It's been kind of a frustrating day here in lots of ways, many of them vaguely financial. DH's car needs at least a new muffler if not a whole new exhaust system which they want $1500 for. Ugh. He likes this garage, but I think they're too expensive, so we went back and forth on that a bit. He doesn't drive much--some weekend errands and just to the bus in the morning, so that seems a lot to spend on that car. The A/C quit working last year, but they want $1000 for that, and we've mutually decided it's not worth it. Then, after much consultation about selling some patio chairs, my potential buyer found others. Now the dishwasher appears to have clogged or something and is leaving sediment all over the dishes. We've rinsed out the water jets and will wait to see how it behaves, but I ended up with three sinks full of dishes.

I still have a couple of FB sales pending, but am sort of frustrated with the process right now and will concentrate tomorrow on other things. I think the tree pollen must also be bad because I'm a bit thick.

But there have been good things--I read two capstone projects, made a good quiche and excellent pumpkin chocolate chip muffins--all from the freezer and pantry. Onward--

My first class went on a long walk today through all the Bloomsbury squares. Now we've been here for six weeks; a person would think they might have discovered them before? They're a two-minute walk away. But it was fun to show them where Virginia Woolf lived, and Yeats, and Dickens, and a host of others.

My other class also went well, and I had been a bit grumbly about students who have been a little lax. Yet when I left, my most trying student said, "Don't leave. We like your classes best." I went home with a big smile on my face.

I spent nothing until I went grocery shopping this evening, when I spent 20 GBP. I had a voucher for double loyalty points, so stocked up on things I'll need soon like more coffee, bottled water for upcoming trips, and laundry soap. I'm a bit pleased as I've managed to wean myself off half and half in my coffee and switch to whole milk. Perhaps I'll get it down to 2 percent someday, but think I must be saving some fat and calories.

I have a huge pile of grading since last night was theatre night. "Once," the musical we saw was very good, and my colleague bought me a drink which you could have on the stage! Very fun.

I'm again way behind on many things, and as much as I'd like to blame myself (ha), I think it's work. Those of you remotely interested in my mundane freelance work might remember I took on a textbook accuracy checking job. There remains more to do on that job, and their checker on another text just quit, Do I need more work? No. Do I want more work? No. Did I take on more work? Yep.

That work, my busy classes, the London recruiting (which has taken on mammoth proportions lately), and a sick kid for four of the five past school days has turned me a bit ugly. I honestly didn't even enjoy apple picking last weekend. I'm tired. I haven't done my ebay listings or a lot of administration around here.

But tomorrow is sort of the end of the teaching week, and London apps are due tomorrow. I've got to get things done this week. End of whine.

Good news? I parked illegally all day and got no ticket. There's an open bag of Kit Kats in my office and I haven't eaten any. My newbie prospective London students are cute as can be. The child is doing better. I made swell chili and great homemade applesauce. Tomorrow is payday. Ah, much better.

Oooh, I had a good shopping day today. I bought some nice groceries on sale at Target and even remembered my coupons. More grocery shopping followed that, all with great deals and double coupons on a few things. I'm not a huge Kohl's fan (blasphemy here in Cheeseland), but I picked up a cute black tee for very cheap after joining their new loyalty program. One more card to try to keep track of....

Yesterday DH and I did a walk around our house looking at trees that needed trimming, bare spots near the fence that needed something, and lots of other areas that needed a couple hours weeding. So after the football today, he trimmed shrubs, and I stopped at the garden center for some drastically reduced hostas. Hooray! Just what I wanted. Except for the third time in six days I was overcharged, this time for $10, and none of the clerks could figure out how to do a price adjustment. Twenty minutes later they finally figured it out. I'm very happy I brought the thermal bag for my frozen groceries, or I would have a car dripping with not-so-frozen yogurt soup.

I love these three-day weekends. We seem to get so much done. We finished some Netflix series that we've been watching, got most of the laundry done, and actually feel ready for the week ahead. Well, except for that weeding.

DH had a fraud alert on his Chase card Friday, and it indeed was fraud. This is his third Chase card this year. We expect the new card Monday.

I feel like the worst of the semester is behind me. All my students are working on big projects, and only need feedback from me. Nothing new or too major to assign, and only three weeks to go.

Tomorrow my London contact arrives to do the meeting with this year's students. Unbelievably, there are three I still haven't met, so finally I'll see everyone tomorrow.

I've been pretty frugal, and I've also been trying to diet a bit. I've kept up with Swagbucks up to now, but imagine if we're traveling over Thanksgiving, I'll abandon the monthly goal. My Nectar Adpoints are very slowly adding up to help with my London grocery bill. I've done some Pinecone surveys and some Christmas shopping at the church bazaar. Now I just need a few days to tie up loose ends and do an analysis of things that need to be done for the semester, the London trip, home, and Christmas.

My dear friend with cancer is home, but the prognosis is not good. She's a very stubborn soul, so I'm hoping she'll let me help while I can.

It's going to get very cold here, and I've made yet another pot of turkey broth from the turkeys I roasted for the shelter. It smells heavenly here. Nothing like a big pot of homemade soup.

My DH was home Friday with a cold that stretched all weekend,; no one felt great but it was nice to be home together. He had it worse than me, but I woke up this morning thinking I was too sick to go to school. But two ibuprofen later, and I got through the whole day, just a little slower than usual.

Because of the rain/snow mix this morning, I parked in the ramp at school, something I rarely do, but between having a cold and the weather, I think it was worth it. The wind was howling off the lake, and I was glad to stay warm and dry.

Staying in most of the weekend, we didn't spend much. We got take-out Saturday night; nothing like spicy hot and sour soup for a cold.

I also volunteered to roast two turkeys for the local shelter's Thanksgiving meal. I did one yesterday, carved it, and then froze the meat and pan juices to bring to church later. It made the house smell so good. I'm making soup from the bones now.

Only a little bit of snow lingers here, but it sure is cold.

When DH's boss went into a meeting today, he asked if he could have a copy of DH's CV to circulate as they still suspect they'll run out of work for him. Sure enough, someone said they could perhaps use him until the end of the year. That would give us a bit more room, and perhaps another longer-term contract will come up between now and then. So, we're a bit more hopeful.

But we traced out yet another austerity budget and found that we can live, very carefully, on what I make. And that without my adjunct job at night. We couldn't do it long term, as there's no room for car repairs, house repairs, or much of anything besides property taxes, utilities, food, and other necessities. But it is doable in the short term.

As I was cleaning up the fall garden today, I found some of last spring's spinach and radish seeds. It may be late for them, but I put a row of each in and some lettuce. It's a long shot, but the seeds were just sitting there. Why not, eh?

We're all dragging around here after the first week of school. Does everybody get worn out like this?

But I had a cheap and very nice day. Next week is my birthday and a friend took me out for lunch at my favorite tapas spot. While she paid for lunch, I have a loyalty card there, and have now earned a $25 bonus.

On the other cheapskate front, we got a free rotisserie chicken at the grocery store today with a coupon as well as a free Bird's Eye Voila meal. We won both in the supermarket's latest inane game. But free food is good and we had the chicken for dinner.

Now, back to reading my students' introduction assignments. Looks like I have some real corkers this semester.

Ok, I'll admit it. I'm a spoiled brat and am bored being home. I'd rather be in Minnesota with family and friends, denying the imminent onset of the semester, a passel of new students, and the early morning start times.

But here we are. We spoiled ourselves with a massive dinner tonight with fabulous vegetables from the farmers' market. The corn and tomatoes were so good. And I sort of invented a new cocktail with orange San Pellegrino, white rum, mint, and a squeeze of lime. The patio was beautiful even if the house is filled with laundry, stacks of mail, and piles of school supplies to be delivered and new school clothes to be put away. If the mosquitoes hadn't been so hungry and yet another Kate Atkinson novel waiting inside, I might've slept out there instead.

Tomorrow is the closing day of the municipal pool. Reality can wait until Monday, yes?

Yep, it's midterm night tonight. This class has been so much better than my "Mysteries" class. I'm really enjoying them, although they're a little goofy.

I had dinner with friends last night. These are the same ones that are moving soon, so we finalized the times I'm taking them to the airport next week. My meals out spending will certainly decrease when they leave, but I'll be sad. Hoping to visit them in Germany next spring.

DD and I have started some school supply shopping. I always play a little game with myself trying to figure out by how much I can beat the pre-packed price. My simple life!

We spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 for the weekend party. I didn't think it would be that much, but we seem to have lots of wine left over and DH was given lots of wine as well.

The only spending other than food, drink, and paper goods was on some flowers for the house and big beverage jars for the outdoor bar. We've eaten leftover food for the past couple days, and don't have much left. All in all, not too bad.

On the selling front, I sold something on ebay for $5 and a book for $50. The biggest triumph from the entire party prep was the dejunking. We still have the garage to do, but the rest of the house is MUCH improved.

Besides class and study abroad planning, I'd like to spend the next five or six weeks relaxing, reading, and financial planning. To that end, DD and I went to the library today for a few more books. We spend a lovely afternoon just lazing about and reading.

We had a great time at the DD and DH birthday party--with over 50 people including kids. I seem to have made about the right amount of food, and it was good to see some people we hadn't seen in a while.


We'll be eating leftovers for only one more day, and I anticipate being recovered from this by tomorrow!

More on the costs and what I'd do differently when I post tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the big party for DD and DH's birthdays. I think we're expecting around 35-40 folks so hoping the weather is cooler but pleasant. I'm making pulled pork sandwiches, half a dozen salads and sides, and a chocolate cake, lemon curd cupcakes, and maybe a fruit tart.

Our house painters left yesterday and did a spectacular job. I really liked them and their work ethic, especially in this heat.

I've started on the dressings but am off now to roast the corn for the corn and black bean salad. I'm never quite sure how much food to make, worry about not having enough, and end up with extras. I guess that's just the way it is!

On days like this, I wish I had another refrigerator. But since that only happens a couple times a year, I'll make do. Maybe my neighbors can chill some beverages? They are invited!

Better get going!

DD and I spent yesterday evening with a bunch of my university friends in the most relaxed night in weeks. They grilled, we all brought salads, and I must say, I made the most magnificent mojitos ever. The kids splashed in the pool, wrapped themselves in towels and played in the driveway.

We have a series of two or three more parties before the end of the month. I deal with real life early next week when I need to grade and plan some more projects here.

DH has been fabulous with the brick garden edging. I hate that kind of work, so am delighted he's taken it on.

The rest of the day is devoted to housecleaning before DD's friends come over for a sleepover. Then pizza and a fire in the patio firebowl.

I had an interesting conversation with my boss this morning. I can't attend a going-away party for a colleague tomorrow because, as I a bit too pointedly told him, I am going to my other job.

But I was trying to think what I could do to let her know I was thinking of her, despite not being able to make it to the party. The party is at a local park that has a beer garden. My boss suggested I give him $40 to buy a round of beer for everyone or make cupcakes or something. Hmm--let's see. Home baked box cupcakes--even jazzed up-- will run me no more than $5.
I wondered about his inability to see that there's a HUGE monetary difference. Or if it's a gender thing? I'm not sure. But I'm making cupcakes.

Tomorrow is my dear husband's 50th birthday. He's not quite kicking and screaming into his 50s, but he is not going gently either. I took him out for a splendid dinner last night using (for some of the enormous bill) a gift card received from our window installer. You know how sometimes expensive meals are just not worth it? Well, this one was. Wonderful food, wonderful setting overlooking Lake Michigan, fabulous service--and when we left the restaurant, one of the lakefront festivals had a fabulous fireworks display.

We went for a nice drink at a local jazz club, and had a wonderful evening. DD was at a sleepover so saved the cost of babysitting, and while the evening was pricey, it was well worth it.

Yep, I took a six-week, one-night-per-week tutoring gig that starts after 4th of July. It's a nice chunk of change that I would happily put toward the bathroom remodeling or new family room carpet.

I had a lovely end-of-semester lunch for my university gals yesterday. I hate to brag, but the black bean and sweet potato enchildas were fabulous. And so was the rhubarb cake from Martha Stewart's site. And now my house is clean!

We did a volunteer morning at an inner city church this morning. All of our time was spent weeding and replanting, and now that I'm dirty, I'm going out in our yard. Look for me in the ibuprofen aisle tomorrow.

And the long-dreaded ebay listings are selling! Hooray!

I suspect we've had this discussion before but I'm still not quite sure how much to tip my haircutter. I do about 10 percent, but the receptionist looked at me a little oddly today, and I wonder if I'm way under?


It's super cold and rainy here, so I spent 45 minutes in my closet. How's that for a defensive strategy? Actually, I was busy decluttering and left for the hairdresser with a towering bag. Yep, I still had the sweater I wore when DH made his first trip to the US 14 years ago. And many other similar treasures. A big bag went to the charity shop already, so I am pleased. I did stop at the library where I left with a similar tower of books, but at least they won't be permanent residents in my house. I've been reading _City of Women_ about Berlin during WWII. Some of it is very good, but the overabundance of steamy scenes read more like male fantasy than reality. But the good writing is very good.

I also hauled home five Helen Mirren films and shows from the library. I didn't realize I was on a Helen Mirren tear until the third one, then I just stuck with the theme.

A few groceries for the weekend including half price chickens and steak at Fresh Market and I'm ready for more decluttering and some reward reading.

I spent half the weekend on the road, driving to Minneapolis to pick up the dog at my brother's home. They've been dog sitting since DD and DH came to England. I spent some $ on gas (much cheaper in MN), a small lunch each way, and dinner with friends on Friday night. Yesterday DD and I were invited to a tea party, and I bought a cute rose planted in a tea cup for the hostess. I think that was our only spending.

The more expensive news is the dog's impending medical treatment. She jumped off something at my brother's and tore her ACL. We're headed to the vet in an hour to find out that news. Ugh.

So, I have ongoing tasks for the week that need prioritization. They include pulling together class materials for my summer classes, starting our delayed taxes, picking up around here, finding a cleaner, hiring a painter for the house exterior, and starting a massive dejunking. I guess I did start the dejunking yesterday by giving a friend a big bag of DD's outgrown clothes. But much more to come. And I need to sell some things on ebay.

Also to be done is the drawdown of all the food DH bought while I was gone. He buys far too much food and the freezer and cupboards are bursting. So menu planning must be done.

I'm giving myself a grocery budget of $50/week until we can get through this food, and an ebay target of $150. I want ten bags/boxes of stuff out of this house by the end of the week. I'm still working on capstone projects and have to show up at the university with my spending report sometime this week, but first, an hour of purging.


There's more England news on the horizon, but I'll wait until tomorrow to elaborate.

Only a week until DD and DH arrive, so I'm doing all the London things that I love, but that he's less than enthusiastic about--antique shopping, theatre, etc. and saving all the things we all love like museums and history for after their arrival.

I'm still rather amazed at how expensive groceries have been. On Tuesday I spent 25pds on groceries, and all I have left is tangerines. I do eat almost every meal here or pack lunches, but still, it's expensive.
My new pleasure? Chili beet(root) for on top of salads.

But the good news for us is the exchange rate. The pound has fallen 8.5% against the dollar since January. I'm going to start putting almost everything on the American credit card (which we always pay off) to help take advantage of that.

The British economy seems a bit worse than the American at this point with a new budget coming out next week. Several friends are facing layoffs, and there are plenty of cuts in benefits.

Off to the British library!

First, a caveat. I'm not feeling very frugal. I've been wallowing in art, roaming all over, and I'm not used to cooking for one. My DH eats every scraping of leftovers I can excavate from the fridge. But I'm also feeling the pinch of this expensive glorious place.

I'm off to Spain on Tuesday and have a work drinks (will they have snacks?) do tomorrow night, so I'm trying to use up all the bits and pieces in my fridge.

While I was grading yesterday, I roasted the half bulb of fennel and the lump of butternut squash that's been rolling around since last Sunday's lunch. They'll be the anchor of tonight's dinner. It's very rainy and nasty today, so I cut my walk short and am spending the day class planning.

One of my constant issues is the extreme slowness of the bus. It can take 45 minutes for me to get to the university. But my transit pass only covers zones 1-2 on the tube, and Highgate is Zone 3. I haven't yet been able to rationalize the extra couple pounds this would cost, so I bring a book, look out the window, memorize the bus stops, and sometimes sigh a little. But on Tuesday, I need to get to Heathrow for my flight so will have to top up my Oyster card. The TFL (Transport for London) site is very good, so will spend some time later figuring out how much that will cost or if it's possible to get a regular London bus all the way out there. I sort of doubt it.

I also need to figure out the best place to change money. I usually just use the ATM, but we're getting into Barcelona late-ish, and I want some cash in hand. My suspicion is that the PO offers good rates, but I'll check.

Scottish girl mentioned this site that is very much talked about. It's all about food waste and is pretty darn interesting. http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/content/love-food-hate-waste-london

My promised post on the charity shops will follow later. Must dry off and work a bit.

I've done some thinking about how folks spend and save around here.
Because energy is more expensive, there is a lot of emphasis on energy awareness. My homestay students tell me they're always urged to turn down heat, turn off lights, duplex print, etc. None of these are new to anyone, but they are certainly more emphasized.

I've also noticed the increasing emphasis to pay attention to food waste. Because food is a bigger part of people's budget, there are lots of articles and supermarket tips on how to stretch things, particularly meat. Many supermarkets charge for bags. I've also seen lots of articles on how to use up things like the last bit of mustard, dabs of vegetables, etc. As with the energy savings, none of this is new, but it's much more stressed.

That said, the lunch places are jammed and I hardly ever see anyone bringing in a lunch--well, except me.
The student office here, cognizant of the cost for students, has installed a microwave. I'm refilling my travel cup with water regularly. Everyone also seems very aware of the cost of transportation, especially with the huge rise in train fares. It would save me 20 minutes to take the bus to the tube, then the tube the rest of the way. I've discussed this with folks in the office, and virtually everyone moans about it, but takes the bus.

There also seems to be increasing stratification, just like in the US.

Tomorrow's topic? Charity shops!

I went out for my birthday with my university women last night. It's strange to admit, but my DH, wonderful as he is, just stinks at planning celebrations. Even with hints and help, he fails miserably at it. The past couple years, I've decided rather than being cranky and disappointed with his meager attempts, I'd take charge of my own fun.

We had a riotous time. There were six of us--and we went to a Cali-Mexi Taco place--only a few years old--and right on the river. It was nice enough to sit outside, we drank fabulous margaritas, ate Korean beef tacos and other delights, and laughed until my sides ached. Someone down the river started lighting Japanese lanterns, and it was so beautiful. I haven't been out that late or had that much fun in ages.

I decided to treat them out of some of the proceeds of mom's house, but even with all that food and those pitchers of margs, it was barely $100. Terrific--a birthday to remember. One of them called it an "epic evening" and I agree.

That's about all I can say about these weeks. It's only Tuesday night, and I'm wiped out. Yesterday was a marathon day--four regular classes from 8-2, then my evening class from 5:30-10. That's the odd small class with four students, but (do the math) 3/4 of them don't have their textbook here during Week 3 of class. You can guess how well they're doing.

I spent most of my office hours today scanning in a story for another class, then distributing flyers for the study abroad. I'd like to get as many signed up as possible, and the October 1 deadline looms.

I wish I could say tomorrow will be easier, but again, I have four classes, no time for lunch, and a two-hour middle school PTO session tomorrow night.

Now that I'm done whining, I did sell a book today, and I got it mailed. I've fallen into the habit of stopping at the grocery store on my way home a couple times a week. I've never shopped like that before; I'm usually a once-a-week shopper, but this seems easier with my time-crunched schedule. The budget hasn't shown any ill effects yet. And because it's 2:30 or 3 when I shop, it's not busy. I may stick with this as long as it works.

Two last student e-mails to deal with---

I've had some small but fun triumphs these past few days. The hotel in Minneapolis had free newspapers, complete with the coupon sections, and my next door neighbors at the hotel threw theirs out, so I've ended up with three coupon sections. Sunday evening when I got to the airport, there was little choice at the smaller terminal, but I had a couple of bags of Sun Chips and some hummus from a giveaway on the downtown corners. It was the perfect snack; better than the $9 sandwiches and free. Plus they gave me a handful of coupons for the hummus, which when doubled will make it almost free.

I sold an old textbook over the weekend and a light fixture that didn't sell at the yard sale. Add $70 to my clutter sales!

Today DD and I visited the local botanical gardens. She had a free pass from the summer reading program, and I saved $1 with my AAA membership. I am strangely pleased with all of these!

I spent a lovely weekend in Minneapolis with my dearest Minnesota grrrrlfriends. I've known one of them since second grade, and the other one is probably my best friend, so it was a terrific weekend. Usually airfares from MKE to MSP run about $250-300, but I got a great $96 airfare and a hotwire rate on a 4-star hotel that ran less than that.

It was pure luxury to stay in a downtown hotel, go walking by places where I worked for years, places that all held so much history and so many memories for me. And to top all that off, we had a terrific time. The weather Friday and Saturday was terrific. We had cocktails, walked, and chatted on Friday afternoon--then dinner. Saturday we walked to Loring Park, ate a great breakfast at Loring Kitchen, went to the sculpture garden, then got the fun rental public bikes and rode through downtown to the Stone Arch Bridge and St Anthony Main. We shopped a little in the late afternoon, and I got some great bargains.

Saturday night we heard terrific jazz and had a great meal at the Dakota, followed by breakfast yesterday, a wonderful free day at the Minneapolis Art Museum including a Rembrandt exhibit and tour and terrific woven works at the Swedish Institute. So much fun!

I'm not sure I calmed my tummy with that eating and drinking, but it sure was fun.

To top off my glorious weekend, I came home to an e-mail this morning asking if I wanted to teach an overload section this fall. Indeed I do! That'll help with the deficit around here and enable us to cross some items off our lists.

Good all around!

I'm meeting with my university gals this afternoon to plot our garage sale strategy. I can tell it's almost August and still two months from payday by everyone's growing enthusiasm for this project. We're all broke.

At my evening class last night I ran a colleague who is joining in our sale. She's just pulled a slightly dinged DVD player from the classroom garbage hoping to sell it Saturday.

In another communal venture, we've decided to "shop" in each others' kids' outgrown clothing piles after the sale and then regularly from now on. Everyone is tickled and relieved.

DD and I walked again this morning after a "mystery shopper" breakfast at McDonald's. Neither of us is too fond of McD's breakfast, but she ate the pancakes and I'll make a breakfast burrito from the eggs tomorrow. DH hates wasting food so I'll bet I can get him to eat the biscuit. I did feel a little odd snapping photos of the breakfast, but heck, it was kind of fun. I haven't done one of these in years, and I'm not sure how regularly I'd do it, but for a change....

While DD was in her half-day nature camp, I spent a couple hours working on my Study Abroad materials.
She has such a great time at that nature center; they spent hours "ponding" and looking at bugs under magnifying glasses.

On the way home we stopped off at a local Fresh Market to pick up a few things. We'd received a gift card from them for doing a fundraising run, so I got a couple pounds of apples and some raspberries for $1 after the card.

I'm busy using up fridge food and made very tasty chicken and black bean enchiladas for dinner. Then I put all of DH's Chase miles toward his bill. It was over $200, so it really felt like free cash.

To top it off, we downloaded a couple of free books onto our Kindles tonight--and I was again impressed with the simplicity of it.

Not looking forward to the impending heat wave, but very grateful we're not getting Florida's rains or Colorado's fires.

Any spinach growers here? My initial spring crop has been harvested and/or eaten by bunnies. Can I plant another crop now or does it dislike heat?

Here were yesterday's small delights: eating more fresh berries, getting a free lunch at Noodles, and free Nivea shave stuff at Walgreen's for DH's Dad's Day bag. After swimming DD had a fab time at the summer library movie, "Tin Tin." I made more jam and read until the wee hours.

Still no word from my ebay buyer. I'm starting a claim.
Bah.


Tonight's potluck dish? Spinach strawberry salad!

DD and I spent yesterday with friends picking strawberries and peas. I made jam and froze berries, and have more to do. But those peas were pure heaven. I wish I would have planted some in our garden.

In further slight progress towards decluttering goals, I divested my office of a towering stack of DD's clothes and had a heartening discussion after our post-picking picnic lunch with friends about the need for us all to curtail restaurant meals in favor of monthly potlucks. I love going out, but we're all still reeling from the state paycuts. Most of my university friends have cut all kids' summer camps and other activities, so we're going to have to make our own fun.

My late ebay buyer is still late. I've now contacted her twice after the initial invoice. One more day and I'll open a claim.

In happier news, I've located a free voucher for Noodles. DD and I are heading there for lunch tomorrow since it expires soon!