Car maintenance... appointments I never look forward to

A couple weeks ago we took our vehicle in for an oil change.  When we went to pick up the vehicle, we were told that there was a transmission leak via the cooler line and that this would need to be looked at and repaired.  Ugh!  Just what I needed, a vehicle repair.  Our budget just included a car repair fund, which I failed to transfer any money into, so any expenses for this upcoming cost would have to come out of the other budget line items.  I dreaded making the follow up appointment, hoping to delay the repair until I could save some money for the cost of the repair.  DH insisted we get this looked at as soon as possible, so I called to make an appointment which is now set for this Saturday.

I wasn't 100% sure if the appointment was to investigate the issue further or if they were going to go ahead and do the repair.  I was expecting they would investigate further and provided us with a quote and ask whether we'd like to proceed with the repair.  So I decided to call the Service dept this morning.

"Your vehicle is still under the service contract, so there are no costs on your end for this work"

Music to my ears.  It was a great way to start the day.

I also worked on our weekly budget and it looks like we'll have $97 left over once all bills are paid, the vehicle is fully fueled and groceries are purchased.  I'm also going out for lunch today for a co-workers farewell lunch.  Can't wait!  It's a good day!

Time for weekly budgets

At first, I tried to work with a monthly budget, then a semi-monthly budget.  But it seems that with the larger periods of time, I lose track of what's coming in and what's going out.  So I've decided to start working with a weekly budget.  I will have to create a spreadsheet that will work for me, but once I've got it figured out I'm sure it will be smooth sailing after that.

DH's birthday is coming up closer to the end of the month.  I haven't figured out what I will be surprising him with.  We received gift certificates for Christmas for a movie date and a restaurant called "Unburger", so perhaps we'll do that.  It's not a true gift that I bought for him and I will most likely buy him something small, but I just can't justify a more expensive gift.  I am limiting the gift to $50.

My sister and parents are headed to Vegas at the end of April.  My sister is trying to convince me to join them, but again, it's an expense I just can't justify right now.  I've always been one to travel and not travel on a strict budget.  I feel that if I can't experience the vacation to the fullest, I'd rather not go.  Sounds a little silly, but if I were to go to Vegas, I'd want to see a show and go shopping and try my luck at the slot machines.  I couldn't go to Vegas and behave financially.  I feel a bit bummed that I'm not going, but I'm okay with that too.

Time to work on the weekly budget.  Hoping the numbers work out!

Fitness Friday

I thought I'd dedicated Friday posts to Fitness, to help document my journey to get into better shape.  Preparing my own meals has definitely cut back on my spending when it comes to cafeteria breakfasts and mall food court lunches.  I'm bringing my own coffee to work and am no longer spending money on donuts or muffins or bags of chips.  I have to admit I still have some cravings but so far I've done ok with not giving in.

So here's what my daily meal plan looks like:

breakfast:
2 slices whole grain toast w/ natural peanut butter

sometimes have a yogurt

a.m. snack
grapefruit
egg white omlette w/spinach

lunch
protein with veggies
salad

p.m snack
fruit w/ cottage cheese

afterwork snack/pre-workout
1 slice whole grain toast w/ natural peanut butter
or
pita chips w/ hummus

post-workout
protein shake

I have alot of dark chocolate too, it's not the healthiest, but in terms of satisfying my sweet tooth, that is what I allow myself to have.

For exercise I'm lifting weights and also doing Insanity (Beach Body workout dvds).  It's been about 2 months since I started and at first I have to admit that I felt like I was making no progress and I was feeling very impatient because I felt that I was not making any progress.

Now I feel that I'm on the right track and for 2 months, I really started to change the shape of my body.  I'm very excited to continue on this journey and to see more changes.

Here's a pic that I took this morning, it's not full body but shows my mid-section, where I'm seeing the most improvement.

And for reference, here's where I started 2 months ago and my 1 month progress:

Overall, I've lost approx 4 lbs, not much in terms of weight loss but I think I'm gaining muscle.

My current goal is to have more defined abs in time for summer, which is May for us here.  2 more full months to stay motivated and focused.