Friday Thoughts on Budgets and Wellness

     Good morning and happy Friday to you all. I am feeling pretty good for the most part. I have a sore throat still and a constant dry tickle kind of cough, which is one of the COVID symptoms. Despite a negative test result, I imagine I might still have contracted the virus. Imagine is the key word though, but I do worry. After the bought of rain yesterday morning, the stifling heat and humidity finally broke, though DH said it felt soupy mowing the lawn yesterday. Today through Sunday is supposed to be pretty perfect weather. I'd like DH to take it easy this weekend-last weeks heat really took its toll on his wellness and even though he had a little R&R last weekend, he was pretty wiped after doing outside work yesterday after three days in and out of the sun and heat at work. Did I mention he is on the 42 month mark of retirement? Some days I am not sure he'll reach that date, and we should do some planning for what a March 2021 retirement might look like. That is when he could start drawing without penalty on his retirement. Likely  it would mean me delaying my retirement, currently aiming for  exactly eight years from now. While he is in an office type job being in sales, he has to be in and out in both excessive hot and cold weather,  on top of working long days and takes few days off. He's been researching what a hoe based business could look like-enough to help our cash flow, but without the wear and tear on his health. 

     My older daughter and I are heading right after work to go to the cabin until tomorrow afternoon, though depending on if DH decides to come on Sunday, I might stay Saturday night as well. No one else is expected to be there tonight since my nephew from the large family  has a LaCrosse tournament out of state and they are all going. It's doubtful my MI will come up if his family does not, but we'll see. If she does, it's typically not until later Saturday morning. DH's sisters husband was up yesterday and probably today, with the same idea of having the place to himself. He may or may not be there, but he's more conscientious than I am even being about social distancing and precautions, even more so with his new preterm grandson he'd like to meet. DD2 has to work 3:00 to close both days of the weekend, but has plans tonight with a friend, and is hoping to go berry picking in the morning with another. After today, she has just six weeks left at the school. and seven weekends at the restaurant, not counting any shifts she might take when she is home on breaks. 

      As for the budget, groceries are back to being high. I haven't left town to go to Aldi and between last Friday and yesterday, I spent an obscene $174 on groceries and quick take out of BK biscuit sandwiches and Subway. Scaling up the spending rate will put us back over $525 without any true take out meals. While I'm trying to track, I'm not concerned other than the sticker shock when the cashier tells me the total. Our sum of entertainment this month has been gas to get to the lake, that little bit of  fast food, and a cocktail or two. I'm leaving DH and DD2 with taco/bowl/macho fixings. pus there is leftovers from Thursday's ravioli. DD2 made salad and bean burgers for us, plus I have chips and salsa, and snacks at the lake. I'm so far of menu planning ideas, I didn't even try in the grocery store. What I bought added up fast, and doesn't seem to be a lot of meals. Sunday I may plan better and do an Aldi shop that could get us to the end of the month. 

     I got my prescription refilled yesterday when I was out and gasped at the price being 3X higher than I remembered. Then I looked and thy had actually changed to a three month supply, so it was the same. This is a slightly different dose, but still just one time per day. I need to take 30 minutes before food, so now is a good time to do so. I smell my coffee is ready. I wasn't sure what to call this post, but I guess it is a meandering thought dump of  budget planning in relation to wellness.