3) Side Hustle $2000. This will come from blogging money, selling items, odd jobs (including my new gig as a ChaCha guide!), etc. This will be a combined Mysti/G-man goal, but it also includes 1/3 of the hustle money to be "mad" money. See the new tally on the side bar to help me keep track. We aren't setting it up as $1000 each, but I am hoping that G-man gets motivated since he will get to keep 1/3 of it to "play" with.
4) Open ING Christmas Account. Let's not have a repeat of 2010. *sigh* DONE!!!
5) Continue to work on zero-based budget. This is still hard for us!! But we are getting there.
6) Curb food spending. Eating out has gotten out of hand. Processed foods are too plentiful in the kids' diet. Better food planning should help on both accounts.
7) Get life insurance. We have been irresponsible on this. I know that we can't afford what we really should have. But we have to start somewhere. We can always modify the amount and type later...but right now, we just need to do it.
8) Make will. The biggest reason we haven't made a will....we really don't have a guardian for our kids. No one is the right decision. But we have to bite the bullet and just do this too. Not planning on kicking the bucket, but need to make sure the wee folks are taken care of.
9) Resume retirement savings. We stopped contributing so we could increase our cash flow. I am hoping as the balances continue to go down on our debts, we can start contributing again. At least to get the employer match of 5%.
10) Find one "free" family thing to do per month. It might be a picnic, a school event, or something I haven't thought of yet! No one says you have to spend money to have family time.
Don't forget to check out my blogging and personal goals too!!!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
GBU - August 15, 2010
Another Good, Bad, and Ugly round up for the week! We all have them....things that are great about our financial week....things that just plan stink. These are subjective, so there are no hard and fast rules. What are yours for the week??? Mine:
The Good: During a re-con mission to Ikea yesterday (scouting out B-day present for Bossy, vanity for the bathroom), a few things happened:
1) G-man lost his wallet, without knowing it! He was paged over the speaker system, and was able to get his wallet back, in tact. It couldn't have been gone more than a few minutes. Thank you to the person who found it and turned it in. I am not too worried about "theft." I will watch his accounts, but I think it will be ok.
2) We resisted a clearance killer sale. They had a bookcase (techinically 2) that was similar to what we wanted, and the pair would have been $120. It was tempting! But it wasn't exactly what we wanted, and to spend that much money, unbudgeted and for something that wasn't really what we wanted made no sense. A deal isn't a deal in that case.
The Bad: The temptation to use the credit card for points. Just isn't working for me. I will just have to wait it out to make the few large purchases and get the points that way. Even though I had cash for my purchases, it just wasn't working for me.
The Ugly: Eating out! We had dinner at a mediocre diner last night due to time issues. And mediocre was being generous. The bill came, and with tip, it was $44!! At a crummy diner! We had 3 waters and an apple juice; kids spaghetti, kids grilled cheese, a chicken sandwich, and a chicken souvlaki and salad. Totally not worth that much money, especially for crummy food. I spent the rest of the night annoyed about it.
The Good: During a re-con mission to Ikea yesterday (scouting out B-day present for Bossy, vanity for the bathroom), a few things happened:
1) G-man lost his wallet, without knowing it! He was paged over the speaker system, and was able to get his wallet back, in tact. It couldn't have been gone more than a few minutes. Thank you to the person who found it and turned it in. I am not too worried about "theft." I will watch his accounts, but I think it will be ok.
2) We resisted a clearance killer sale. They had a bookcase (techinically 2) that was similar to what we wanted, and the pair would have been $120. It was tempting! But it wasn't exactly what we wanted, and to spend that much money, unbudgeted and for something that wasn't really what we wanted made no sense. A deal isn't a deal in that case.
The Bad: The temptation to use the credit card for points. Just isn't working for me. I will just have to wait it out to make the few large purchases and get the points that way. Even though I had cash for my purchases, it just wasn't working for me.
The Ugly: Eating out! We had dinner at a mediocre diner last night due to time issues. And mediocre was being generous. The bill came, and with tip, it was $44!! At a crummy diner! We had 3 waters and an apple juice; kids spaghetti, kids grilled cheese, a chicken sandwich, and a chicken souvlaki and salad. Totally not worth that much money, especially for crummy food. I spent the rest of the night annoyed about it.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Well, that was a bust
Dear readers.....you be the judge.
Picture it:
You work all day. Pick up your bickering children, who are filthy from camp. Head over to run 2 quick errands before bring your son to 2 back to back therapy sessions. Did I mention the WICKED storm that was going on, with the threat of Tornado?
We walk into the house...and the power is out. I haven't eaten all day. Both kids are hungry.
So I did what most moms in my situation would do.....we went out to get something to eat for dinner.
Well gosh darnit. There went my no eating out for the month of July.
So readers....I spent $18 (with tip) on meals for myself and 2 kids. Do I get a pass on my no eating out? Or do I have to wear the FAILURE Dunce Cap?
Picture it:
You work all day. Pick up your bickering children, who are filthy from camp. Head over to run 2 quick errands before bring your son to 2 back to back therapy sessions. Did I mention the WICKED storm that was going on, with the threat of Tornado?
We walk into the house...and the power is out. I haven't eaten all day. Both kids are hungry.
So I did what most moms in my situation would do.....we went out to get something to eat for dinner.
Well gosh darnit. There went my no eating out for the month of July.
So readers....I spent $18 (with tip) on meals for myself and 2 kids. Do I get a pass on my no eating out? Or do I have to wear the FAILURE Dunce Cap?
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Anyone up for a CHALLENGE?
G-man and I are challenging ourselves to NOT eat out at all for the month of the July. No coffee, no fast food, and no takeout.
All food needs to come from the grocery store (and yes, we know we could cheat and run to the grocery store). We are trying to do better at meal planning, and cutting down on the number of trips to the grocery store, and of course, the overall amount of money.
Who's in???
All food needs to come from the grocery store (and yes, we know we could cheat and run to the grocery store). We are trying to do better at meal planning, and cutting down on the number of trips to the grocery store, and of course, the overall amount of money.
Who's in???
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Back from Vacation....part 2.....Budget Blunders
UGH. This actually started before we even left our street. Not a good way to start vacation.
The DVD Player Story:
I have already said that I am all about planning, and there should be no reason to be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. And the night before we left....I wasn't. G-man....that was a different story. He is in charge of "electronics" for our trips. This includes installation of DVD players, chargers, etc. I should have known that something was going to happen on this front. When he snapped at me that he couldn't find the car charger for Bossy's DVD player, the curse was placed. He did find it eventually (in a place that neither of us can figure out how it got there, but since he is in charge of this....it was all him....no one to blame but himself).
Back to the start of our trip.....Bossy said his movie wasn't on. G-man looked at it...the player wasn't working. 20 minutes later....still not working. No matter what...it wasn't going to work. Well, isn't that just ducky. It was 6:20 in the morning and we had traveled 3 miles. No way we could go 14 more hours without one. So we ran over to Kmart....they didn't open until 8am. Ran to Walmart....they didn't open until 7am.
Decided to head on down the road and stop at the first big box store that opened along the way. At 6:50 we tried Target....nope, they weren't open yet. Hit another Walmart at 6:58 and walked in as the doors were opening. Half hour later, we were ready to hit the road with a new DVD player and case.....to the tune of $121. Of course the cheapest one they had was out of stock. So I went for the cheapest I could get, at $99. Needed a way to mount it to the seat...hence the case. (our previous one didn't need a case because it was a seat mount style to start with).
I put it on a CC. I wasn't happy about it. But I knew I didn't have available cash at the moment. And I knew that 14 hrs in the car without one wasn't an option either. I am not sorry we did it though. He was happy as a clam, and with the headphones I got for both kids, it made for a very quiet trip.
G-man claims that he tried out the now broken player the night before and it was fine. I am doubtful he tried it out. I really think he was mad that he couldn't find the charger and just installed it without turning it on. If it didn't work the night before, then we could have gotten another one....using emergency fund or savings account money and not used a CC. I have to take his word that he tried it out...but I also know my husband.....he didn't try it out and wasn't going to admit it.
Groceries/Food:
This is a mixed bag story. Part of the budget blunders are from just buying food for the car and G-man buying too much perishable stuff. Like I said, we were able freeze some, so it wasn't a total wash. But trying to go from my mom's to mother-in-law, and then home....trying to pack food for the trip became more difficult as we went as our patience was wearing out, we were spending money we hadn't planned for, and G-man and I were at odds.
The rest of this story involves my parents. My mom keeps Kosher in her home, which, when you grow up with it, isn't that hard to deal with. If you haven't grown up with it, it is cumbersome. But I digress...
Mom failed to buy food for our trip. Or should I say....enough food. Father's Day....my dad was out of sorts, and their brilliant idea to go out to dinner was not so brilliant. As I tried to explain to them.....no reservations on a "holiday" does not equal a pleasant dining experience.
So I went to the store to get some stuff to cook out on the grill. As I mentioned...Mom keeps Kosher....which is very expensive when buying meat. I got some chicken and steak...and spent over $60 just on meat that was for one dinner (and a small amount left over). Add in sides, and the additionally things mom asked me to pick up....I was at $130. Totally not budgeted for.
Then add in when G-man and I went out to dinner alone. My parents had said they wanted to treat us to a massage while we were there, but we passed on that idea and said that we would rather a dinner alone. They said fine. Well, silly us thought that when they offered to TREAT for the massage and we came up with an alternative...that it was still a TREAT. Nope, guess not. $80 for dinner. I had wanted to go some place cheaper, but G-man wanted more of a 'date' night (which turned into a disaster which again, would go into another blog!).
Day trips:
I already admitted that we didn't save up enough for our vacation day trips, but were going to do it anyway. Well, we planned for one day trip....and then Dad threw in another.
While at my parents' house, we took the kids to a Discovery Museum. Mom didn't go that day because SHE was out of sorts that time. Dad picked up the tickets, but due to the timing, we ended up having lunch there (never mind that I wanted to go after lunch at home.....). And Dad let me get lunch....$45.
While at my mother in law's...we planned on taking the kids to the aquarium...the one thing we did plan for. Tickets....$138. Mother in law picked up lunch. And then parking was $22. Oh, and it was an additional half tank of gas!! So our out of pocket expense for this adventure was about $185!!!!!!*sigh* If it was just this one expense that we didn't have saved up for, I would have been ok with it. But at this point, we were about $375 over and above any expense we had anticipated.
By the end of our vacation....we had charged about $500 worth of expenses over and above what we had cash for or had prepurchased. OUCH.
The DVD Player Story:
I have already said that I am all about planning, and there should be no reason to be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. And the night before we left....I wasn't. G-man....that was a different story. He is in charge of "electronics" for our trips. This includes installation of DVD players, chargers, etc. I should have known that something was going to happen on this front. When he snapped at me that he couldn't find the car charger for Bossy's DVD player, the curse was placed. He did find it eventually (in a place that neither of us can figure out how it got there, but since he is in charge of this....it was all him....no one to blame but himself).
Back to the start of our trip.....Bossy said his movie wasn't on. G-man looked at it...the player wasn't working. 20 minutes later....still not working. No matter what...it wasn't going to work. Well, isn't that just ducky. It was 6:20 in the morning and we had traveled 3 miles. No way we could go 14 more hours without one. So we ran over to Kmart....they didn't open until 8am. Ran to Walmart....they didn't open until 7am.
Decided to head on down the road and stop at the first big box store that opened along the way. At 6:50 we tried Target....nope, they weren't open yet. Hit another Walmart at 6:58 and walked in as the doors were opening. Half hour later, we were ready to hit the road with a new DVD player and case.....to the tune of $121. Of course the cheapest one they had was out of stock. So I went for the cheapest I could get, at $99. Needed a way to mount it to the seat...hence the case. (our previous one didn't need a case because it was a seat mount style to start with).
I put it on a CC. I wasn't happy about it. But I knew I didn't have available cash at the moment. And I knew that 14 hrs in the car without one wasn't an option either. I am not sorry we did it though. He was happy as a clam, and with the headphones I got for both kids, it made for a very quiet trip.
G-man claims that he tried out the now broken player the night before and it was fine. I am doubtful he tried it out. I really think he was mad that he couldn't find the charger and just installed it without turning it on. If it didn't work the night before, then we could have gotten another one....using emergency fund or savings account money and not used a CC. I have to take his word that he tried it out...but I also know my husband.....he didn't try it out and wasn't going to admit it.
Groceries/Food:
This is a mixed bag story. Part of the budget blunders are from just buying food for the car and G-man buying too much perishable stuff. Like I said, we were able freeze some, so it wasn't a total wash. But trying to go from my mom's to mother-in-law, and then home....trying to pack food for the trip became more difficult as we went as our patience was wearing out, we were spending money we hadn't planned for, and G-man and I were at odds.
The rest of this story involves my parents. My mom keeps Kosher in her home, which, when you grow up with it, isn't that hard to deal with. If you haven't grown up with it, it is cumbersome. But I digress...
Mom failed to buy food for our trip. Or should I say....enough food. Father's Day....my dad was out of sorts, and their brilliant idea to go out to dinner was not so brilliant. As I tried to explain to them.....no reservations on a "holiday" does not equal a pleasant dining experience.
So I went to the store to get some stuff to cook out on the grill. As I mentioned...Mom keeps Kosher....which is very expensive when buying meat. I got some chicken and steak...and spent over $60 just on meat that was for one dinner (and a small amount left over). Add in sides, and the additionally things mom asked me to pick up....I was at $130. Totally not budgeted for.
Then add in when G-man and I went out to dinner alone. My parents had said they wanted to treat us to a massage while we were there, but we passed on that idea and said that we would rather a dinner alone. They said fine. Well, silly us thought that when they offered to TREAT for the massage and we came up with an alternative...that it was still a TREAT. Nope, guess not. $80 for dinner. I had wanted to go some place cheaper, but G-man wanted more of a 'date' night (which turned into a disaster which again, would go into another blog!).
Day trips:
I already admitted that we didn't save up enough for our vacation day trips, but were going to do it anyway. Well, we planned for one day trip....and then Dad threw in another.
While at my parents' house, we took the kids to a Discovery Museum. Mom didn't go that day because SHE was out of sorts that time. Dad picked up the tickets, but due to the timing, we ended up having lunch there (never mind that I wanted to go after lunch at home.....). And Dad let me get lunch....$45.
While at my mother in law's...we planned on taking the kids to the aquarium...the one thing we did plan for. Tickets....$138. Mother in law picked up lunch. And then parking was $22. Oh, and it was an additional half tank of gas!! So our out of pocket expense for this adventure was about $185!!!!!!*sigh* If it was just this one expense that we didn't have saved up for, I would have been ok with it. But at this point, we were about $375 over and above any expense we had anticipated.
By the end of our vacation....we had charged about $500 worth of expenses over and above what we had cash for or had prepurchased. OUCH.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Ramblings about a buffet restaurant
G-man was off from his part time job this morning (although as I type this he is at his main job...with holiday pay!). We took a family shopping trip (more on this later this week) and decided to stop and get lunch (don't lecture me on the eating out thing, please!)
We went to an all you can eat buffet place....I think this was the first time in YEARS we had been there. I mean, this is not the mecca of cuisine. But the kids had fun. A few things I noticed:
1) Drinks are no longer included. They now charge you an additional $1.79 if you would like to drink something other than water. I am curious how they really enforce this....yes, it is on the little card on the table that we did indeed purchase drinks. But how closely are they paying attention?
2) The plates are WAY smaller. I am guessing that some number cruncher figured out how much wasted food they had, and figured if they had smaller plates, they would waste less. I know it can't be because they care about our health (c'mon...this is not the best for you food). Also got me thinking....how much did it cost to purchase all these new plates?
3) As a spin off to Numbers 1 and 2....the drink glasses also shrank. I would say they were maybe 10oz? G-man drank a whole glass in one chug.
4) Kids meals are actually a GREAT deal. $2.99 for each of my kids. Includes drink. While neither of them ate a huge amount, if you have a good eater.....they can go to town!
All in all, we spent $25 for all 4 of us (including tip). Not great...not horrible. I just found it interesting how the economy seems to have changed this type of dining experience.
We went to an all you can eat buffet place....I think this was the first time in YEARS we had been there. I mean, this is not the mecca of cuisine. But the kids had fun. A few things I noticed:
1) Drinks are no longer included. They now charge you an additional $1.79 if you would like to drink something other than water. I am curious how they really enforce this....yes, it is on the little card on the table that we did indeed purchase drinks. But how closely are they paying attention?
2) The plates are WAY smaller. I am guessing that some number cruncher figured out how much wasted food they had, and figured if they had smaller plates, they would waste less. I know it can't be because they care about our health (c'mon...this is not the best for you food). Also got me thinking....how much did it cost to purchase all these new plates?
3) As a spin off to Numbers 1 and 2....the drink glasses also shrank. I would say they were maybe 10oz? G-man drank a whole glass in one chug.
4) Kids meals are actually a GREAT deal. $2.99 for each of my kids. Includes drink. While neither of them ate a huge amount, if you have a good eater.....they can go to town!
All in all, we spent $25 for all 4 of us (including tip). Not great...not horrible. I just found it interesting how the economy seems to have changed this type of dining experience.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Totals...sort of
One of my goals for the year was to keep better track of our spending habits. One flaw in my plan has surfaced. Cash. I rarely use cash. G-man....seems to think that cash is "secret" money. If he uses cash to buy a soda, then it doesn't count toward the totals. Same thing happens with his credit card. I had to add up our checking account totals with his credit card totals to get these numbers.
Grocery Total - $128.33
I looked at our checking account and sorted by transaction name (so all the grocery ones would show up together). Came up with $95.48 to date. Looked at G-man's credit card, and that total went up to $128.33. His credit card accounts for almost 25% of the groceries purchased this month. And this doesn't account for anything he has paid cash for. HMMMM. Interesting. Still doing pretty good this month as a whole though, even though the refrigerator is kind of empty.
Gas - $308.07
UGH. We don't go tooling around town wasting gas. We live almost exactly half way between each of our jobs, which are about 30 min away in opposite directions. Add in gas for taking Bossy to therapy weekly, and the rising gas prices....and here ya go. Sad thing, we still have almost 2 weeks left in the month. What can you say when your gas bill is over 2x your grocery bill???? If this move does happen, we are DEFINITELY living closer to G-man's job.
Eating out - $63.96
This number accounts for cash that I know I have spent, and trackable transactions. This number could be better. And we have already planned on going out for our anniversary, so I know that this number is going to be high this month. Definitely an area to keep a reign on.
Grocery Total - $128.33
I looked at our checking account and sorted by transaction name (so all the grocery ones would show up together). Came up with $95.48 to date. Looked at G-man's credit card, and that total went up to $128.33. His credit card accounts for almost 25% of the groceries purchased this month. And this doesn't account for anything he has paid cash for. HMMMM. Interesting. Still doing pretty good this month as a whole though, even though the refrigerator is kind of empty.
Gas - $308.07
UGH. We don't go tooling around town wasting gas. We live almost exactly half way between each of our jobs, which are about 30 min away in opposite directions. Add in gas for taking Bossy to therapy weekly, and the rising gas prices....and here ya go. Sad thing, we still have almost 2 weeks left in the month. What can you say when your gas bill is over 2x your grocery bill???? If this move does happen, we are DEFINITELY living closer to G-man's job.
Eating out - $63.96
This number accounts for cash that I know I have spent, and trackable transactions. This number could be better. And we have already planned on going out for our anniversary, so I know that this number is going to be high this month. Definitely an area to keep a reign on.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Doin' it old school
When the kids were younger (like 2 or 3), and we had to go out to run errands....I did what most moms do: pack snacks! If were were going to be out for awhile, I would pack lunch. I should note that really this food packing was for Sassy Girl. Bossy boy did not eat due to medical reasons, but I packed his medical feeding.
We have a weekly appointment for Bossy Boy at 5:30pm, and typically I would stop at 5:00 and buy the overriced, oversalted, overfat Happy Meal. Additionally, I would pick something up for myself. (now, beyond the money factor....this was doing nothing for my weight loss efforts)
In an effort to save money, I packed the kids dinner. Bossy Boy usually eats at his appointment (as part of the appointment). And Sassy Girl ate her ever so gor-met (you can't use the word gourmet when describing food of this caliber) in the car: cheese cracker sandwiches, grapes, nutrigrain bar, water).
Now, Bossy Boy had a melt down and we ended up leaving his appointment 45 min late. Apparently my gor-met dinner did not tide over one such Sassy Girl. So I stopped and got her some nuggets off the dollar menu, and drink for me, to the tune of $3.17.
Better than the usual $12 I have been spending per week!
Maybe next week I will try and pack her a little better dinner. :)
We have a weekly appointment for Bossy Boy at 5:30pm, and typically I would stop at 5:00 and buy the overriced, oversalted, overfat Happy Meal. Additionally, I would pick something up for myself. (now, beyond the money factor....this was doing nothing for my weight loss efforts)
In an effort to save money, I packed the kids dinner. Bossy Boy usually eats at his appointment (as part of the appointment). And Sassy Girl ate her ever so gor-met (you can't use the word gourmet when describing food of this caliber) in the car: cheese cracker sandwiches, grapes, nutrigrain bar, water).
Now, Bossy Boy had a melt down and we ended up leaving his appointment 45 min late. Apparently my gor-met dinner did not tide over one such Sassy Girl. So I stopped and got her some nuggets off the dollar menu, and drink for me, to the tune of $3.17.
Better than the usual $12 I have been spending per week!
Maybe next week I will try and pack her a little better dinner. :)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Grocery and Eating Out Update
We set a budget with the FA, based purely on an educated guess. We are finding that we were a little off in our thoughts.
Our budget:
Grocery - $400
Dining out - $100
FA's budget (trying to reign in on things!):
Grocery - $340
Dining out - $50
Yeah......not sure those any of those numbers are realistic. And after my rant last week over high price ice cream, I was SURE we were bombing all of this. So I did a tally this afternoon for September (to date).
Grocery - $218.75
Dining out - $160.32
I am happy with the grocery....we are actually a little ahead. But I think part of that is also because we are down to bare bones in the house!!!!
Dining out.....well......part of that is because of G-man's crazy hours due to a work project (being in the field, he had to get food out. And trust me....even if he could have brought something....he wouldn't have eaten it in that environment). And we took the kids out to dinner this weekend (which I am totally ok with....they eat in a restaurant so infrequently). And not having food in the house.....so we ordered Chinese 2x.
So we definitely aren't HORRID on the groceries. Need to work on the dining out. I give us a grade of B on the groceries, and D on the dining out!
Our budget:
Grocery - $400
Dining out - $100
FA's budget (trying to reign in on things!):
Grocery - $340
Dining out - $50
Yeah......not sure those any of those numbers are realistic. And after my rant last week over high price ice cream, I was SURE we were bombing all of this. So I did a tally this afternoon for September (to date).
Grocery - $218.75
Dining out - $160.32
I am happy with the grocery....we are actually a little ahead. But I think part of that is also because we are down to bare bones in the house!!!!
Dining out.....well......part of that is because of G-man's crazy hours due to a work project (being in the field, he had to get food out. And trust me....even if he could have brought something....he wouldn't have eaten it in that environment). And we took the kids out to dinner this weekend (which I am totally ok with....they eat in a restaurant so infrequently). And not having food in the house.....so we ordered Chinese 2x.
So we definitely aren't HORRID on the groceries. Need to work on the dining out. I give us a grade of B on the groceries, and D on the dining out!
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