Between the hubs and my payckecks tomorrow, we will have an additional $568. (Overtime, plus my raise) Last month, the hub had to charge extra to stay overnight in Seattle because of fog. This, plus his normal expenses for travel equalled almost $300 that needed to be paid on his visa which left $268. This was applied to cc#2.

I anticipated cc#2 being paid in October, but now I have budgeted to move that payoff to August.

Dinner tonight was the remainder of the leftover teriyaki chicken. I DID go out to lunch today with two former coworkers. I spent $7 and had a nice visit with my friends.

Tomorrow is breakfast burrito Friday...which is only $3 and fills me up for the day. And tomorrow night is granddaughter (age 4) date night. I am not sure what we will do. But I also have to finish packing for my trip to the coast. Us girls will have fun. GD loves to play on the ipad, but I am hoping to spend non-plugged in time with her.

The coast trip this weekend is free to me, except the food....I am soo looking forward to the time away. I have a good book, a good movie and a great view to look forward to. I am still debating whether or not to eat some fresh seafood while I am there...

The hub called at 5pm tonight...he had been working a 30 hour shift with a small nap. He sounded pretty tired, but he still had 3-4 hours to go. I hope he has time to sleep tonight. Working that many hours cant be good for anyone.

I know being out of the office part of next week will catch up with me...but I also know that spending time with our new staff is important too.

In any case, I am looking forward to a quiet Sat and Sun ahead.

Tonight was leftover night. (chicken teriyaki, sweet onion and jasmine rice). I know people who say the 'hate' leftovers and never eat them. When its just me here, I have leftovers more during the week than I do original meals so I cant fathom that..leftovers are often even better than the original meal. 1- prep time is so much quicker and 2- the flavors meld together and are so tasty 3- the cost is right. What is not to LOVE about leftovers?? Anyways, mine were excellent tonight.

I went to the used bookstore today and picked up two books on CD to listen to on the way to the coast this weekend. ($30) When I am done with them, I plan to take them back and get some of the money back- I think I will get half back.

Tonight, when I told the hub how we are doing on debt repay he perked up. Both of us are ready to do this..so he was as excited as I am.

Today was another crazy busy day. I am ready to have just a normal day at work- where I get to work have a to-do list and have a few interruptions during the day. Right now I juggle a to-do list and 'fires', of which there are many. This is the stuff burn-out is made of. Seriously.

But it is also the stuff job security is made of. I am blessed to have a job I love...just wish there wasnt so much of it to squeeze into every workday.

All in all, cant complain. I am pretty stinkin blessed.

DD2 has learned that her tax return will arrive on Friday. (its showing as pending now)

So- I scheduled the payoff on CC#1 for Friday and will have $1200 to send to cc#2 on Friday. (yay!)

I forgot lunch this morning, so I took advantage of pizza Wed at work. For $3 you get 2-3 slices of pizza and a can of soda. Its a good deal- so I dont feel too guilty for $3.

Tomorrow I will be able to see what the hubs check will be..extra is going to cc#2.



Now that I am focused with a plan, debt repayment has never been so fun.

I am so glad I save entries now...almost lost another one, but didnt!

Dinner tonight was so yummy. Chicken breast, spicy teriyaki sauce, sweet onion and jasmine rice. So cheap, easy, quick and tasty! Love those go-to meals! Cost less than $5 and took less than 30 minutes in the kitchen and was way healthier than fast food. Did I mention LEFT OVERS too- at least two more meals!

I have a long list to finish at work this week. I love staying so busy the days fly by, but my goodness- I honestly dont think Ive ever worked at the pace Im keeping since the first of the year. I love my job, its just I feel like IM juggling as fast as I possibly can. I will be visiting our new branches next Monday and Tuesday, so I will be out of the office...which means even more fun when I get back.

I called my friend in California last night and arranged to stay with her the extra two nights that we will be there. The package for the three day hopper pass, three nights at the hotel, a free meal for four and a $20 gift card was $1790, which I have paid. Now we will have to pay for gas, food and any extras - DD2 and I are splitting these expenses. I figure another $500 each- gas and food will be the biggest chunk. I am taking a cooler so that we can take snacks and drinks on the drive. We will do mainly water (using water bottles) in the park. DD3 is getting each of the kids a gift card and they can use it for whatever they want, but that way she can cap the spending.

Im not sure yet what I will do for food this weekend at the coast. I have some very ripe bananas- so I am thinking about making muffins to take...I am not sure what they have cooking untensil wise in the condo...so I may end up just eating out for a meal or two. But I havent decided. With a little planning, and taking what I think Ill need- it would be easy to cook my own meals and hole up at the condo with a book...hmmm. Much to think about.

I paid off one debt today and schedule the remaining money from the bonus, $1600, to go to the next debt, which will happen tomorrow. It feels wonderful to be started on this trajectory.

I received a refund check today from our cancelled cell phone service for $77.83, so I am scheduling an additional transfer to debt #2.

Yesterday and today were no spend days. I had leftovers for lunch and dinner.

When the hub comes home next time, he is going to have the taxes done. I wish we could do them ourselves to save money, but he has his wood business that always impacts our taxes. Last year we got a net refund of over $2k. I anticipate this year will be similar..that money will also go to debt #2.

So- today I asked and guess what, I RECEIVED. I am going to be working over on the coast Monday and Tuesday. Our job has leased a condo while we are merging operations...and I asked if I could go over on Saturday and enjoy the condo (which is OCEAN FRONT by the way) for the weekend...and YEP. I am soo excited. PLUS...they need me to take a company car over so that there is a car over there permanently...Another worker is coming on Monday and I will ride back with her on Tuesday afternoon....SO I GET A FREE WEEKEND AWAY with a spectacular view and I dont even have to pay for gas!!!! I just have to feed myself, which I can do really cheaply. Yippee!!!
I totally see a good book in my future..yes yes yes!!

I have a date night on Friday with my four year old granddaughter and then on Saturday morning..this gramma will be ON THE ROAD.

Life, well...could it get any better???

I cancelled the ING transfer for the bonus. Instead, I sat down today and made a payment plan for paying off all debt besides our mortgage. I will confess that I have never calculated this, because I was afraid the payoff date would be so far away that I would get too discouraged. (Kind of like my fear when I step on the scale....some folks might understand this, others wont.)

Anyway...I did it. And I was PLEASANTLY surprised. By using a snowball method and not calculating any future windfalls or pay increases, we will be debt free by mid Summer 2015. That is completely doable!! And very exciting. Expecially since my budget doesnt account for any OT for the hub- which during the winter months, there is a lot of. So if I stick to this basic plan, that is the date. However, if I put extra at every chance, it could be even sooner.

What an awesome feeling. And this allows us to continue to add to savings, 401k, and enjoy vacations.

Why did I wait so long to do this???

So, my bonus money and what DD2 pays us will go towards the smalles of the debts and pay them in full. Then, the payment $$ from those bills will be allocated towards the next bill...and at the end of that fairly long (for now) tunnel..is the debt free life I want.

YAY!!!

The other half of the plan means taking care of our vehicles, so that those dont have to be replaced and not adding any debt along the way.

Tonight I am baking chicken. I was really disappointed when I went to cook, to realize that I left my nice big bottle of olive oil at the rental house last weekend. I use olive oil almost every time I cook, so I will need to pick some up tomorrow. I used butter tonight...because I didnt know what was the next best thing besides that.

Am so happy to share my plan. Now, to start watching the debt disappear for GOOD.

Happy Sunday!

This morning, I woke to DD2 and her 3 kiddos knocking at the front door. She showed up with coffee store mochas and very energetic youngsters. We sat down and mapped out a plan for the Disney trip. She nixed the Blue Bayou lunch plan- she is a picky eater and didn't see anything she wanted on the menu. So, that will save me a little- because the meals weren't cheap there.

Our plan is to leave on Friday- drive to Sacramento and stay with my son. Drive to my BFFs house near Disney on Sat...I will stay with BFF and DD2 will take the kids to see her grandma who lives a couple of hours on down the road.

She will come back Sunday afternoon and stay the night at BFFs and then we will head for the three night stay at Disney (30 min away) on Monday. Then, on Thursday, we will head home.

We plan to pick up snacks for the room, buy water bottles, etc. between now and then to save some money.

Our package includes a free character meal..which will help with the cost while we are there.

DD2 is getting her income tax return next week. She owes me $3k and will have enough to pay that back- plus all her other debt, have some for Disney and still put about $2k in savings.

With DD3 paying us back, the bonus money this weekend, and now DD2 paying us back, I am building savings quickly. I will come up with a plan for paying some things either off or down myself now that the money has been repaid and it isnt flowing out to help struggling kids anymore.

DD1 invited me over for the Superbowl today, but Im not sure I will go. I am pretty tired and havent had a chance to catch up on the housework like Id planned. Staying home and doing that sounds like a great idea...but I will see how things go this afternoon. Plus, I still have to get over to the pharmacy to pick up the pills that they shorted me last week.

So glad I copied this before sending...so I didnt have to start over.

I had a great time at the banquet tonight. I already set up a transfer to ING on Monday to include the tonights bonus plus the rebate money I have saved this year. All in all I am transferring $4344 to savings. Then, when the hub comes home next, we can decide which bills to pay with the money.

I reserved the excursions we are planning for the cruise. Since I can change up until a few days before the cruise, I thought it was a good idea to reserve spots NOW for the things we really want to do before they book up. Then, if we change our mind, I can cancel with no penalty.

I also finished paying for the hotel and Disney tickets today.

The money for both trips is budgeted not coming out of savings or being put on debt.

I started logging food again on My Fitness Pal...and am starting to use the free weights that we have. Tomorrow I plan to also incorporate a walk into the plan. I need to get ready for the walking at Disneyland and I really want to get in better shape for the cruise. I did really good with the food logging until the banquet tonight..the food was spectacular and I decided to just reset in the morning and start over.

Looking forward to a quiet day tomorrow. Superbowl or not, I want to get in some down time. Life is good!

Tonight is date night with my 4 year old grandson. He got to pick dinner...we had McDonalds. I took him to one with a big play place and he seemed to have a great time. I would have preferred something else for dinner, but it was his choice.

We came home and watched a movie together, now he is playing and using up the last of his energy before bedtime.

A couple of nights ago the hub bbqd tri tip and we had baked potatoes. I love green onions on baked potatoes, but when I pulled them out of the fridge, they were pretty soft...so I decided to forego the onlions. But I put them in a glass of water..and tonight, they are all perked back up. I trimmed the ends and have a nice healthy supply to use this weekend. I plan to just keep them growing this way. I dont use much, so I should be able to grow enough for me easily..all I need is water, a glass and a little sun from the window. The cost is right..and I will always have onions when I need them! At appx .75 a bundle, its not huge, but it is an easy way to save a little.

DD3 got paid today and I am tickled to say she has now paid us back in full...and has a real live savings account!! Go DD3!

So glad the weekend is here! I am looking forward to slowing my pace down for a couple of days and catching back up at home. Tonight, enjoying my date..life is blessed!

DD3 is doing so good in Alaska. I am really proud of her. She is working long hours without a day off- but is plugging along. After 3 and a half weeks, she has brought home $5800. For a 21 year old with hardly any job experience, thats not too shabby. She has already completely paid us back the $5k she owed us, and now is building her savings and paying off her small student loan. She has no other debt. If all goes as planned, she has at least 3 more months to work- and then pans to come home, get her CDL and then go back up and work full time. Again, I am so proud of her.

But....I am a little sad too. With my son and his family in California, the hub gone at least half the time to Alaska, and now DD3 gone for such a stretch...my empty nest feels deserted. Well, not totally, the two older girls and their families are still here.

Work continues to be super busy with no slow down in sight. The days fly by, but I am so, so tired at night when I get home. This week, I have managed to forget to eat breakfast, overeat at lunch at my desk and come home not very hungry...so much for my mealplan. I will spend time this weekend working on a food plan. If I dont get my stuff together, I am not going to lose weight and feel healthier for the vacation time I have planned. AND THAT IS NOT OK.

Tomorrow night my middle grandson, age 4, is spending the night. I am going to buy us the Hotel Transylvania movie to watch (Ive never seen it). His splurge for dinner.....McDonalds. At least it wont be exspensive. When you are 4, I guess that is the IT place to eat. I have snacks, including popcorn, and breakfast stuff here...Looking forward to having him over. He doesnt often get to go without his big sister (7), so I am hoping he enjoys a night all about him.

Pooped, but still so blessed. Life is good.

The meal plan for the next couple of weeks.

Breakfast and lunch will be oatmeal, bagels, sandwiches, eggs and canadian bacon or leftovers.

Thursday:
Leftover steak/bread/salad

Friday - Grandson's choice

Saturday - Awards Banquet - Free

Sunday- Superbowl Party at DD1s - taking cupcakes for dessert

Monday - Rosemary/garlic/lemon chicken + quinoa

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednedsay - Bean burritoes (with chicken if any is leftover)

Thursday - Teriyaki Chicken, rice and pineapple

Friday _ Grand daughter choice

Sat Leftovers chicken/rice

Sun - eggs, canadian bacon and cheese

Mon - at coast, job pays

Tues - at coast job pays

Today I was not as successful at getting my workload completed for vacation. There were simply too many roadblocks. So, while I am officially on vacation, I will be toting my laptop from work and working off and on to keep some important balls rolling this next week. It is simply unavoidable. But, that comes along with being exempt.

The hub is enroute tonight, but I am not sure if the heavy freezing fog we are experiencing will allow his plane to land or not. (Update...his flight is cancelled. He wont be home until tomorrow...poor guy.) He will arrive in Seattle in a couple of hours, and then we will find out if the connecting flight is happening. If it doesnt, the poor guy will sleep in the airport on one of those comfy (not) benches. He has been working 20 hour days and so I know he is exhausted already.

DD3 received her first full week paycheck. Her bring home, for one week = $1717. She was ecstatic. She will have all debt (she just owes $ to the hub and me and a small student loan) and have a nice big savings account to come home to.

Since she is paying us back, and we arent supporting her, my debt repayment will accelerate nicely. In all, she started out owing us just over $5k, but she will be under $3k tomorrow after only two weeks.

So happy to be on vacation..even though I have to work some, it is nice to know I can just do it on my time. So looking forward to our trip to the vacation home next week!!

This has been a good week.

I received my eval on Monday, and it went way better than I expected!! Not that I thought it would be bad, it is just the first time Ive been evaluated by this boss. My raise is 5.75% which is really good! However, the scale raised and even with this increase, I am lower on the scale than where I was before the increase. hmmm. So, I asked for that to be corrected. I am on the list that will be re-evaluated after evaluations are all done and the budget is finished. My argument has been acknowledged as valid and so it is very likely that the additional increase will happen.

Tomorrow is my last work day before vacation. I have been going full throttle since December with the changes we have had at work, and so I am ready for a break...however, my calendar that first week I go back is already booked solid. There isnt an end in sight for a while..so I plan to unwind as much as possible the next week and a half.

I mentioned that I bought new clothes and a new pair of shoes last weekend. My oh my...those new shoes are WAY comfy and were a good investment. My feet feel soo much better at night now. And the new clothes have put a bounce in my step. It has been great having a few new things to wear.

Z turned two this week. He is getting so big. Still no new word on what his future holds, but for now, he is safe, happy and loved.

The hub is supposed to come home tomorrow. But as Lucky Robin described in her blog today, there are extreme conditions on the Slope and it is questionable if he will actually get out and all the way home or not tomorrow. We dont leave for our get away until Tuesday morning, so we have a little wiggle room for travel delays.

DD3 is doing wonderful at her job up north. She is learning so much and aside from all the snow and extreme weather this week, she has really enjoyed being up there.

Monday and Tuesday were no spend days, I stuck to the food plan and ate leftovers. Today I went to lunch and had grilled salmon and rice pilaf ($15). It was so tasty and it was soooo nice and relaxing to get away from the desk for an hour.

Tomorrow will be super busy getting everything ready for being gone next week..but knowing when I leave work tomorrow night I have the next 10 days off will make it worthwhile.

Life...is really good. I am so blessed.

The ...Packers....lost last night *sniff*. I guess that means I can be more focused on other things until next August.

I have Z today. I didnt expect to but DD2 just realized that she has to get in 20 hours of study for her pharmacy tech certification renewal by the 20th. So, she is studying and I am playing. Z turns two on Tuesday.

I havent grocery shopped for the week- and plan to challenge myself to live off of what I have on hand. I have tamales that SIL sent home with me last night. I have one chicken breast, that I can shred and make enchiladas and I have pasta and sauce. For breakfast, I have oatmeal. Lunch will be paid by work Mon - Wed as we have a guest visiting, and I am their host, so I will be taking her to lunch on the corp card. Piece of cake.

Tomorrow is my evaluation. This is my first eval with this boss. I am eager to see how she scores me and learn what my raise will be. I work really hard at my job, but I am so blessed to have the position that I have- I am doing what I love and getting paid for it. I hope to do this 8 more years, and then retire at 60. The hub supports this idea, I just have to stay financially focused. Any raise I get will be added to the 401k contributions.

Today is an kick back day of laundry, housework and playing with lil Z. Life is good!

Today was payday for both the hubby and me. My paycheck include the 10% rebate that employees get on interest paid and earned on accounts for the year...and also had the higher social security taxes taken out. My net was still higher by $110. The hubs paycheck was a little over $700 more than budgeted. This week I paid the utility bills, deposited for the birthday account for the year, paid $1000 to debt, paid off the small cc that the hub uses for airline and hotel expenses and deposited the monthly vacation and christmas amounts. Checkmark.

DD3 also received her first paycheck- $678, and that was for four days. She is seasonal and will work about 5 months. She is paying us back for expenses for getting the job and because I paid off her truck so that she could register it in her name before she left...so for a while, $500 from each paycheck will come to mom. He future paychecks should be much higher, and so even after the $500 ding, she should come home to a nice savings account.

As one of my 2013 goals, I am having one grandchild spend the night on Fridays. Tonight is my oldest grandsons turn- he is 8. This means, I will need to pick up steak on the way home..he is a true carnivore who loves his meat and potatoes.- Well, mostly just the meat. We will play Jenga, watch a movie with some popcorn and he will want to play something on the ipad. Should be a fun night.

Tomorrow my SIL is making homemade tamales and we are watching the Packers/49ers game. Im a Packer fan, everyone else that will be there is a 49ers fan. Should be fun.

I booked the airline tickets today for our cruise in August. I arrive in Seattle about 4 hours before the hub does. That leaves at least a couple of hours to have coffee with SA friends in the area...hmmm.

My job posted the calculator function today for our rewards bonus. It is based on salary, goals and evaluation. I plugged in my best guess on my eval and was very pleasantly surprised to see the results. After taxes, and with all the other 'extra' end of the year money I have received, I will have about $4k to pay on debt at the beginning of Feb. Now that we have our emergency fund funded, I want to focus earnestly on this weight around our shoulders called consumer debt. I have disclosed before that the debt was made during time I had taken off work for two year...primarily with my sons business that failed and on home repairs on our older country home. It will take 3-4 years for us to pay it off, but there is light at the end of this very long tunnel.

I DO want to balance paying this debt off with enjoying this stage in our lives and traveling. The hub and I both want to explore a little now that the kids are raised...but I want to also be a good steward of our money and make sure debt is paid as much as possible along the way. My goal is to plan one bigger vacation and a few mini vacations each year. But extra money outside of the vacation budget, will go towards debt.

Tonight, I enjoyed the marinaded teriyaki chicken breast, onion and pineapple over rice. Uh, YUM. The chicken was left over...so the meal was pretty cheap. One way I can help with our budget is to live frugally while the hub is in Alaska- which I try to do. Thankfully, I have several QUICK meals that can be fixed, baked and on the plate in 30 minutes or so...which helps when youre tired- it just takes planning. I have leftovers for lunch and dinner tomorrow.

Tomorrow I find out what the hubs check will be. Also, it should be DD3s first payday this week. She had to borrow quite a bit to pay off her truck and get all her gear and get to her her job, so a portion of her checks will pay us back for a while. I always look forward to seeing what the check is...its budgeted up to a certain dollar amount, the rest is extra to put towards debt, or unexpected expenses. This week, we havent had any unexpected stuff, so it can all go towards the debt. My longer term goal is to retire in 8 years, so paying off the debt and maximizing savings is a priority now.

I love days like today. I didn’t leave the house. Didn’t spend any money. Got so much done and the week ahead will be easier because of it!!

Here is my list of accomplishments today:
• Calculated budget through August
• Washed sheets/made bed
• Made teriyaki chicken and quinoa- enough for 4 meals
• Deep cleaned the kitchen
• Boxed up all Christmas decorations
• Washed & readied worked clothes for the week
• Made oatmeal for week

I budgeted for the next six months without calculating any OT for the hub. This will ensure that the bills are all paid and any OT is extra to go towards debt or savings. I also didn’t calculate a raise for me- but I will be getting one in February. I will add my raise to my 401K plan. Right now I am sending 8% to the 401k and my job matches that (8% is the max they will match).

Last year we paid off $5k in debt during the winter. This year my goal is to pay an additional $5k in debt while paying for the cruise we will be taking in August.

This should be an inexpensive week since I have meals all preplanned. I may need gas by the end of the week, but otherwise just anticipate the budgeted bills and no other expenses.

I love days like today. I didn’t leave the house. Didn’t spend any money. Got so much done and the week ahead will be easier because of it!!

Here is my list of accomplishments today:
• Calculated budget through August
• Washed sheets/made bed
• Made teriyaki chicken and quinoa- enough for 4 meals
• Deep cleaned the kitchen
• Boxed up all Christmas decorations
• Washed & readied worked clothes for the week
• Made oatmeal for week

I budgeted for the next six months without calculating any OT for the hub. This will ensure that the bills are all paid and any OT is extra to go towards debt or savings. I also didn’t calculate a raise for me- but I will be getting one in February. I will add my raise to my 401K plan. Right now I am sending 8% to the 401k and my job matches that (8% is the max they will match).

Last year we paid off $5k in debt during the winter. This year my goal is to pay an additional $5k in debt while paying for the cruise we will be taking in August.

This should be an inexpensive week since I have meals all preplanned. I may need gas by the end of the week, but otherwise just anticipate the budgeted bills and no other expenses.

Tuesday is the first court date for determining Z’s permanent situation. (Z has been in foster care, living with DD2 since he was 5 months old and turns 2 in a little over a week.) The scales have tipped recently in DD2’s favor for being able to keep him permanently. The ironic thing is that DD2 didn’t sign up for foster parenting, it was an emergency intervention, she was asked to take him for two weeks…and now almost 2 years later, he is fully engrained in our family. Please pray, send good thoughts, cross your fingers…that Z is allowed to stay with the only family he knows…it would break our hearts to have to see him go.

This month, it is my turn for cooking dinner for the homeless teen shelter on Tuesday. (I rotate with two others for one night each month- so every three months) I am defrosting some chicken breast and have supplies to make enchiladas and rice- so that is what I will be making. Last time there were 15 at the house…I will have to call tomorrow to find out how many to cook for.

Today I am catching up on housework and thinking about 2013 goals. Because work has been so busy since the end of the year, I haven’t had a chance to do either. Our budget is planned through March, so I need to finish the budget for the rest of the year. I want to plan things to do myself when the hub is in Alaska- and also plan things to do together when he is home. Seems like I had several things I thought about that we never got around to…I find we are much more successful when I WRITE IT DOWN somewhere that I can see.

My credit union gives out several versions of calendars- so I have a year at a glance on my fridge, and a month to month hanging in the bedroom. This should help keep me on track. Now to get the lists of to-dos ready….

The first court date for permanently placing Z is Tuesday. (He has been living with my daughter since he was 5 months old..he turns 2 next week) There have been a few turns in events that are tilting the scale in DD2s favor- so please keep your fingers crossed for her (us).

Today will be a stay at home, no spend day. This cold is kickin my butt- and I have major catch up to do around the house, so that will be about as ambitious as I get.

I brought home leftovers from the dinner last night. Just the leftover stuff that I took, but it is enough for one or two meals.

I still have not had time to sit down and plan out goals for 2013. With all the extra time at work and then catching this cold, there has not been time or energy...but that is on my list for today. I have our budget worked out through March, but I need to go ahead and set it for the rest of the year. Plus determine plans for when the hub is home and when the hub is gone.

It is my turn this month (Tuesday) to fix dinner for the local homeless teen shelter. Usually there are about 15 people there..I just remembered this, so I will need to get to the store tomorrow to pick up the fixings for something to put together tomorrow night for delivery on Tuesday... hmm.

Got the pork ribs cooking ($6) in the crockpot and will make some red potatoes ($1.50) to go with them- and then, got an invite to a friends to watch the Greenbay/Vikings game. I will take the food over to share with the friends- she is making pork and a salad too, so we will have a fun, inexpensive night 'out'. I am a big Greenbay fan...and so tonight is a big playoff game that I am looking forward to. GO PACKERS.

Ive heard from DD3 a couple of times today. She said she is learning lots and making friends..everyone is being very friendly- makes me feel a lot better since she is so far from home.

Yesterday's payday refilled the food and allowance budgets for the month. I still have allowance left over from last month, so I just deposited mine into my savings account. DD3 wont be using my car (gas) or helping eat the food, or needing any emergency money...so I may not have to use much allowance this month- well, except for a haircut and occasional treats for grandbabies.

Next week, the hub and I both get paid. He has been working 15-20 hours a day- so it should be a big check. Poor guy- he is working so much, but really is enjoying that he is in charge of 'his' road this year. The extra money is earmarked for paying down debt that we incurred a couple of years ago helping DS with his business startup and numerous repairs on our 50+ year old country house. It will take us a couple more years to pay off the debt...then we will start focusing more heavily on retirment savings.

This week was insanely busy. On Wed and Thur, I was in the car 5+ hours each day, worked 8+ very busy hours and got very little sleep in between. Unfortunately, several of the people at the new locations were sick...and I have managed to pick up the bug. I did get to take most of today off because of all the extra hours this week and last weekend. I slept in til almost 10 this morning, which I never do..got my grocery shopping done ($60) worked for about 2 hours and cleaned house.

One of my New Years resolutions is to spend time with a different grandchild each week when the hub is in Alaska. So tonight, my 7 year old granddaughter is spending the night. I plan to rotate each week and let one of them spend the night each Friday night.

Today was the hubs payday, and his check was $600 more than budgeted. A good thing because we had unexpected expenses this week.

DD3 left on Wednesday morning for Alaska. Bless her heart, she didnt want to cut in front of anyone when they were announcing last call for luggage...there was a long line, so she called me after a few more minutes and I said YES, get up there and get your luggage checked in...
Unfortunately, it was too late. She made the plane, but the luggage had to be sent overnight Fed Ex...at the tune of over FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS. ouch. I paid for it, but she will be paying it back. I dont think she will hesitate about getting checked in again. Poor kid.

It is very lonely having DD3 gone. I dont even know how many thoughts Ive started off with..I should call her to go to lunch, or figure out what we will do for dinner, or....just to remember that she isnt here to buddy up with. But she did make it safely and starts her new job tomorrow- she is pretty excited...but it may be 5 months before I see her again...

The hub received a $75 gift card from his job- hopefully he will want to use it on massages when he comes home at the end of the month.

The week ahead I have planned to rotate chicken and pork ribs for dinners and lunches.

Tonight- Chicken and rice - granddaughters choice
Saturday - Pork ribs in the crockpot
Sunday - Rosemary chicken and quinoa
Monday- Pulled pork sandwiches (left over from Sat)
Tuesday - Left over chicken and quinoa
Wednesday - Enchiladas with shredded chicken
Thursday- Leftover enchiladas
Friday- TBD - Date night with 8 year old grandson (may have to buy steak, that is his meal of choice usually)

Tomorrow I will fry up a lb of bacon and I got a tube of cinnamon rolls- (granddaughter request)...they were on sale for $1.69. Leftover bacon will be used for breakfast the next couple of mornings with oatmeal or eggs.

Lunches- sandwiches, soup or leftovers.

This weekend I need to go look for a few new work clothes and a new pair of work shoes- maybe try to get my hair cut. Something easy..the ends are really showing that its been7 months since Ive had it cut/trimmed.