I was very pleased about how frugal we were this first week of the new year, until I added up the numbers, and again, wondered how are we making it.

January 1-7
2,511 Mortgage this month
1,344 Maintenance
141 Student loan
47 Groupon for future dinner
25 Laundry
64.75 Cleaning supplies/detergents
7.99 Netflix
217 pair of shoes
37.56 breakfasts and lunches at work
155.52 groceries
178 train pass
4,728.82

I was particularly proud of myself for keeping the food bill lower than ever.
4 things contributed to it:
1) We went shopping on December 31 (does not count for this month) and bought $253 worth of food right before I started tracking

2) My mom came over on Saturday and brought expensive food for baby for 2 days.

3) Baby is sick so we did not go out to eat.

4) I brought from home 1 lunch and 1 breakfast and made all my coffee at work. And when I bought lunch, I opted for a cheaper one -- $8.70 Signature salads from Cosi.

My toddlers food, even though he eats less, is not less expensive. For example, about 1/4 lb of Grey Sole filet (at $35 per pound) was $8.92. And that is only one meal.

About the shoes -- Thierry Rabotin boutique had a large post holiday sale (really rare for them). And I snagged this pair for 50% off. ($217)

It is hard to capture their beauty in a photo. The crystal is a very nice light blue color and so is the leather inside. I love that shade of blue. They are comfy and stylish (comfy is really hard to find), and they look amazing with thin black pantyhose. I will keep them in my drawer in the office and only wear them inside, on a nice carpet. I normally change my shoes as I get in. (my daily commute involves about an hour of walking).
I don't buy shoes often.

So this is first 7 days.