This week (and last) in retrospect......

YAY me! So far - shiny sink almost every night this week~ and 15 minutes de-cluttering as well! Can't say as much about movement though! Although with the advent of a/c being put in - I can breathe easier - and actually walk with ENERGY! So maybe that counts for something!

Something else this past week - I've talked about it before - how I spend too much money (and take in too many empty calories) doing the fast food inhale! (a la McD. and Taco B., etc.). I've tried to cut out completely all fast food intake but it was amazing the number of times I "forgot" my lunch.

So I decided to give myself permission explicitly to eat out. BUT there are several changes. First I can eat out ONCE a week ONLY. Second it is at a nice sit-down restaurant and while not costly - it will cost more than a fast food "meal". Third I have to EARN it before I can do it - which means that is the ONLY meal I eat out in a week - no breakfasts, snacks, dinners, etc. out other than the one earned.

What this means is that this week for not eating out - at least 5 out of 7 days (and this includes munchies at the deli in the grocery store, junk food at the gas station counter) - I will get to eat out NEXT week. At a planned and specific place - and probably will invite a co worker to share with me. I do have a cost limit though (lunch is cheaper) and $10 is my limit.

The following week is snack time out - and this place I have probably chosen - the Italian bakery with all the cannoli and baklava - that I pass on my way home ($5-$8 limit). Week after that is for dinner out ($20 limit) and the one after that is Breakfast (probably about $5 - but may be as high as $10, depending on whether or not I order "Dutch Baby" or not.)

True - I'm spending money - BUT figure it this way - 5 days a week of $10 a day x 4 weeks - and you have at least $200 a month. Consider that as opposed to $48 a month. Yup - this way wins! PLUS the money saved from that will get moved in the bank over to a special "save it" account with my first planned purchase being a new stove! Or at least PART of that will go there. Another (larger) part will go towards a new furnace for my apartment! The immediate gratification part - well, I'm eating that part! LOL!

And then the HIDDEN consideration - if I pack my lunches, etc. I can pack HEALTHY stuff - and who knows, I may lose some weight! Or at the least be living a healthier lifestyle!~

Other things - have re-designed the Architecture module for learning - almost done - not totally - should finish today. Tomorrow I return to the pre-history folders. New books have arrived - WOW! Although this kind of got me into trouble ordering these this last time - I'm glad I did. However I do think that book buying is going on my intermediate savings list! But then I have all (I hope) that I need for this coming year of learning! And God knows I don't need any more quilting pattern books! Oy vey!

Garden - LOTS of misses - especially where the birds swooped down and did target practice on the new veggies (squirrels helped! wiped out ALL my cucumbers, melons! Ugh!) Beans are blooming - while I need to "fill in" the many bird smacked spots in the beds! Am starting to think in terms of intermediary spending goals of a few permanent beds this fall - ones I can't walk down!

Allergens are still doing their thing - I didn't realize how much they affected me until the a/c was in - and it was like a tight band was removed from around my lungs!

Am cleaning - and de-cluttering this house as I go. Sort of a Fly-lady de-clutter session combined with spring housecleaning on a babystep by babystep basis! Add to that son and I have discussed re-doing the bathroom and pantry so that I can not only have my pantry but also have some better organization for my stuff there! That also is on my list for this fall IF POSSIBLE! Son and I will be doing the deconstruction and he and a friend of his will be involved in the reconstruction part (except for plumbing in the bathroom which desperately needs working on). And as much as I dislike painting - I CAN paint it!

I'm cooking quite a bit - sort of the once a month stuff - keeping in mind that I have NO oven to speak of. And then freezing meal sized portions for later useage.

Quilting - ummm - yeah! Some wild bee zapped me - it must have! I put up the shelving for non-quilting fabrics - and really did a good job cleaning behind everything - and all the shelving etc. - and put stuff back on shelves WHERE IT GOES. What WASN'T done - all the stuff in the middle of the floor (fabrics, LOTS of fabrics! Unsorted fabrics! Sigh!), that on chairs and the cutting table (fabric remnants that NEED to be sliced and diced and put AWAY). And that room is HOT! (Of course with the a/c and a strategically placed fan or two - or 3 or 4 - it wouldn't be for long!) At any rate - that's my excuse and I'm considering it!

That's it for the moment at least! Who knows - with the thunder and lightening storm outside I might even figure out how to download my camera onto my puter, clean things up a LOT and upload photos onto my blog. Of course, the question then comes - do I get RID of the cartoonies or not. I actually enjoy them - and worked hard to earn each one (except for those gifted to me for my birthday! and those in the "anyone can have this" bin)