Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

I have two projects going on right now, and I thought I would update you on my progress. I know you've been chewing your nails to the quick anticipating this.

1) Level two cleaning: Blah. So far, I have cleaned the stove top (yesterday,) vacuumed, and Rob cleaned the floor, but not completely. That makes two of five projects, completed (almost) in two weeks instead of two days. Pretty pathetic, but totally typical of yours truly. I tried to get my mom to take me to lunch today, but she said she couldn't because it had been three weeks since she cleaned her bathroom and dusted her bedroom and she just couldn't take it anymore. I laughed out loud, and told her if I had cleaned my bathroom three weeks ago, I would be telling people I had "just" cleaned my bathroom, not cleaning it AGAIN! So, the level two cleaning thing is not going too well, and I suck out loud.

2) Spending Strike: I have to separate this into two categories, restaurant spending and "other." Let's start with Other: We made it through the January credit card statement, and if it weren't for my golden-assed cat, and the broken thing under the car, we would have been okay. There was some spending for Leila's birthday, some Christmas stuff, and we hadn't started our strike at the beginning of the statement period, so the bill is a little higher than we'd like. We're on to the next statement period though, the strike is on, and we're doing much better. We have had some issues: Leila needed clothes (she really did, not like when I "need" to go to lunch.) We went to a piano lesson and there was another mother there and I was so embarrassed because everything L was wearing was at least a size too small, maybe more. She looked ridiculous. And she's been complaining that she's cold and that could be because her turtle necks don't go past her belly button. So I had to shell out for some new duds. Everything I bought was on sale, and every thing was necessary, except for a pair of shoes that were really cute. Believe it or not, that was almost $150 right there. (I have a pseudo-relative who has designer bags and clothes, gets mani pedis, plays tennis and does yoga, and complains that she can't afford to see a doctor about some complaint or another. She's in her early twenties, so I just smile and nod, but what I really want to tell her is that, of course you would rather spend your money on cool stuff instead of co-payments or deductibles, but just wait until you're the stay-at-home mom you are looking forward to being: then you'll have to spend your cool-stuff money on doctor's appointments and turtle necks and piano lessons and there wont be anything left for you. I figure she'll find that out on her own, all in due time.) Also, I had to pay the balance on a chair I bought during the big redecoration of the living room, and L's birthday party is coming up so that will cost a little bit...

Here's the thing, though. We are KICKING ASS on the not eating out thing. Sure, I want to go out to lunch right now more than just about anything else in the world, but generally I've stopped thinking about getting take out for dinner, and craving things that can only be found in restaurants. Here's proof: During the November statement period, we charged $475.61 eating out 13 times. I would like to say that that is above normal for us, but I really can't. I know I took a couple of people out to lunch in that period, but its probably more typical than I'm comfortable with and $275.61 over budget. So far in the current statement period we have charged $0 eating out 0 times. YEAH BABY! I have been a cooking fool! And you wanna know what else? I am still pantry eating! I haven't bought any meat! I'm still using what has been in the freezer, and I am making whole dinners out of what I find in the cupboards. I am AWESOME! I am a MACHINE! I have bought fresh vegetables and milk and stuff, so there has been some grocery shopping, but I have made soups and salads and curry and tacos and I have done most of it on a shoestring. During the November statement, in the same number of days as where I am now on the February statement, I spent $276.50 on groceries, compared to $246.93 now... I guess that's not so incredible, but considering I'm cooking in instead of ordering out, its not too shabby. Tonight I'm making shrimp fried rice using frozen Trader Joes prawns that have been waiting for their turn, and then tomorrow it will be mystery meat night where I will defrost and unwrap something that's been in the freezer for a while and I have no idea what it is. Last time it was pork loin, this time, who knows?

The goal now is to make it to Valentine's day (a.k.a. the day L and I leave for Maui and my parents start paying for everything) without eating out, or going to the ATM. The ATM will be the hard part. See, I have actually gone to lunch twice, and Rob and I did go to Red Lobster, but we had sold the old sofa for $100 so we paid in cash. But now the cash is running out. Can I make it another 18 days folks? No take out? No cash? Stay tuned...

So, anyone out there want to take me to lunch?