I sent a bit of extra money to NT's student loan. $27 went to principal. I "borrowed" the payment from June debt money since we have so much float in the bank account. I tried to estimate how much interest there would be so I'd pay off the desired amount of principal. But I underestimated and didn't pay as much principal as I wanted to. So I sent another $25 off to the loan; we'll see if that gets me to a comfortable place to hit my May goal.

Anyway, that makes $816 down, $184 to go on the May debt goal.

***

I had my second interview yesterday. Considering how intense it was (met with 5 people one-on-one over 2 hours) I felt pretty good after I got out. A few flubs here and there, but overall I think I articulated some good reasons I'd be a solid fit for the job. The middle interview was with my friend who recommended me, so that was really nice and alleviated a great deal of stress. Now I have a writing test to turn in by Friday morning. I glanced over it tonight and will let it percolate, then try and finish it tomorrow night after work.

It seems like SUCH an interesting job. I still don't know what the whole job offer package would be, so I don't know what I'd do if I got the job. I have been thinking of ways to reduce our budget or bring in extra money if I get the job offer at a huge salary cut. I even wonder if my current place would let me freelance for them if I leave. They do seem to stay on friendly terms with former employees.

Anyway, I'm still thinking too many steps ahead; I've got to ace this writing test first.

***

I keep meaning to write about this, but it's a weird situation so I don't really know what to say. Our daycare lady has been out sick for about three weeks. She has a big family and they've all been pitching in, but they're a cagy lot, and haven't said anything about what she's got, how long she'll be gone, etc. AA still seems happy and they all seem like good caregivers, so I'm not worried about that. I've just reached this awkward place where it's almost too late to ask more probingly how the main daycare lady is, you know?

Part of me is worried about her; I don't know her very well yet, but I want her to be OK. And a selfish part of me is wondering if we'll have to start looking for a new provider again soon. This place isn't ideal for several reasons, but AA just finally adjusted and stopped crying when we leave her, so I hate to think of her having to readjust so soon. (Plus, to be crass, there aren't many cheap options as close to downtown as we are.)

So, fingers crossed that it's just a lingering but nonserious illness...

***

On a completely different subject, I did track our grocery budget last weekend, and I wrote up a big entry detailing the cost of each meal, but I forgot to copy it before I hit Save and Publish, so I lost it. I'm interested but not THAT dedicated, so I wasn't about to go through the whole rigamarole again. But, at least I still have the raw data in my grocery spreadsheet, so I pasted that below. We didn't do great last weekend; I was hoping we'd stay between $105 and $120, but we hit $144.19, and that wasn't counting a diaper refill we need to pay for. But we got a ton of staples that will last us weeks, even months in some cases, so it sounds worse than it was. I think. We'll see if we can keep it under control for the next three weeks; we've still got a chance to catch up if we do.

Diced tomatoes $0.59
Diced chilies $0.59
3 zucchini $1.05
3 lg. potatoes $1.79
Red bell pepper $1.41
2 avocados $3.00
Ginger root $0.84
Romaine lettuce $1.69
Cilantro $0.50
3 lbs. onions $2.49
Grape tomatoes $2.50
Tater tots $1.75
Hashbrowns $2.19
5 bananas $1.02
2 mangoes $1.00
2 pts blueberries $3.98
Generic "cheerios" $1.99
2 boxes organic cereal (C) $5.00
Panko breadcrumbs 2.19
Bread (C) $2.59
Rice $6.39
Fruit turnover $2.69
Fruit danish $2.99
Brown rice $1.21
Banana cake $3.99
Veg chicken patties (C) $3.65
Veg chicken nuggets (C) $3.65
3 salmon filets $3.00
Veg turkey slices (BOGO w/ sausage) $0.00
Veg Italian sausage $3.89
String cheese $3.56
Cheddar $2.08
Vegan sour cream $2.89
Vegan butter $4.19
Vegan shortening $4.19
Milk $2.29
Vegan cheddar $5.69
TVP $1.24
3 pkgs tofu $3.97
12 eggs $3.29
BBQ sauce $2.50
2 jars salsa $2.00
Vegetable broth powder $2.68
Maple syrup $2.60
2 bags potato chips $5.00
4 frozen juices (C) $5.54
Coffee $9.17
Chocolate bar $2.29

Total food spending: $134.79

Toilet paper $1.79
Paper towels $2.29
Bar soap to make laundry detergent $5.98
Garbage bags $5.09
Tax $0.40
Tax minus bags credit $0.80
Co-op quarterly discount -$3.75
Bags credit (cashier error; should have been $0.10) -$3.20

Total nonfood/cat spending: $9.40