Sunday, February 27, 2022

Money Diary #2

Morning: Wake up around 8 and watch Love is Blind. He gets up around 9:30, and I brush my teeth and get dressed (hoodie, jeans, jacket, and beanie). We're heading into downtown for a car meetup. Get there around 11 and his friend arrives a short while later. It's held at a local bar, and I see familiar faces (and cars) when we get there. We walk around the parking lot a bit, and I'm glad I wore a beanie. Even though it's sunny, it's pretty cold standing outside. We chat with his friend a bit, and he remarks how he had to shut down his office last week for a couple of days due to bad weather. He's a doctor, and he mentions that he doesn't get paid if he doesn't work. He'd rather get patients in his office sooner rather than later since cancelling and rescheduling usually results in a greater chance of patients not showing up (and thereby him not getting paid). His girlfriend shows up a few minutes later, and then we all head inside. 

Afternoon: 

  • SO gets free drink tickets at this meetup and gets me an orange juice. We came here earlier this month, and one screwdriver later, I was super lightheaded. Being a lightweight, I requested a non-alcoholic beverage this time. There's a group of 8 or so people seated at the main table, and SO and I sit at the table next to them. I'm secretly grateful that we're not at the main table as I don't really know anyone there and we see the same people every time we come to this bar. The conversations revolve around what fancy European car everyone drives and what even fancier European car they are going to buy next. SO spots someone who he saw at the last meetup and heads over to talk to him. I see him talking to the older gentleman, and both seem to be having a good time. I lose myself in a couple of R29 Money Diaries and their comment sections. Afternoons like this one let me catch up on reading and simply getting lost in my own thoughts as the world around me oohs and aahs at the cars that drive into the parking lot. The folks at the main table get food, and once SO's friend and girlfriend finish their shared plate of eggs benedict, I can tell it's almost time to go (YAY!). We walk out with everyone and then head to a hot lunch date at IKEA.
  • At IKEA, he gets a plate of Swedish meatballs with green beans and mashed potatoes, and I get the chicken tender plate with double fries (because I don't want green beans, haha). We also get a cup of coffee and a glass for juice. Altogether, it comes to $14.05. We sit down and then realize the coffee was free because of his IKEA family card, and we weren't charged for the juice. I eat half of the fries and most of the tenders, which were really tasty. I also eat most of his mashed potatoes that were also really good. He brings a glass of pear juice, which doesn't have that much pear flavoring in it. We finish lunch with lingonberry juice. I'm usually not a fan of berry-flavored juices, but this one isn't too bad. After lunch, we walk around the store a bit and he gets a sommarvind (basically a beach tent). I wanted to get the frozen yogurt but am absolutely stuffed, so we promise to get it next time. 
  • After IKEA, we head to the outlets. At Nordstrom Rack, he had spotted a $1300 Givenchy jacket earlier in the week, which he jokingly said he was going to get, but it's gone now. I want to go to the Adidas store, so we stop by, and I find a zip-up hoodie that has a clearance price of $19.95. Apparently, everything on the clearance rack is half off, so I grab it. We wait in line and price check it, and yup, it's 50% off the clearance price, so I am definitely going to get it! The total comes to $10.78, and the cashier asks if I want to round up to donate $0.22 to the Boys & Girls club (yes, that's fine), so the final total is $11. We wander around the outlets a bit more and walk into Bath & Body Works since we have a free item coupon. Nothing catches our eye, so we head off to the local sporting goods store. 
  • At the sporting goods store, he has a 20% coupon and spots the North Face shirt he saw online. Both of us are not impressed at the quality of the shirt, so it's, as he says, a hard pass. We walk around and then head to the TJMaxx next door. I browse the clearance sections and remark that $16 is not a clearance friendly price! We spot a hockey rink next door that we didn't realize was there, so I make a mental note to read about it later. 
  • We're off to a Nestle Tollhouse Cafe next, and as soon as we walk into the store, I'm already loving it. We get a regular 20 oz iced Turtle Mocha ($6.48), and when I take that first sip, I'm in heaven. We take turns splitting the drink with me drinking most of it. I grab a couple of menus to go and can't wait to return again. 
  • The day finishes off with a couple of visits to Albertsons. Coke products are 99 cents with a limit of 4, so we each grab the maximum allotment at the first store (all Sprite Zero & Fresca since Coke Zeroes are out). As I'm paying for my four sodas, he spots a penny on the ground ($4.29 minus one penny = $4.28). He pays for the others along with some pork and Bang hard seltzers which he notes are massively on sale. We head to a second Albertsons to see if the maximum of four is per transaction and find Coke Zeroes there. We get 7 Coke Zeroes for us and 1 Orange Fanta for my mom ($8.58). 
Evening: Stop by Costco for gas, and then we are finally home. I immediately plop on the couch in exhaustion and start Netflixing. He hands me a sugarcane juice box, and we both decide it's really medicine-y tasting, so we won't be getting it again. I try on my new zip-up hoodie, and I like it! I go through what takeout coupons we have and spot one for Le Madeleine. I've never eaten there before, so I'm excited to try it. Dinner is leftover pepperoni pizza, and then I brush my teeth and Listerine. During the pandemic, I've gotten into the really bad habit of not brushing my teeth at night, so I need to break this streak. After I brush my teeth and Listerine, my mouth feels all minty. I find an online Japanese meditation session for tomorrow so I put it on my work calendar to remind myself. He puts the pork in the pressure cooker, and we watch Casino Royale on Netflix. After a while, we switch it up and watch the second Hobbit movie. He says March 1st is National Pancake Day with free pancakes at IHOP! I get excited for a few minutes until I realize the free pancake deal only goes til 4 pm, and he won't be home from work by then. Sad face. Bed around midnight.

Clothing = $11
Eating out = $20.53
Groceries = $12.86
Total = $44.39

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