Day 3

I went out to dinner with a friend last night. It is so nice to be able to sit down and eat a meal with some good conversation and no interruptions. No needing to cut someones food into bite sized pieces, no needing to get up to refill a cup. It is wonderful to get out of the house for some girl talk and a meal that is served to your table. I had popped a chicken in the oven earlier in the afternoon for my family and my hubby heated up some green beans and rolls to go along with it and served the children in my absence. I think that is the first supper he has served...ever...in our family (except for bowls of cereal or ramon noodles!); so am glad that he now appreciates how much time it takes to make, serve, and clean up after dinner. :) I spent $5.35 at dinner tonight (yes, you can eat out on a budget!). We ate at a pizza place and were looking at the lunch menu remarking that we would love to have the personal pan pizza combo for that price but disappointed that the special ended at 4pm. My friend asked the waitress how much more it would be and she remarked that the special was good for all day! The lesson learned is that it really does pay to ask questions. We each got a personal pan pizza, three breadsticks, and a soda for just $5 and tax.

Today we also put $20 of gas in the van. I forgot to mention paying the mortgage at the beginning of the month, which is $461. So in the last three days we went from $1,200 in the budget to $713.65 left. With 29 days left to go!

Be on the lookout for more thrifty tips this week, including an all-time favorite new shower cleaner recipe as well as my first freezer cooking recipe! Are there any tips or hints that you would like me to address?