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| Cape Cod Rail Trail [bike path]. Before Dan and I were parents, we pedaled really far one day, returning to Eastham in the dark. |
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| Beautiful image of the trail from frugalfrolicker.com. Great website name! |
And Dan and I split a perfect peach from the tree he has been carefully nurturing. Surprise, we returned home to golden globes hanging on the branches, and fallen fruit, too.
I have Cape Cod in the pocket of the short, swingy Nicole Miller dress I got for $19.99 at T.J. Maxx up there. Memories of the bike path, the freedom of pedaling past ponds, marsh grass.....the pleasure of riding with family. I biked with Dan and with Fig, Florida Orange and Punch. There's pure joy in seeing your children on bikes, helmets fastened under their chins, healthy and happy and pushing along on a tree-lined path. The little sister looking like a martian in her green helmet, determined to keep up with her big sister and cousin. They are with you and they are safe. Life isn't always like that.
Dan and I biked really far one day the summer before we had Figgy. We had been battling infertility, and I was going to a high-profile doctor on the Upper East Side in NYC. On a break from biking, I checked our home voice mails, the way you would remotely back then, calling our answering machine from a payphone and entering a code to play messages. [This was 1994.] I just remember that the dr. left me an encouraging message, and that I then called Moey, who was home with her young son, Kevin, and told her.
Anyway, let me update the dollars.
$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET
- Parking meter, 50 cents.
- ATM bank fee, $3.
- Le Salbuen on Walnut Street, iced coffee, $4.27 plus $1 tip, $5.27.
- ShopRite, organic milk, leaf bags, mushrooms, pasta, bananas, vegan ice cream, Dove sorbet pops, $26.26.
TOTAL DAILY SPEND: $35.03.
TOTAL MONTHLY SPEND AS OF AUGUST 13: $1,854.59.
TOTAL MONTHLY SPEND AS OF AUGUST 13: $1,854.59.
AVERAGE DAILY SPEND FOR MONTH SO FAR: $142.66.
[I added in all Cape and travel days now.]
Hot, big-money spends in August, or how I spent our bread:
Hot, big-money spends in August, or how I spent our bread:
🥖 Fill gas tank twice on Cape Cod, $46 x 2= $92.
🥖Idle Times bike shop rental for Punch from noon Saturday until 5 p.m. Sunday, $31.
🥖T.J. Maxx, four designer dresses, Adidas sneakers, knock-off lightweight Burberry scarf, Olga bra, Lauren pillow, shorts, etc. etc., $338.
🥖Idle Times bike shop rental for Punch from noon Saturday until 5 p.m. Sunday, $31.
🥖T.J. Maxx, four designer dresses, Adidas sneakers, knock-off lightweight Burberry scarf, Olga bra, Lauren pillow, shorts, etc. etc., $338.
🥖Pizza+ dinner with Punch after swimming in pond in Brewster until after 7 p.m., $77.
🥖Mac's Market & Kitchen, lobster, clams, kale salad, mango salsa and other Sunday dinner ingredients, $53.
🥖Brewster bakery, including cookbook I somehow lost, maybe a message from God because it was packed with recipes for sweets, $25.
🥖2 Massachusetts mugs, one for Cape and one for home, $28.
🥖Commando.com, black half-slip, $65.
🥖Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar, fried clam belly basket plus tip, $30.
🥖Pure Vita, the new CBD [not for me] and natural home care store with essential-oil bar and pretty pineapple throw pillow case for Cape house, votive candles, seaweed/lavender bath sachets, $52.
🥖Stop & Shop, Cape groceries, $29 + $40 + $52=$121.
🥖Lobster roll supper with P. at Adams Lodge in Wellfleet, $32.
🥖Eastham info booth, pink sweatshirt, $30.
🥖Mass Audubon annual family membership, $65.
🥖Sunbird breakfast sandwich w citrus mayonnaise on grilled ciabatta plus expensive coffee beans from, of all places, Portland, Maine, plus tip, $27.
🥖2 Massachusetts mugs, one for Cape and one for home, $28.
🥖Commando.com, black half-slip, $65.
🥖Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar, fried clam belly basket plus tip, $30.
🥖Pure Vita, the new CBD [not for me] and natural home care store with essential-oil bar and pretty pineapple throw pillow case for Cape house, votive candles, seaweed/lavender bath sachets, $52.
🥖Stop & Shop, Cape groceries, $29 + $40 + $52=$121.
🥖Lobster roll supper with P. at Adams Lodge in Wellfleet, $32.
🥖Eastham info booth, pink sweatshirt, $30.
🥖Mass Audubon annual family membership, $65.
🥖Sunbird breakfast sandwich w citrus mayonnaise on grilled ciabatta plus expensive coffee beans from, of all places, Portland, Maine, plus tip, $27.
🥖Audubon gift shop, small turtle rug for home; bird gift for Figgy; goat milk body wash; Bee Boss Body Balm, which I love for lips, too; small owl wall calendar for family, with member discount, $88.
🥖Vineyard Vines, candy-pink gingham skort, orig $98, now on sale for $68.99, plus shipping, $79.
🥖Mac’s Market & Kitchen, lobster, scallops, salmon, lemon, cornbread square, crackers, $49.
🥖Vineyard Vines, candy-pink gingham skort, orig $98, now on sale for $68.99, plus shipping, $79.
🥖Mac’s Market & Kitchen, lobster, scallops, salmon, lemon, cornbread square, crackers, $49.
COMPARISON SHOPPING. That long Cape Cod vacay in
August really drove the numbers up so far.
TOTAL SPEND FOR MONTH OF JULY [STARTING JULY 5; I LOST A FEW DAYS THERE]: $1,610.81. 👛 🎯 ⬇️
JULY AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $59.66! 👛 🎯 ⬇️
JULY AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $59.66! 👛 🎯 ⬇️
TOTAL SPEND FOR MONTH OF MAY: $2,348.24.
MAY AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $75.75.
TOTAL SPEND FOR MONTH OF APRIL: $3,634.28.
APRIL AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $121.14.
Posts
That's a great little story about checking your messages and getting some good news. I remember once negotiating terms of a job from a pay phone in Port Authority, because I didn't want to talk from my office and I had no cell phone. Those were the days!
ReplyDeleteExactly. And I think I charged the payphone calls to a credit (or debit?) card because I didn't have enough change, especially to call NYC from the Cape....I loved the photos of your Ireland trip....fantastic......Love Alice. PS Punch starts middle school this year.....it has good moments, right? sending love
DeleteOh boy … well, yes, it does have good moments. It's fun to change classes, and there are a lot of fun activities to choose from. But it's a rocky time!
ReplyDeleteI tried to comment on your cemetery post and I don't think it went through. Alice, I think you could develop that. It's nicely written, as always. And I really felt some dramatic tension. Love your work … keep it up!
Eileen, I want YOU to be my mother! You must be such a good mom....calm and insightful. Thanks for the cemetery post idea. I'm going to look into developing and submitting it. Thanks as always, Alice
Delete<3 I make a lot of mistakes, I promise you.
ReplyDelete