being at home saves money.

$20 - prescription

$8.17 - kitty litter

Total = $28.17

$9.44 - lunch at Cosi with Maureen and Agnes

$5 - added to Metro card

$5.15 - coffee and a sandwich on the drive back to Pittsburgh

$6.50 - tolls on PA Turnpike

and the lucky times

$15 - certified driving record from MA RMV

$47 - new driver's license from DC DMV

$6.36 - gas in Alexis' car

Getting a new driver's license in time to rent the car that I need to get home for Christmas and to Boston for New Year's -- priceless.

$9.67 - salad from Chop't

$20 - prescriptions

Total = $98.03

and the strange times

+$11 - left-over cash from a cab-fare loan . . . 

here's to the good times

$23.04 - drinks at The Bottom Line with Emma 

$19.62 - couple of 6-packs to take to Maureen's

$$$$$ - some amount of money on drinks at the Blaguard, undeterminable due to absence of wallet the next morning :P

$42.66 + who knows . . .

$62.86 - groceries from Trader Joe's (I love that place, but it's impossible for me to go there without buying at least 3 or 4 bottles of really affordable wine, which is bad for my wallet, even if they are $4-$6 a pop)

$1.35 - bus to work

$4.78 - blueberry scone and venti coffee from Starbucks (but not actually $4.78 because I used the gift card I won at our office holiday lunch yesterday - whoo hoo!)

$17.96 - contact solution, shampoo, and hair product (saved $2 with Extra Bucks though)

$16.42 - groceries to make Healthy and Tasty Turkey Meatballs (they turned out okay) and a Shredded Potato Cake with Leeks and Cheese (utter disaster - in short, don't even try it without a cast-iron or non-stick pan.  I ended up having to shovel it all into a casserole dish, add some more cheese and butter and make it a potato-leek-cheese casserole thing that I baked in the oven for 40 minutes)

$10.90 - bottle of Sav Blanc to make it all better

Total = $46.63

$10 - a Dark and Stormy at Tonic with work friends

$17.72 - beers at The Bottom Line with work friends

$7 - cab home from Maureen's 

Total = $34.72

Total = $0

I accidentally left my wallet at home, and so spent absolutely nothing on Monday.  Hmmmmm, this has possibilities . . . 

Smoke-Out Week 4

It's been 4 weeks since I quit smoking, and except for one minor slip-up involving 3 cigarettes in a brief 16 hour period of high stress, it has been going very well!  So far I have saved $71 by not smoking 280 cigarettes!

$2.50 - ATM fee (arrgh)

$50 - farmer's market cheese, butternut squash, apples, potatoes (Yukon Golds and Sweet Potatoes), leeks, fresh mesclun mix, and apple cider -- YUM YUM YUM!!!

Total = $52.50

$5.28 - cat litter

$10 - money added to laundry card

Total = $15.28

Fun Free Thing: dinner at Banana Leaves with Mom and Papi, and we went to see the White House Christmas trees (genuinely free :)

$89.07 - groceries to make Greek Cabbage Pie with Dill and Feta, Tzaziki, and Lemon Lemon Loaf (to DIE for) for dinner with my Mom and Papi (visiting for the weekend)

$25 - work holiday donation to N Street Village, a homeless shelter and resource center for women

$20.72 - toothpaste, Dove soap, Q-tips, deoderant, hair ties, batteries from CVS (saved $6 with coupons!)

$13.74 - Red Hook Winter Ale 6-pack and chips for dinner at Zoe's

$12 - cabs to and from Zoe's (it was a gross, wet, rainy and cold night)

Total = $71.46

$26.44 - flowers for Laura's b-day

$8.90 - spinach melt and diet Coke for lunch

$5.78 - milk and chips from 7-11

Total = $41.12

$17.97 - Netflix subscription (last month I finished watching Freaks and Geeks, and Season 2 of the Wire, watched more of Season 1 of Friday Night Lights, and finally saw Born Into Brothels)

$20 - Happy Hour Birthday drinks for Laura and Patrick with work friends

$9.80 - Redfin Pale Ale six-pack for dinner with Alexis

$19 - Thai food with Alexis

Total = $66.77

$3.80 - coffee and bagel from Dunkin Donuts

$4.70 - more coffee and an oatmeal raisin cookie at the airport (BTV has the best airport baked goods ever)

$6.38 - New Yorker and NYT

$3.68 - diet Coke and Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms

$6 - MARC train to Union Station

$9.80 - 6-pack of Long Hammer Winter Ale

$6.48 - chips and salsa from 7-11

Total = $40.84

Could I have eaten more crap food in one day?

$3.70 - cup of coffee and croissant at The Village Cup

$16.07 - pizza and Greek salad from Mountain High Pizza Pie

Total = $19.77

$52.82 - groceries to make Mexican food (KB paid for dinner the night before)

$30 - prescription

$10 - cab to Union station

$7.70 - New Yorker magazine and bottle of water

$6 - MARC train to BWI airport

$4.92 - undercooked slice of pizza at the airport

$15.90 - The World Without Us

Total = $74.52

$17.08 - groceries to make Wild Rice with Butternut Squash, Leeks, and Corn for dinner with Zoe - a new Thursday night tradition :)

$5 - money added to Metro card

$20.52 - DogFish Head 60 Minute IPA and Yuengling for drinking at Ross'

$37.61 - delicious, delicious dinner with Alexis at Lebanese Taverna

$14 - cab home from Capitol Hill

Total = $77.13

$63.40 - 3 tickets to the Professional Bull Riders rodeo in Madison Square Garden on Saturday, January 10, 2009

$61 - Amtrak fare from Washington, DC to New York on January 9

$5.69 - delish baguette crackers from Marvelous Market 

$130.09

$35.72 - payment to BMG for new CDs: Viva la Vida - Coldplay, The Best of Radiohead, Long Black Train - Josh Turner, Separate Ways - Teddy Thompson, Upfront and Downlow - Teddy Thompson  (Holli - Teddy Thompson is the guy we were listening to in my car that you thought Joe might like . . .)

$55.92 - groceries from Trader Joe's to make a Savory Ricotta-Squash Tart for dinner with Alexis (and 4 bottles of wine - it's just so cheap there!)

$8 - cab back to my apt

Total = $99.64

Smoke-out Week 2

2 weeks with no cigarettes!  which translates to $35.81 saved by not smoking 143 cigarettes.  I'm planning on finally getting that gym membership going today to take advantage of my constantly improving lung capacity :)