Mini January Recap

I didn't really start keeping track of some items that I've been curious about until the last two weeks of January, but I'll post them anyway. I'm going to start keeping track of all the financials savings that I get starting in February.

I read 9 books and 8 magazines in two weeks.

Rebates:
I received one rebate back for a total of $4.10 from Bayer. I haven't decided if rebate money should go back into the grocery budget, or just be saved.

I sent three rebates out - Orajel, Sure, and Peter Pan.

The last week of January I only received three freebies in the mail:
1. Cosmo subscription
2. Charmin roll extender
3. Cascadian Farms granola bar and $1 MQ

Hopefully next month I'll keep track of all the info I want to keep track of. How did everyone else do?

My Yipee Deal!

I'm a lucky gal! I bought 15 pounds of bacon for $20! This is good bacon. I know. . .what am I going to do with 15 pounds of bacon? We love it. James likes to have breakfast tacos once or twice a week. We have breakfast for dinner at least once a week. BTW, James cooks up bacon and then puts in my waffle batter and then cookes the waffle. So yummy. We also use bacon in beans and other dishes. $1.33 a pound!

I've been slacking

In my defense, I did have the stomach virus the first part of the week and am still recovering from that. Exercise has not been at the forefront of my thoughts. Yesterday I slowly got back into it by doing yoga in the morning and then we took three of the beasts for an hour long hill walk last night. I am planning on hitting the gym before work this morning and hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get in a run (cross your fingers that my ankle doesn't give me problems.)

Three of my beautitful babies!

It was really cold in our house last night and our beasts were restless. James opened up the spare bedroom and three of the beasts made a beeline for the bed. Of course, they cuddled up right next to each other. From left to right are Darla, Daisy and in the very back is Fancy. Aren't they adorable?

My awesome freebie today!!!

Let me first say that I have awesome bosses at work!! Look what my boss gave to me today!

So are you thinking what the heck is that? That box holds 15 pounds of 4x4 squares of puff pastry! Retail that would cost me around $50. My boss received the box as a trial from some company and didn't use it so he gave it to me today! Can you smell the empanadas, danishes, topping to chicken pot pie, sopapias, and so much more?

Another giveaway link

Jane at Jane4girls$800 annual budget is doing an organic giveaway. Check it out here if you are interested!

Whatever muffins

I needed to make some muffins for James the other day, but our grocery budget money is gone for January and we were out of milk. I also had some old granola that neither one of us really cared for as cereal, so I wanted to use that up. Here's the recipe I used (it is based on a pretty generic muffin recipe, but then I made a bunch of changes. . .my version is posted.)

Heat oven to 350 F. In a bowl mix together the following:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

In another bowl mix together:

2 eggs
4 T butter, melted
3/4 cup vanilla yogurt (I used Horizon organic)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 t almond extract (James loves this flavor)

Stir egg mixture into flour mixture until almost mixed. Fold in 3/4 cup granola (or nuts, berries, fresh fruit, etc) and 1/4 cup coconut (also leftover stuff I needed to use) being careful to not over mix the muffins. Scoop into 12 lined muffin tins or 6 big muffins tins and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Your time may vary depending on your oven's temp.

If you wanted to make these lighter you could absolutely use a cup of skim milk, but I had to use what I had on hand. These were really "pretty" muffins, but since they are now in the freezer I don't want to take a picture of them.

$1 Biscuit coupon

I rarely buy premade biscuits, preferring to make them from scratch, but when I logged on to Yahoo this morning there was an ad at the top. Get a coupon from Pillsbury. Turns out it is a $1 off any size/variety of Pillsbury Grands Biscuits. I can't find the link again, but if you have yahoo, you may want to be on the look out for it!

Free Diet Dr. Pepper

The first 2,000,000 to register between 1/26/09 and 3/31/09 will receive a coupon for either a free 2 liter or 20 oz. Diet Dr. Pepper. This is good in the US only and only one request per household. I think there's a good chance you can get in on this deal! Also look in magazines. I've found a couple coupons in different mags. We don't drink soda, but we know people that do!

Menu Monday

I'm going to plan for the week, but things may get moved around because James is still having problems with his stomach. We did awful last week because we ate out a couple times. We'll definitely try to do better this week.

Monday - Waffles and bacon

Tuesday - Pulled pork BQ sandwiches with homemade buns and chips

Wednesday - Meatless Spaghetti and peasant bread

Thursday - Baked chicken, stuffing and broccoli with LO peasant bread

Friday - Amberjack and rice

Saturday - Homemade pizza

Sunday - LO

Powerade Zero

Do not buy the Powerade Zero. It does not taste good. Even James, who will eat or drink almost anything, said that he didn't like it. We usually love sports drinks, but this one tasted very "chemically" (if I could make up a word.)

Giveaway from the Grocery Challenge

Gayla at the Grocery Cart Challenge has an awesome give away. Check it out HERE.

Today's exercise and deals

We made our normal Sunday trip to Walgreen's today and stopped at HEB after church. Here's what we got:

Walgreens

2 Fruit Loops - normally $4 each, on sale for $1.99 each = total $3.98 - $1.50/2 MQ = $2.48 (or $1.24 each)
2 Carefree pantyliner - normally $1.39 each or $2.78 total, used ESC Q to bring each down to $0.99 or $1.98 total - 2 $1 MQ = -$0.02
1 Puff tissues - normally $1.59, used ESC Q to bring down to $0.89 - $0.25 MQ = $0.64
3 Nabisco pie shells - normally $2.99, on clearance for $0.74 each or $2.22 total
2 packs Aluminum bread pans - normally $1.19, on clearance for $0.29 or $0.58 total

Total cost before savings/coupons = $23.72
Total savings/coupons = $17.82
Total OOP with tax = $6.00

I should have bought more of the pie shells, but we only use them occasionally so I didn't want to waste any.

At HEB I bought:

1 pkg Wet Ones singles (demonstrated this morning that we needed them when two dogs got peed on by other beasts) - $2.19 - $1 MQ = $1.19
2 Nabisco Wheat Thins - on sale for $2 each (normally $2.99) for a total of $4 - $2/2 MQ = $2.00 total
2 Horizon organic yogurt (for dog frosties) - $0.75 each or $1.50 total
Bananas = $0.90
1 Sure deodorant - $1.98 - $1 MQ = $0.98 but will be getting a $1.98 rebate so I made $1.00 off this deal

Total before savings/coupons = $12.55
Total savings/coupons = $5.73
Total OOP with tax $6.82

After lunch we took Mary and Kramer for a 5.5 mile hike at the state park. My ankle held up okay, but I have it iced right now.

Stupid blogspot

Blogspot won't let me have extra spaces between my lines for some reason. That is why my previous post looks so crowded. Sometimes I am able to do it, other times it automatically takes out the spaces. GRRR!

Walmart deals for today

I had some coupons that were close to the expiration so I went looking for sales. I did okay. James was super patient and helpful while I dragged him all over the store!

2 Little Debbie Snack cakes (for our trip) - $1.62 each = total $3.24 - 2 x $0.55 internet Q = $2.14

2 Johnson Buddies - $0.97 each = total $1.94 - $2/2 internet Q = -$0.06

2 Jello Pudding Snacks - 2/$4.00 sale = 2 x $0.55 MQ = $2.90

2 Luden cough drops - $1.12 each = total $2.24 - 2 x $1 MQ = $0.24

4 Johnson Baby Lotion - $0.97 each = total $3.88 - 2 x $2/2 internet Q = -$0.12

3 Starkist tuna packs - $1.28 each = total $3.84 - B2Go MQ = $2.56

4 Purell hand sanitizer - $1.52 each = $6.08 - 2 x $2.2 internet Q = $2.08

2 Powerade Zero - $0.88 each = total $1.76 - 2 x $0.40 MQ = $0.96

Total before coupons = $26.98

Total coupons = $16.28

Total OOP with tax = $10.89

The other thing that happened today is that we took Kramer to a Meet and Greet. We think he met his forever family. I am hopeful for him but completely sad for me. I will miss that boy when he gets adopted.

I finally found a deal at HEB!

HEB NEVER has good sales. It is always buy one thing get something or several things for free. The items they do this kind of sale for are never items I want to purchase. While picking up a prescription today, I happened to check out the clearance section and found these perfectly normal boxes of Kellogg's Special K (my favorite) cereal on clearance for $0.62. Here's the break down:

3 boxes Special K cereal - normally $2.94/box or $8.82 total - on clearance for a total of $1.86 - $1/2 MQ = $0.86 total for 3 boxes!!!!

I scored today!

I ran again

Exercise today consisted of a mix of several things. Took two of my dogs for a mile long walk this morning before work. Ran around like crazy at work. Came home from work and ran two miles in 21:55. The time is awful for me considering I used to run the same distance in less than 18 minutes, but I'm not pushing anything with my ankle. As it is my ankle is on ice right now and I still have to take two more walks tonight. I guess I did okay. I'll take tomorrow off and then pick it up again on Sunday.

I need to work out more

I walked around a lot at work today since it was busy. I ran about a mile today also. Not much, but my ankle seemed to handle it pretty well. Also lifted weights. I'm hoping to start doing some little runs for the next couple of weeks and then start building up.

My Target deals from yesterday!

I had been reading about the deals on cereal bars at Target for a couple of days. Since we had to go into Austin last night to get my shirts, we stopped at Target (plus we had to get the rawhides for the beasts). Here's how we did:

6 South Beach cereal bars: on sale for $2.33 - total $13.98 - 6/$2 internet Q= $1.98
2 Kashi soft baked cereal bars: on sale for $2.75 - total $5.50 - 2/$2 internet Q = $1.50
Juicy Juice 8 pk: on sale for $1.88 - $1 MQ = $0.88
Rawhide: NEVER ANY SALES - $11.39

Total cost before any sales or coupons: $52.40
Total sale savings: $19.65
Total coupon savings: $17.00
Total OOP + tax = $16.52

The cool thing is that if you take out the dog bones, we spent $4.36 on 9 food items. James eats the bars for breakfast and we'll use some for an upcoming trip so it was worth the expense. We could have saved more by not buying the rawhides, but I refuse to change my beasts' habits. Mary has had a rawhide everyday for almost 8 years, and I love my baby too much to take away her treats.

My shirts

Here are my shirts. Sorry the picture is so bad, but there isn't a lot of light in my bathroom. I am a little bummed that I have to iron shirts again. I thought I was done with that when I quit teaching!

JC Penney Deal

James and I had to go into Austin tonight because I needed another white shirt for work. James wanted to look at JCP so that is where we stopped first. The store is having a huge clearance sale. I ended up finding two white shirts on clearance for $17.99 and $14.99. The best part is that they have a buy one get one FREE sale on their clearance items. So instead of paying about $70 for two shirts, I only payed $19.64 total for both shirts!

We hit Target after that and I scored big, but I'm too tired to blog about that tonight. I'll post pictures and prices tomorrow.

I'm out of shape

I rode my bike to work today for exercise. Keep in mind that two months ago, I could easily run 20 miles and could ride a bike forever. Now, after having to limit my exercise due to that darn ankle, I struggled on my ride to work. It didn't start off well either. I always ride my mountain bike, just so I can take the back roads. Guess what I discovered when I went out to the garage this morning. . .you guessed it, a FLAT TIRE! I ended up taking my time trial bike to work. The hills seriously kicked my rear, but I succeeded. James and I both rode home as well and there were more hills, but I did it. I don't ever remember feeling that winded riding the hills around my neighborhood. I guess I should just be thankful that I road about 12 miles today and I got a good workout in.

We hiked!

As my exercise today I decided to take Kramer hiking. We went to the state park and hiked hills for about 45 minutes. We were walking pretty fast, so hopefully I got a good enough work out in today.

I've been feeling really "blah" lately. I don't know why and I'm trying really hard to dig myself out of it.

Menu plan Monday

Monday - pita pizza

Tuesday - Meatball subs and chips

Wednesday - waffles and bacon

Thursday - double decker chicken tacos

Friday - Pulled pork sandwiches (slow-cooker) and macaroni and cheese

Saturday - LO

Sunday - Spaghetti and peasant bread

Today's exercise

I feel like I need to hold myself accountable for exercising. Since I hurt my ankle, I feel like I haven't been doing enough. I'm still really bummed about not being able to run. Maybe if I blog about what I am doing I'll feel better.

Today I went with my friends Raymond and Wendy to the South Shore of Lake Bastrop. There is a 5 mile trail that connects North Shore and South Shore. We rode that in about 1.5 hours. We did talk to a friend of Raymond's at North Shore so it probably only took us 1.25 hours. It was a nice ride and pretty fun. There were a few sandy spots but they aren't as bad as they used to be when the trail first opened.

When I got home I took Darla and Kramer for a short walk.

Chicken lo mein

I made chicken lo mein for dinner and it had good flavor! I pulled out a portion for me and then added broccoli in the rest for James. We had enough of the chicken and sauce leftover (we ate all the noodles) so I cooked up some rice. He'll eat rice mixed with the chicken and sauce for lunch for the next two days.

I decided to have a dessert, at the last minute and decided on cupcakes. Since it was last minute, I used a box cake mix which I rarely use for cakes/cupcakes...I mostly use the mixes to make cookie bars. I realized that the mix was going to make 24 cupcakes and I only had one pan so I made a single layer cake also. I'll freeze the unfrosted cupcakes and we'll eat on the cake. I had half a tub of chocolate frosting LO from something so I melted it down and "frosted" the cake. It's not the greatest, but it'll do for a sweet fix.

I need to work on this week's menu so I can post it tomorrow, but it'll be late since I'm mountain biking!

Today's shopping trip

As always let me start by saying, I try to buy only products James and I will use. I could have bought a lot more "stuff" and not paid very much for it, but it would have just taken up space and not been used. Also, since I'm a numbers person, everything is as close to the exact cent as possible (as Kibler noticed when reading my blog!).

Walgreens Transaction #1

BIC Soleil razors - $5.29 @ 25% off = $3.96 + $2 MQ = $1.96
BIC Comfort razors - $4 @ 25% off = $2.99 + $2 MQ = $0.99
Garnier Nutrisse daily moisturizing cream - $11.99 + $5 MQ + $2 ESC = $4.99
3 candy bars (two eaten before picture) - $2.39 - used 3/$1 WAG Q = $1.00 (saved $1.39) - I had to buy these because I had more coupons than items which apparently doesn't work at WAG
2 Chex mix bags - on sale for 2/$3 + 2 $1 Q = $1.00 ($0.50 per bag!)
Dawn dish soap - $1.99 + $0.50 MQ + $1 ESC = $0.49

Total cost before coupons and savings - $31.65
Total savings (coupons and sales) - $22.22
Total OOP - $9.43 + $0.70 tax = $10.13

Walgreens Transaction #2 (I had to hit the dreaded Walmart first to see if I would get a better deal on these at WAG.)

Garnier Nutriesse hair serum - $5.49 + $5 MQ + $2 ESC = -$1.51
2 Gillette Mach3 razor - $7.99 - on sale for $5.99 + BOGO MQ = $5.99
Skippy PB - $3.29 - on sale for $1.99 + $0.60 MQ = $1.39

Total cost before coupons and savings - $24.76
Total savings (coupons and sales) - $18.89
Total OOP - $5.87 + $0.37 tax = $6.24

Walmart

Ginger root (for dinner) - $0.10
3 Johnson Buddies - $0.97 each - total $2.91 + $3/3 MQ = -$0.09
2 Kotex liners - $1.00 each - total $2.00 + 2 $0.75 MQ = $0.50
2 Speed stick deodorant - $2.50 each - total $5.00 + BOGO MQ = $2.50

Total cost before coupons and savings - $10.01
Total savings (coupons and sales) - $7.00
Total OOP - $3.01 + $0.49 tax = $3.50

Not too bad for a little bit of work. I can't wait to see how I do next week.

No show on PBS

PBS based in Austin apparently changes their schedule without notice. When we looked a couple of weeks ago, the episode that I'm in was scheduled to play this week. However, when I watched the show this morning, it was not the same show. I'll keep everyone updated.

Giveaway!

Jane at jane4girls$800annual budget is offering a sweet giveaway. Go check it out here.

Tortellini Alfredo and Parmesan Muffins

We ended up using a coupon to go out to eat last night so I decided to use the tortellini tonight. I just made a simple Alfredo sauce and tossed the pasta with it. I made some Parmesan muffins to go with the meal and they were yummy! I would suggest that you serve them warm. I got the original recipe from the 2001 Quick Cooking Annual Cookbook and then made some changes to fit what I had on hand. The following is my version:

Parmesan Muffins

2 c all-purpose flour ( I used organic)

3/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

1 3/4 t sugar

2 t baking powder

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t dried oregano

2 t dried basil

1/2 t baking soda

1 egg

1 1/4 c buttermilk

1/4 c vegetable oil (I think olive oil would be good as well.)

Combine the dry ingredients. Beat egg, buttermilk, and oil in a small bowl. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture, just until combined. Fill paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full of batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 17-19 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Gnocchi, Peasant bread, and Blackberry Cobbler

Ricotta Gnocchi: (I had a picture up but it didn't do the gnocchi justice.)
1 (8 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 c Parmesan
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 t garlic powder
1 c flour

1. Stir together ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix in flour. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.

2. Divide dough into 3-4 pieces, and roll into 1/2-inch thick ropes on a floured surface. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces, roll with a fork, and place on a lightly floured surface. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the gnocchi until they float to the surface, 1-2 minutes, and then drain. Mix gnocchi with a tomato sauce of your choice.

The recipe for peasant bread can be found here. This bread is awesome because it doesn't require any kneading!

HEB had blackberries on sale this week, but I found a better deal at CostCo. We picked up some yesterday and I used a recipe from the Southern Living 1982 Annual Recipe book. I modified the recipe a little, and James loved it.

Menu Monday

We did really well last week. I cooked every meal including two breakfasts. Sunday we had LO, so I'm moving the meal planned for that day to Monday.

Monday: Ricotta gnocchi, peasant bread, and blackberry cobbler (for James)

Tuesday: Mediterranean Pizza

Wednesday: Southwest Tortellini Soup

Thursday: Fettuccine Alfredo (I'll add some LO, frozen chicken from last week) and Parmesan muffins

Friday: I might have to work at night, so I'll pull some amber jack fish and James will cook it for himself

Saturday: Chicken lo mein (it doesn't take as much time as you would think)

Sunday: Hamburgers with homemade rolls and macaroni and cheese

I'll probably make some Can't Leave Alone Bars towards the end of the week after James finishes off the cobbler.

If you live in TX!

If you read this blog and live in Texas, you might be able to watch me on TV next week! Check out the PBS website and look up the viewing times for the Texas Parks and Wildlife show. The show you are looking for should have a segment on Buescher State Park. A couple of months ago, I was filmed with several other bikers for a segment on this show. We filmed in Buescher State Park. I am not 100% sure that this is the right episode, but there is a chance it is. I'll be the chick with the white helmet and I think I was wearing a pink bike shirt. I am also the only one that rode my bike with the camera attached to the bike. It was a little difficult! This might be my one shot at stardom, so I hope it goes well! If it is not the right episode, at least you will get to learn a little more about the wonderful Buescher State Park.

Walgreen's saving for this week.

Okay, before I post my cost, remember this is only the third time I've been a Walgreen's shopper and haven't built up a rewards card yet.

Colgate toothpaste BOGO - $2.79, used $1 and $0.75 MQ, total cost $1.04

Aquafresh - on sale for $2.99, used ESC $2 and $0.75 MQ, total cost $0.24

Fantistik and Scrubbing bubbles BOGO - $3.79 and $3.49, $3.49 for free, used 2 $1 MQ, total cost $1.79

Revlon matte eyeshadow - $4.99, total cost $0 after rebate

Revlon eyelash curler and eyeshadow BOGO - $3.49 and $5.99, $3.49 for free, used 2 $1 MQ, total cost $3.99

Garnier Shampoo - $3.49, used ESC $2 and $1 MQ, total cost $0.49

Orajel cold sore brush - $8.49, total cost $0 after rebate

Total cost without savings: $39.41
Total savings: $31.86
Total OOP: $7.55 before tax

I still have a long way to go with this game, but I'm getting better. I did this without reading any blogs before going to Walgreens. I did learn to very carefully point out each ESC to the register worker and to carefully review the receipt. I had to go back in because the register didn't automatically give me one of the cleaners free.

I also feel very strongly about only purchasing things James and I will use, and not just buying things because I can get them for next to nothing. For example, I could have bought 2 bags of Hershey's candies for $0.50 each, but we don't want to have the candy in the house.

Today's Walgreens Savings

South Beach Living Bars: On sale 2/$5 x 6 = $15 - $2 (online Q) x 6 = $3 OOP

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Pint: On sale 2/$6 = $6 - $3 (online Q) x 2 = $0 OOP

Total OOP: $3.00

However, there is a rebate offer at Walgreens that if you buy $15 of Kraft products you get a $5 rebate. So really I made $2 on this transaction.

Oprah and Suze

If you like Oprah, she's having Suze Orman on her show to talk about fiscal things. You can download her newest book at Oprah's site. Here's the link.

I don't really follow a lot of her guidelines, but I do plan on reading a couple of sections.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte

Okay, I can't get this picture to straighten up. It is saved on my computer rightside up, but keeps uploading sideways. It is a chocolate peanut butter torte. Very yummy!

James torte after about 2 minutes.

Mary got in on the action. . .the non-chocolate part.

Then Daisy and Fancy wanted in on some dessert action.

Today's shopping endeavors

I did some grocery shopping today and I did okay. Keep in mind I don't have immediate access to any stores with really good sales or stores that double or triple coupons. I am limited to an HEB, a Walmart and a Walgreens. We have a Dollar General, but I haven't shopped there. Also, note that a lot of what I bought today was for my stockpiles and not for use this week.

Walgreens:
Inital total - $18.96
Savings (manufacturer coupons and store specials) - $9.99
Final total with tax - $9.71

* One of the items I bought was Garnier Nutrisse Conditioner. It is normally priced at $3.99, but was on sale for $2.99. Walgreens had an instant store coupon of $2.00 bringing the price to $0.99 and then I used a $1 coupon. So I got the shampoo for free!

Walmart:
Initial total - $35.84
Savings (coupons, sales and price-matching) - $12.61
Final total with tax - $24.18
* I can only imagine what I could do with a store that doubled coupons. Two of the items I purchased here have a 1/2 price rebate associated with them, so I will receive a check in the mail for $4.06.

HEB - AWFUL when it comes to sales, but does have some things that have a lower price than Walmart
Initial total -$28.02
Savings (coupons only) - $1.35
Final total with tax - $26.95

So my total spending for today was $60.84. Other than milk, I will probably not have to go to the store for two to three weeks unless the ads next week show a really good sale somewhere and I have coupons.

Menu Plan Monday!

Here's where I'm at for this week:

Monday - HB steaks, gravy, potatoes, rolls and some little chocolate PB tortes.

Tuesday - Tomato cream sauce pasta and LO rolls

Wednesday - Crockpot chicken, gravy, broccoli (for James) and stuffing

Thursday - Taco casserole

Friday - Chicken pita wraps

Saturday - Chicken casserole

Sunday - Ricotta Gnocchi (use up LO ricotta), broccoli (for James) and bread

Yesterday's bike ride!

I took a video clip of James and I while we road our mountain bikes yesterday. Thankfully no accidents!

Mountain biking at Pedernales State Park

We decided to go mountain biking at Pedernales State Park today. This was the start of the Wolf Mountain Trail. It was pretty easy except there were a few rocky parts.

This is one of those rocky parts where we both had to get off the bikes and actually hike up the hill. Neither one of us has the skills to bike up that steep a rocky hill yet.

James had a little spill on one of the rocky parts. He was okay. He took another picture right after thise one where he was grinning ear to ear!

That water was so cold. It actually felt good on my ankle though as this was towars the end of the bike. We were on our way back from riding the trail across the water (we had already crossed once). It felt so good on my ankle that I started walking around in the water. Thankfully, James had brought two extra pairs of shoes, so I had something dry to change into.

We wanted to go to the Salt Lick BBQ joint in Driftwood after bike riding, but there was an hour and half wait at 3:30 in the afternoon. We used the GPS unit and found this place called the Nutty Brown Cafe. It was okay. Food was alright, but a little expensive. We will probably never make the effort to go there again.

No Health Insurance is a bummer

When I quit teaching, I lost my health insurance. It was just too big an expense on one income to pay $500 a month just for me and not even have certain things covered. I've done really well, until my ankle. I think it might actually have a fracture, but I don't know. I can't pay the money for a doctor's visit, X-rays, and maybe an MRI which seems to be a more common practice lately for ankle injuries. I guess I'll just lay off the running (my true love) and stick with biking for awhile.