Last night's Chevy's trip with my coworkers was a good release. We had 2 pitchers of margaritas: mango and raspberry - which were very good despite my fondness for top-shelf-on-the-rocks, and a huge plate of nachos. And it didn't cost me a thing because when we asked for the check, our server said our boss had paid for the whole thing on her way out (she left early). How sweet was that? Also...passive saving.

Just checked the joint account and there's a nice surplus in it right now...that means grocery shopping! Can you believe that aside from the 2 cartons of ice cream last week, I have not gone grocery shopping since I started this blog? That's how much food I have "on reserve" in my house! And I haven't even tapped into the bags of frozen chicken, salmon filets and ground beef. But I do need some fresh stuff and will make a conscious effort to only buy what I NEED to make meals...no more wasteful impulses.

Though I must admit...I am addicted to those Hostess 100-Calorie Pack chocolate cupcakes. Yes, I know the 100-Calorie line of foods is priced double what the normal packaging costs and you should just buy the big boxes and control your portions, but even if I ate only 1 "regular" hostess cupcake...that's still more calories and fat than the 3 little ones that come in the 100-Cal packs.

That was, like, WAY too much insight into my obsessiveness, huh?

I noticed something possibly related to my newfound budget: I have lost weight in the last week. Yes, just one week, but I do weigh myself almost every day, and there was a significant (3lb) drop since last week. I'm almost completely positive it's because I'm making an effort to eat homemade meals instead of dining out with my coworkers. My usual $2, 300 calorie frozen meal vs. $7 at the cafeteria for a plate of pasta, some bread and a diet soda (or up to $15 if we go offsite).

Also, last night when I got home from work, I had the last beer. Once finished, I did have the urge to run to the store to grab more beer (to my alcoholic defense, it's a $7.99 LIMITED EDITION Sam Adam's Cream Stout that I just LOVE...but I'm not going to do some crazy stockpile because knowing me, I'll be sick of it in a few months) and maybe some $3.99 ice cream. BUT in the spirit of saving, I got a glass of water. That's $12 passive savings, and what would have been an extra 400 calories right there!

Weekend spending: $40 in gas.

So, almost a no-spend weekend. I ended up driving my car (I actually insisted - I do need that XM entertainment while the boy dozes off during the 3 hour drive) so the first tank of gas was on me. And I might have to fill up again on the way home, but we'll split that tank, so I'll be debiting the joint checking account. I will not be counting that as income/expenses on this blog since we both put an identical, fixed amount that covers all house bills, and sometimes groceries. Also, we did end up going to the Aquarium, but my grandmother bought the $25 tickets as gifts! And I did tag along with my mom and sister while they shopped at a few high-end stores that I would normally walk out of with at least a shirt - but I abstained.

So I've been looking for new $ software. I currently use the full version of AceMoney, but after 2 years of no new features, it just isn't doing it for me anymore. I've been waiting to see what Mint.com has to offer, and exploring everything else in the meanwhile - until last night. My Bank of America credit card recently launched "My Portfolio", where I can link up all my other accounts (EVERYTHING, mortgage, loan, 401k, etc.), and see my total Net Worth - well, it doesn't take valuables and equity into account, so I'm big in the negative due to the mortgage balance. Anyway, I thought it was a 'neat trick' and moved on until I read more and started exploring the site. Wow. I can set a budget. OMG I can categorize my spending! Whoa! It's spitting out pretty graphs! This is POWERFUL! And I don't have to do any manual work at all. And to think I was about to give up and become a QuickenHead.

So I can say, with the free Aquarium tickets, and not spending when I could have, that this was a "passive saving" weekend. Not going to take credit for stuff I "could have" done, but cool all the same!