• Categories

  • Clutter
  • Comic
  • Fiction
  • Finance
  • Geek
  • Health
  • Language
  • Learning
  • Legal
  • Life
  • Review
  • Sarah

• Recent Comments

  • Michael on Q3 Food Costs Update
  • matt mulder on Q3 Food Costs Update
  • Q2 Food Costs Update | White Open Spaces on Update on Eating Ins and Outs
  • Update on Eating Ins and Outs | White Open Spaces on Eating Ins and Outs
  • Michael on Writing Like a Blogger?

• Social Bookmarks

  

It has been a very interesting quarter–and an interesting year. Tomorrow marks the 5th anniversary of my beginning this blog. My daughter (who was a few days old when I started writing here) is now five and stands just short of 4 feet tall. How things have changed.

2007

October : 491.02
November :  628.83
December :  471.01

2008

October : 488.76
November :  395.12
December :  580.31

Hmm. Interesting. October was very nearly identical. November was remarkably less and December was quite a bit more. I think the November/December numbers were a function, in part, of when I shopped. Looking at the averages, though, we have 488.06 for 2008 Q4 versus 530.29 for 2007 Q4. An improvement of only 40$ this time. I believe my son has has much to do with this, unfortunately, as his daily formula cost has increased with his growing appetite.

Oh, for the year, I’ve stayed in budget (almost). As of today, I spent 37.47 more on groceries/restaurants than I had budgeted for. Seeing as that is perhaps 1% of my total food budget, I believe that I’ll take it. Would that the government would be as good with its budget for, well, anything . . . .

However, in recognition of the still high food prices and the increasing appetite of my lovely family, I’ll be upping the budget numbers for next year from 450$ for food to an even 500$. Here is to a lovely, budget-based 2009.

Ah. Fall has arrived and with it, the end of the third quarter of 2008. The numbers for this quarter (and that of last year’s Q3) is below:

2007

July : 736.41
August :  566.27
September :  427.29

2008

July : 581
August : 335.26
September: 429.2

July was high this year because that was when we paid 115$ for peaches and pears (which were delivered in August). Despite the spike, the average cost was reduced by 128$ per month from last year to this year within the same quarter. This trends very much with the previous quarter (which was about 120$ cheaper on average than the same period last year). So, while it may be that the garden had an effect with food expenses this quarter, it was not that great overall (perhaps about 50$ per month). Be that as a it may, we’ll have the benefit of the garden yet this fall with regard to canned and frozen food. I’m looking forward to it.

We are still tracking under budget for food (about 70$ ahead for the year). Next quarter we’ll see how much the expected venison influx will positively influence the budget. Mmm mmm, tasty.

My wife just balanced a squalling Number One Son across my lap so she could confirm the existence of his first tooth. It was there and she was very excited. Oh well, I was getting way too much sleep anyway.

Who knows, this may the start of a beautiful relationship with a dentist. Then again, I really don’t want to think about that right now. My wife (the same one mentioned above) would like a new set of eyes sometime soon. I’m working on it. I wonder what I could find on eBay . . .

A company whose franchise is a local eatery, The Spicy Pickle, recently made a change in its customer loyalty program. Previously, when a customer purchased 10 of its sandwiches and recorded said purchases on a loyalty card, the customer would receive a voucher for a free sandwich.

No need to know who the customer was (though local management does know who this customer is, as I am there frequently and not ashamed to tell friends and acquaintances that the sandwiches are worth the slight premium over standard fast food) or where he lives, or when his birthday might be.

However, this last week, I arrived with my order (and another one for a coworker) only to be told that my loyalty card with 9 sandwiches on it would no longer be honored, by direction from the head office. The manager understood my disappointment at being told the news and I was authorized to have some free chips to offset the pain of the disclosure.

I was then informed that I could sign up for the new program (did I mention that the old program didn’t even have a sign-up process?) by going to the website and filling out my name, birthday, address, and similar data.

I want sandwiches. Not a relationship. Ah, well. Maybe I need to take out an advertisement:

Man desires regular lunch engagements with a quality sandwich. Fried and hot sandwiches may apply, but preference will be given to classic cold-cut subs. All applications must be accompanied by samples. No samples will be returned. Not interested in LTR, but could be convinced that something is worth sticking around for if the taste is right.

Did I mention that I’m no longer a VIP (very important pickle)? I’ll still enjoy the food from time to time, but not like I used to.

It’s been years since I read The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. (In fact, I don’t know that I had read the whole of it previously.) I find the following observation pertinent to the present day in more ways than I could probably enumerate:

But it is necessary to know well how to disguise this characteristic and to be a great pretender and dissembler; and men are so simple and so subject to present necessities, that he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.

I miss the summers of my younger days (say the ones from when I was about 5 to about 15). August is literally around the corner and I’m not sure what happened. Dare I mention that a few weeks ago, I was wondering if the corn would fully mature before frost and now I’m not sure exactly why the stuff is taller than I am?

I wonder if my children will even know it as I did, or will summer just be another time of year for them? After all, as North American society maintains less of a direct and obvious relationships with the planting and harvesting seasons, and as classes can be taken in semesters, or quarters, or whenever (via distance learning) will it even matter?

That’s what I get for thinking too much on a hot, close Tuesday evening near the end of July. But then, I could blame No. 3 for keeping me up for almost 2 hrs early this morning. Hmm.

Heard from a friend today whose family has had a horrible time trying to get an aunt to visit from one of the former members of the Soviet Union. My friend and her family are all naturalized US citizens (and have been for many years), but apparently the aunt spent more money than she could afford while trying to get a visa from the US Embassy, only to be told that she does not meet the criteria for approval of a visa.

I must confess that I do not know all the details of the situation (and am somewhat biased in my friend’s direction). However, I find it more than passing strange that someone who would like to legally visit family would be denied access while many people who have chosen (supported by more convenient geography) to visit without permission are denied practically none of the privileges of citizenship.

The matter seems to require a bit of looking into.

Next Page →

• Search for:

• Cornucopia

  • Brian Byars
  • Coffeehouse Junkie
  • Greg Joens Graphics
  • MerrillPhotography
  • MinusCar
  • Scott Yang’s Playground
  • Seth Godin’s Blog
  • Simple Perspectives