Things are actually going relatively well here at Chez Mo-Li. (Don't ask about the nickname ;D )We almost have a few of our spending dragons thoroughly slayed. How about a quick rundown about those first?
1) Entertainment
This was the biggest and baddest dragon we struggled with. In fact, it was the conquering of this dragon that has lead to me having less time to blog! It's no secret that I am a long time lover of the outdoors. Mo, not so much. She does enjoy a good game and a treasure hunt, though. We discovered geocaching, which means we now spend out weekends hiking and "hunting treasure" to trade. The treasure is mainly little handmade tokens, so cheap or free.
We take a picnic dinner on our hike, which usually takes us four or five hours. We then hit a brewpub on the way into town, where we enjoy one beer and split an appetizer. By this time, we are exhausted and ready to Netflix and chill. Our $50+ date night has morphed into a $10 to $15 tops date day! Plus we get entertainment value out of the week by planning our weekend excursions, researching trails, and even grabbing urban caches if we get bored on an evening. We did splurge and purchase the $30/yr premium membership for geocaching, but we've already got our money's worth out of it on weekend savings.
2) YMCA
This one still up for debate. We all got a bit of spring fever and didn't use the membership much in April. Plus, I've had a hell of time adjusting to spring quarter, as well. We are paid up through May. If we don't use it, I have the option of putting the membership on "hold" for a few months. I may do that and then try again in the winter. This may be something we only need for winter months.
3) Phone service
Our phone service has been inching up. We've been doing research and bought one of the kids a Google Project Fi phone to test it. At some point this summer (AKA, when I get a grant check), we will all be switching to Fi. This will be major savings. We just need to wait because we have to buy three more phones outright. You can finance them through Google, but we'd rather not as they are less than half the price used.
4) Food
Groceries are barely a blip in our budget now that I am vegan and the rest of the house is nearly vegan. For example, tonight's dinner of Asian tofu salad and a baguette is less than $5 for four people, and it makes enough that at least two of us will have it for lunch tomorrow. Plus, this sort of diet requires less intensive cooking, so meals are simpler and easier.
5) Odds and sods
Internet is still too pricey and I can't find a cheaper option in our area. My laptop finally died, piece of shite that it was, but I found a new one for less than $300 and am much happier and less frustrated on a daily basis. Mo did something insane to her back, but our insurance coverage actually covers PT with no out of pocket costs. Our main drain is full of roots and we have to figure out a strategy to address it soon.
Finally....
There's some stuff I want to talk about. That's what brought me back to the blog, really. It seems my sense of self is still evolving (or perhaps devolving back to its true state?), and although most of our major, joint plans are the same, some of my personal drives have...not really changed, but morphed slightly or become more fully realized.
This space has worked really well for me when it comes to "thinking out loud," so I plan to continue to use it on my quest to live my best life.
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