Monday Check-In

Good morning! How were your holidays and weekends? Let’s check in.

On Thanksgiving, there were so many volunteers eager to work a shift serving Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless and displaced (or cleaning up after dinner) that people were turned away. I decided to go home and divert my time to helping homeowners in the Rockaways over the weekend, where turnout was lower than previous weekends because of the holiday ($5 for my share of a van rental to get out there, $9.78 at Ace Hardware to re-up on some supplies, and $23 on Chinese takeout after a long day of tearing down moldy walls).

Last Thanksgiving, I spent more than $100 on groceries making Thanksgiving dinner for myself. It was great (thanks to most recipes from Ina Garten), but I quickly tired of leftovers. This year, I ended up spending $45.41 on pre-made stuff at various grocery stores in my neighborhood (stuffing from Citarella > stuffing from Zabar’s). I was also persuaded (guilted) by the cashier to donate $5 to the food bank. Total spent over the four days was $88.19, and even I’m surprised by how under budget I went.

How were your Thanksgivings and weekends? I didn’t do any shopping, but I did peek at the deals online. Did anyone score anything great? Brian has been updating The Wirecutter with some of the best deals he’s found.

Photo: dtknj

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