In the month of December we did lots of consuming.  The shopping kind, when we bought gifts, groceries, necessities and luxuries almost every day.  Our bank account dwindled as the gifts piled up.  We have no regrets- it was a wonderful Christmas, and I would do it all again.  One day, we spent a big pile of money while lying on the couch.  We know exactly where that money went.  It's  the money that didn't go for gifts that we got to thinking about.  How much are we spending just to live our lives?

We got to thinking about the other kind of consumption too.  What exactly are we eating?  During busy times lots of food is eaten on the fly. Some of it isn't so good for us, but is mighty delicious.  There were lots of minty ice cream treats purchased from DQ and MacDonald's.  Somehow it seems fine to overindulge.  There were literally crates of cookies in the kitchen,  much appreciated by drop in guests (mostly our own family members) who depend on us as tradition-bearers, especially traditions that taste sooo good.  Where else can you get a corn-flake and marshmallow Christmas wreath that is died green and has red-hots for berries?  And in what other family will the quest for red-hots justify an afternoon of effort and several phone calls?  (Thanks again, Ben)

So our blog will be a family record of spending and eating. AJ and Kristin Sonquist will record every cent they spend and every thing that goes into their mouths.  It's our new year's resolution.  We've never made one together before, and if we made them separately, we kept them private.  This is a revolution of a resolution for us.  We both like to keep our spending and our eating under the radar.  Being open and transparent about both is a completely new thing.

We may make posts on our phones as we go, or if that doesn't work out we might settle up in the evening as we post.

We hope we get some followers for encouragement and to keep us honest, but if we don't, it's ok.  We'll still try to keep it going.

So here goes-
 On January 1,
 we spent $5.88 at Walgreens, for a poster board and tagboard for Amanda;s science project.

Kristie ate a lot, including 7 aebleskivers, 2 sausage, 2 bacon, 1 mimosa,  5 fried shrimp, 4 onion rings, 1 diet coke,  and maybe 7 cookies, 2-3 pieces of peanut brittle  and 3 cups of coffee with cream.

AJ ate 8 aebelskivers, 4 bacon, 3 sausage links, syrup, 1 mimosa, 6 cups of coffee, 1 coke, deep fried shrimp and onion rings and some mac and cheese, 2 wreath cookies, 6 chocolate dogs, a piece of peanut brittle and 6 gum drops.

On January 2 
we spent $.00

Kristie ate an egg sandwich, 7 annie's cheddar bunnies, mac and cheese (huge bowl) celery, carrots onions and radishes, popcorn, 2 cups of coffee, 1 small oj,  the last two wreath cookies, 1 sugar cookie, and 1 cup of hot chocolate, 1 diet coke, 1 bowl of chicken soup, 1 piece of cheese toast, super 7 salad.

AJ ate
-an egg sandwich, 2 glasses of OJ, 6 cookies, 3 cups of coffee with cream, a bowl of mac and cheese, a bowl of chicken noodle soup (both homemade), Super 7 salad, 2 pieces of cheese bread, 8 gumdrops.

AJ would like it on the record that he also walked a mile on the treadmill.