I thought I was going to entirely give up re: hectic week.  Nothing new or unusual, but it's a big birthday month, plus a few outings thrown into the mix.  It doesn't take much to throw off our minimalist preferences (usually reflected by a lot more downtime and a not crowded calendar).

Anyway, Wednesday is always more of a breather, and I suppose I will have a lot of downtime while I am caring for my mom later this week.  So I will soldier on.  

July 1

$86 salt/pepper shakers

I replaced a broken salt/pepper shaker set recently and MH does not care for the new ones.  I told him to get his own then.  I figured it was going to be a 'different strokes for different folks' thing.  He prefers to meet in the middle (and have less stuff).  I prefer to just use what I actually like (and have two of some things).

He figured it out.  I think we would both be happy with the much higher end salt and pepper shakers.  So while it is unlike him to spend this kind of money, I can see that's what he was excited about.  Just having one set that we both like.

MH received a $500 gift for his 50th birthday (6 months ago).  I think he might have been more on the fence, but I told him he still had some gift money left.  Usually he doesn't want to spend and I'd just invest.  But I told him this year, I was going to set it aside.  & not like he usually gets that much for his birthday!  But just talking about random money in general, when it falls out of the sky.  

There's probably a week or two (late June through early July) where I am spending down similar buckets of money.  I am extra appreciative of our slow burn through unexpected or set aside money (some of it I have been saving for years), during this murphy year from hell.  It's allowing some more luxury spending when we could not otherwise justify.

MH still has $250 of his gift money.

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July 2

$103 Dinner Out (x4)

This was MH's last work day before his seasonal summer break.

He had his second shingles vaccine after work.   When I got home MH was over it.  Long day, and he was tired. We briefly thought we could sneak out and enjoy a quiet dinner for two.  (We do not always invited the kids because that is far outside our budget).  & of course, we had just talked about how we really needed to rein it in this summer.  Because I will likely need to touch our emergency funds, if anything else big breaks while MH is not working.  & we just have less money to spend, in general.  But usually we just muddle through.  It will be a harder muddle this year.

So of course, we go out for a big dinner.  

We did discuss DL(20)'s birthday plans (over dinner) and he told us he did not want to eat out for his birthday.  So in the end, I consider this a very planned (financially) pre-birthday dinner.  Cheaper than planned, because MM(22) was out of town.

Money well spent.  The food is always amazing at this Thai restaurant.