Spring break budget roundup

I've been paying a closer eye to the budget for our upcoming travel, as we have a bunch of expenses related to Sam's college (orientation, move in date, as well as just the cost of college itself), combined with me not working. I also have the flexibility to travel more myself (what a gift that is), but can only do that if I'm setting a budget & being more frugal than in previous years. 

The good news is that we have a lot of travel credits, points, miles, etc, so staying on top of those & using those first has been really helpful. Beyond that, we are also just evaluating the value of each trip & prioritizing how we want to spend our money. 

I set a goal for our spring break trip of $1500. Originally, we were going to do a road trip to Redwoods National Park, but opted to ski at the last minute, when the resorts were still open. Nick convinced us. ;-) We had a fabulous time. 

Here's how we spent our money:

• $3.76 - lunch for the teens on the way to Lake Tahoe
• $179.97 - dinner out our first night
• $37.87 - lunch for me + Sam on our last day
• $177.85 - lunches on the mountain, including bonus teen friend for one of the meals
• $380.66 - cost of the hotel (two rooms) + two dinners that we charged to the room
• $13.21 - coffee for MR each morning (he's not a Starbucks fan)
• $93.32 - gas
• $13.96 - snacks purchased at Trader Joes, to bring on the trip
• $80.33 - Breakfast for the boys + coffee for me each morning - Starbucks gift card, so technically not out of pocket, but including for completeness 
• Ski passes - free, as we had season passes

Total spent = $980.93, so well under budget. This was possible, as we used points at the hotel to offset much of the cost of the three nights rooms. The most outrageous cost was my coffee every morning, as they charged an extra $1.50 for oat milk, which is wild to me. They do have a coffee maker in the room, but we've tried the coffee before & it's pretty abysmal. I convince myself that, if I buy the Starbucks gift cards at a discount (often this is how I earn grocery store rewards), I'm saving a bit on that. I also try to use Starbucks rewards for at least one of the coffees while I'm there. 

Fancy/pricey oat milk lattes aside, I'm very pleased with the cost of the trip. Feeding two hungry teens is expensive at the best of times, and throw in additional appetite from skiing, and it's quite pricey. :-) 

I've set budgets for the upcoming Sedona trip with my mom, as well as my trip to Costa Rica with M, so I'll share the recaps on those trips, as they happen. 

Do you track spending for travel? Are you typically able to stay under budget? Any tips to share? 

Final hurrah of April - goal check in

 I'm trying to stay focused on what I still need to accomplish before the end of the month, particularly as I leave for Sedona on Sunday for a hiking trip with my mom.

Financial:

• Pay federal & State taxes - done
• Sort out cash flow & remaining 2024 budget, post severance numbers - I still don't have my complete severance numbers, but have an estimate. And, now I have college numbers, which is helpful.
• Earn $300 in side hustle - $1261/300, helped by our Costco rebate, a settlement check & 11 eBay/FB Marketplace sales.
• Monthly freezer/pantry challenge: use up fish sticks, rotisserie chicken & pulled pork. - used up the pulled pork, the rotisserie chicken, a bag of pizza rolls, the shrimp scampi, 1/2 a bag of cranberries & the last can of green beans. The fish sticks remain, but definitely considering the progress a win. 

Family:

• Last college tour + confirm decision & begin college admission work - college selection is done, deposit is paid, first housing form is filled out. Still a ton to do!
• Help Nick with college tasks - we've made some progress
• Both boys - AP test prep - both boys are working on this, but lots of studying ahead
• Have a great & on budget spring break trip - done & done!
• Continue to plan Costa Rica trip for the fall - now that we know when parents weekend is for Sam's college, we know which dates to avoid for our anniversary trip. I've reached out to the concierge for the Hyatt to see if our proposed dates work. Once she confirms that, I'll work on flights. 
• One fun activity with the boys - skiing, dinners out & road trip to Tahoe :-) 

Fitness:

• 10 stretching workouts - 6/10
• Lose 3 lbs - 0/3, although continuing to be more toned & in better shape. I'm hoping my calories will be a bit more under control, now that the college decision is behind us & the stress is a bit less. I also lost 5 lbs last month. 
• 12 strength training workouts - 8/12
• Run 60 miles - x/60 miles - 44/60
• Follow the No S diet - I've been okay with this, but definitely more snacking than I'd like

Personal:

• Get together with friends -yep, I've met up with friends for coffee, hikes, walks, etc.
• Practice Farsi 20 times - 18/20
• Declutter 100 items from the house - 29/100. April has been a month of selling things vs giving away, which means much smaller numbers. The house decluttering is in very good shape, which means I just don't have the bigger numbers. I suppose that's a good problem to have!
• Meditate daily - I missed a couple of days while traveling, but otherwise yes
• Complete the Science of Well Being course - just have my final project left, but I'm very close
• 30 minutes of fiction writing - haven't started
• Work on volunteer soccer project - kicked off some work, but need to shift this into high gear

What about you? How are you doing with your goals for the month?

Menu Plan

 A slightly longer menu this week, as I'm heading out of town next Sunday & want to cover through then. 

• Friday -  tacos
• Saturday -  one pan Asian ground beef & rice dish (new recipe) grilled hot dogs & potato salad
• Sunday - grilled hot dogs & potato salad
• Monday -leftover tacos
• Tuesday - leftover one pot beef & rice
• Wednesday - leftover hot dogs & potato salad
• Thursday -  leftover one pot beef & rice 
• Friday - wings & spring rolls
• Saturday - creamy garlic chicken
• Sunday - I'm heading out on a hiking trip to Sedona with my mom, so M will be on his own for dinner with the boys. I'm assuming he will grill something. ;-) 

What about you? What is on your menu this week?

A decision has been made

 I'm so excited for Sam - he's officially decided on Oregon State University, which we visited a few weeks ago for admitted student day. He had a hard time deciding between that and another school that was near his girlfriend, but the academics for his major at OSU were outstanding. OSU is also pretty close to both my parents & my sister, which also made him happy. 

As for me, I'm thrilled to have a decision, so we can move onto all of the next steps of the process, including our schedule, getting orientation booked, housing, declining all of the other schools, travel plans, etc. 

Go, Beavers! 

Saturday Happenings

 Both boys were unexpectedly home for dinner last night, so I ran to the store to grab a few things to round out the ground beef I had in the fridge. We had ground beef tacos, which were delicious & came together quickly. 

Sam & I have been spending quite a bit of time the last few days discussing his college decisions. It's hard to be 18 & deciding your next step. I'm hopeful we'll have an answer by the end of the weekend. A lot of other decisions can then be made, paper work can begin, housing applications, deposits, enrollments, rejections of the other colleges, etc.... lots of carry on work from there.

I'm not going to my normal workout studio class this morning, as they are having a special event. Instead, I'm planning to go for a run in our neighborhood, and clock some additional miles for my 60 mile running goal for the month. Back to Sam's college decisions, I'm waiting to see if I'll be able to do the big relay this summer, but it will be dependent upon Sam's move in day.

Nick also has a soccer game I'd like to attend, & M & I have pickle ball lessons, so it should be a pretty busy day.

Here's the full list of to do's:

• Run
• Laundry
• Journal
• Farsi lesson
• Meditate
• Vacuum
• Nick's soccer game
• Pickle ball
• Sam's college discussion, part many
• Make dinner (new recipe for Asian beef rice skillet)
• Yard work
• Package & mail eBay sale
• Submit receipt for gym class via work portal

That's it from my side. What about you? What are you up to today? Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Frugal Friday

This week is a mix of travel & food related savings, with a few others sprinkled in. I'm particularly pleased about the low cost for the upcoming Sedona hiking trip I'm taking with my mom. 

Saving on things we buy

• M bought me a pair of wedge sandals for Mother's Day maybe 16 or so years ago. I love them, and wear them often. I've had them repaired in various forms 2x at a cobbler. I needed another repair, and found a cobbler close to my workout studio. He did a great job, and the full bill was only $18. I'd much rather keep these shoes in circulation (they still look great) vs buying something new. 
• Picked up $14 worth of snacks from Trader Joes. We will use these for our trip to Lake Tahoe, and avoid buying snacks when we are there, as the food is quite expensive in the hotel.
• We stopped for gas at Costco on our drive, and bought the boys lunch. Lunch for two under $4 is quite a deal. I ate a "brunch" before we left the house, and M doesn't typically eat lunch. 

Earning money

• I made a few sales ahead of leaving for our trip:
• A jacket for $20
• Sunglasses for $9
• Shoes for $30
• Received our Costco executive rebate, for $523, which we will use to offset grocery spending in the weeks ahead. 

Avoiding spending

• I was out running errands after a workout class, and was very tempted by the Mediterranean restaurant near me, but I reminded myself of all of the food in our house & came home for a free (or, perhaps, already paid for?) lunch of things we already had on hand. 
• Nick somehow used his debit card to pay for "free shipping" of a gift, which resulted in a $19/month "freeshipping.com" charge. As far as I can tell, this is a very shady site & makes it unclear to users that they will be charged $19/month forever (!) for one time "free" shipping. This is integrated into numerous websites, so buyer beware. Anyway, this had been going on for months, and I finally noticed & showed him how to 1) cancel the ongoing "subscription", and 2) get a refund. He was only able to get the most recent month refunded, so we discussed how to better stay on top of this moving forward, and track your accounts & purchases. 
• I canceled a travel reward card, as we have several, and won't be traveling enough to make it worthwhile in 2024. The annual fee was free last year, but I would have been charged this year, if we'd kept the card. 
• M needs to fly to LA for a funeral, and the last minute flights were eye wateringly high. We researched a variety of options, including driving, staying over night, etc, and the best option will be for him to fly in and out on the same day. We used a flight credit & a gift card to cover the cost. So, no out of pocket spending for the flights, although M will need to rent a car to get from the airport to the funeral service, and then to the luncheon the family is hosting, and then back to the airport. 
• I'm going to Sedona with my mom at the end of the month for a hiking trip. I'd booked three nights using Hyatt free night awards, and was planning to pay for the fourth night. I received another free night award (we have a Hyatt credit card) & was able to apply that to the last night, making the entire hotel cost free. (Total saved on the hotel = $1436). 

Eating what we have

• I defrosted more of the frozen lasagna (leftovers) for lunch one day
• I finally got the pulled pork out of the freezer (some sort of Blue Apron delivery snafu from way back, when we used the service) & made pulled pork sliders for Sam. Bonus: used up barbecue sauce lingering in the fridge.
• Continued to use lots of garden items: mint, garlic scapes & red lettuce
• My lunch on Sunday before our drive to Lake Tahoe consisted entirely of fridge leftovers I was trying to use up: the end of a bag of salad, some chicken I'd baked up for the teens, the last of a dressing, & two crispy wonton appetizers leftover from Friday's dinner. 
• Came home late from skiing (there was a rock slide on part of the drive) & made a very scrappy dinner for the two diners eating (me + M). I had a diced potato with an egg, M had garlic shrimp from the freezer + a salad. We were able to largely prep the meal while also unpacking. 

For others

• My sister & I have continued on with our help for my special needs aunt. This week was sorting out some cash flow issues, and paying her property taxes. Next up will be researching a switch in cable companies, which I'm really dreading but know needs to be done. Since we've taken over (maybe ~2 months), we've managed to turn things around from a negative monthly cash flow to having $1k in her account after paying off all the bills! This has been from a variety of sources: calling to negotiate lower rates, signing her up for a few low income discounts she wasn't previously using, cancelling things she didn't need, and helping her better manage the rest of her spending (groceries, gas, etc). It's been slow to see progress, but it definitely feels like we are now more in a steady state, which has been helpful. 
• Provided some coaching to a (previous) colleague who needed guidance.

What about you? Any wins to share? 

Spring break skiing

 We've had an absolutely fabulous time on our spring break ski trip. 

The drive to Tahoe was very easy on Tuesday. We got here, unpacked & went to dinner at a pub across the street. They have my favorite potato & cabbage soup - yum!

On Monday, we skied at Heavenly, and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. The resort had about 1/3 of the lifts open, and there was definitely some exposure on the runs, but no lines made it one of my favorite ski days ever. We got back to the hotel, cleaned up & went to an Italian restaurant, which we all loved. The boys met up with a friend to go to the arcade & get ice cream, while M & I had a glass of wine & chatted. 

Tuesday we drove to Kirkwood, as we heard they had more runs open. The entire mountain was pretty much running, which was awesome. We also brought Nick's friend with us, as he skis similar runs to him, and they had a fabulous time together. It was so warm that I skied in a long sleeved t-shirt & no gloves. I've definitely never done that before! I forgot to put sunblock on my hands (since I'm normally wearing gloves) & the tops of my hands burnt. Drat. I skied a moderate blue chair most of the day, and it was absolutely the most peaceful and fabulous ski days I've ever had. Yes, conditions at the end of the day were a bit slushy, but I would totally take that tradeoff for a day with no lines & stunning weather.

We're likely skiing a half day at Heavenly today, and then will head home. I'm so glad we opted for this trip!

And, a picture of the very minimal ski wear ;-) 

Sunday Happenings

 Yesterday was a very cold spring day for our area. I was at Nick's soccer game, and it was 45 degrees & super windy. Supposedly, it will be 80 by next week. We shall see!

We are off soon to head out for our revised spring break trip. Nick talked everyone into trying spring skiing. We were hoping to meet up with one of his friends, but his family is skiing another mountain, so it doesn't look like that will happen. Fingers crossed that the conditions are good.

I picked up a bunch of snacks to keep in the room, as the boys are usually famished post skiing. Hopefully this will cut back on the costs of random snacks at the hotel. I also remembered to pack bananas, as that's always something Nick wants for breakfast, to avoid cramping. 

We did manage to have our pickle ball lessons yesterday, but it was very chilly & windy on the court! We're finally to the place where we can play a game, which is fun. I'll definitely be signing up for more lessons.

As for today, here's what I'm up to:

• Journal
• Meditate
• Farsi practice
• Workout class
• Finish packing
• Quick lunch for myself & the teens before we take off
• I'm hoping to use part of the car ride to chat with Sam about the various pros & cons of the colleges he's considering. Fingers crossed.

What about you? What are you up to today? 

April Goal Check In

April is whizzing by, and we'll be (hopefully) skiing next week, so a slightly earlier than mid-month goal check in for the month. 

Nick has a soccer game today, and it's pouring buckets. We also have pickle ball lessons, but given the weather, those seem unlikely. I'm hoping the rain lightens up a bit before the game!

April Goals:

Financial:

• Pay federal & state taxes - done
• Sort out cash flow & remaining 2024 budget, post severance numbers - I still don't have my complete severance numbers, but have built a plan based on an estimate
• Earn $300 in side hustle - I've made $100/$300
• Monthly freezer challenge: use up fish sticks, rotisserie chicken & pulled pork- used the pulled pork, the rotisserie chicken, a bag of pizza rolls & 1/2 a bag of cranberries

Family:

• Last college tour + confirm decision & begin college admission work  - college is tour is done, waiting on final decision from Sam
• Help Nick with college tasks - we've made some progress
• Both boys - AP test prep - both boys are working on this, but have a lot of studying to do next week
• Have a great & on budget spring break trip - coming up this week!
• Continue to plan Costa Rica trip for the fall - waiting for Sam's college decision, as several of the schools have parents weekends near our anniversary. 
• Plan one fun activity with the boys - spring break!

Fitness:

• 10 stretching workouts - 5/10
• Lose 3 lbs - 0/3, although I can definitely tell that I'm more toned & in better shape than I was a month ago
• 12 strength training workouts - 6/12 so far
• Run 60 miles - 30/60 miles
• Follow the No S diet - I've been okay at this. I've been having peanuts as a pre-dinner snack, as our dinner time has varied lately due to teen activities. 

Personal:

• Get together with friends - yep, I've met up with friends for coffee, hikes, walks, etc. 
• Practice Farsi 20 times - 10/20
• Declutter 100 items from the house - 25/100
• Meditate daily - I missed a couple of days while traveling, but otherwise yes
• Complete the Science of Well Being course - almost done!
• Complete resume revamp - yes, draft one is complete
• 30 minutes of fiction writing - haven't started
• Work on volunteer soccer project - kicked off some work for this, but need to shift this into high gear next week

What about you? How are you doing with your April goals? Any wins to share, so we can cheer you on?

Frugal Friday

 We were out of town over the weekend, so a few frugal wins from the trip as well as our regular life.

Saving on things we buy

• I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with the doctor's clinic I go to, over a "late" bill... one I paid several months ago & I could see had already cleared their system. There was a second bill where we were showing very different numbers, so hopefully in a few days, I can check the system & ensure everything was resolved appropriately. 

Earning money

• Sold a pair of sandals on eBay
• I mentioned in a previous post that a coworker advised me that our reimbursement portal was still open, through the end of my employment. I was able to fill out reimbursement for my workout classes, and am getting ~$40 for last month, and have a couple more that will also hopefully go through. 

Avoiding spending

• Sam & I stopped by the lounge (free, with one of our credit cards) on our way to the gate. He filled up on some (free) food, and we avoided buying any food or drinks at the airport.
• I had a free glass of wine on both the flight out & return flight (thanks to my status) & on the return flight, I was also offered a free snack box & chocolate bar. The boys were pleased.
• I considered getting a hotel for Friday night, as we needed to be at the college pretty early. However, there was a half marathon happening that morning, and all of the hotels were either sold out, or very pricey. Instead, we stayed with my sister & got up super early. She was very sweet, and had breakfast ready for the teens, and coffee for me. Similarly, she let me use her car as well, so we avoided needing a rental car. My parents also hosted a dinner at my sister's house on Saturday & brought lots of delicious food. 
• We filled up our water bottles at the airport, avoiding the need for any drinks.

Eating what we have

• I made Nick a late lunch on Friday, ahead of our flight 
• Sam & I had cauliflower taco rice (turned into burritos) for dinner on Monday. I had leftovers for lunch on Tuesday, but opted to skip the tortilla, and instead turn a potato into wedges, pan fry those & add the cauliflower taco dish over it, sprinkled with a bit of cheese. It was fantastic & I definitely preferred it over the burrito. 
• Used up the last of the hamburger buns from the freezer

For others

• I'm still able to request a match for my volunteer time, so I went ahead and added some volunteer hours for the soccer club project I'm working on. It generates a $10/hour donation to the club, which is cool. 
• Met with a friend to get the download on my soccer club project, and started working on it again. 

What about you? Any wins to share?

Wednesday Happenings

It's a pretty quiet week around here, after a wonderful college tour weekend. I'm really, really hoping Sam makes his decision soon, because we're very much in limbo right now. We loved our last tour (Oregon State) & had a fantastic experience. It's currently my top choice for him, but we shall see where he nets out. Nick was also super impressed with their engineering programs, so OSU has also made it onto his list for applications. 

There are a bunch of next steps that can't happen until Sam finalizes his decision, including: college start/end dates, travel plans, participation in a few events that conflict with one of his (potential) college start dates, housing forms, budgeting (all of the colleges are very different price points), etc, etc. I'm very much a person who wants to have a plan, as quickly as possible, so this process has been a great practice in patience for me. ;-) 

Sam had his first final this week, which I admittedly don't understand, since we aren't even to spring break yet. We're still waiting for Nick's SAT scores, high school tennis carries on, and we *think* we have a plan for spring break, but it's weather dependent. Oh, and I'm not sure what type of future job I'd like. 

I promised myself when I was laid off that I would not jump into the next thing. I would take the time to really give thought to what I want to do next, to allow myself to get bored (from a non-working perspective) & to be open ended on my thinking about next steps. 

There's been so many opportunities for me to work on my patience lately. These feel like important steps for me, but I do wish they weren't all coming at once. ;-) 

I have built some good habits lately, and have enjoyed the extra time to garden. Our yard needs so much time. I'm also looking forward to our spring break trip (whatever shape that takes at this point), as well as a hiking trip to Sedona with my mom at the end of the month. 

There's ambiguity in the longer term plans, but I can at least have a plan for today. So, here goes:

• Morning workout class
• Meditate
• Journal
• Farsi lesson
• Yard work (tree trimming today)
• Work on senior night stuff for soccer club
• Attend Nick's tennis match
• Marinate chicken shawarma this morning & then prep all sides + make dinner
• Drop off donations at the Goodwill
• List 3 more items on eBay
• Stretch
• Make another new Buy Nothing post
• Read my book by the pool for at least 30 minutes
• Vacuum

How do you handle ambiguity? Are you a patient person? What are you up to today?

Menu Plan Monday

 The boys & I are out of town over the weekend, so M will be largely on his own. Hopefully eating the rotisserie chicken I left out for him. ;-) 

• Friday - eating with my sister when we arrive in Portland
• Saturday - my mom is hosting a dinner at my sister's house, after our college tour. I believe the menu is lasagna
• Sunday - M is grilling for us
• Monday - chicken curry
• Tuesday - grilled chicken (f)
• Wednesday - leftover chicken curry
• Thursday - cauliflower taco rice (f)
• Friday - wings & potstickers

What about you? What's on your menu this week? 

Frugal Friday

 A few frugal wins to report this week, but overall it's been pretty quiet. 

Saving on things we buy

• I've had a corporate paid for phone plan for ...ever, so I needed to get on my own plan. I found a family plan that allowed me + Nick + Sam to join for $10/month less than what I was paying just for the two of them. Definitely happy to save $10/month, and not have to pay more for my service. What a deal!
• Stopped by the store on Monday to pick up "April Fools" deals, which were loaves of the boys favorite bread for $1.99 (x2), 1 lb container of strawberries for $.99 (x2) & a cantaloupe at $1.99. All great deals!

Earning money

•  I had a few eBay sales this week:
• Sold clothes on eBay that Sam outgrew before he could wear (his chest has grown tremendously in the past few months, and he's also added a few inches). Made $14.
• I also sold a running belt & reffing socks that I tried to give away on Buy Nothing, but had no takers. Made $12, so not exactly getting rich, but two items out of the house, and into the hands of people who want them. 
• Also sold a sample makeup item, earning $9. 

Avoiding spending

• Nothing specific, although we've done a great job of avoiding restaurants, takeout, etc. 

Eating what we have

• Nick is currently playing club soccer & school tennis, and he has a voracious & unpredictable appetite. He missed dinner one night, and came home from school and ate six "mini" grilled cheese sandwiches. The bread was very small, so I'd say the equivalent of three normal grilled cheese sandwiches. We don't keep bread on hand very often, so he was pleased. 
• Had a "use it up" dinner on Friday. M had chicken wings that needed to go, Nick had pizza that had been in the freezer forever, and I had a chicken patty on top of a salad that needed to be used up. I had a glass of wine from an open bottle (I'm all about using it up. ;-)), as well. It was a quick & easy dinner. 
• Made cranberry muffins, and used orange juice lingering in the fridge, cranberries from the freezer, and the last of some sour cream/yogurt in the batch. They turned out great, and we now have muffins ready to go for quick snacks. 

For others

• Made a donation for the tennis coach
• Gave away a bunch on Buy Nothing
• Picked up trash at a tennis match + returned shopping carts at the grocery store

What about you? Any wins to share?