$1.25 - toll to get from Sach's in Allston to Ben and Lauren's in the South End
$5.50 - coffee and a bagel for me and a coffee roll for Ben from Dunkin' Donuts
$50 - donation to Obama campaign (I have nightmares that he loses)
$8.35 - veggie platter from a Middle Eastern place near Ben's (delish!)
$6.15 - Camel Lights
$20 - cab to Atwood's for Cowboys and Indians party
$26 - drinks at Atwood's
$14 - cab to Matt's

Total = $131.30

Boston, you're my home

$4.32 - water, diet Coke, Koffee Kup donut (for the drive to Boston)
$2.25 - tolls
$49 - drinks with Sacha and Tim at Sports Depot
$15 - really delicious Thai food with Sach

Total = $70.57

business trip to VT

$5.27 - bacon, egg and cheese sandwich and large coffee from Starbucks
$10.20 - water, cigarettes, energy bars (in Burlington, after dinner with VT homecare association)
$5.64 - tall-boy Harpoon IPA (it's weird to be in Burlington)

Total=$21.11

And then I spent $74 on body lotion

$1.35 - bus to work (even colder and rainier.  This lovely southern weather we've been having through all of October has officially made me a total wimp.)

$74.90 - 70oz of Kiehl's Creme de Corps lotion

$19.37 - ingredients for Deconstructed Zucchini Lasagna (delicious, cheesy casserole)

Total = $95.62

So the last couple weeks have been wildly frivilous and exorbitantly expensive and generally I have been doing a terrible job of reigning in my spending in any way, and then I caved and bought a giant bottle of Creme de Corps, because seriously, my skin is about to fall off it's so dry.  And it will last me all winter, and it's the best stuff EVER, so I am not feeling bad about it.

My COLA increase starts with this paycheck, and I'm getting my bonus, so I am going to pay off some serious debt, and then start seriously sticking to by budget.  Seriously.

$1.35 - bus home (cold and rainy)

$10.26 - kitty litter, frozen mozz sticks and wafer cookies (sometimes you just have to eat crap food)

Total = $11.61

Weekend

Saturday:

$7.27 Camel Lights and soda water

$49.50 drinks at Wonderland Ballroom (most hipstery hipster bar I've seen in DC)

$12 - cab to Jumbo Slice

$5 - jumbo slice

Sunday:

$6.44 Dunkin Donuts' coffee and omelet croissant 

$2.60 giant bottle of water and salt and vinegar potato chips (super dehydrated and hungry after canvassing)

$28.47 - pizza and salad for me, Emma, and Shah (very tired and so hungry)

Weekend Total = $111.28

$6.81 - burrito and diet Coke from Baja Fresh (with a $2 off coupon)

$9 - drinks with Emma after work

$8 - cab from Zoe's (helping her cook dinner for her b-day celebration)

Total = $23.81

$25 - donation to Obama campaign (inspired by the sleaze of this new RNC mailer) 

$17.99 - big, comfy, noise-cancelling headphones from www.woot.com (such an addictive site)

Total = $42.99

$9.52 - potatoes, kale, scallions, milk (ingredients to make Colcannon)

Total: $9.52

The Colcannon was delicious and such perfect comfort food.  I'd never made it before, but will certainly make it again!

Sugar Shock!

$25.85 - groceries to make chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-topped vanilla cupcakes.  Amazing

Monday, Monday

Very nice to have a day to rest and recuperate and generally do nothing.  I did go grocery shopping, which was very necessary and long over-due, and also cleaned my stove and ironed some shirts, so all in all it was a very productive day off.

Total = $95 (groceries)

Wild weekend

Despite being legitimately sick, I managed to have a jam-packed and super fun weekend, which of course then resulted in me calling in sick on Monday to actually try to get better, but it was totally worth it.  After happy hour drinks with Emma on Friday, I was good and went home and cooked dinner and watched a couple episodes of "Freaks and Geeks".  On Saturday I got up early (at 9am!), bought a Vitamin Water at the 7-11 ($1.99), took the Metro to meet Emma in VA ($5 added to Metro card) to go canvassing for Barack Obama, we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for coffee and donuts ($3.50), my donut sucked so Emma bought me a coffee roll instead, and we headed to Manassas to canvass.

Unfortunately, there was a MASSIVE traffic jam on 66, so we never made it Manassas.  Instead we went to Target and I finally bought a trash can and a mop and a bunch of other stuff that I mostly needed ($80.77).  After Target, Emma drove me home and I did laundry ($20 added to laundry card), and that night Emma, Alexis, Ross, Gary and I went to Ireland's Four Courts in Arlington to watch the totally awesome Sox game, and to get into some more shenanigans ($80 on food and drinks.  Totally worth it.)

Saturday's Total: $191.26

On Sunday I spent most of the day sleeping off a very fun night.  I made it to 7-11 around 4pm to buy icecream, a donut, and string cheese (what can I say, I was hung-over!) ($9.61), eventually showered and got myself together and walked to Zoe and LIzzy's new apartment around 6:30 for a totally delicious dinner.  From there took a cab to Ross' ($15) to watch the Sox, who ended up totally blowing it, so I despondently took another cab home ($14) to sleep off the rest of my hang-over and the very dissapointing loss.

Sunday's Total = $38.61

$1.35 - bus to work

$2.20 - bagel with cream cheese and tomato

$30 - prescription

$6.91 - Camel Lights, and yes, more Vitamin Water (if I don't get better soon, it won't be for lack of vitamins, I'm drowning in them)

$4.49 - Supreme smoothie from Juice Zone with three power-boosters (Sniffles, Multi-V, and Protein)

$12.68 - drinks at Vapiano with Emma (happy hour Friday is a must, regardless of illness)

$21.76 - groceries to make linguini and clams 

Total = $79.39

RED SOX WIN!!

$1.35 - bus to work
$50 - co-pay for preventative check-up at the ob/gyn.  healthcare in this country is whack.

$8.68 - salad from Cosi

$2.29 - Vitamin Water (still sick but determined to go out for Sox game!)

$5.77 - more Vitamin Water!!

$32.55 - dinner and buckets o' Bud Light at Nellie's for historic Sox game

$1.49 - one more Vitamin Water!!

Total = $102.13

$1.35 - bus to work (tired from conference and Red Sox beat-down)

$4.71 - coffee and an everything bagel with cream cheese and tomato

$100 - donation to the Obama campaign

$7.65 - delicious burrito from Baja Fresh

$11.48 - cat food, Odwalla smoothie, and 3 Vitamin Waters (yes, I am getting sick)

Total = $125.19

Playing catch-up

I've been at the NAHC conference since Sunday, so am playing catch-up on my spending records.  I know I am missing some things, but as it was a work trip, most of my expenses were covered.

Sunday: 

$3 - ATM fee

$7.41 - Camel Lights

Monday: 

$3 - coffee

$9 - Stella Artois

Tuesday:

$7 - muffin and coffee

$1.09 - Sun Chips

$9.39 - copy of Men's Vogue, apple Mentos, strawberry Mentos, and gum

$24 - sliders, tater tots and beers for Alexis and me at Solly's (while watching the Sox get pounded)

3-day Total: $63.89

It was an interesting conference, and I got to hear some GREAT speakers, including Judy Woodruff, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON!!  

I saw Bill Clinton speak in Pittsburgh in 1992 with my Mom.  I was 10 years old, but I still remember being impressed with his ability to hold an audience's attention (let alone a 10 year old's).  This time he gave a very interesting speech on the economy and the political race (endorsed Obama's health care and economic plans), and all in all continued to show how incredibly charismatic and intelligent he really is.  Such a treat!

Hopefully the Red Sox will start playing catch-up tonight too.  I can't handle another game like last night's.

Weekend

This past weekend was abbreviated, as I had to leave for Ft. Lauderdale for the NAHC conference at 6:45am on Sunday morning, but between 2 Sox games and a lot of bar hopping, I managed to spend a full weekend's worth of dough.  Oh well.  It was a great time ;).  I am feeling more and more like myself again, and as a result have been getting into more and more shenanigans, and I love it :)

$12 - Blaguard (Adam's Morgan)

$68 - Bobby Lew's (Adam's Morgan)

$28.75 - Ireland's Four Courts (in Clarendon)

$37.95 - Hawk & Dove (Capitol Hill)

Total= $146.70

Kay-ay-diggy-diggy-kay-ay-diggy-diggy

$5.94 - large coffee and yogurt parfait from Sbux.

$10 - prescription

$36.63 - over-priced haircare products and other essential CVS purchases (but I saved $5.50 with coupons and Extra Bucks!)

$10.45 - diet coke and a totally delicious Cowboy Steak salad in honor of the fantastic documentary I watched last night: Rank, which in turn makes me really, really want to either:

1) marry a cowboy, or

2) attend the Professional Bull Riders (yeah, that's right, PBR!) Championship in Las Vegas, NV 

Total: $63.02 (for now.  I will add the inevitably exhorbitant amount of money I plan to spend on beer tonight while watching the Sox in Game 1 of the ALCS to Saturday's total)

P.S. Final thought/rant of the day: if we want people to be good about having safe sex and using condoms, they shouldn't be so freaking expensive!!!

$14.24 - kitty litter, club soda and Camel Lights

Total = $14.24

$1.35 - bus to work (woke up late and hung-over)

$8.25 - large coffee and over-priced fruit and cheese plate from Starbucks (I miss my eggs florentine, they stopped making them)

$17.97 - Netflix subscription (recent favorite movies: The Sea Inside and The Aviator)

$10.32 - 1/2 sandwich and soup and diet Coke from The Corner Bakery -- sat outside and ate lunch with Emma -- very nice to take an actual lunch!

Total = $37.89

Barack the Vote

$10.94 - delicious fresh mozz and tomato sandwich from Bread Line for lunch

$41 - dinner and drinks at Science Club with Emma (celebrating my "perfect" review and bonus!!)

$2.50 - ATM fee, needed cash to get:

$20 - beer special for me and Zoe at Duffy's ($10 for as many PBRs as you can drink between 8pm and the end of the debates)

$5 - tater tots (to help soak up some of that beer)

Total = $79.44

$9.63 - Ms. Mae's Cajun Cobb Salad and a diet Coke from the brown bag
$5.00 - on Metro card to get to the Hill to watch the SOX GAME!
$5.35 - Camel Lights
$14 - cab ride home after an awesome SOX WIN!! ALDS CHAMPS!!

Total: $33.98

Another super fun weekend!

After watching the Sox kick some more ass in a really fun, exciting game on Friday night, I slept in late on Saturday (2:30pm!), and then went to the park with the paper and took advantage of the absolutely perfect weather. Emma picked me up around 6 and she cooked us dinner at her place (delicious!), and we went out that night to O'Sullivans, very fun bar, met a nice guy, we'll see what happens :)
Sunday Emma and I went canvassing for Obama in Manassas, VA. Fun and interesting but exhausting, particularly after a weekend of late nights and lots of drinks. Opted to stay in on Sunday night, so of course the Sox lost. Looking forward to a busy, tiring week (Red Sox, presidential debates, maybe more Sox and maybe a date?)

The damage:

Saturday:
$7.80 - Washington Post, lemonade, and Camel Lights

$9.44 - bottle of wine at Whole Foods to go with dinner

$30 - drinks at O'Sullivans

Sunday:
$2.50 - bottles of water for Emma and me while canvassing
$5 - jr. bacon cheeseburger, small fries, and a Frosty at Wendy's post-canvassing
$4.29 - cat food and a bottle of Perrier

Weekend Total = $59.03

$1.35 - bus to work
$9.89 - salad from Chop't (was really excited, but it was sort of 'eh')
$13 - bought a "LIBERAL" shirt from my friend Pete Smith, all proceeds ($6/shirt) to the Obama campaign (http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=39225012574)
$3.45 - exhorbitant ATM fee (I have GOT to start getting better about using my ING-approved ATMs)
$43.15 - burger and my share of pitchers at Stetson's to watch the Red Sox beat the Angels, 7-5, with friends

Total = $70.84

The Elites vs The Regulars

$1.35 - bus fare (running late and feeling lazy/tired)
$4.00 - everything bagel with cream cheese & tomato and a large coffee (very sleepy from staying up until 2am watching the Sox kick ass and take numbers.)
$7.18 - Camel Lights & diet Coke
$50-ish - Drinks and jalapeno poppers at happy hour at Mackey's with Emma, Jenn, Agnes and Maureen, and then hamburger and more beers while VP Debate watching at Duffy's (great new bar off U St that has PBR cans and tater tots).

Total = $62.53-ish

While Sarah Palin didn't fall as flat on her face as I would have liked, in some ways it was refreshing to escape from her terrible gaffes and stunning ineloquence to remind me that beyond my disbelief at her nomination, I just really fundamentally disagree with almost everything she and John McCain stand for. Looking forward to canvassing for Obama with Emma on Sunday!

Sox Love

$47.75 - chicken quesadilla and too many pitchers of Miller Lite while watching a GREAT Game 1 with Ross and Alexis (and a bar full of some serious douche-bags.) No matter - Red Sox WIN!!

Total = $47.75