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YNAB update, plus when you can't cut back any more, add more

January 30th, 2012 at 06:07 pm

I speak of simple pleasures. Coco Chanel said that a hot bath is good for a rotten mood, and I agree. Yesterday, having had very little sleep, I threw some dead sea salts, ylang-ylang and jasmine essential oils in the bath, and once soaking made some price book entries from my Trader Joe's escapade -- yes I could use some advice as to how to properly enjoy cheap yet luxurious pleasures -- am I to read Balzac or Flaubert or Baudelaire and pop Trader Joe's cocoa truffles in my mouth while hydrating with mixed pear juice + sparkling water? Then I could deal with the "this just in!" reports from Junior about the NHL All-Star Game and other interruptions.

I try for $100/day maximum spending, including bills. I maxed out today with gas and groceries, and will max out the next four days with bills.

YNAB end-of-month top four updates:
Food
Groceries: $480 (excellent!), Restaurants: $220 (three people, I ate out every week, but only at one place with cloth napkins or Script-typeface menus or pâté with toast points. My family ate out too. Groceries spending will rise next month: my seven-week supply of meat will run out, and eventually we will try to get our $55 membership use out of Costco.

Mortgage: $1353.71. Includes a teeny prepayment.

Car Insurance: $266.80.

Phone & Internet: $229.18. This WILL go down next month by $105 next month: we both paid the same bill unbeknownst to each other, and we no longer have a landline.

This month, while eating out, I learned of grenadine soda. A tablespoon or two of grenadine, and soda water, with a bit of lime juice. This I have been attempting to recreate at home, using what must be a decade-old bottle of grenadine syrup. We also used up the decade-old box of kosher salt. My bilingual box of salt I brought with me when I immigrated is still here and nowhere near empty.

2 Responses to “YNAB update, plus when you can't cut back any more, add more”

  1. My English Castle Says:
    1327949635

    I'm afraid to look at that bottle of Grenadine in our cupboard. I'll bet it's all sugared shut. DH brought an industrial size box of cling film with him 11 years ago. We still have it. I left the jar of octopus that was in his fridge for the local cats in the UK. I'm all for luxurious pleasures. I found the library lets us check out older magazines--and when I was ill--send DH to get me a load of vapid glossy pleasure.

  2. LuckyRobin Says:
    1327963055

    Looks like you got that grocery budget under control like you wanted. Good job.

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