Dollars and Distractions

In late January, I began tracking my "food dollar" for a month-long experiment. Based on some vintage advice on budgeting for groceries, I started keeping track of my expenditures on food and beverages. Each item ended up in one of five categories: Breads and Cereals/Fruits and Vegetables/Eggs, Beans, and Soy/Milk and Cheese/Fats, Sugar, and Miscellaneous Items (this category included most pre-packaged, processed foods or restaurant meals). The idea being that at the end of the month I should see about 1/5 of my food dollar falling into each category. Wrong! At the end of the month, I tallied everything up and was dismayed by the results. Not only was I spending $100-$125 per month more than I thought I'd been, but my food dollar was wildly skewed with 2/3 of my spending going right into that last category (Fats, Sugar, and Miscellaneous Items).

I decided to try the experiment again in six months and hoped to see some better results after making some positive changes in my eating habits. It's been six months, so I've posted a new food dollar tally in the column to the right. I think it'll be real interesting to see what kind of progess I've made in another month!

After cooling off from my workout this morning, I got myself all gussied up for the 9:00 Mass. I actually do belong to a parish. Though I've attended church erratically in the various places I've lived as an adult, I hadn't been a member of any particular parish since I was living under my parents' roof. When my sister asked me to be Poppet's godmother last spring, I had to settle down somewhere. So I joined the church I'd attended with my parents when they spent the winter here two years ago. I've even got the printed collection envelopes and everything - though it did take some time to find 'em this morning!

I felt a bit self-conscious as I walked to my car in the parking lot of my apartment building. Most of the people out and about were dressed in jeans or shorts and T-shirts. But that self-consciousness disappeared once I got to church and saw plenty of folks in their Sunday best. I usually listen to CDs or the radio when I'm driving, but it didn't feel quite right this morning. Like I was breaking some sort of spell of silence or something. Maybe it'd be a good idea to turn off the radio on Sunday mornings. Just so I'm in a more reflective place by the time I arrive to church. Come to think of it, there was a lot of static this first Sunday morning. I was so distracted by the usual discomforts that it was hard to really slow down and enjoy the experience. I've always hated going to church by myself. And it stinks when you end up sitting in a section with a bunch of non-singers. I like to sing along to the hymns but feel so self-conscious (there it is again!) when most of the people around me are silent.

The biggest distraction of all was physical. One of the nasty side effects of carrying around the kind of weight I have is high blood pressure. For two years now, I've treated that problem with two medications - one of which is a diuretic. When I saw my doctor three weeks ago, she suggested that I stop taking the diuretic at some point soon. My blood pressure is lowering naturally as I lose weight and eventually I'll be able to taper off both medications. That's great news, right? I've been hesitant to do it, because I knew I'd probably gain a few pounds of water weight. Well, my blood pressure dropped so low this morning that I almost fainted during church. Just after the homily. We were kneeling down and I started blacking out. Sat back up, took a mint from my purse, and blessedly made it through the Mass. It was a frightening experience though, so I've stopped taking the diuretic.

Let's just say my first Sunday of regular church attendance was not a wild success --- but I'll be back! With my envelope.