At mid-month my total spending so far is $996.48. All my regular bills have already come in and have been paid except for my cell phone.  

I have spent $15.34 on groceries so far.  I expect a very low grocery spend this month. I have been using up what I have on hand, and what I receive from the senior center. 

We have firmed up the family vacations plans! My sister and BIL will be coming in from Texas, and then the whole family will be heading to a beach location for a week’s stay. It’s only a 3-hour drive from us, and we have been here many times before, but not in the last several years.  We have rented 2 condos in the same building. I will be in one, with my sister and BIL, and my brother, SIL and nephew will be in the other one, one floor below us. My cousin and his wife will most likely be joining us for a long weekend. We will be going in September, right after Labor Day. The rates are much lower, and it will be less crowded. My sister and BIL are generously picking up the cost of our condo. She said that they feel that since I put them up when they come to visit from Texas for long stays, this sort of “evens things out”.  It is futile to argue with her on this, so I happily accepted.  I will be saving up for gas, food, and fun. It has been quite a few years since I have been on a vacation, so I am super excited! 

In other frugal fun, my cousin’s employer gave him 4 tickets to our MLB teams home game on a recent Sunday afternoon. But not just the game, it was use of the company sky box! My cousin and his wife and me and my brother spent an amazing Sunday enjoying the game, a huge food spread, drinks etc. It was so much fun and completely free.  

My best friend and I have been enjoying some free neighborhood festivals and going to some yard sales. It seems so easy to find fun, free things to do in the spring and summer. I also have some lunch plans later in the month with some former co-workers.  

One thing I was a little concerned about when I retired was having enough resources to enjoy my freedom from the daily work grind. I knew I would be on a very tight budget, so finding free, or nearly free things to do would be important. So far, so good! My ex-husband and I traveled extensively when we were younger, and I no longer crave international travel. I don’t like to fly anymore so I am content with road trips, weekend getaways, or vacations that are drivable. I am finding that with a little effort, it is possible to have a full, fun life on a small budget!