1) Our itinerary for Ireland is set! We will visit Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, Kilkenny, the Rock of Cashel, and Dublin (with possible stops to Waterford and Belfast planned but we’re leaving it open-ended for now). We have hotels booked in Galway and Kilkenny and I’m planning on booking this tour to see the Cliffs of Moher. Eeks – it’s all coming together!
2) Another coworker told me this week that she’s leaving, which means I’m the last one standing in our friend group. It just really kinda sucks, even though I’m happy for my friends who have moved on to bigger and better things. I deeply miss the days when our group text was blowing up, gossiping about coworkers and talking about things happening in the office, but I’m trying to forge new bonds with the coworkers around me. It helps, but I still wish my friends were here.
3) Yesterday, I realized that I’ve been using expired milk in my scrambled eggs in the morning. The expiration date on the bottle is February 2! What’s crazy is that I swear I bought that milk two weeks ago so was it already expired when I bought it? I usually check the label but I guess this one slipped past me. I feel okay, though, and I’m just mixing a small amount in my eggs that I then heat up so maybe I’m killing all the bad bacteria?!
4) I keep having dreams about Grandma and Pops. They’re never in the same dream, and the dreams are both vastly different. My dreams about Grandma bring me such peace and comfort. We’re just hanging out and she’s taking care of me, as she always did. My dreams about Pops are disturbing, as he’s here and healthy and fine… but he never responds to me. I’ll talk to him and ask him questions, and he just acts like I’m not there. I wake up from those dreams so upset because that is the opposite of how Pops was, and it breaks my heart all over again.
5) I’m happy to report that Eloise and Lila are getting along! They are not best friends yet, but these things take time and Eloise definitely takes a while to warm up to people. (Kind of like her mom, heh.) Lila has been an absolute ANGEL, though, and her sweet little face makes my heart so happy. She’s so easygoing and snuggly, and it fills my heart with such joy that I get to keep her forever!
6) After weeks of being scared to do it, I filed my taxes this week and I’m pleased to say I am getting a decent refund. I had convinced myself that I was going to owe money this year because I made a not-insignificant amount of money freelancing in 2018 and I’ve been getting less money withheld on my paychecks. I keep hearing horror stories of people who owe money this year, and I am so thankful I am not in that boat.
7) Next month I am attempting my first of four no-spend months and I am both nervous and excited about it. I am excited because March is a three paycheck month for me so I’ll be able to make serious progress on both saving for Ireland and paying off my credit card. But I’m nervous because I keep thinking about things I want to buy and I’m scared I won’t have the willpower to resist once March rolls around.
Have you ever attempted a no-spend month?
Good luck with the no spend months! I’ve never done a no spend month but I feel like my maternity was a stretch of no spend months because I did not leave the house much or do much shopping. Ha. That’s good that you are getting money back and didn’t need to pay in this year. I’ve heard that refunds are smaller as they are taking less out of your paycheck. I used to always get a big refund. Last year we owe SO MUCH. Ugh. So we made an extra tax payment at the end of the year to avoid having a big tax bill in April. We can’t file our taxes until closer to the deadline as some of Phil’s income at work isn’t on his w2. But now that we have to pay in, I’m in no rush to file our taxes. 🙂
That is a big bummer about your last work friend resigning. It’s tough to be left behind when people move on to new opportunities!
I attempted a no-spend month last year, and I did okay for a couple of weeks and then it was a flop. I’m excited to hear about yours!
So happy you’re going to Ireland! I have a very dear friend from Belfast. She came over every summer from the Irish Children’s Program, and we’ve known her for over 20 years. A ton of my family went last year for her wedding but we didn’t go because of Caleb. I’ll get there someday though!
I am so sorry you are having such upsetting dreams. I hope they transform over time into something more comforting.
Your trip sounds amazing – congrats on getting things squared away!
I have been mostly doing no spend since January 1 (not completely as I’ve bought takeout coffee a few times and shopped for Olivia but have bought nothing for myself like clothing/house stuff etc that I used to buy on a whim). I started a note in my phone called “Things I think I need” and when I feel the need to buy something like some long sleeved t-shirts, a pair of boots I think I need etc. I just jot them down in that note instead. Just doing that seems to really help me avoid spending the money.
Good luck!
I am so happy you have resisted the temptation to make this a sponsored blog–i think your blog is the only one I still read, and that’s a big factor….but having said that… 🙂 would you mind sharing the name of the app you used to find your cheap flights to Ireland and a little about how you’re planning your trip or finding good prices for travel/reservations? Thank you!
Yay for having some of the trip figured out! You guys are going to have such a great time.
And yay for a refund. We always have to pay in due to my husband’s business, and his accountant said we might not have to this year. Fingers crossed.
Ugh, those dreams. I wish they were both comforting. 🙁
And one last yay for the kitties getting on so well!!! <3 <3 <3
I swear to you, if the milk had been spoiled, you would have smelled it and wouldn’t have put it in your eggs. I don’t give much about the expiration date. You can tell/smell when stuff is bad 😉
You’re going to have soooo much fun in Ireland. Man!!!