Cents and Sensibility, Day 7. A hot day of cool retrospection.

A week ago today, I'd purchased everything that I needed for this project. So now's a good time for a bit of a mini-retrospective.

I spent $197.23 at Costco last weekend. I spent a total of 135.64 at Safeway exactly a week ago. From that Safeway total, I distributed the walking-around cash for this project, as well as $30 in gift cards for two birthdays I knew were right around the corner. Pick apart that total further, and everything else in the cart was fresh stuff.

I filled up my car with $33 of gas. My tank contained enough gas to drive around for a hundred miles or so before I filled it up.

So what's happened in a week?

I thought the gas or Diet Coke would be the first to go. Not so.

I've driven a total of 85.9 miles in a week. I presently have more than 3/4 of a tank of gas.

Even after today. I drove to work today, and it was wicked-hot on my drive home. I turned on the air conditioning during rush hour, wondering all the while just how much gas I was sucking out of my tank by staying comfortable.

I did a bit of digging when I got home, and it didn't take very long to find this bit of information on slate.com about just how much gas I was consuming by staying cool http://www.slate.com/id/2194536/. Apparently saving gas by opening windows vs cranking up the AC is debatable. Who knew that trying to conserve energy could be such a drag?

As for the other stuff we still have, there are a few Diet Cokes left, but I don't think Logan knows about them.

But he's retained his $20 stake in this project. I have a feeling he'll spend part of his ching on a 12-pack.

And I have my money, too.

Then there's the garden.

Unfortunately, I don't have a mango tree or a crap-ton of assorted canned or frozen fruit on hand. Because we're running a bit low in the fruit department.

But we do have lettuce, spinach and arugula growing like weeds in the backyard.

Long and short, this week has been so good. I've learned some fiscal self-control, and it's been almost effortless.

Almost.

I was thinking about this project on my air-conditioned drive home from work today, wondering how far what we'll have will take us; which domino will be the first to fall.

At this point, regardless of the entertaining, the moments of silence, the frustration, we've gone a week without going without.

And I think we can go a few weeks longer. Maybe more.

Cents and Sensibility, Day 6. Tell me why I don't like Mondays?

Tonight was this summer's first Peasants Feast.

We started this weekly dinner idea last summer, and it quickly became a highlight.

So what's a Peasants Feast, you ask?

The Feasts take place over the summer. We come up with a theme, and whoever comes over for dinner brings a food item to fit the theme.

The kids invite their friends and I invite mine.

And tonight's summer Peasants Feast Kickoff theme: S is for Summer. Everyone brought a dish that started with the letter S.

Tonight we had several salads, sausage and sauerkraut, string beans, salsa and strawberry shortcake. We provided spicy chicken, which is a bit of a thematic stretch, but it was delicious.

Tonight's Peasants Feast was so fun, and it once again proved that everything's better when it's shared.

A Feast at home with friends also fits nicely with the project, as did this day. I worked from home until 4 pm, and the Feast began at 6 pm.

It started right on time, with Logan's friends. They had their time on the porch, they played a brisk game of lap tag. Connor and Jenny arrived. We chatted. They socialized.

Connor fixed the swamp cooler, which has been blowing nothing but hot air lately.

The grown-ups showed up a bit past 6. No rules to the Feast. Different people went on various walks in the dark to assorted places, and in the meantime, the conversation evolved in the shape of comfortable quadrangles.

A hot day gladly changed into a cool night. We flipped on the music and the twinkly lights.

Delicious foods and rich conversation were eagerly shared.

No gas burned, no money spent, again today.

Today was a welcomed, relaxing treat; a day and an evening of tasty combinations.

Last year, we had Peasants Feasts on Thursdays. This year, we decided to move the Feasts to Monday night.

I'm beginning to like Mondays a lot.

Cents and Sensibility, Day 5. Less is so much more.

This morning I got up, somewhat reluctantly, way later than I usually do; around 9ish. When I toddled into the kitchen, I was met by two of my favorite people, who were having coffee and chatting.

They'd spent the night, after having had a robust, interesting evening here, filled with dinner and conversation.

Susan Brown spent the night.

I address her as Susan Brown like many of my friends continue to call me Mary Anderson, as if it's one word.

Susan Brown's super-cool.

We chatted until morning almost became afternoon. Then she took off, and I mowed the lawn, worked in the yard.

I love to mow. For folks like me who appreciate the value of immediate cause and effect, the act of mowing the lawn is great. It's a time when I'm completely in my head, and no one would even think to interrupt me. And mowing the lawn provides immediate results. It's a solitary, functional accomplishment, the mowing.

No one but me was home today, until well into the afternoon.

What else did I do today? And what didn't I do?

I did spend most of the day outside.

I did something I don't do as much as I used to; I read a book and took a nap.

I have so many books I want to read, and you can see what's waiting for me on the table next to my bed.

I opted to re-read The Mists of Avalon. It's just as good as it was when I read it decades ago.

This new sense of actually living in my house is so refreshing. I'm not just spinning here, waiting for the next high-priority distraction.

Speaking of which, Connor and his girlfriend Jenny just arrived. And Logan just let me know he's making empanadas for dinner.

Let the wild rumpus start.


And what didn't I do today?

I didn't spend any money. I still have the 20 bucks I started with on Wednesday.

I didn't drive.

I didn't really feel like going anywhere.

Because here is good.

Cents and Sensibility, Day 4. Never a dull moment.

I could go on and on about how this day's been, but I don't have a lot of time. I'm having friends over for dinner, and they'll be here in about an hour.

So here's a recap.

Dinner with Gigi last night was great. We relaxed on her back porch and chatted over a tasty dinner of fish, rice and spinach. Of course the wine was white.

Then we watched 127 Hours. Nothing bad about watching James Franco for an hour and a half, even if he was in a bit of a pickle.

There are no kids here today. Both boys spent the night with their dad. I love my kids, but it's been so nice having the day to myself.

Before the day got too hot, I walked up to the post office. I bought 100 super-cool vintage bingo cards for 4.99 last week at the Bins, and they sold on ebay yesterday for $52. The buyer paid me right away, so I thought I'd return the favor and mail them right away.

This picture shows just 50 of the cards. I boxed up all 100 and thought long and hard about driving this box up to the post office.

But I decided today was not a driving day. I walked the 1/2 mile with a clumsy, heavy box, which weighed in at 16 pounds, 5 ounces.

The walk home was much more enjoyable.

I've spent the rest of the day here, trying to do a few things around the house that I usually actively avoid. I won't go into detail, but there was never a dull moment. Primarily, my tasks involved washing all manner of things. Clothes, floors, flat surfaces, etc.

Early this afternoon, I figured I needed a break.

I'd have liked to have treated myself to a movie in a cool theater after all the hard labor I put in around the house today. I wanted to see Hangover 2.

Go ahead. Judge me. Everyone has their guilty pleasures, and I happen to enjoy the occasional bromance.

But I didn't want to dip into my $20. And seeing a movie at a theater would have significantly cut into my funds.

So I watched the 1945 movie Mildred Pierce that I got from Netflix the other day.

I've never been a huge fan of Joan Crawford, but admittedly, I hadn't seen many of her movies. The most I knew about her was that she had a general aversion to wire hangers.

Mildred Pierce is such a relatable, stylized, fabulous nugget of noir. And Joan Crawford rocked it. The movie's over 60 years old, and was made at a time when women were portrayed in film as more of a silly accessory than a pillar of strength. It's a great movie on so many levels. If you watch it, I'm sure you'll notice all the cool shadows.

So it seems that watching movies is my outlet lately. Netflix sends them to me as fast as I can watch them, and I'm taking full advantage.

But no movies tonight. Tonight is dinner with friends, and I'm looking forward to it. Logan's not home, so I'll have to figure out how to make a London Broil.

That sounds like the beginning of a bad joke.

I didn't get everything done that I wanted to do today.

But I did keep the car in the garage. I actually made a few bucks. My house is cleaner than it was. I saw some great movies. I had a day of contented solitude.

I think I'm finally relaxing into this project.

Cents and Sensibility, Day 3. Give me a shot of People. Make it a double.

I feel less claustrophobic today. I felt less tied to the limits of this project. Today I saw the limits less like they're a punishment. Perhaps I've risen from the murky sea of yesterday's wave of dystopia.

Because I did a bit of driving.

I had to do it. I had to drive.

I cranked up my work computer at dawn's crack, and I got nothin'.

So I did the typical things; I rebooted, tried again, rebooted. I unplugged the router, replugged.

Eventually, I knew I had to go into my job instead of working remotely. So I changed from jeans and a t-shirt to business casual and got to work a bit before 8 am.

Once I was nicely tucked in, I chatted with my coworkers, one of whom had experienced the same problem I'd had earlier this morning. She suggested turning everything off at the source. The power source.

The one thing I didn't do was the one thing that fixed the problem.

But let's look on the bright side. Problem solved. So I headed home mid-day. I could have stayed at work until 5, but I figured I'd spend a lot less time and gas mid-day than I would during rush hour. So I drove home, crawled back into my jeans and worked remotely the rest of the day.

My car's gas gauge did move a bit to the left of F by the time I got home, though.

I drove 32 miles today, back and forth from work.

I'd put nine miles on my car between Tuesday night and this morning. After today's welcomed misadventures, I've driven 41 miles since this project began.

Which is not a bad thing.

Because today I needed a shot of People. It was so nice to see Lois, Lynn and Nicole at work. After yesterday, going to work was a welcomed diversion.

We haven't had anyone over for dinner this week, and I think I've been going through a bit of a withdrawal. Because of the uncharacteristic solitude, our cupboard and fridge haven't seen much of an impact from this project thus far.

Logan's spent his extra time making cookies, potato latkes and of course the tart that was yesterday's breakfast, none of which I even got to sample, other than a slice of tart.

I know we don't have enough fruit. I felt a bit guilty having a banana and and apple today.

Logan's racing through the Diet Coke. I'm convinced he hasn't tempered his consumption in the slightest. So his soda end game is coming soon.

Just as I predicted.

And I still have my $20 walking-around money, somewhere. I think it might be in the pocket of a pair of jeans.

I really haven't thought about spending money since we battened down the hatches on the spending Tuesday afternoon.

Tonight I'll drive nine more miles. I'm going to Gigi's for dinner and a walkies.

Sometimes, like earlier today and this evening, I think a shot of face time with people takes the edge off the dystopia.

But I'd hate to self-diagnose.

It's a too bit early for that.

Because I have the weekend off.

Typically, I spend my weekends off very lusciously going wherever want, untethered by obligation, unthinkingly burning through the decadent triad of gas, money and time.

I think I'll have more of the latter on my hands this weekend. And today, that's perfectly fine.

Cents and Sensibility, Day 2. Going through withdrawal.

Yesterday I was so calm, so convicted.

Today, I went through a bit of a withdrawal.

I assume I'll get used to this, but today, all I wanted to do was to go somewhere, because I didn't have any agenda.

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm not very good at staying in one place for very long.

And today seemed like a very very long day.

I looked at the time at one point, and I was shocked when I saw that it was only a touch after noon.

It's not as if I didn't do anything today. I woke up to the scent of baking apples. Logan had made a tasty apple tart.

It was delicious.

And the best part was the crunchy edge part.

I took a walk, first thing this morning. I did laundry. I cleaned out part of my garage. I made an inventory list of our stuff. I surveyed my garden, and plucked the blooms off the tops of the arugula. I touched up the flaking paint on my front door.

I watched the tail end of a Nurse Jackie DVD. I watched last night's Daily Show and Colbert Report.

I played a bit of Sally's Spa on my iPhone. That game is way too captivating.

Logan made mashed potatoes for my friend Gigi's girls, who both had their wisdom teeth pulled today. And after having poured $33 of gas into my car on May 31, I decided to burn a bit, and we delivered the tasty taters to Robin and Megan this afternoon.

I drove nine miles today. Very uncharacteristic. It's usually much more.

Like an addict who sweats and fumes through their recovery, I grappled with the idea of doing nothing. Of relaxing.

I don't think I do that enough. I'm not very good at it.

I think I need to look at my need to accomplish stuff. I need to take a closer peek at my attachment to achievement as it relates to getting things done, as opposed to the inherent value of down-time.

I'm not quite there.

I'm working from home tomorrow, from 8 to 5. I intend to take a walk before I'm tethered to my desk for nine hours.

After that, I've made plans with Gigi.

I'm seeing, very gradually (and I don't think I've really seen it yet, fully) that there's a value in not having a plan.

But until I really figure that out, I do feel like I'm going through a bit of a withdrawal. A withdrawal from the need to keep going going going as a measure of my achievement.

It's not easy at this stage of the game; to be conscious of what it means to take myself out of the game for a while.

I felt caged today. A woman with no agenda, who's very accustomed to a full agenda.

I've compelled myself to be conscious of what I take for granted.

Movement. Untethered mobility. Infinite resources.

This withdrawal, despite today's ugly down-sides, may have something hidden deep beneath its murky surface that I need to figure out.

There might be some value that comes of this. The withdrawal.

Today, I'm not completely convinced.

Cents and Sensibility, Day 1. The Shock of the New.

It's time to start this project's travelogue. And today, the journey started with an early-morning walk to the post office.

As I was walking, I was thinking about the email I'd received yesterday, letting me know of a tasty-looking estate sale.

Moments later, I remembered I couldn't go. Because I've taken a vow to not spend any money. And it's almost impossible for me to find something at an estate sale that I don't have to have.

So what did I do today, the first day of the Cents and Sensibility project?

There were no bells and whistles to this day, other than the quiet shock of my imposed limitations. I worked for a few hours from home this afternoon, but between the early hour of my walk to when I cranked up my work computer this afternoon, I was on my own.

I'm not very good at staying home all day.

But I did, and it was shockingly relaxing.

I worked in my yard. I finished watching a documentary I started last night (Teenage Paparazzo. Highly recommended.). I watched last night's Daily Show and Colbert Report.

I got a call from my friend Gigi, suggesting we buy a gift for the mom who spearheaded Connor's DI journey. I had to tell her that I couldn't contribute to a gift, because I'd committed myself to this project. But there are other ways to give, and we're going to plan a bit of a party for Jenny. Because she's been amazing.

As for the remainder of the day, I should have gotten all right-brain crazy about providing a comprehensive inventory list of what we have on our shelves, because some people need facts to support an outcome. But I'll do that tomorrow.

Because tomorrow I have the day off from my regular job.

And tomorrow I don't have a whole lot on my docket, aside from creating an inventory list.

Maybe the time that's been created by this project will compel me to think about how I tend to distract myself.

As for today, a minor personal tectonic plate shift took place. I realized the value in not spinning my wheels, not go-go-go-ing whenever the mood strikes.

Kind of out of character.

I know it's early. It's the first day. And despite the fact that I had an abundance of time on my hands today, I didn't do everything I intended to accomplish.

Maybe tomorrow.

As for today, these restrictions don't feel very restrictive. I've imposed myself to simply stop.

I'm not very good at that.

And that realization comes as a shock.