September 28, 2017

Wednesday Weigh-in and Thrifty Thursday catch-up

I have no idea how I used to blog every single day and have it posted by 9:00. The days just go by so fast!

I'm only using this photo because I don't want the thumbnail
photo for this post to be my weigh-in on the scale! haha

I do like the new themed days that I've started, though. It helps me to think of ideas to write about, and to focus on topics other than weight loss for once ;)

But, speaking of weight, I did do my Wednesday Weigh-in yesterday, because I was planning on writing a post until the time got away from me.


I think that was about the same as last week. I can't remember! Since I've been staying between 131 and 134 for a few months, I don't really pay much attention to it unless it gets over that range (like when I was taking the anxiety med).

It's funny, though--the longer I stay within this range, the more anxious I get about it. At first, I really didn't care at all about my weight. I was thrilled to be back in the 140's, and I wasn't expecting to lose much more (if any). But considering my history, and how unstable my weight has always been, it's almost like I'm expecting a big change soon.

Typically, what happens is that I start getting depressed (after a long period of feeling great--i.e. hypomania). And subsequently (or perhaps even simultaneously), my weight starts to climb (or it just skyrockets, haha). I'm hoping that now that I am on the bipolar meds, this pattern will stop. But for right now, I am feeling anxious about it. Like I'm just waiting for the scale to go up.

Usually, I am depressed during the summer and then hit hypomanic in the fall, but this year has thrown me for a loop. So, we'll see what happens. I'm not sure how long it would take at maintenance weight for me to stop watching and waiting for the scale to climb. But I really don't want to worry about it! So I'm trying not to.


I missed last week's "Thrifty Thursday" post, and I don't have anything profound to write today. But I do have something exciting to share:

We paid off one of the credit cards this month! Now, we just have a balance on one more card, and after that, we will be credit debt-free. The balance on that one is $7500, so it'll take a little longer to pay off. Tomorrow, though, Jerry and I both get paid to close out October--so we'll put all of our extra money this month toward that card.

I still cannot believe how well this zero-sum budgeting is working for us! I have never felt so relieved about finances. I used to worry all the time about having enough money to pay the bills, but it was because we were spending it as we were earning it. With the zero-sum budgeting, we are earning money for the following month while spending last month's money on the bills for this month. (I wrote more specifically about it on this post.)

Next month, we probably won't be earning much extra, because we are going to be on vacation for six days. But this month was very good (Jerry chose to work a LOT of overtime), so it will even out. I really want him to chill in October--he needs to take a break. I think going to Portland next week is going to be exactly the break this guy deserves!



I can't really think of anything "thrifty" to mention regarding this past week. I spent more of my allowance than I would have liked (I saved it up for so long, and I had a lot!). I have enough saved for spending money in Portland, though. I am not going to put anything on the credit card while we're there!

I checked my grocery receipt after my big grocery shopping day (Friday), which is something I never used to do. I found a couple more errors on the receipt, so I was able to get a refund. It makes me wonder how many times there have been errors that I never even noticed! I had a coupon for a free bottle of conditioner, which was priced at $5.79. When I got home, I noticed that the cashier rang up two of them (I only had one), but the coupon obviously only took one of them off. So I would have missed out on the $5.79 if I hadn't checked the receipt.

We definitely went over budget on medical bills, though. I budget for our normal co-pays for doctor's appointments and medications, but with Jerry's emergency room visit, my starting physical therapy (I'll write about that tomorrow), the back clinic I started going to (again, tomorrow), and my UTI/antibiotic issue, we certainly were over our budget. But thankfully, we had the money to pay for these things--because we budget! In the past, we would have been hit with bills and just added to our debt.

One thing that we will have to add into our budget next month is Eli's braces. We went to a couple more consults, but all of them said the same thing and the price quote was very close. I hate that braces are so expensive! I can remember my mom telling me, when I had braces for five goddamn years, that one day I was going to thank her for spending so much money on my teeth. And of course I am grateful for it now! But it definitely hurts to be a parent and see the cost of straight teeth. (Eli's issues aren't simply cosmetic, though--I'm convinced it's necessary.) And I'm sure one day Eli will thank me for spending so much money on his teeth ;)

(Eli actually had braces when he was three years old. It wasn't to correct his smile or anything; it was because he had a cross bite that prevented his molars from coming together. He choked on his food often, to the point where I had to give him the Heimlich maneuver more times than I can count. So, he wore braces--or "bracelets", as he called them--for three months. They worked very well! No more choking.)



Anyway, I will write some more tomorrow. I think I'm taking the kids to the high school's homecoming football game--none of us have ever been to one. Eli and I are walking in the parade with the cross country team beforehand. We have another busy weekend ahead, too!


9 comments:

  1. I get so anxious about my weight too! Especially if I'm in a range that makes me feel really heavy or fluffy...

    The longer I stay in that range, the harder I feel it will be to get out of it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I thoroughly enjoy reading your posts and often find myself laughing out loud. The "when I had braces for five goddamn years" got me today. I had braces for almost four years and I thought that was a long time!

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  3. I also had braces for 5 years (for non-cosmetic reasons, although I did end up with a great smile) and I *totally* appreciate my parents spending the money on it! I'm sure Eli will appreciate it in the future!

    I've also loved these budgeting posts and am going to implement this as soon as we can!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Do you use Ibotta when you shop? It's a pretty cool app. We only use it for stuff we were going to buy anyway and don't get sucked in too much. Sometimes just to try something we wouldn't if we weren't getting money back.

    Sometimes we just get the $.50 or $.25 they offer just for buying anything.

    Check it out if you don't use it, there are a lot of stores on it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have a question for you: we are trying to eat at home more so that we can save up to buy a new car that will fit 3 carseats. How do you go about meal planning? I'm not a big couponer, but I will check the weekly ad to see what's on sale. Just wondered if you have a method because I'm trying to find one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually wrote a whole post about it! You can find it here: http://www.runsforcookies.com/2017/09/grocery-shopping-on-budget-and-debt.html

      Delete
  6. I'm doing your budget (my cutoff date is the 25th) and had an extra $760 this month to put towards a credit card. It feels good!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Both my kids had braces as well as multiple teeth pulled beforehand including wisdom teeth at an oral surgeon. We are self employed and have never had dental insurance. The kids are 22 and 23 now, an I start yelling at them if I see them trying to pry something open with their teeth! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY I SPENT ON THAT SMILE!!

    I do hope you get out of debt very soon. I'm 50 years old and maybe have a different mentality, but we were always so careful about debt, especially credit cards. Never charge what you can't pay off that next month so you never accrue interest, was drilled into my head. I put all my energy into paying off our mortgage asap and accomplished that at 46. The property taxes are enough alone to kill you here in the northeast!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Vacation week is almost here!!!

    ReplyDelete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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