Layout:
Home > Archive: September, 2004

Archive for September, 2004

Exercising saves gas

September 30th, 2004 at 01:56 pm

We bought a stationary exercise bike a few weeks ago (on sale of course).

As I was working out last night, which happens to be the first night our furnace kicked on, I started sweating, naturally. So, when I took a shower afterwards I set the termperature much lower than I usually do. I usually take showers in the winter just to warm up!

I'm so glad we bought this bike - we get to work out in the convenience of our own house and take showers in our own, without worrying about someone stealing our stuff in lockers. I also never have to wait for the machine.

Dr.'s follow up

September 28th, 2004 at 06:51 pm

I went to my follow up visit at the doctor's office today. I was just waiting for them to charge me another co-pay the whole time, so I was very relieved when they said I was all set.

I know it's a deterrent so you don't go to the doctor's all the time, but it's also highly aggravating to pay thousands upon thousands for insurance, to just have to pay more when you actually put it to use.

ER and new water heater

September 27th, 2004 at 06:07 pm

Well, I just had an expensive weekend. I had to go to the ER for a virus in my eye. Read: $50 copay plus medication.
Then, we put in a new water heater and had our furnace maintained.
While that was expensive, it will save us money in the long run. Our furnace is ancient. We also had the air regulators/valves replaced on all of our radiators. Tested them out and they're working much better.

As if that wasn't enough, we had two tons of wood pellets delivered on Saturday for our pellet stove. The guys were nice enough to help us bring them into our basement this time. Wahoo!

Nachos addendum

September 22nd, 2004 at 04:36 pm

Soooo yeah, we're still eating those nachos. It's incredible. We had them with some home fries because I had leftover potatoes and it proved to be very filling.

I'm all alone for dinner tonight, so I'll be finishing them up. Those nachos have stretched over three dinners. I'm amazed.

Affordable Takeout

September 21st, 2004 at 03:25 pm

My husband surprised me last night.

I had to work late unexpectedly, so he went to a great Mexican restaurant and got some stacked nachos to go - for only $8! It fed us both heartily for dinner and we'll have enough for tonight's dinner as well. It was great to not have to cook when I was tired, and finally eat out!

Crushed Tomatoes

September 20th, 2004 at 08:33 pm

Crushed tomatoes are the saving grace of our kitchen. I make some form of pasta once a week, for which I require one 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes.
I just got VERY lucky and was able to get 12 cans for 33 cents each! I'm ecstatic. I bought 8 cans for 39 cents during the winter and was bummed when I ran out.

Is it unethical to purchase more when the limit is 12? Does that usually mean 12 per purchase, or 12 per family? The flyer didn't specify.

Pick your own apples

September 18th, 2004 at 08:56 pm

We just got back from picking our own apples. $17 for half a bushel.
While this is more expensive than from the grocery store, I felt great supporting the local farmers and the apples are as fresh as can be.
I hate eating waxy produce that I know is covered with pesticides. Ugh.

I'm off to bake some apple goodness!

Early Morning Coffee Weakness

September 17th, 2004 at 01:52 pm

I was weak this morning. My husband and I both bought some Dunkin Donuts because we didn't make any at the house as we usually do.

I figured it was ok as I made dinner last night for 80 cents. I'm so proud! 80 cents which fed two adults, and there's enough left over for lunch today.

I'm thinking about preparing a recipe book/binder for myself with meals that are under $1 per person to prepare. That way, when I see ingredients on sale in the flyers I can look through my binder to locate a recipe and make sure I have everything else I need before I hit the grocery store. Does anyone else do something like this?

Dinner Tonight and Water Stains

September 16th, 2004 at 09:11 pm

I'm not quite sure what to make for dinner tonight. I have leftover rice with veggies from last night that I'd like to use up, but it's not enough for a meal. I haven't made a complete dinner since we got back. (Ok, I confess. We ordered a pizza in the night we got back in the US, my inlaws gave us some money).

Another discovery when we returned was water stains on our kitchen ceiling. So.....we'll be up on the roof fixing it this weekend. Sounds like fun!

Cucumbers galore

September 16th, 2004 at 02:25 pm

We sent off our complaint letter to the airline last night. I hope we get some reparations. We checked their website for their own policies on what we should receive in the event of a significant delay and we only got one of those offers. We have quite a case.

On a different note - when we got back I had two HUGE cucumbers that were hardly growing when we left. It's salad for lunch for the rest of the week...
The only other thing I've harvested from my garden so far is some lettuce which wasn't enough for a salad. I've only been putting some on sandwiches once in a great while.

I'm back!!

September 14th, 2004 at 06:32 pm

Well I'm back from my trip to Europe - one day late. We had delays which caused me to miss two connecting flights resulting in us having to spend the night in Amsterdam unexpectedly. That means I lost a vacation day, waiting around in the airport for the next flight. Grrrr....

They wouldn't give us our checked baggage back, so we had no overnight items (they conveniently ran out of their overnight kits last month). Grr again.

Oh well. I got to spend 21 Euros for "I'm not coming to work tomorrow" phone calls. I'll have to write a complaint letter - we didn't do anything wrong but we have to pay the price.

Lunchtime shopping

September 1st, 2004 at 06:59 pm

I did it again.
I spent money during my lunch break.

I bought a blazer at Filene's Basement that I'll use as my Fall/Spring jacket. I figure for $30 - that's not a bad deal, right? I know, I know I could have gotten one cheaper, but I wanted one that has style too.

If I had given myself more time to shop at other store, I might have found a better deal, but I wanted to have this in time for my trip to Europe on Friday. The weather starts to turn blah there right now, so I'm banking that I'll need it.


Supporting Sites: College Finances Garden Savings Grocery Store Coupons Investing Basics Reduce Debt