Autumn

Pretty day for Punchy’s soccer game at Brookdale Park. It was a close one. We all thought it was a tie 3-3, but ref said one of our goals didn’t count so we officially lost.

Nada

TCOY

1. Bad cold. Made chicken soup w Meyer lemon 🍋 broth I got on sale a while ago at Williams-Sonoma.
2. Walked Sug around block.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

ZERO.

Ongoing spend for November: $0.

New Day 2 Off Refined Sugar Road

And yes, it’s Halloween. And yes, there will be huge quantities of wrapped crap in my house, between platter to give and Punchy’s loot.
I have a single square of Lindt 70 percent dark chocolate in my purse, to eat with walnuts.
It’s the little slips I will beware of--mocha coffee instead of plain. And I cannot stay up when exhausted. That’s when I grope for the Halloween Oreos Figgy bought for a party. They are left over.
Happy Halloween. 🎃 I’m no longer a candy craving young girl. 🛑 🍫 🍭 🍬
Signing off as bus pulls in to Port, 8:31 am.

TCOY

1. Walked 1 hr 20 min.
2. Moroccan mint tea. Soothing treat.
3. That Jo Malone orange 🍊 blossom body wash again. 
4. Banana for 1 hr walk to Port.
5. Planning to make "rich" chili tonite to skirt candy. Idea from my brilliant friend Rachael, nutrition coach.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Duane Reade, 4 large 70 percent dark Lindt chocolate bars for the 4 coworkers in dept, plus $1 cityharvest donation, $18.40.
• MetroCard, add money, $2.
• Whole Foods near office, 2 can beans, 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, small bag quinoa/jasmine rice mix, 2 sweet onions, $8.25. For the rich chili.
• Le Pain Quotidien, large mint tea w half & half plus tiny tip, $3.25.
• Cafeteria lunch, $6.25.

Total daily spend: $38.15.
Total for October: $2,495.36.
Average daily spend: $80.49.

Working After Hours

Wearing two hats, one in an office and one on my couch at night, sending info & invoices to my magazine editors.

TCOY

1. Delicious shower with that Jo Malone Orange Blossom Body Wash.
2. Walked 1 hour and 10 min in NYC.
3. Ate an apple on one-hour walk back to Port. This is BIG for me. It kept me from following my nose into pizza shops and bakeries, which is deadly.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• 10-trip bus tix, but I didn't realize til this evening that man behind glass window thought I said Montclair, not Upper Montclair, which is closer to NYC. So I paid $70.50 vs. $69.50.
• MetroCard refill, $3.
• Cafeteria iced coffee in cup I brought from home, $1.09.
• Cafeteria lunch, $5.09.

TOTAL DAILY SPEND: $79.68.

Will crunch numbers soon.

P.S. Nan and Liz, I can't comment! How do I fix this? Nan, I loved all of your three new posts especially your sailboat post and will send to my Sis, who also loves to sail. You are something else! Here is link to Nan's post: http://diydietbuddy.blogspot.com/2019/10/adventure-travel.html. Check it!
And yes, going to the city both gives and depletes energy. Love Alice

Luxe Walk Back

I took the subway to the office where I’m freelancing. But then I walked an hour back to the bus station, going out of my way a couple blocks to get good body wash/bath bubbles for pampering tonight. The brand-new flagship Nordstrom was offering 15 percent off many high-end brands.

It was raining, and the city sidewalks were umbrella rim to umbrella ☔️ rim, but I loved walking by esteemed Bergdorf’s, Mangia and Carnegie Hall.

Bye for now.

TCOY

1. Long city walk.
2. Broccoli.
3. Planning bubble bath tonight.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Post Office, 2 stamps, $1.10.
• Coffee cart on street, poppy seed roll w butter, large iced coffee. $1 tip, total $4.
• Cafeteria lunch, $7.80.
• Vending machine veggie chips, $1.50.
• Nordstrom, Jo Malone London Orange 🍊 Blossom Body & Hand Wash, plus $3 tax, $38.17.
• Ditto, falling for sweets and this cannot be good. Must put car in reverse and exit Sugar Road. Nordy Brownie, plus tip, $4.25. 
• Milk Bar outpost at Nordstrom, 2 large cookies plus tip, $6.99 and I’m not doing THAT again. [Bringing one wrapped Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookie home to Punch.] 

TOTAL DAILY SPEND: $62.31.

Running total for month as of October 29: $2,377.53.

Average daily spend: $81.98.

Monday

TCOY

1. Read "A White Heron," a beautifully crafted short story by Mainer Sarah Orne Jewett. First published by Houghton, Mifflin and Company in 1886. Also: "Taking the Veil," by Katherine Mansfield. Delicious reading on bus to NYC. My phone had lost its charge. When it's charged, I check emails, instagram etc. I think I like this reading time and will plan for it.
2. Walked over an hour, NYC.
3. Ate some vegs: raw spinach, roasted vegs Dan made, mushrooms.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• MetroCard refill, $6.
• Iced coffee from street cart plus tip, $3.
• Cafeteria lunch, $7.90.
• Duane Reade, don't ask. I dashed out without my makeup bag--to catch 7:29 am bus. So bought replacement mascara and brow pencil plus a banana and Lindt dark chocolate bar, about $28. From now on, I'm keeping extras of everything in my handbag.
• One dollar pizza place, $1.

TOTAL DAILY SPEND: $45.90.

RUNNING MONTHLY SPEND AS OF OCT. 28: $2,315.22. Finally added up all of October so far.

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $82.68. 
Well, I'm still under August, vacation month, but higher than I expected. Nordstrom purchases, class reunion ticket and commuter bus tickets have driven the price up.

COMPARE TO TWO PRIOR MONTHS:

TOTAL SPEND FOR SEPTEMBER (30 DAYS): $2,214.43.🍎⬇️

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $73.81.🍎⬇️

TOTAL SPEND FOR AUGUST (31 DAYS): $2,895.06. ⬆️

AUGUST AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $93.39.  ⬆️

Bedtime

TCOY

1. Mass. 
2. Women's group. Music, prayer.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Nordstrom, Tom Ford Blush Nude lipstick, plus free sample-size lipstick, $46.50 plus tax, about $49. Nordstrom just moved to NYC! Look at all these places, below, including tomford.com, charging the full $55 and Nordstrom has the lipsticks at 15 percent off. Discounts on high-end beauty products are rare.

$55.00· Neiman Marcus
$55.00· Bloomingdale's

$55.00· Tom Ford Beauty

$55.00· Sephora

$55.00· Macy's

Pick up today

I REALLY promise to number-crunch soon.

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P.S. Nan and Liz: Thanks for the notes...I keep wanting to do longer posts and I will soon. I have been working full days in NYC as writer at a nonprofit. I like it, and it might turn into a staff position. I have also been keeping up with my freelance magazine writing, so two jobs.  [My comment function wouldn't work here now.] Yes, Nan, I am more conscious of my spending by tracking it. I am also aware that I will be reporting every dime here, so, say, a $300 price tag for perfume might cause me pause, or a $695 pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes, which I have always wanted and never had. xo