Just Keep Swimming.

So November has almost come to an end. It's hard to believe. I know they say that time goes faster the older you get, but holy cow...

Yesterday went to Aldi and spent about $53. That put me over my grocery budget for the month, so that was a bit of a downer. I also went over my shopping/misc budget as well, as I purchased a sweater for our xmas card photo. Only $16, but that was enough. I only spent $13/$200 of my restaurant budget, so I've got wiggle room. Which is good, because I'll be heading out to grab the last of the xmas decorations I'd like today. I was going to wait another week so we could just attribute it to the December budget, but I'd like to get the tree up on Friday when DH and I will both be home and not out Black Friday shopping.

So that's that! The rest of the week will pretty much be a no-spend after that! Looking forward to time with family and friends. I think it's going to be a lovely holiday.

Hope you all have a good one!

It's the time of year where things are starting to slow down for me - in terms of shoots, anyway. And the weather is getting colder. We had our first tiny blanket of snow. And the holidays are quickly approaching.

That means my brain starts shutting down, and it just cant.

For no other reason than I have clients who are expecting their photos, and more often than not would like them prior to Christmas, so they can use them in gifts.

So even though it's a holiday week and a bit shorter, I need to stay focused. And not get distracted - both in terms of my work and my spending

***

Over the weekend I did spend a bit at Target and Marshall's. Mostly on groceries and personal care products. We had some people over to watch the Ohio State game, so I grabbed some snacks. I also needed to get conditioner and moisturizer. While at Marshall's I saw little sweaters for pets, and snagged one - we now have 2/4 of the sweaters we need for our Christmas card photos. Mine and DH are the only ones left. Though I realize we need to get those soon and get that photo done to send them out.

The only other money I spent over the weekend was for a movie ticket - $6.75 yesterday, to see the new Hunger Games. It was good, and nice to go with friends. It was also a matinee on a Sunday, so not too expensive. I opted out of any popcorn or drinks.

***

It's time, too, to start thinking about the holidays. I'm not a Black Friday shopper. I loathe crowds and prefer a more relaxing shopping experience. So I will not be venturing out. We have pretty much everything we need in terms of decorations. I *might* grab some different tree ornaments, as ours don't really match (one another or the living room). I saw a pack at Target, plastic ones that come in a pack for like $15. We also don't have a tree skirt. Though I might just use some burlap and call it a day. I have some on hand, and all of the tree skirts I've seen in the stores are like $30-40! I may run to Pat Catan's and get some cheap fake greenery and some little odds and ends as well.

Mom asked what we wanted, and I think I'm just going to have her buy us Christmas stockings. We don't own any, and I have some in mind. But they're $13 each, so I figure that's a good gift. We'll ask for 5 - two for me and DH, one each for the kitties, and an extra for any additional family members that might creep up in the next few years. I mean, I want the baby's to match when the time comes... Also, my MIL bought us christmas stocking hangers that go on the mantle and spell out our last name, which conveniently has 5 letters.

As for gifts, DH wants an Amazon Echo. I've got a few Amazon gift cards I'll use toward that purchase, but that will be his one big gift and I'll just get him a few other things to open that are smaller. I'll be asking family members what they want at Thanksgiving, but we don't have too many people to buy for, thankfully. In our friends group I think we may be doing a secret santa gift exchange - two of the couples we're close with are having babies in the spring, so they're trying to reduce spending. That's fine by me, of course. I'm putting together a personalized project for everyone, so I should for the most part be covered anyway.

So that's that. Back to work! Hope you all have a lovely week

It's not generally like me to be this excited about a piece of furniture, but our chair arrived yesterday and I just LOVE it. Not an expensive one, mind you - $200 recliner on Overstock. But it actually matches our living room and by golly, our house is starting to look like it was purposefully put together and not some college bachelor pad. I've been spending more time in that room, too - reading and generally enjoying the progress we're making.

Sometimes it's the little victories.

***

Today I'll be doing a bit of running around. I called our internet company yesterday AGAIN. I called last week to get my last name changed on the account. They said they were going to email me a form. It never appeared in my inbox. Called yesterday, and the rep said that I had to go to a Cox store to get it changed. Sigh. I loathe dealing with cable companies, and this is why.

So today I'm heading there to get it all taken care of, and going to Verizon to do the same. I was on their website yesterday, too, and it looks like they do military/veterans discounts! So I'll be discussing that as well. I could use a break on my cell bill.

***

I have to stop and get gas - but it's so inexpensive right now, I'm almost excited for it. haha. Yesterday I saw signs for under $2. Hopefully it's remained through today.

I also need to head to the post office and ship off one of my lenses AGAIN. When I got it back, they had solved one, but another developed. Thankfully it's under warranty still and they sent me a prepaid shipping label. So it wont cost me anything to get it back to them. Let's hope the issue is resolved. That lens is kind of my workhorse come wedding season.

***

This weekend is going to be a fun one. Dinner at a friend's tonight. Friendsgiving tomorrow. And we still have 3 meals from our list that we didn't get around to cooking this week, so groceries will be light next week for sure.

Hope you all enjoy yourselves!!

Went to Aldi and Target yesterday to finish up my grocery shopping for the week. My grand total was $65.60 - and included a $10 sweater for one of the cats. We're going to be doing a very silly Christmas card this year, given it'll be our first year we send them out. We still have to send out thank you cards from the wedding... is it rude to just stuff the both of them together? lol. Also, is it rude to wait 3 months to send them? haha. Tomorrow will be our 2-month anniversary, so we need to get those out soon for sure. Also, plan our honeymoon, which is supposed to be next month.

We LOVE traveling, and I'm really excited to go to South America, but for whatever reason neither of us has been motivated to actually do the planning or booking. I think we're just worn out on planning in general. I honestly wish we could just wait until February, but DH doesn't want to use up all of his PTO days for 2016 with the move coming up in April.

***

Some of you asked for the sweet potato casserole recipe I'm using for our Friendsgiving Celebrations. I've used this one in the past and it's delicious:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sweet-potato-praline-swirl

This is the one my mother loves and I'll be bringing it to her house, but it's a bit on the sweet side for me. So I'm going to try this one for this weekend:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/praline-sweet-potato-bake

It's got a crunchier top. We'll see which one turns out best!

***

Should be a no-spend over here. Have a shoot this afternoon at a law firm - headshots for the whole office, so that should be fun. I'll be eating leftovers for lunch and we're making perogies (frozen, from the last time I made them) and roasting carrots from the garden.

I transferred money from my business account, so I'll be moving some of that around. I'll transfer $500 to our joint account (I had to deposit one of our wedding checks to my personal account for name reasons), and I'll be transferring $1,500 to my savings account to add to my tax savings.

Hope you all have a fantastic Tuesday!!

Well, not much has changed since yesterday, and it was a no-spend for me. I was going to head to Aldi and Target, but the weather was unseasonably nice for November, so I figured it was a good day to get all of my container plants put away for the winter. Ran my last little "harvest," and have a handful of tiny peppers, a whole bunch of small carrots, and a few smaller onions. I was able to salvage one tiny strawberry (I need to be better about actually picking and eating our strawberries next year!). I cut back my lavender plant and stuck the branches in a bottle of gin - I've been wanting to try infusing it for a while. Hopefully it'll be good!

The strawberry plant went in the garage for the winter, and my heartier herbs came inside (I have a container with lavender, thyme, and sage together). The rest of my plants are annuals, and my tomato plant got some kind of illness, so I was going to chuck that one anyway (somehow it still produced a ton of tomatoes though). The pepper plants were harvested and chucked. My basil was looking reeeeeally rough without constant watering here at the end of the season. So it too was chucked. And they grow so easily that replanting next year wont be a big deal.

Also, with moving in April I didn't want to transport too many plants. I'll bring my empty pots and plant things after we move, when we know what our yard situation looks like. It'll be exciting to see how things grow differently that much further south. I'm hoping, though, that I wont be too late in the game given that I'm sure it gets warmer there more quickly than it does here. Up here in the Great Lakes it's sometimes still snowing here and there in April, after all!

Nonetheless, the task is done and I got to spend some time outside yesterday, which was really nice.

Made beef and broccoli in the crock pot - and it was fantastic. I didn't follow the recipe exactly (I don't keep oyster or fish sauce in my house because I don't end up using it). Nonetheless, I'd recommend it:

http://damndelicious.net/2014/03/31/slow-cooker-beef-broccoli/

If you can't tell, I really love Chinese food - made in the crock pot at home is even better. I love saving money and calories! Though we put ramen in ours instead of serving it with rice, so maybe there weren't *too* many calories saved.

Going to the grocery store today. This week's menu:

- Leftover Beef + Broccoli
- Perogies (frozen from last time) with Roasted Carrots (Garden)
- Chili
- Breakfast for Dinner
- Chicken with Risotto

Saturday we're attending one of two "Friendsgiving" celebrations we're taking part in this year. We'll be bringing Sweet Potato Casserole. Friday we'll be having dinner at another friend's. So it should, theoretically, be a relatively inexpensive grocery week.

We shall see!

Hope you all have a lovely Monday!

What a weekend! A bit spendy - but so much fun. Yesterday I had a Girl's Day with my sister in law. We got lunch at a cute little cafe in the area, then got tattoos together It was her first, and a really exciting milestone for her. She went with a word that symbolized an overseas living experience as well as her new, post-divorce take on life. I went with something small that could easily be covered up, but it says, "Yes, I do." During my marriage vows I was so excited and full of conviction that I messed up and said yes, then corrected myself. I think that's a great moment to remind myself of. Being so happy that I forget the formality and just say "yes!"

So our girls day consisted of lunch, tattoos, then beer and pizza, finished off with karaoke (which was a blast). Not the girliest of girls days, but I kind of like that

All in all, I spent: $11 at lunch, $70 on my tattoo (including tip), then $20 in beer. All of which was accounted for in my budget. That being said... here's my mid-month checkup:

***

We are half-way through November, and I am not in the red for any category!!

Left in the budget:

- $38 Shopping
- $150 Groceries
- $189 Restaurant
- $40 Fuel
- $30 Business Expenses

My shopping budget is the tightest at the moment, but there really are no items that are urgent. I decided to not buy an additional pair of glasses or contacts this month. Those can wait. Same with any clothing purchases or home goods. I think we'll be good on that front until we move, now that our new chair will be delivered Thursday!!

Not to mention, I should probably roll that over to next month anyway, with Christmas coming up.

I'll be heading to the grocery store either today or tomorrow. We've been doing really well with eating at home, most days. We falter a little on the weekends, but overall it's been a good month for food. We will be attending 2 Friendsgiving celebrations, and bringing a side dish, so that'll add a bit. But I still think we can remain within our budget for sure.

At any rate, time to put some beef and broccoli in the crock pot and get some tasks done around the house. Hope you all have a lovely Sunday!

This week really flew by - and I didn't even have any shoots. Going into the weekend, I *still* don't have any shoots, and it feels good. I know it's better to be busy and making money, but after busy season it feels nice to have a few weekends back.

Last night we were supposed to go to a social function for my BNI group, but honestly I'm a little burnt out on the time commitment that has entailed, and we saved at least a good $40 - between parking, games, drinks, and the food we would have likely gotten, it would have easily added up.

Instead, we had dinner at a friend's, which was really nice (and free!). He also gave us the lovely wedding gift he was waiting on (a custom handpainted sign with our last name and the coordinates of our current home). He also took our ugly green recliner, so it is finally out of our apartment!!! Wooooo!!!

We ordered the replacement chair last night, and it should be arriving next Thursday. I'm incredibly excited. Our living room is going to actually look like it was purposefully decorated Also, the replacement recliner was only $200 on Overstock. So not breaking the bank, either. That came out of our joint account, so it doesn't eat into my personal shopping budget.

***

I did talk to my financial planner friend yesterday, and she'll be emailing me to set up an appointment. I think it'll be good to go over what we've got going on budget and goal setting wise, also I think DH needs a little direction in terms of his investments (a little ad hoc at the moment) and we're going to open a Roth IRA for me, so I'm looking forward to some product recommendations. It's nice having someone I know I can trust. And I think if nothing else it'll give us a little push to get things organized. They say money is the #1 reason for divorce. I'd rather be proactive!

***

I have some really fun plans this weekend. Today I'll be making dinner in the crock pot, doing some work, and running some errands. I think I might just load up another carful to run to Goodwill.

Tonight we're going with a handful of friends to a local bar to see a band we really like play. Tomorrow I have a whole day planned with my sister in law. I haven't seen her in a few weeks, so I'm excited to have a girl's day. We'll be bouncing around quite a bit, and we'll end the night at karaoke, which will be a blast. I will probably cook tomorrow as well. Sunday we have no plans, but it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day, so I think I might try to convince DH to go on a long hike. Goodness knows we can use the exercise

So that's it - I hope you all enjoy your Friday, and have a great weekend!!!

So anyone that's been reading along (though I certainly don't assume any of you hang on my every word. haha) knows that I'm in the midst of a purging. We donated about 10 boxes of books on Monday, I've been rounding up clothes and house items for sale and donation, and in some cases it's just to downsize. In others, it's to make room for things that I truly love.

I'm a pretty firm believer in the methods of Marie Kondo (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up is her book). Her basic premise is that you should only surround yourself with objects that "spark joy." That's really her only criteria. haha. And while it sounds cheesy, it has been enormously helpful in my efforts - and effective!

Or example, we were only left with the books we really enjoy. When I look over my bookcase, I feel less overwhelmed and am so excited to read some of the books sitting there, or reread others. Granted, many are DH's and I will never read them. haha. But it feels so much calmer nonetheless.

I've been slowly paring down the things that I don't really enjoy in our home. Our bedding was more of a necessity (our comforter was ruined). But since buying new bedding that I love (inexpensively, at IKEA) I make our bed every day and absolutely LOVE being in our bedroom.

Even when it just comes to paring down and not necessarily replacing, I find that clearing out the noise of the things that don't make me happy allows me to better appreciate what does. Clothes are where this makes the biggest impact for me. I would keep some "just in case" I lost that weight, or pairs of pants that I could barely squeeze into that made me feel uncomfortable and insecure when I wore them. Once I finally let go, I had one pair of blue jeans, a pair of black jeans, and a pair of black dress pants. They all fit well, and I didn't have to go through the stress of rifling through and being reminded that these other pieces no longer fit.

So call it minimalism, or KonMarie, or trying to adapt the Feng Shui of a room, whatever. Less stuff in general and more stuff you love is a great practice, I've found. And things I love aren't necessarily more expensive. They're just more joy-sparking

***

So along those lines, I did another purge of clothes - and went off to sell them yesterday. I made $145 total. I still have some left that I may try to sell online, so hopefully that figure will improve. But the money I made yesterday was used to buy a new coat (one that fits me correctly!). I found one I absolutely love - and got the coat, then a matching scarf, hat, and set of gloves all for $170. The remaining $30 came out of my shopping budget. Then I went to Target and found a lamp I loved for $15 - to replace the wonky one in our living room, and then a throw pillow that was on sale for $20 that I've been eyeing for a couple of weeks now. The living room is slowly coming together now

We still could really stand to replace:

- Recliner (this has been a planned purchase for months)
- End Table
- Floor Lamp
- Area Rug (wont purchase until after the move)
- Coffee Table

These aren't needs, so I'm not in any particular hurry - except for the recliner. haha. It is this hideous green fabric, and doesn't match the rest of the room in the slightest. It was a hand me down, and we've already found a $200 chair to replace it. We just have to get the thing out and order the new one. Part of me wants to wait until we move so we don't have to move another one down south. But I'm not sure I can have that chair in my life for another 5 months. haha. The rest is harmonious enough with the room to not warrant any particular hurry

The nice thing, too, about only landing on the items I truly love is that I'm a bit pickier about what I do buy - and I'm happy to wait until I've found "it." Why spend money on something and let it take up room in your life if you aren't going to be super excited upon seeing it every day?

***

In other simplification news, I disabled the mail notifications on my computer. Even less distraction from my tasks!

Hope you are all having a lovely day!

Alrighty. We're a third of the way through the month, and upon checking on my budget, I'm pretty much right on schedule. I'm at 1/3 of my shopping budget and haven't touched my restaurant budget (woo!). I am almost halfway through my grocery budget, though, so I'll need to tone things down a bit. Thankfully, the groceries I bought the other day should last us through at least a week and a half.

Tonight will be leftovers - we have a ton right now. Always nice to not have to cook!

We do have a date night planned tomorrow (the first since our wedding), which I'm really looking forward to. But we're actually using a local restaurant gift card that a friend got us for the wedding. So dinner will be covered. We will be paying to go see the new Bond film, though. Very much excited

***

I mailed back the Warby Parker try on at home glasses yesterday, and I'm deciding against buying a pair. At least for now. They were cute, but none of them were just *amazing,* and I can still wear the ones I have now. They were most certainly a want and not a need, and if I'm going to make a purchase I want it to be something that I truly love. They try on at home was free anyway, so no harm no foul.

***

Today I believe I'm going to swing by a few consignment shops and attempt to sell some of my clothes. I was going to attempt the online route, and still may for a few pieces, but for the rest I think it might make sense to let go of them all in one go. I'm hoping to make a little money, so I can use the cash toward the purchase of a new coat.


Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic day. Happy saving!!

Well, we attempted to open a joint account today - but unfortunately my ID is only a week old and I haven't changed my name elsewhere, so I don't have any bills or such with my address on it. So they weren't able to add me. Despite having pretty much every other piece of paper documenting my existence ever. haha.

Nonetheless, DH opened the account, and I'll be added on as soon as I have proof of address. The important thing is that we got those checks deposited - I hate waiting too long, as I'm sure our wedding guests have been wondering when the money would be pulled from their accounts.

I did, however, get my name changed on my personal account. So there's that. Now I just have to change it in a million other places. Including my business banking. And with my business in general. I don't even know where to start there.

We also finished up sorting through our books and everything in our spare bedroom to see if there's anything we can purge. We loaded up an entire carful (and I drive a Fit, so that's a rather large carful). Also brought a bunch of DVDs to the Exchange, and made $30 - which went to pay for our lunches, and then some. Lastly, we made a stop at Goodwill. While we still have quite a ways to go, our apartment feels so much lighter already! I'm really looking forward to even more.

I think tomorrow I'll run some other errands - including trips to a couple consignment shops to attempt to sell a few things. I have a decent collection of clothes I need to offload still. I also may try to list some of the photography equipment I've been meaning to sell. That to-do list just never ends. haha.

I'm just thankful we have a big move coming up to motivate us. It'll do well for us to downsize!

At any rate, hope you all have a lovely evening!

I think I made it sound more dramatic than it really was - haha. I really just didn't use social media for a week, and honestly, it was fantastic. Hardly missed it, only was tempted a couple of times, and not only did I have a much more productive week, but I felt much more relaxed. Which was good - because otherwise it was a rather stressful go of things.

I think I'm going to start limiting my social media usage to just Sundays, with the exception of posting for my business. Honestly, I wish I had the money to pay someone to do social media for my business so I didn't have to worry about it. Ironic because I used to do precisely that. But I don't have time to keep up with it enough for it to be terribly useful. I need to come up with a system to improve that.

***

So thankful that the week is over - I worked a wedding yesterday, which is a LONG day. People think being a wedding photographer is a glamorous business. haha. In reality, it's tiring and full of pressure. Certainly high-energy and fun (with the right group), but nonetheless it leaves me spent for a few days.

Today I was happy to have the opportunity to relax a bit. Drank my morning coffee in the quiet and then we did brunch with friends, which was a lovely time. The weather has just been gorgeous for our part of the country. And fall is my favorite

So DH and I had a nice chat last night about our tentative 5-year plan. He's been working for the same employer for about 4 years now and isn't really interested in staying in the industry. He decided back in the spring to take a new job within the bank for the next 2 years - because they're going to allow him to work remotely from Nashville once we move and because he didn't really know what he wanted to do otherwise.

In the end, it didn't make sense to give up a rather sizable income with nothing on the horizon.

At that point, we talked about him going back to school and getting his PhD. We revisited that possibility last night, but now that we've got kids in the plan in 2-3 years, figuring out the timing makes it a little tricky. I definitely don't want him to be wholeheartedly distracted by an intense program in the first couple of years of our baby's life. And raising a kid on just my income is not plausible (at least with my business).

In the end, I told him I supported him returning to school, and we'd make it work no matter what - but in the mean time we should probably be saving as much as we can so that when we move to a greatly diminished income that we can get by. He's not the reckless type, and he mentioned feeling selfish for even wanting to go through with more school. Which is silly. Our family may face a rough patch in the beginning, but in the long term I'd like my kids to grow up with a father who is happy and passionate about what he does.

That being said, our tentative future plan of coming back here and buying a house after a year or two is probably going to face a bit of uncertainty and change. Which is difficult for me to sit with (I'm a control freak who likes her plans), but something I'm willing to work through.

All in all, though, it's really exciting and comforting to be talking with him about what's best for "our family" in such real ways. That's a newer concept for us, having just gotten married. It's definitely weird and a bit scary, but also something that brings so much joy and warmth to my heart. I could get used to it

Last night I stayed up getting prepared for my 10-minute BNI presentation, which was this morning. I talked about my business and brought in a bunch of samples. I had really hoped to have new samples printed by it, but I used my Canon home printer to at least get some more recent shots included. I'll replace them with quality printed shots soon - as well as the new photo books.

Always something else to do! Thankfully, I noticed that the site I generally use to print books has this incredible deal on samples. So that should save me some money in the long run.

But the presentation went really well. Everyone in my group responded well to it, and one member handed me a referral right then and there to have his family photos taken Definitely a good sign.

I started chatting with another member right after the meeting, who complimented my work and talked about the photographer he's used in the past. He said her prices were double mine, and my work was just as good as hers. Comments like that are always so discouraging and encouraging at the same time. haha. I do plan on revamping my pricing and process come this winter, when I have time to really sort through it logically. It's just terrifying at the same time. You always fear people wont be willing to pay your prices. In the end, though, they have

***

Went to Target yesterday. Had to pick up some items I can't get at Aldi - bathroom cleaner, cat litter and litter deodorizer. Grabbed some other grocery items while I was at it. Including my favorite hot chocolate

So I finally got that sign made for my clients at the library yesterday - after heading back to the lumber place to get the pieces cut again (they were too big for the machine) and heading downtown. Unfortunately, I managed to get a parking ticket - without any good reason. I put 2 hours worth of change into the meter, set a timer on my phone to go off in 1.75 hours, and still had 25 minutes left on my timer when I came out. The meter showed it had expired, but there is no possible way.

ugh.

So I'm not sure if I should just pay the $25 fee or try and fight it. I feel like the time I would spend getting out of it wouldn't be worth the money. It's just the principle of the thing.

***

In good news, I voted yesterday - though I feel like I was going against the grain in most cases and nothing I voted for seemed to pass. haha. Still did my civic duty.

After voting, I replaced my drivers license so my new name is on it. Exciting stuff Monday, DH and I are headed to the bank to open our joint account. Then the fun begins! It'll be interesting to sit down and create a budget with him. I'm hoping the process is painless. Hoping.

Today is yet another busy day - and it started at 6am. I have a deadline I'm trying to meet. A client text messaged me at 6:20am asking about their photos, which was enough to set me off and get the day started in a bad mood. Not only are their photos not due until next week, but who sends texts that early? And why wouldn't she have sent me an email? I hate to complain about clients, but there have to be some boundaries. I wouldn't text my best friend at 6am.

But I will get through the day alive, I know it. Just can't wait for the craziness of the season to die down. Sigh.

At any rate, I hope you all have a lovely day!

Yesterday was a productive day - with some annoying setbacks. I finally made it down to the library to use the laser engraving machine. Turns out that they no longer (as of 2 weeks ago) carry the plywood that I generally use. So I wasted a trip down there, had to go purchase it elsewhere (more expensively) and now have to return today to finish that up. I think I'm going to remove that service from what I offer. In the end, I'll be taking 2 trips downtown and I spent $15 total on materials (though I have more than enough for one sign). It's not worth the $30 minus sales tax I will make on it. Particularly when I paid $5 for a train pass to go downtown.

Thankfully I was able to knock a couple of other tasks off my list while I was down there - namely, going to the probate court to pick up certified copies of my marriage license ($4) and change my name at the social security administration. After voting today I'm planning to head to the DMV and get my driver's license taken care of. Then we'll (finally) be able to set up that joint bank account.

So progress is being made.

Also paid my bills yesterday and dropped off my car payment. Had dinner at our friend's last night. Tonight, I'll be throwing a ham in the crock pot. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without my slow cooker. It keeps me sane

Everyone have an awesome day!! Happy saving!!!

It's bill pay day! Realized that I had budgeted $30 more than what I actually spent on my phone bill. Last month I had some extra charges from my trip to Canada, and now it's back to normal. Hurrah!

Also moved some money around and deposited some checks. Things are not much different than yesterday. ha.

***

Last night DH and I went through all of our books - we have a LOT. As it was, we filled up 5 book shelves. I'm happy to report that we've gotten our collection to a little over 1 shelf. We're both avid readers, and have amassed many through book sales at the library, and tons just over the years. While we love having them, most are volumes we'll never read (or read again), they take up so much room, and will be such a pain to move when we relocate.

Looking at the shelf, too, it's all books that we *actually* plan on reading, or really love. DH also suggested we work by the rule that if we buy another book we need to get rid of one in our possession, which I think is a fabulous idea.

I'd like to go through and sell some of them, but I'm afraid that the majority will go for peanuts. I've worked through most of our old textbooks to see if we could get any money out of them already. I wish there was a place to sell them by the pound. haha. I feel like we'd make a mint...

In other simplification news, I've decided to go on a Social Media cleanse for the next week. Partially because I have a lot to do and need to get rid of the distraction, and partially because I feel like I just need a break from it. I live on Facebook and Pinterest - and while I find that Pinterest is a great resource for inspiration, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the inspiration. If I'm going to take a break, I'd rather it be mindful and something I enjoy a bit more. Like reading.

Should be a no-spend. Heading to the library to use their laser engraver to make a sign for clients, and stopping by the probate court to try and snag a copy of our marriage license so I can finally get the whole name change process underway. All this administrative stuff is a pain. But once it's done I'll be much happier for it

So that's that. Back to work now - hope you all have a great day! Happy saving!!

Looking over October, I feel that I did really well. I went over budget in the categories that I generally do: groceries, restaurants, and shopping (which is anything not included in my usual expenses). Honestly, looking at them, though, I tend to aim really low. So I'll be readjusting this month to be a bit more realistic.

That being said, I hope I spend far less than those targets I set this month. We shall see.

Here is the basic breakdown:

[img]13634[/imgLooking over October, I feel that I did really well. I went over budget in the categories that I generally do: groceries, restaurants, and shopping (which is anything not included in my usual expenses). Honestly, looking at them, though, I tend to aim really low. So I'll be readjusting this month to be a bit more realistic.

That being said, I hope I spend far less than those targets I set this month. We shall see.

Here is the basic breakdown:

Tax Savings: $2,000
Rent: $350
Groceries: $300
Shopping: $300
Student Loans: $260
Restaurants: $200
Credit Card: $200
Car Payment: $182
Cell Phone: $87
Fuel: $80
Car Insurance: $69
Internet: $67
Business Expenses (misc.): $500
Renters Insurance: $11

Things will change this month, too, because I'll be getting my name changed and then opening up our joint account. So this budget is kind of a stop-gap as well until DH and my finances are combined. But that's still essentially what I'm hoping for as a max. So that's that.

***

As for this weekend's update, I ended up out all day yesterday. Went straight from my shoot in the morning to the area where my shoot was in the evening. Didn't want to be in the car an extra hour. So I stopped for lunch and then hit a little antique store, where I found an end table! I've been on the hunt - this one was a cute mid-century modern, exactly what I wanted, and was only $45. So that was my planned purchase for this week, perfect after hitting my workout goal for the week

I did stop and grab some beer yesterday as well, on our way to a couple of parties for Halloween.

Also, ordered 5 pairs of glasses from Warby Parker to try on at home. It's free to try them on, so I figured I would give it a go. I haven't gotten new glasses in a couple of years, and I think a new pair will keep me from wanting to wear my contacts all the time. So essentially, it will save me money in the end. Though I need to get more contacts as well. Hoping I can stretch my 12 week supply to over double that, only wearing them for work (which is slow in the winter) and special events. Given that order is about $80, I feel like it'll be worth it. And then I can wear those glasses for 2-3 years. I'm so thankful my vision stopped getting worse. At least it's predictable now!

Alright - that's enough for now. Hope you all had a lovely weekend! ]

Things will change this month, too, because I'll be getting my name changed and then opening up our joint account. So this budget is kind of a stop-gap as well until DH and my finances are combined. But that's still essentially what I'm hoping for as a max. So that's that.

***

As for this weekend's update, I ended up out all day yesterday. Went straight from my shoot in the morning to the area where my shoot was in the evening. Didn't want to be in the car an extra hour. So I stopped for lunch and then hit a little antique store, where I found an end table! I've been on the hunt - this one was a cute mid-century modern, exactly what I wanted, and was only $45. So that was my planned purchase for this week, perfect after hitting my workout goal for the week

I did stop and grab some beer yesterday as well, on our way to a couple of parties for Halloween.

Also, ordered 5 pairs of glasses from Warby Parker to try on at home. It's free to try them on, so I figured I would give it a go. I haven't gotten new glasses in a couple of years, and I think a new pair will keep me from wanting to wear my contacts all the time. So essentially, it will save me money in the end. Though I need to get more contacts as well. Hoping I can stretch my 12 week supply to over double that, only wearing them for work (which is slow in the winter) and special events. Given that order is about $80, I feel like it'll be worth it. And then I can wear those glasses for 2-3 years. I'm so thankful my vision stopped getting worse. At least it's predictable now!

Alright - that's enough for now. Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

I did no spending yesterday, so not much has changed. Upon reviewing my budget, though, I realized I put in the full amount for business expenses. Most of that is paid out of an account not linked to my Mint - so I need to readjust there (eventually I'll have a mint account specifically for my business, or just use my Quickbooks effectively).

Yesterday made this delicious recipe in the crockpot, found on Pinterest. I highly recommend:

http://damndelicious.net/2013/11/02/slow-cooker-crockpot-honey-sesame-chicken/

I didn't have any sesame seeds, but I did sub half of the vegetable oil with sesame oil, so you got some of that nice flavor. All in all, fantastic meal. And inexpensive, too.

Tonight is either perogies (the extras I froze after making them last week) or a frozen pizza. Forgot to thaw the ham, so that will likely be saved for next week.

No plans for tonight, but likely will be out or at someone's house hanging with friends. Tomorrow I've got two shoots, and one possibly on Sunday. Also two halloween parties tomorrow night. So it'll be a busy weekend!

Hope you all enjoy!

This week has been flying. Had BNI this morning - and one of the members had a referral for me. So hopefully that works out! It's been a really great experience so far, and I'm happy I was able to gain something from being a member. Looking forward to seeing how it works out for me in Nashville.

Wrote the check to DH yesterday, so last year's tax debt is taken care of. Woo!! Now i just have to start saving a whole lot. I'm going to transfer $400 to my savings account today to get that process started.

I did a little thinking yesterday about my priorities. I really need to get on top of my businesses finances so I have a good estimate of what I'm going to owe come April. I have my account linked to my Quickbooks, so most of my expenses are getting accounted for automatically - but I'll be taking a few days in my down months to really hammer it out and make sure everything looks good.

***

I'll be readjusting my goals and budget here in the next couple of days so that I'm fresh to start in November. Stay tuned!

***

This is also day 4 of my new morning routine - which includes a 15+ min workout session. I've decided that on top of limiting my clothing/home purchases, I'm going to make working out for 7 days a stipulation. When I mentioned this to DH, he said, "I don't think that's a good idea." haha. I explained that my working out for a week doesn't mean I get to make EXTRA purchases, it just means I'm allowed to make the purchases I was already going to make - still within my budget and purposefully planned. I figure that gives me a week to carefully consider that purchase (no impulse buying) and simultaneously encourages me to work out. haha.

Honestly, having to bribe myself to workout for 15 minutes at a time is a bit sad to begin with, but I'll take whatever measures I can to put it into practice at this point.

Last night we did go out to dinner before a comedy show (and after all of that talk of doing well...). DH paid. I was thankful to have a night off. We need to include more meals that he can cook as well. I don't want to get completely burnt out.

Tonight is honey sesame chicken in the crock pot. Pinterest recipe that I'm excited to try out.

Hope you all have a fantastic day!!

So as I mentioned yesterday, my debit card wasn't working at Aldi - then yesterday I noticed a couple of transactions that were not ones that I made. After scrutinizing a bit further, I took a look at my card. Lo and behold, my sister-in-law and I had accidentally switched cards when we went to dinner on Sunday. So I was not victim of identity theft after all! She came over yesterday to switch back and have some lunch. All in all, a great resolution.

***

This morning I took a look at my budget (as I'm trying to get into the habit of doing ever morning) on mint. DH caught a glimpse and asked what my Mint page was - I explained to him and told him where I was going over budget. Taking a look at my restaurant budget, I've spent $146 and I budgeted $100. When we took a look at it together, I realized I had only gone out to dinner or lunch 3 times this month! The rest were stops to get coffee or pick up breakfast from Dunkin. While that all adds up, I'm super proud of myself for our very few trips out for dinner. All that cooking has paid off! My grocery budget is also about $30 over, but I only budgeted $200. Lastly, I'm over on my shopping budget. Allowed myself $150 and have spent $288 - so almost double. This is both my clothes/homegoods/entertainment as well as misc budget. Pretty much anything that doesn't fall in my normal expenses gets dumped here. Honestly, I think I need to give myself a bit more wiggle room on that one. But not by much. haha. I did buy 2 sweaters, a coat, 2 kindle books, and home stuff at IKEA and Big Lots (most of the IKEA purchase came out of joint money, though). My Hulu subscription is also included in this. All things considered, at least I scored some amazing deals. That being said, I need to be on a spending diet and don't want to rationalize purchases.

***

My Huntington transfer hit my account today, so I'll be transferring that now to DH's account and my tax debt from last year is over and done with. Woo! Took me far longer than I wanted it to, but with the wedding things got tight there for a bit. Now I need to really start saving for this year's taxes. I'm supposed to finish a job that will pay $6k, and my thought is that most or all of that will go toward my taxes. But in case (for whatever reason) that falls through, I'm going to start saving regardless. Then once I have things under control, I'm going to start setting aside 40% of every payment I receive. Like I should have been doing all along :/

***

That's it for today! Hope you all have a good one!

Yesterday ended up being a very productive day! Started off with a new morning routine - including 30 minutes on my elliptical-thingy (it's just got the pedals, and is really small).

I ran some errands - had to ship off that lens to the manufacturer. It's under warranty, but I had to pay for the shipping. I put insurance on it, and it ended up being about $20 all together. Better that than anything happening to it. The thing cost me $1,200 and is a work essential item.

Deposited a check in my business account, which was available this morning - I paid myself the $1,600 and will be transferring that to DH as soon as it hits, which will clear my tax debt to him from last year. Phew! Now it's time to start saving for this year :/

On the way home I went to Aldi to pick up some last minute odds and ends for dinner. For whatever reason, my debit card wasn't working - it said invalid PIN, but it's been the same for years and years. After jumping on my account this morning, I see two charges that I'm fairly certain I didn't make so... looks like I'll be calling the bank. Not sure why someone committing fraud would use my info to get $4.99 worth of Arby's, but there it is. Considering DH and I are swearing off fast food for a year I can with great displeasure say it wasn't me. haha.

So it looks like I'll have a quick call with the bank. Again. This has happened more times than I would like. They keep telling me not to use my debit card to make online purchases, but that always seems to be the best course of action for me. I really just need to tackle my CC debt so I'm not near my max and can just pay it off every month. Sigh. We'll get there!

***

Oh - the new coat! I almost forgot to mention it (despite it being in the title). I had my eye on one for about $295, but then rethought that plan and looked at a few online consignment shops. I found a handful that I liked, and have been continuing - well, one of them was marked down to $45 and I jumped on it. It's a brand new black pea coat from Zara. Considering I've been rocking my navy blue one from Target, I think it'll do. Navy just doesn't really match most of my wardrobe. But I think this one will!

At any rate, I hope you all enjoy your Tuesday!!

Okay, maybe it doesn't come as a *total* surprise, but some of my military student loan payments went through this month and I didn't realize it until today. About $1,500 worth - so we're getting there! I'm not entirely sure how it works in terms of payment dispersement, as the payments have only started rolling in last year and it's been a nightmare of a process. But I'll take what I can get at this point.

***

The weekend went well - one of my shoots was cancelled due to rain, but the other two went fantastically. Yesterday it was just GORGEOUS and I was taking family photos for a friend. I don't usually do free shoots, but she was my wedding photographer and did our engagement photos for free, so it was more of a trade We both own our own businesses, so she's like my unofficial coworker. We get together and edit photos, vent about our work, and any time we're stuck on something we have the other to reach out to. It's a really great business relationship - and it's blossomed into a very close friendship as well. Asking her to shoot my wedding was a no-brainer.

***

This week will be far less overwhelming than last - as I cancelled my Nashville trip. So I had nothing booked during the week. Woo! I'm hoping, however, to use all of that uninterrupted time to really get caught up.

Today, however, I have some errands to run. One of my lenses is having trouble catching focus and I'll be sending it to be looked at and adjusted. Thankfully it's under warranty, so I'll just have to pay for shipping.

Tonight we're having friends over for dinner. I have to grab 2 things at the store, but then I wont be setting foot in the grocery store again until November. We're quite a bit over budget. I think I need to adjust my budget for next month, though. I have lofty goals, but I think I may have been a *bit* unrealistic this time around

At any rate, hope you all have a lovely week!!!

Well, the week is almost over, but I still have 3 more shoots. ha! So not quite over for me... the week has been going fairly well. Traveled to Pittsburgh for a shoot that went really well, covered an event last night, and today I'm catching up on grocery shopping and a bit of cleaning as well as my editing.

Hit IKEA when I was in Pitts - it was nice to be able to make that trip a business expense. I probably would have made a trip out there at some point soon regardless. We needed a duvet badly now that it's getting cold, and I couldn't find them as cheaply anywhere else. So to the magical wonderland we went!

I brought along $200 cash from our wedding gift stash to spend there. Anything over that amount would come out of my personal account, but I was more or less setting that as my budget. I went $9 over. Not too shabby. Things I purchased:

- Duvet
- Duvet cover
- Extra blanket
- 2 throw pillows
- 2 throw pillow covers
- 2 matching lamps
- 2 "bowl plates"
- Paper towel holder
- Random brush for shower
- Pack of 2 power strips

The main objective was the bedding, and the difference is startling in our bedroom. We actually look like we have a grown-up bed now. haha. Also, the lighting for the bedroom was a HUGE improvement. We were working with 2 dorm-style work lamps that were probably $5 each, and didn't match. I love the new lamps - classy, and only $20 each.



Now I just need to clean our night stands... and eventually replace them so they match. But that can wait for sure. I really want to start making our home feel a bit more polished, but DH is getting sticker shock. We've lived in an apartment with a mixing of old furniture from his parent's house and stuff I've bought. As I was perusing on Overstock the other day he looked at a side table I was looking at and didn't understand why it was so expensive. I don't think he understands at all how much furniture really costs. Outside of our bed and cheap couch, he hasn't really made any furniture purchases. So I figure slow and steady is the way to go. haha. I also don't want to break the bank with wants that outweigh needs, either. So it'll be a very slow process indeed. Or at least about making purchases that have a high-impact for less.

At any rate, time for me to get back to work! Hope you are all having a great Friday!

It really was - DH and I "took off" Friday to attend his cousin's wedding. I put that in quotes because I actually had a shoot that morning about an hour away. It went well, just lead to a lot of running around that morning. I had been so busy with stuff that I forgot to try on the dress I planned on wearing that day. It looked frumpy and I had no shoes to match (I bought this dress a while back for $15, intending to get some strappy heels). Long story short, I took a trip to Target to look for a cheap solution to my shoe problem. I found nothing, and instead walked out with a new dress - thankfully on sale for only $20. Fits me fantastically, which is a slight miracle. I'll get a lot of use out of it, so I'm pretty pumped.

The wedding was a blast. Danced until the wee hours of the night. But then I had to wake up at 7am to get ready and drive back an hour and a half to shoot a client's wedding. Thankfully it was a shorter day. Only worked 5 hours, then went home and slept for about 14 hours. Not an exaggeration at all. I woke up just long enough to eat a couple pieces of the frozen pizza DH made, then fell back asleep. I felt pretty rough.

Yesterday I still felt pretty sore and tired, despite all of the sleep. Ended up hitting Big Lots with a friend and spent $50 - on a cast iron skillet, a new drying pad for our dishes (I probably could have gotten much more use out of the one we have. I'm kicking myself now), a few odds and ends, and then 2 king-sized extra firm pillows. We got a king-sized bed over a year ago, and I've been talking about getting the right sized pillows ever since. Our standard sized ones look pretty silly in the extra long cases, and most of our pillows are old and flat or super cushy. My neck and back has been killing me for the last few weeks, so I decided it was time. They were only $12 each, and after just one night they were worth every penny.

That being said, my "shopping" budget for the month is over by quite a bit. After all of the traveling and stopping at Starbucks, my restaurant budget is to the max now. So I need to really focus on cooking at home the rest of the month.

***

Today I'm hitting hte editing hard - and marking a few more tasks off the list. I've had some new inquiries in the last week, and booked a new client! Always a good sign Actually, this week is going to be incredibly packed - I have 5 different shoots, and a whole lot of editing to get done. I'm also leaving for Nashville next week, and don't quite feel ready.

I'm not sure if maybe I should cancel my trip and wait until December to make the trek down there. I want to start making connections, but if I'm not prepared, I'm not sure it's worth it for me to spend the money and the time. My resources might be better used elsewhere this month.

So that's my update! I hope you all have a lovely day!!

Should be a no-spend day today (woo!). Checked the budget and so far still in the green, but my restaurant allotment is maxed out, and my shopping budget is close to as well. So something to keep an eye on moving forward.

***

Right now I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I've got several weddings to edit, and there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day for everything I need to accomplish to make my business work and still enjoy my personal life. I'm sure some of that could be remedied by better time management - it's not all a "woe is me" situation, but nonetheless it's frustrating and exhausting.

This morning I had my BNI meeting - the next week will consist of zero one-on-one meetings. I've had my fill for a couple of weeks, and I have other things to focus on. But I did get 2 inquiries yesterday, one from another BNI chapter. So I guess that means all of that networking was somewhat worth it.

The rest of the day will be a (hopefully) very high-volume editing day. I need to get focused and push out at least a good 1,000 photos. Ideally, I would come closer to 1,500. So at least I have a goal. Though I will be taking a break this evening to make dinner. I'm really wanting to make these perogies, and my potatoes will go bad if I don't use them in the next few days. Tomorrow DH and I will be at a wedding, and Saturday I'll be photographing a wedding, so I'll likely not be up for cooking anything intricate.

I may also have a shoot tomorrow morning. We'll see how the weather holds out. All in all, a very busy week. Next week I have 3 - possibly 4 shoots. The week following that I'll be in Nashville doing all of my networking. And I still need to get the materials together for that. Also, we're supposed to leave for our honeymoon in one month exactly, and we haven't booked it. ha.

Can you tell I'm a last-minute kind of person? That honeymoon is going to be so nice. I just have a lot of work to do in the mean time.

So with that being said, it's back to work.

Hope you all have a lovely day!

This morning I had a meeting with a fellow BNI member, which went really well. Hopefully all of these 1-on-1's will encourage some referrals! Had a coffee and a bagel for breakfast there. Prior to that, DH and I actually woke up early to work out. It was quite rough. But I'm happy we did it nonetheless.

Wednesdays are generally my grocery shopping days. A good friend of mine has them off, so we go together. Today we decided to check out the new Whole Foods that opened up nearby. It was nice to look, but I ended up buying nothing there and instead finished up the week's grocery shopping all at Aldi. Naturally.

I spent a grand total of $22.89. We had a lot of food left over from last week, given that we did a restaurant meal last night and ate a lot of leftovers last week. I also found these frozen lasagne rolls at Aldi last week that were really delicious - and came with 2 packs, so we can make them again this week. I picked up this butternut squash pasta sauce today, so it'll mix things up a bit.

I also took stock of our freezer, and we have a bunch of pork still left from the portion of the pig from my mom. So we'll be attempting to use some of that up.

So on this week's menu:

- Homemade Perogies with Herb Butter
- Ham with Butternut Squash Risotto
- Italian Sausages with Mac + Cheese
- Split Pea Soup
- Lasagne Rolls in Butternut Squash Sauce
- Pork Fried Rice
- Emergency Pizza

That's enough meals for 2 weeks, really. Which is good - because my grocery budget is down to $20 for the rest of the month. I'll have to be picky. And creative. Tonight we'll be having dinner with friends, and wont even have to cook! So that will definitely help

***

In other news, I've found some winter coats that look like great contenders - on these online consignment shops that I really love. And all of the coats I've been looking at have been under $100, which is obviously fantastic compared to the $300 one I really wanted. I've only got about $50 left in my shopping budget, but I might try to sell a few things to fund the remainder of the cost. The one I'm thinking about is $78. So we shall see. I could stand to thin my closet out a bit anyway.

At any rate, I hope you all have a wonderful day and are meeting your goals!

Yesterday DH had off of work for Columbus Day - so I spent some time finishing up the wedding I've been editing, but we also had a bit of fun. We went for an 8 mile hike that just about kicked my butt. I haven't been working out for months, and it was clear that I'm very much out of shape. But it was a really nice day, and we really enjoyed ourselves. We're going to try and make hiking more of a habit.

After our hike we swung by the grocery store to grab some lunch and pick up pumpkins. We didn't end up carving them last night, though. Partly because I had to finish up those photos, and partly because I was so pooped from the hike that I ended up falling asleep during our online class. So carving them after wasn't going to work. So at some point this week, we're going to do that

This week is going to be incredibly busy. I have another wedding due on Saturday - but I'll be taking Friday off for DH's cousin's wedding, and then Saturday I'll be shooting another wedding. So I really have the next three days to get it all edited. Not impossible, but that probably means late nights until then.

Thankfully, after I finish this one I don't have another hard deadline until November.

***

Spending over the weekend was more or less on meals - we did get breakfast Saturday, brunch Sunday, and then lunch yesterday. We could have definitely stuck to meals at home. We'll have to work on that going forward. At least limit ourselves to 1-2 restaurant meals every week.

At any rate, I better get to all of that work I mentioned!! Hope you all have a lovely Tuesday!

So last night I ended up going over to our friend's house with DH for poker night. He gave me a quick crash course on how to play before we left, and it ended up being a good time. Given that it was my first time, I didn't do terribly well - but it was only a $10 buy-in and I enjoyed it. He didn't end up winning either, but hey. Entertainment for $10/person isn't so bad. And he fronted the money.

We haven't mixed our finances yet, so we're still in the mindset that it's "his" and "my" money. I know that will change as soon as we get things going. Still waiting for our marriage license to come back from the probate court so I can embark on the exciting adventure of changing my name, replacing IDs, and then opening a joint account together. I think we may be meeting with a financial adviser. We have one in my BNI group, and it seems like a good way to kick off on the right foot. But it'll be an interesting transition. DH makes a LOT more money than I do, and I often worry about feeling like I'm not pulling my weight. Or it coming off that way. Now that we're married, the "team" mentality hasn't quite sunk in. Though I'm sure that's something that comes with time.

***

Today DH went off with friends to watch football. I stayed behind to edit photos. This week is going to be busy busy busy, as I've got a couple of deadlines to meet and two days I'm taking off work during the week.

I was going to cook dinner tonight, but we have so much leftover from yesterday's dinner that I think we'll just do that, and I'll cook tomorrow when I'm not attempting to edit a few thousand photos.

I also want to celebrate some tiny victories. Friends asked me to go to the mall a few times this week and I declined. I've also done a lot of online consignment shopping, and have yet to make a purchase. Just looking for a new winter coat. I've had my eye on one for over a year now, but it's about $300. I know I can score a better deal, but I still want to invest in something that I love and will last.

Thankfully, we have a bit of time before it becomes urgent. So we'll see. My coat from last year is still functional and we'll be living in a warmer climate next year. So maybe I'll go with something cute and much cheaper and hold off on the big coat investment until we move back. At any rate, I'm rambling now.

Hope you all have a lovely Sunday!!

So this is the first Saturday in a really long time that I haven't had anything planned - work related or otherwise. It feels good. I've got some editing to do, but the fact that I don't *have* to put on real clothes or makeup if I don't want to is a real comfort for me. One I've missed.

DH is planning to pay poker tonight with friends and watch the big US vs. Mexico cup game, so I'm not sure what my plans are. On one hand, I don't really know how to play poker. On the other, I could learn and possibly win some cash (and hang out with friends). But I don't know. I kind of like the idea of just hanging out at home as well. I've got plenty to do. And a whole slew of Netflix movies I could watch...

I also have a ton of work I need to get done this weekend, so it may make more sense to do that today so tomorrow and Monday will be open for relaxation.

***

In other news, we looked at some options for my health insurance - now that we're married, I can get on DH's work plan. But it's a bit absurd how much it would jump! As of right now, he only pays about $38 per pay period for his medical. It jumps to about $130 when he adds me on. I'm used to paying around $50 for Tricare so... I'm wondering if I should at least get a couple of other quotes. For a healthy 29 year old with no known medical issues, who knows. I don't have much experience with all of this. But in all honesty, I'm just excited to have insurance again.

There's a member of my BNI group that is an independent contractor and deals in health insurance, so I might have him put together a quote, so at least I have some basis of comparison.

Anyhoo. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

I can't believe the week is almost over! Time is certainly flying right now. Today I substituted at another BNI meeting - the group was pretty good, and there was an interior designer that seemed interested in doing some photos in the spring. So it was certainly a trip worth making (even if I had to drive 45 min away to get there at 7:30am). After that meeting, I headed to a local coffee shop to do a one-on-one meeting with one of the members of my BNI group. Spent about $10 on coffee and breakfast, but at least they can be written off.

Also grabbed gas this morning, and spent $12 on a kindle book last night. I would have gotten it from the library - but it's brand new, and it's Mindy Kaling's new book. I will reread it religiously because I practically worship her.

So I'm still under budget as of today. Things are going well.

Tonight we're going to a comedy thing at the Hofbrau House around here. Friends won free tickets, so we'll be getting in for free. I haven't talked to DH about dinner, so we might end up eating there. Or just having a couple of drinks and eating at home. We'll see.

The rest of the weekend should be a good time, and relatively cheap. We're planning to carve pumpkins, go on a hike, and hang out with friends. I think one of the days we might hit brunch at a restaurant near our house. Sunday night I'm making my perogies and having friends over for dinner. Should be a good time.

I also need to get some work done tomorrow, so I think I'm going to wake up and get an early start.

Now, back to work! TGIF!!