Where the money goes...

$0.10 2 bags
$0.33 1 lime
$0.47 tomato paste
$0.63 1 green pepper
$0.87 Crispy Crunch
$0.87 romaine lettuce *
$0.89 Kinder Egg
$0.89 lil white beans
$0.89 red kidney beans
$0.97 kippers
$1.18 2 lemons
$1.19 water
$1.23 Tax
$1.47 mushrooms
$1.47 sunflower seeds
$1.65 1 sausage
$1.77 tuna
$1.79 5 oranges - some kinda mix of tangerines and something else
$2.29 6x applesauce
$2.30 3 red peppers *
$2.37 1L skim milk
$2.47 crispbread
$2.69 stone ground whole wheat bread
$2.77 lg can of peaches
$2.79 6 peppercorn turkey slices
$2.97 almosds
$2.98 green grapes
$2.99 hummus
$3.17 fat free sugar free aspertane free Yogurt
$3.21 2 chicken fingers
$3.47 4x small containers cottage cheese
$3.99 peameal bacon
$59.12 Total

Wow, I thought I did good this week then I found all the little receipts from daily pick ups here and there. I'm still on budget (just under actually) so that is the important part!

Breakfasts are oranges, almonds and bran flakes. Not together of course! And on the weekend I'm gonna try the peameal bacon with eggs whites & toast.

Lunches are turkey/cheese sandwiches and tuna salads

Snacks are veggies, fruit, crispbread and hummus

Dinner menu items include: mushroom/turkey pasta, chicken & bean soup (I had the chicken), baked beans



* indicates item was on sale

Project 365, a week in pictures

Here is my week in pictures. Thanks to everyone who clapped in glee over my paying off my student loan, it was lovely to get the letter. It was, sadly, one of two student loans but I should get another letter like that in just a few short months.

The last pic here is of Earth Hour. I was on the streetcar at the time and was impressed by how many places (business and residence) partook. I was really surprized that places that were closed had the lights one. Silly people.

Like 365 Project? See Jamie's post on Project 365 for all the details.

Where the money goes...

$0.05 bag
$0.43 1 serving green beans
$0.77 celery *
$0.77 cucumber *
$0.78 2 green peppers
$1.03 tax
$1.04 1 red pepper
$1.33 5 bananas
$1.35 1/2 L Milk
$1.49 3lb carrots
$1.67 cream cheese *
$1.69 1/2 L Milk for tea at work
$1.79 6 whole wheat pitas
$1.89 frozen peas
$1.92 5 apples
$1.97 5 granola bars *
$2.37 12 taco shells
$2.49 Mocha cake (1 piece)
$2.79 6 slices turkey
$2.97 Nacho chips
$2.97 8 rolls tp
$2.97 bacon
$2.99 hummus
$3.17 ground turkey
$3.49 pistachios
$3.69 72 teabags
$4.44 smoked salmon
$4.47 1lb butter
$5.97 Lg brick of cheese *
$6.97 23ish chicken strips *

$71.72 Total

Expensive week! I went over budget - whoops! I totally forgot that I picked up stuff during the week, and then I spend just under budget there but I already spend $15 or so. I'm also coming clean because there is a bunch of yummy stuff that I soooo didn't need (cake, chips, pistachios...) but oh well. Some weeks are like that.

How was your week?

* = item was on sale.

Project 365, a week in pictures

To join in on the 365 Project, See Jamie's post on Project 365 for all the details.

Project 365, a few weeks in pictures

Haven't put the pics up in a bit, here they are!

To join in on the 365 Project, See Jamie's post on Project 365 for all the details.

Where the money goes

It's frugal week chez Shannon's. For a few combined factors including spending some of my food budget on things other than food (I admit it, I did it) and also because my freezer is chock full of stuff, either entire prepared meals, or ingredients (at least 3 baggies of '1/2 can of diced tomatoes') or side dishes. I bought my normal things for breakfast, work lunches and made sure I had some fresh veggies so it still felt like 'real' food but everything else will be from the huge stock in the freezer.

It was nice to buy so little for once as that means I picked up pickles! I usually never do because they are so heavy, but that was not a worry this week!

There were some really great sales this week that I did not about to pass up but I didn't have the cash today, but I will pick them up on payday which is before the sale is over. I love when cheese is on sale! I also caved a few times this week and bought snacks during the week. Hehe.

$0.36 tax
$0.77 2 broccoli *
$0.77 1 seedless cucumber *
$0.99 3 lb onions
$1.25 5 bananas
$1.35 milk
$1.50 chips
$1.97 Pickles *
$1.99 Whole Wheat Bread *
$2.59 12 eggs
$2.79 turkey slices
$3.27 roasted potatoes
$19.60 Total


* = item was on sale

Where the money goes...

Recently I've been following some great personal finance blogs (Give Me My Five Bucks Back, On the Bright Side of Debt)and a lot of people post their budgets. I'm a little to paranoid to post my complete budget, but I have been looking at and thinking about the grocery lists and food budgets. I was amazed that the standard seems to be around $150/month. For many years I set my food budget to $40/week (roughly $160/month) and I found I almost always felt like I came up short and would end up digging into my spending money. For the past while I've worked on a $60/week budget and although most weeks I only spend $40-50. I do include almost anything I could buy

Some background on where this money actually goes. I only make food for me, and I prefer to have home cooked meals. I usually cook 3 dinners a week that are 2+portions, so that will cover the rest of the dinners for the week (one night I go out, and that is a different budget) and sometimes lunches as well. I brown bag lunch, which if it isn't leftover is sandwiches (meat&cheese) or hummus & pita, with veggies and fruit for snacks. I'm one of those people that tends not to eat breakfast, I usually just have a banana. And tea. Lots of tea. I also include almost anything you could buy at grocery store in this budget, household & paper products, cat food & litter.

Anyhow, here is where the money went this week. Menu's are Beef & Broccoli, Greek Chicken Pita's and Mushroom/Bacon. A bunch of items I already had in stock (beef, bread, pitas, etc)

$0.07 ginger
$0.43 1 plum tomato
$0.98 5 bananas
$0.99 carrots
$0.99 snow peas
$1.47 strawberries *
$1.97 Teriyaki Sauce
$1.97 mushrooms
$2.44 2 red peppers
$2.47 Bran Flakes *
$2.49 Turkey slices
$2.97 TP (8rolls)
$2.99 Tzatziki
$2.99 Crunchy made from rice snacks
$3.44 Tropicana OJ (2.84L) *
$3.89 8 slices swiss cheese
$4.06 2 skinless chicken breasts
$4.99 Bacon
$10.47 Cat Food
$2.13 Tax

$54.20 Total

* - item on sale

This was more than I was expecting, I got tzatziki instead of yogurt but resisted any impulse buys. There was the big purchase because I needed cat food. Well, my cat needed cat food.....

It was two years ago today....

That I began my 101 in 1001 journey. It was only 2 months after I started blogging at all and I was obsessed with the idea after I first heard about it. I came up with more than 101 and I keep thinking of more and more and more of them. So, here we are 2 years in and I'm at 50/101. I can say that I was going really strong for the first year and a half before I lost a little steam. Although I'm not doing my weekly updates it still is very much on my mind, and I still have 10 months until the 1001 days so anything is possible, mostly. More on that in big, first a look back!

It's amazing to think of the difference place I was two years ago. Albeit I'm sitting at the exact same desk and sitting on the exact same chair but I'm in a completely different location. In fact, I'm moved twice, am using my new computer, my pics are taken with a new camera. So many things have changed since then and some things haven't.

Two of the things that haven't and they are both things that are prominent on my list are film and finance. One of the surprizing yet encouraging things that happened when I poured though other peoples 101 in 1001 lists was that the number one completed thing were their financial goals, often to be debt free. Maybe that is one reason I was attracted to the idea, because for me if the 1001 days went by and I only got 1 thing I would want it too be that. As of yesterday I've cut by debt by 3/4 and plan to have the remaining gone by June of this year. Believe me there were days that I thought that it would never be possible. But now when I look at the remaining amount ($3,074.18) I think meh, I can do that. And I believe it.

The other prominent focus on my list if film. I used to talk about film here at planetshannon, but then I created my Film Fan Friday's site, which has since been merged in to all things film over at Movie Moxie. I love film. This passion has grown and grown and grown. In the two years I've seen 431 films, written 189 reviews, been to see a film at the theatre for 52 weeks in a row and covered four film festivals (TIFF 07, TADFF 07, Reel Asian 07 and One Minute 07). My passion for seeing film overtakes writing about it, but I'm thrilled at how far that has come. When I look back to some of my first reviews (In the Heat of the Night, Double Happiness), in comparison to my latest (Diary of the Dead, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ...and Spring) I can really see the difference but they are all 100% my voice and fit my mandate.

On the flip side, there are the things that don't hold their interest like they used too. The number one on that list (which shocks me!) is fashion. Do I still love clothes? Sure. Do I want to spend a lot of time, energy and money on them right now? Not really. Do I want to sew... anything? Nope. I've not even hemmed anything in the past two years. Would I like things hemmed? You bet. We shall see how that progresses.

Overall, I'm happy with where I'm at right now and I know a few things will fall off the list. I know I can no longer do #9 See all the Oscar nominated films before the Oscar’s are presented as there are no more opportunities to do so. And I'm ok with that. I do hope to do more updating overall, because I think that keeps it alive.

Thanks for reading!