We had some challenges during the first month of 2025. My joint pain continued from my wrist to my jaw. Once it reached my jaw, I spent some time looking around the internet for any things that I can do to stop the inflammation attacking my own body. It led me down to an Auto Immune Plan (AIP) diet. I was pretty much open to anything to stop further joint pain so I decided to give it a try. Mr. MMD helped me a lot on this since I was already feeling very discouraged. Once I printed the 2 week meal plan, he shopped and we cooked the food for the week. I’m now on my 3rd week on the diet. I was losing weight, because I have to give up grains and dairy, but I think I got it under control now. It is still too early to tell if the diet is working. I still have some pain that moves around my body but it’s not as bad as the first 2 episodes. However, I don’t have any new big joint pain and I’m not on any medication, aside from the supplements that I’m taking.
Aside from my undiagnosed disease, our household also caught some nasty virus. MBP missed school for a week, Mr. MMD caught the same bug and was in bed for a couple of days and AHP had a mild fever. I also got some cough and cold and ache and stiffness on my joints. It was tiring but I’m hoping that we have better days.
Aside from being sick, the kiddos also started playing basketball. I was at least able to go to all the practices and games. It was hard to cheer while my jaw was in pain, but I’m thankful that at least I was there.
We spent $4,296 in January. We don’t really have any big purchase this month, but I expect some big changes on groceries and healthcare as we navigate my illness this year.
Groceries – $1,524.53
This is a pretty hefty increase on our budget. We used to eat very little meat, but my diet basically consist of meat and vegetables, with a focus on nutrient dense meal while eliminating foods that are high on lectins or food that can cause inflammation. We are still getting use to this and it is hard cooking different meals for everyone. I’m actually enjoying some of the meals here, especially bringing back the meats. I am hopeful that this diet can at least minimize the joint pains and helped me heal.
Healthcare/Medical – $795.25
As I mentioned, I had some health challenges and decided to see a functional doctor. This is a different doctor than a primary care doctor. I paid $299 for the labs and initial consultation. I also had some genes testing done. Mr. MMD bought a couple of eyeglass from eye buy direct for $122. One of the glasses were transitions. Our health insurance for Mr. MMD and I were $92.9 I also paid for 2 months of dental insurance for $73.64. I bought some meds and supplements from Costco at $32.9. I also paid for labs copay and labs for $35.02
Education – $356
This is for AHP preschool. This is his last year of preschool. He is super excited to go to Kindergarten. Time flew by so fast.
Gym – $320.91
Our YMCA membership are $173. Mr. MMD’s hockey league are $147.91.
General Merchandise – $270.54
This is the catch all of everything and this time includes the kids diaper.
Gifts – $200
My sister cashed the check from last Christmas.
Automotive – $129
Our 2011 Toyota Prius were due for renewal. This is the cost of the annual renewal.
Utilities – $127.24
Our sewer and water bill.
Clothing / Shoes – $114.87
Mr. MMD bought some shoes for $103.97 and I bought some joggers from Costco.
Dues and Subscription – $102.65
I paid $95 for the annual credit card fee of our Chase Sapphire Preferred. This is for Mr. MMD’s card. Amazon Prime is $7.65.
HOA – 91.21
The cost of living in our neighborhood. This pays for the park and trail maintenance.
Mobile – $85.32
We used quite a bit of data in November / early December
Restaurant – $74.14
We actually found a good restaurant that served really good ramen. This was before my diet. It will be a while since I can actually eat out in a restaurant.
Delicious boba that I can no longer eat
Home Maintenance – $73.11
Some item for the house.
Gas – $30.05
One tank of gas. We didn’t go out a lot this month.
2024 was rough, health wise. I ended the year on antibiotics and started 2025 with it as well. I caught a stomach bug just a week before Christmas and had some joint pains shortly a couple of days after. I woke up with my thumb and my wrist in pain without any trauma. I went to my PCP the day after Christmas and I was put on antibiotics. A couple of weeks later after seeing an Orthopedic, she mentioned that it is possible that it is reactive arthritis. A day later, I woke up with a jaw pain. 4 days later, I was on steroid to calm it down. It was so bad that I can’t even put a teaspoon of food in my mouth. I just completed my steroid prescription. I also changed my diet based on some research on auto-immune disease and started a Tumeric supplement.
I’m still experiencing some joint pains and do not have an official diagnosis until I see a rheumatologist in end of February. I am really hoping that this is a one time thing and not a chronic condition. Suffice to say, I had a pretty lousy mood depending on my body. What gets me the most is the mental challenges that comes with being sick. I get extremely anxious and get depressed. I’m grateful that Mr. MMD pick up all the slack and really carry me through it. He was the one who called my dentist, did the grocery on a Monday night after he coached my kids basketball game and meal prep my food. So far, today is a good day and I am really hopeful.
Now that I think of 2024, there were some rough roads, from my dry eye, 5th disease, a course of antibiotics and now this unknown diagnosis, which I’m hoping is just reactive arthritis. All of it regarding my health that I can’t control. We eat pretty healthy and I exercise. I don’t necessarily have a lot of stress, but it is hard for me to give up control. It’s hard when I can’t and that is the root cause of anxiety. I thought that 2024 will be the healthiest year ever. Turned out, it is a year with some health challenges, that really made me take a step back and accept that there are certain things that I can’t do. I can’t choose my genes and I have one body. I need to accept it, nourish it and be thankful for it.
This also made me reflect on our situation. We really are very blessed to have the time to go to Dr’s appt, take care of my body without worrying about the financial burden it may cost us. We will probably not be buying a new Tesla this year, but I’ll drive our Prius to the ground if it means that I feel good in my body. It also made me think of so many internal battles each individual faces. No one can really see it but your immediate family or worst sometimes its really just in you. I cried a lot this month. I cried in front of my parents and I am pretty sure that it was my first time crying in front of them as an adult. I cried in front of my in-laws, my husband, my kids. It was an emotional battle. I was angry and felt very discouraged. I’m sure that this will be a roller coaster emotion.
My swollen hand. I still can’t move my wrist at this time
On to our financial update. In December we spent $11,996. We ended the year spending $68,880. This is $5,048 less than we spent in 2023 of $73,928. I am sure that we are going to spend at least $80k, so this is a nice surprise. Let’s take a look at our December spending.
Category
Sum of Amount
Gifts
$5,914.39
Home Improvement
$1,861.85
Groceries
$1,288.05
Automotive
$862.27
Education
$356.00
Gym
$295.91
General Merchandise
$223.31
Clothing/Shoes
$220.67
Utilities
$204.91
Restaurants
$172.94
Gasoline/Fuel
$159.01
Christmas card
$103.21
Entertainment
$100.00
Pets/Pet Care
$97.43
HOA
$84.00
Personal Care
$60.50
Home Maintenance
$59.13
Kids Activities
$36.99
Mobile Phone
$25.32
Internet
$19.90
Dues & Subscriptions
$7.65
Online Services
$2.04
Healthcare/Medical
($158.90)
Total
$11,996.58
Gifts – $ 5,914.39
It’s the season of giving. The biggest one of course is our cash gift to my parents. I also gave an Amazon gift cards to the kids teachers. This also includes our gifts to them. Since I was sick, I basically just bought everything from Amazon. MBP got a NBA2k, Chiefs beanie and gloves and a drum. AHP got a Spot it game, Seahawks beanie and gloves and a piano. They also got more stuff from everyone else. We also did quite a bit for the holidays like going on a Polar Express and visiting Santa.
Polar Express Ride
Home Improvement – $1,861.85
We finally changed our gas oven and stove to induction. It only took us 5 years before finally doing it. We got the oven from Costco and paid for a plumber to cap off our gas. I can’t believe we delayed it for so long. We got the Samsung Bespoke. It takes a bit of time to get used to the touch button but so far we are enjoying it. I also paid for the shipping of our mattress from Latex for Less. I bought this mattress a year ago and notice a sag in the middle. After about 2 months of back and forth we finally got a replacement mattress. We also got some stuff from Ikea.
Groceries – $1,288
This is really just $1,088 since I bought a $200 Visa Gift Card from Staples to be used at WINCO when we shop. WINCO don’t take credit card and I get 5 times points if I buy the Visa GC at Staples. I was already there buying the kids presents to their teachers so I just added it here. It’s fairly high but that’s ok. We don’t necessarily budget for groceries. We just buy what we want. We still buy almost exclusively a Costco and WINCO.
Automotive – $862.27
We bought 4 new tires for our Prius, in preparation for winter driving and our trip to the mountains. Unfortunately, the trip was canceled because I got sick. I actually felt better when the trip was canceled. I realized that I really don’t like the winter weather and or any winter sports. I took up skiing back in the day and never went farther than a “beginner”. I’m more city type, beach weather and good weather hiking type. I also renewed my license.
Education – $356
AHP’s preschool tuition. 6 more months and he is off to Kindergarten!
Gym – $295.91
Our YMCA membership and Mr. MMD’s hockey fee. We have been enjoying the Y membership, until recently when I got sick. I usually go 3 times a week, but have not gone since Winter break since all of us got sick. That said, we are going to continue our membership. The kids play basketball through the Y and it is a great gym. I just wish that it is a little closer to us.
General Merchandise – $223.31
Everything else that I don’t bother to look at. Mostly some orders from Amazon.
Clothing/Shoes – $220.67
I bought 2 shoes from Xero. It was on sale. One is specifically for winter. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to use them yet. Hopefully, I’ll be back on my feet next week and I’ll be able to walk to and back from school.
Utilities – $204.91
Water, sewer and garbage. I paid our electric and gas using our rewards from our health insurance company so it is not included here.
Restaurants – $172.91
We watched the Snowflake lane and ate out at Cheesecake Factory. I made this reservation 6 weeks ahead and boy I was so glad that I did! The wait was 2 hours and I feel bad for the host as she was navigating a lot of angry customers. Snowflake Lane is very popular during the holidays. Last year, we weren’t able to eat there and have to buy a really bad and expensive Mediterranean pizza. It was definitely a better experience this year. We also had some take outs this year.
Gas – $159.01
It is gas. We probably gas up more last month since I’m going to the gym.
Christmas Card – $103.21
I did buy our photo session from Groupon again and I bought one for next year too. I printed the cards from Staples this time. I also got some stamps. I actually mailed a couple of cards outside the country too. I do like receiving cards so it is nice to also send one.
Entertainment – $100
Mr. MMD withdrew some cash to play some poker with his old roommate.
Pets/Pet Care – $97.43
Food and stuff for our furbaby. She will turn 10 this March!
HOA – $84
This will keep going up.
Home Maintenance – $59.13
Some stuff for the house. Mainly cleaning supplies
Mobile Phone – $25.32
We are still using 2 lines of Xfinity Mobile and used 1 GB this month
Internet – $19.9
This is for 2 months worth of internet
Dues and Subscription – $7.65
Amazon Prime Subscription
Online Services – $2.04
Google Cloud Platform fees for hosting this site.
Healthcare / Medical – ($158.93)
This is a credit because I got an email from Prenuvo during Black Friday that they are having a $400 discount. I already have my MRI scheduled but I called and they gave me the credit. The rest are for our Health Insurance, doctor and PT visit and some prescriptions and supplements.
This wraps up our 2024. Overall our top 3 spending for the year are groceries, healthcare and gifts. Apparently, this shows our priority in life. I think healthcare will increase this year as I’m thinking of seeing a functional doctor in Seattle. I already had my first call. The initial labwork is not bad at $299, including a 40 minute call with my doctor to review results. However, the plan after that will not be cheap and I do expect this line item to increase. That said, health is my priority this year and will gladly pay for this if it makes a difference in how I feel.
I started November feeling relief that elections are over. I was not surprised with the result as I am more realistic this time. We also moved to a somewhat red/purple part of Washington State and I actually met people supporting the other party. We are still neighbors and our lives move on. I’m still hopeful, but of course realistic.
On another note, we celebrated Veteran’s Day with our Campfire Troupe and watched Salmon go back upstream to lay their eggs. It was really fascinating. It was my first time seeing salmon in the river and whoa, we did see a bunch of them.
The salmon
November also brought us to Central Illinois for our annual visit to my in-laws. Our trip is always pretty relaxing. Life in the farm has some advantages. There was no traffic at all. It was quiet and cozy. But it was cold! I can’t imagine living there during the winter. The wind was brutal. We stick to indoor activities like the Children’s Museum, swimming at the local YMCA and staying inside. MBP, his Grandma and myself also watched the Charlie Brown Christmas. It was a good show and MBP really enjoyed it.
We are a walking REI Ad
For our spending, in November, we spent $3,816. This was on the low end of our spending. Let’s take a look.
Description
Amount
Travel
849.57
Healthcare/Medical
613.84
Groceries
445.05
Education
356
Gym
313.91
General Merchandise
256.88
Utilities
236.27
Restaurants
217.73
Kids Activities
145.57
Automotive
102.25
HOA
84
Gasoline/Fuel
75.75
Home Improvement
43.96
Mobile Phone
25.32
Home Maintenance
15.9
Clothing/Shoes
14.2
Christmas card
11
Dues & Subscriptions
7.65
Online Services
1.99
Total
3816.84
Travel – $849.57
We rented a van from O’Hare to Central Illinois. Mr. MMD was in charge of renting the car and he paid Enterprise $12/day for the toll fees. It was a mistake because he thought it was for the entire trip. We also paid for gas on our way back.
Children’s Museum Theatre
Healthcare/Medical – $613.84
Our health insurance was high this month. I updated our income based on the previous stock sale so we paid $468.84. I also paid for 4 PT sessions and and a Dr. visit copay. Apparently, I’m still paying for my eye insurance. I didn’t realize that it automatically renew and they make it hard to cancel it. That will be on my to do list.
Education – $356
This is for AHP’s preschool tuition.
Groceries – $445.05
This is really low because we were out for 10 days of the month. We also tried to eat as much of our food in the fridge before we leave for our trip.
Gym – $313.91
This is our monthly membership for the YMCA and Mr. MMD’s Hockey games.
Utilities – $236.27
This is for our electric and gas, water and sewer.
General Merchandise – $256.88
This is catch all for everything else that buy. I should probably try to track this closer.
Restaurants – $217.73
We ate out for during our trip and before our trip. On our way to Central Illinois, we stopped by the Old Route 66 Family Restaurant.
Kids Activities – $145.57
We signed up the kids for the basketball league at the YMCA.
Automotive – $102.25
This is for our annual registration of our Volkswagen Jetta.
HOA – $84
Monthly HOA for our trail maintenance
Gasoline / Fuel – $75.75
Three trips to Costco Gas Station for our Prius.
Home Improvement – $43.96
A trip to Lowes and Ikea. I’m returning some stuff from Ikea.
Mobile Phone – $25.32
This is for our 2 lines of phone using 1GB of data from Xfinity Mobile.
Home Maintenance – $15.9
Mr. MMD ordered a camera that can go on our walls.
Clothing / Shoes – $14.2
We got AHP a Seahawks Beanie from Costco. We will probably get him the youth version.
Christmas Card – $11
We also had our annual picture taken. This is for “shipment fees” of one hardcopy that was included in our package.
Dues and Subscription – $7.65
Our monthly Prime Subscription
Online Services – $1.99
Payment for online hosting for this blog from Google Cloud Platform
On to my update. We settled into routine during October. The boys were back in school and sports activities during the weekend. They did soccer, swimming and Campfire. This actually ended up being too much for me. Soccer have weekday practice and Saturday Games. Swimming is also every weekday after school. There were a lot of driving involve. They missed some of it because of the inevitable illness that comes when school starts.
I also managed to get in a hike this month and visited Mt. Rainier. The fall colors were lovely. This was my only hike during the season because of some back and neck issues I’ve been dealing with. I was surprised that I was not winded on this hike. I managed to keep up with my father who is also surprisingly fit.
This month, we also had our annual tradition of visiting a pumpkin patch. We’ve been going to the same patch every year since MBP started the coop when he was 2 years old. We did it as an annual field trip. Now that none of the boys were no longer in the coop, we visited it with our Campfire Families. Four families were there with 8 kids and fun were had! The boys were big enough to enjoy the big slide, apple sling and we even did the corn maze. The corn maze was hard, but we had a lot of fun doing it. We paid $30 for our family visit. This is cheap because we went with a group. Otherwise, the cost of entry is $20 per person.
Halloween was long this year. We started celebrating a week before the actual day and went to the YMCA and the kids schools for the fall festival. Then there was the actual Halloween day. I coordinated MBP’s class halloween party and the kids went trick or treating at night. We went to our neighbors 55+ lodge and another retirement home’s lobby. They had enough candy during the visit. AHP didn’t want to go house to house so MBP and I went. We managed to go to 2 houses until he got scared and wanted to go home. MBP watched football and AHP gave candies to trick or treaters. I bought over $100 worth of candy. About half of it went to MBP’s school. We went through 1.5 bags of Costco candies. I ended up returning 1 bag because we didn’t open it.
On to our expenses our total expenses for October was $10,488. Wow that is a lot of $$$ in one month. Let’s take a look.
Description
Amount
property tax
3,149.80
Other Expenses
2,000.00
Groceries
953.49
Automotive
907.69
Education
876.00
Healthcare/Medical
635.74
Kids Activities
357.11
Utilities
322.98
Gym
313.91
Restaurants
232.73
General Merchandise
225.63
Gasoline/Fuel
149.71
Pets/Pet Care
86.49
HOA
84.00
Clothing/Shoes
73.43
Home Maintenance
39.62
Mobile Phone
25.26
Christmas card
22.49
Internet
19.90
Dues & Subscriptions
7.65
Total
10,483.63
Property Tax – $3,149.8
This is the second half of our property taxes. We live in a suburb of Seattle and the cost of living here is higher than average.
Other Expenses – $2,000
We finally met up with an estate lawyer to get our Wills and other estate documents taken care of. We should get the documents around December.
Groceries – $953.49
Our family of four continue to shop at WINCO and Costco with some shopping here and there at Walmart.
Automotive – $907.69
I paid for our 6 months auto insurance for our 2 cars for $623. Our 2011 Toyota Prius also needed some new batteries, which cost us $284.69.
Education – $876
AHP’s monthly tuition was $356. MBP also had his annual PTA fundraising and we contributed $520 for it. We decided to match any donations that he gets. We pick which fundraising we support for the kids school. We really like this annual “fun run” event that the PTA put together. The kids don’t need to sell anything, but it is really just fun for the kids. We are lucky that the kids schools have a good PTA and parents are involve for the most part.
Healthcare / Medical – $635
I paid $250 for my Physical Therapy sessions. I have been going to a physical therapist twice a week since September and my copay is $25 per session. I really like my PT but found out that he was leaving this December. I only have it until November. Mr. MMD paid for some contact lenses. We paid $99.48 for our health insurance, $77.52 for dental and $5 for my vision. I also paid $20 for a blood test copay.
Kids Activities – $357.11
MBP is playing basketball for the rest of fall quarter. We also got him some inline skates because he has been asking to play hockey. He can’t really play hockey if he doesn’t know how to skate. Mr. MMD got him some inline skates so he can easily practice at home and we don’t have to take him ice skating. The rest are some photos for soccer and items for activities for CampFire.
Utilities – $322
This is for Electric and Gas, Water, Sewer and Garbage.
Gym – $313
Our YMCA monthly membership were $166 and Mr. MMD plays hockey for $147.91 per month
Restaurants – $232
We’ve been eating out almost every week after the boys soccer games. We tried out 2 local restaurants in the neighborhood and we were pretty happy with it. We also got some take outs and ate out when we were at the Pumpkin Patch. I’m enjoying it and will probably continue for some good local eats going forward.
General Merchandise – $225
Some stuff that I don’t want to itemize.
Gas – $149
We’ve been driving more for the kids activities, PT sessions, gym and hockey. As much as I hate driving, there are really no other choice. We live in a very non-walkable area with almost zero utilities. In fact there are only two stores here, Wendys and 7-eleven.
Pets – $86
Our furbaby’s food
HOA – $84
Monthly HOA for being here in our neighborhood. This will probably go up next year.
Clothing – $73
I got some winter gear for the kids at Costco and MBP got some Dallas Cowboys socks when we went to the mall.
Home Maintenance – $39.62
Bulbs and some Halloween Decorations
Mobile Phone – $25.26
This is for our 2 lines of data from Xfinity Mobile. We used 1GB of data this month.
Christmas Card – $22.49
I got a Groupon Deal for our holiday photos from JC Penney.
Internet – $19
This was posted for 2 months, one in October and one for November.
Dues and Subscription – $7.65
Our subscription for Amazon Prime
That’s our October. It’s expensive but it evens out through out the year.
The kids went back to school this September and we happily adjusted back to some routine. This month was full of back to school activities arrange by our wonderful PTA. I was also able to see a dermatologist, had an acupuncture and some physical therapy while the kids were in school. I have some mole that I wanted to get check and luckily found a dermatologist that can see me within a month time frame. I drove about an hour for this, but at least I have some sort of a baseline and will just need to have an annual routine exam.
Chalking the walk for first day of school
I’ve also been dealing with some back and neck pain. I spent all of August doing some yoga stretches. My doctor recommended some form of physical therapy after my X-ray showed some form of arthritis. So far, I really liked my PT. I also went back to the gym for some strength training. I try to go 4 times a week, with an upper day and a lower day. I think the gym and the PT combination is going really well. I’m feeling less and less aches and pain. I have this goal of being able to do a pull ups by the end of the year. I’m optimistic, but we will see.
Trail walk fromschool drop off
We also took the kids to their very first husky game. I forgot how much I enjoy watching live games. We stayed in Seattle for the weekend as well and stayed with our longtime friend. We took the kids to the University bookstore and got our purple gears on. MBP already had a jersey that I got from goodwill. He got a football instead. We had lunch at a Gyro place that I frequented back in the days and then we got some bubble tea. We walk from the campus to the stadium so the kids had a “tour” of the campus. It was a beautiful day, the fountain was up, the sun was out and both kids walk the entire time. We didn’t even have to carry AHP. During the game, AHP was giving high fives to other husky fans. MBP decided to root against the husky and had a melt down when the huskies got a touch down. Huskies eventually won and MBP decided to cheer for them after half time.
Purple Reign!
On to our expenses. It was an expensive month that costed us: $8,301. Let’s take a look.
Description
Amount
Healthcare/Medical
2,913.48
Travel
937.80
Groceries
686.52
Home Improvement
664.27
Kids Activities
584.89
Gym
516.91
Restaurants
454.56
Education
377.44
Clothing/Shoes
294.95
General Merchandise
249.35
Dues & Subscriptions
137.65
Utilities
126.47
Automotive
122.11
HOA
84.00
Gasoline/Fuel
77.67
Home Maintenance
30.02
Mobile Phone
25.26
Internet
9.95
Gifts
5.75
Online Services
2.03
Grand Total
8,301.08
Healthcare/Medical – $2,814
The main expense is for a full body MRI from Prenuvo. They are opening up an office in Seattle this December and I signed up for it. This is mainly to appease my anxiety and to address some aches and pains and constant sickness that I’ve been having. The cost of the exam is $2,499. It is fully refundable, 72 hours before your appointment. Mine is not until December, so I have a couple of months to think if I will push through it. The main complications is having a false positive diagnosis. I also spent $150 for 6 sessions of physical therapy. I have a $25 copay, every session, up until 25 sessions. I also spent $145 for various copays from doctors, dermatologists, and x-ray. I paid $15 for an acupuncture copay. I paid $99.48 for our health insurance and $5 for my eye insurance. The vision insurance should end this October.
Travel – $937
I booked our flights for our annual visit to Illinois, this November. This is always a fun visit and we spend Thanksgiving there.
Groceries – $686.52
This is a little lower. Maybe because we ate out more this month.
Home Improvement – $664
Mr. MMD replaced our pedestal sink downstairs. It cracked. We purchased a vanity from Lowes and paid to dispose the old sink. He also built some shelves for the shed.
Kids Activities – $584
These are various kid activities like soccer, ice skating, Campfire dues and other school related items. The non school related item that is here are the tickets to Polar Express Holiday train ride. I’ve been meaning to check this out and a bunch of family from Campfire will do this with us. This should be fun!
Swimming beforeswim lessons
Gym – $516
Our monthly gym membership for the YMCA is $166. The rest are for hockey for Mr. MMD.
Restaurants – $454
We’ve been eating out almost weekly. For September, we were in Seattle for a husky game, so we ate out for lunch, dinner and brunch the next day. We also pay for concession foods at the husky game.
Education – $377
Monthly preschool tuition for AHP for $356. He goes everyday for 3 hours. I also paid for our PTA membership for MBP’s school.
Clothing/Shoes – $294
I bought some shoes for MBP, and clothes for me from Amazon. We also went to the mall and got the kids some clothes from a brick and mortar store. It actually feels weird buying things from an actual store now since I buy almost all of our clothes online or at Costco.
General Merchandise – $249
The biggest expense is our merch (t-shirt) items for the husky game. Mr. MBP, myself and AHP got some husky gear and MBP got his husky football. These are not cheap. I got MBP’s husky jersey from Goodwill for $3.99, while our t-shirts from the University Bookstore were $30 each. The rest of the items are various stuff from Amazon, Walmart and Costco.
Dues and Subscription – $137
We renewed our Costco Executive Gold Membership for $130. Costco is our nearest grocery store and we go at least once a week. We get 2% back which pays for the cost of the membership. The other $7 is for Amazon Prime.
Utilities – $126
This is only for sewer and water. I think I forgot to pay our electric and gas last month.
Automotive – $122
Oil change for our Prius and a $40 parking payment for the husky game.
HOA – $84
Neighborhood HOA to maintain our trails and playgrounds.
Gasoline / Fuel – $77
3 trips to Costco for gas. I’ve been driving more lately with the trip to PT and the gym. The kids also has more activities this year outside the neighborhood.
Home Maintenance – $30
Some stuff from Amazon for our house.
Mobile Phone – $25
Our monthly cell phone bill for 2 lines using 1gb of data. This used to be under $20, but Xfinity Mobile increase their rate. This is still way cheaper than our old T-mobile line 5 years ago.
Internet – $9.95
This is our monthly internet bill.
Gifts – $5
MBP’s friend broke his knee while playing in the monkey bar. We got him some get well balloons and coloring book.
We continued our summer here at home with more sports camps and concluded tee-ball games for the boys. Mr. MMD coached the kids games and we celebrated the last game with my sisters watching the games. We went to our local restaurants after to celebrate. The kids also had swim classes for 4 weeks. MBP can now tread water and AHP is finally bobbing down and not screaming when water reach his face.
We tried to take advantage of everything that our local PNW weather has to offer and overall enjoyed being outside.
Our local HS Football field.
Let’s take a look at our spending. Last month, we spent $5,724. Another month over $5k. Let’s take a look.
Electronics – $1,082.86
Another electronics purchased for us. Mr. MMD bought a new apple iPhone. We also bought a couple of fitbit for myself and Mr. MMD.
Gym – $819.17
Mr. MMD signed up for a Hockey league. We also paid for our monthly membership for the Y.
Groceries – $786.73
This is a normal amount for a month.
Picking blueberries from our neighbor’s yard
Entertainment – $632
This is our staycation purchase. MBP asked to go to the Family Fun Center. I also bought season tickets at Wild Waves for next year. They are having a deal which includes free entrance for the rest of the year. I was able to meet up with my friend and her kids and we all had fun.
The Reptileman, visiting our city
Restaurants – $367.53
We ate out quite a bit this month as well. This is another spending that I’m glad we are spending on.
Utilities – $332.17
Water, sewer, garbage, electric and gas. These are all the utilities for the month.
Healthcare/Medical – $296.16
This is for our health, 2 months of dental insurance and my eye insurance. I also had a doctor visit and lab work done and have to pay for co-pays.
General Merchandise – $264.69
This is a catch all for any items that I’m just too lazy to categorize. Most are from Amazon and Costco. This month, we also visited our local bookstore and got the kids some books.
Pets/Pet Care – $246.35
A bag of kibble and medications for our furbaby.
Home Maintenance – $238.7
I bought an air sensor that could detect if Radon is in the air. Apparently, radon can cause lung cancer and I’m in a “I can’t die and don’t want my kids to not have a mother” phase. It is really just for my peice of mind.
Kids Activities – $214.85
The boys are signed up for soccer this fall. I also bought the annual pictures for MBP and Campfire T-shirt.
Our local parks
Dues and Subscription – $102
Our Executive Costco Membership was renewed at $190 and Amazon Prime is $7.65. We did got a refund for one of the credit card that Mr. MMD closed for $95.
HOA – $84
Monthly HOA. I guess we are back on using the trails so it’s not so bad.
Gasoline / Fuel – $78.47
Gas for our Prius.
Gifts – $76.91
Gifts for 2 kids for MBP and AHP’s friends. Also, a gift for my god daughter.
Home Improvement – $27.55
Stuff from Ikea. We got knobs for the built ins, twin sheets and some container.
Education – $26
School supplies for MBP. His school doesn’t give out supply list, but asked for a fee / donation to buy for the supplies. I definitely prefer this because I do not like to shop. We don’t do back to school shopping. MBP and AHP are still using their old backpacks.
Mobile Phone – $25.26
Xfinity mobile increased their rate. This is still good for 1GB of data for 2 lines.
Clothing/ Shoes – $4.37
I got AHP some swim trunk from Goodwill.
We also stay in, at times
Online Services – $2.12
Monthly payment for Google Cloud Platform to host this site.
We spent our July locally. Pacific Northwest is beautiful during the summer and I enjoyed spending time here and getting to know our community. We started with a local 4th of July celebration in the neighborhood. The kids decorated bikes, scooters and strollers and we all had a 4th of July parade. We enjoyed our burgers and fries and watched some of the fireworks from the neighbors. I’m not a fan of these fireworks and we never participated in it. Luckily our 2 adjacent neighbors were not in town and didn’t put up a “show”
4th of July Bike Parade
The kids also attended summer camps. MBP had a basketball camp from our local high school. The girls basketball team were all there, teaching them. He also attended Camp Invention. It was a full day camp hosted by the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He already wants to go back. If we are local again next year, I will for sure sign them up. AHP will also be eligible for it.
We also went camping with our Campfire Friends. It was our first time camping with other families and I have to say, it is definitely the way to go. The kids just play amongst themselves. There were a couple of activities that were adult-led, like ice cream making and lantern making but for the most part, they just play together. We definitely need more camping trips next year.
Campsite
The highlight of July is probably our Tee-ball community. Mr. MMD coached the boys team so we were in the field for 2.5 hours every Saturday. I thought it will be awful but I ended up having a lot of fun. Families were there enjoying the sunshine, and running with the kids through out. MBP’s team have quite a bit of kids from his school as well so we know the families there. I also saw some families from our old cooperative school.
The field
And lastly, we completed our built in project! The playroom was officially open after 2 weeks. We even hired Stanley Steemer to cleaned the carpets in the room and in hallway. It turned out really well and I’m really proud of Mr. MMD to have completed this. I painted the entire built ins too, so it was a family project!
Our built ins with the massive OLED TV
I really like staying local every summer. We also attended the weekly kids concerts, enjoy our lakes, playgrounds and trails.
Onwards to our spending — we spent $5,172 in July. I really don’t look at this too much anymore, until I write in here, so let’s take a look.
Categories
Sum of Amount
Electronics
1,313.99
Groceries
819.14
Home Improvement
741.95
Healthcare/Medical
449.90
General Merchandise
391.60
Home Maintenance
292.03
Utilities
280.79
Gym
250.52
Gasoline/Fuel
107.71
Dues & Subscriptions
102.65
HOA
84.00
Personal Care
76.90
Restaurants
70.43
Kids Activities
65.17
Mobile Phone
45.12
Travel
42.80
Clothing/Shoes
21.23
Hobbies
8.72
Internet
5.51
Online Services
2.01
Grand Total
5,172.17
Electronics – $1,313.99
We bought a 65 inch LG OLED TV. Mr. MMD did the research and I purchased it at Best Buy, stack up with some Rakuten savings. We usually get the latest electronics since we rarely buy it. Our current TV is 14 years old. This TV is for the built ins upstairs. Or family officially have 2 TVs
Groceries – $819.14
A little higher this month, probably because of some food for fourth of July and maybe inflation.
Home Improvement – $741.95
Some more items for our built ins. Quote for these type of built ins are over $10k in our area!
Healthcare / Medical – $449.9
This amount includes our monthly insurance for health, dental and eyecare (for me). I have some doctor visits this month and have to pay for some copays as well. This also includes lab copays.
General Merchandise – $391.6
Some items from Costco/Amazon/Walmart and basically anything else that I don’t bother categorizing.
Home Maintenance – $292.03
We hired Stanley Steemer to steam 2 rooms for $230. We also bought some vacuum bags for $62.03.
Utilities – $280.79
This amount is for our electric, gas, water and sewer.
Gym – $250.52
We signed up for YMCA this summer and have to pay for joining fee! We usually have this waive. Oh well! The kids were signed up for their swim lessons here which are included in their membership.
Gas – 107.71
We filled up three times. We usually drive more during the summer because of the kids’ activities.
Dues and Subscription – $102.65
A credit card fee that should be reimbursed next month and our prime membership.
HOA – $84
Additional cost of living here in our neighborhood. This should be paying for the trail maintenance.
Personal Care – $76.9
The kids had a summer hair cut. It was short for the swim lessons.
Restaurants – $70.43
We visited Jimmy Johns, Mod Pizza, Wendy’s and Menchie’s
Kids Activities – $65.17
I signed up MBP for some extra camps at the YMCA. MBP also bought his own Lego Sets. He paid for it but we haven’t deposited his payment yet.
Mobile Phone – $45.12
We have been using more than 1GB of data. Probably because we drove a bit in June and used Google Maps. This is still not bad for 2 lines.
Travel – $42.8
Mr. MMD and MBP watched the Storms Game. This is for the parking.
Clothing – $21.23
MBP’s fake Crocs from Target. He used it on camping.
Hobbies – $8.72
I bought the 1st A Court of Thorns and Roses. I got the other 4 books digitally from the library but not the 1st one. I just bought the first one so I can read the other 4. I finished all 5 books in 2 weeks.
Internet – $5.51
We are signed up for Internet Essential through Xfinity.
Online Services – $2.01
Cost of hosting this blog from Google Cloud Platform.
I’m not burying the lead here. I got sick which lasted all June and early July. The illness and the busyness of summer means that I didn’t get the chance to write. I spent a lot of my time in our bedroom or our couch last June. I’m thankful that I have an energy now and feel somewhat normal.
The month of May was spent getting back to our routine. It was the last full month of school for the kids. They also of course got some nasty virus, but they ended the month with just a little cold. My kindergartner had an art program in his school, run by the PTA and I volunteered for that. It was a great program. I’m really glad that our local school have a good PTA events.
The kindergarten wall
We also went to birthday parties, and celebrated Mr. MMD’s birthday. The boys got him some sunglasses that we got from our neighborhood garage sale. For Mr. MMD’s birthday, we went to Chipotle, which is an upgrade from the previous year’s Taco Bell Celebration. We then top it off by going to Menchies for some frozen yogurt. Our May ended with a Spring Kindergarten concert and trip to the movies to watch Garfield with our Campfire friends. I finally used the Fandango gift certificate that my sister gave me last Christmas. Movie tickets prices are nuts these days.
I experienced some flu like symptoms early June and some fatigue, which lasted for almost a week, and then I experienced some joint pain and rashes. I went to urgent care twice this month and have seen a doctor twice. Apparently, I got the 5th disease. This is very common for kids and is consider a minor disease. AHP showed a slap cheek the day after I went to urgent care and his pediatrician diagnosed it based on my symptoms. I had multiple blood drawn because the doctors thought that it was some kind of auto immune disease. Good thing that my second blood test showed the 5th disease infection with my other inflammatory marker back to normal. I was still able to chaperone MBP’s class to his school field trip, attended a minor league baseball game for his school, planned and celebrated MBP’s 7th birthday party and attended both kids “graduation”. We have 1 more year of preschool for AHP and MBP will start 1st grade this September. Time is flying by so fast. Days are long but years is like a blink of an eye. I teared up on both graduation days. I’m definitely very thankful that we have the time to be with the kids day to day.
The Magic Show at the Zoo
Just the day after the kids last day of school, my in-laws arrived for their yearly summer visits. They came while I’m sick so it was nice to have some help with the kids during the start of their Summer break. I was still able to go out with them and took the kids to some outings. There were visits to Chuck E Cheese, bowling, Super Jumps and neighborhood playgrounds. Our neighborhood had an annual Luau event and it was a good afternoon. We also went to the annual Rhubarb fest and had our annual Rhubarb Pie.
Watching the kids play catch
Mr. MMD and my father in-law also started on our built ins in the playroom. It was our most used room so I was worried that it will be out of commissioned for a long time. Mr. MMD worked really hard and it was built in just 2 weeks. We even had the carpets steamed. It was great and definitely more functional.
Still needed some paint, but almost complete
Onwards to our spending. We spent $13,288 for the month of May and June. Wowza! We had a surprisingly low expenses from the last 4 months of the year so it is not surprising that it is this high. We also had some annual expenses that happened during these months. So let’s take a look
Category
Amount
property tax
3,149.80
Home Improvement
1,605.23
Insurance
1,420.56
Groceries
1,393.35
Home Maintenance
1,076.60
Utilities
693.23
Education
677.00
Healthcare/Medical
667.73
General Merchandise
623.27
Kids Activities
403.96
Automotive
201.00
Charitable Giving
200.00
Entertainment
199.63
HOA
168.00
Gifts
164.22
Restaurants
163.57
Clothing/Shoes
124.30
Gasoline/Fuel
110.00
Pets/Pet Care
82.54
Travel
53.78
Mobile Phone
29.12
Internet
28.07
Alcohol
20.35
Business Miscellaneous
17.88
Dues & Subscriptions
15.30
Property Tax – $3,149.8
This is our first installment of our annual property tax for our house. Our state tax is based on the value of our home and it just so happen that we live in a HCOL area. We have the smallest and cheapest house in our block. Our second installment is due in October.
Home Improvement – $1,605.23
We bought 2 cabinets for our built ins and of course the materials and equipments to make it. There will be some more items this July as we finished the project.
Home Insurance – $1,420.56
This is for our annual home insurance. It just keeps on going up.
Groceries – $1,393
A typical groceries for 2 months. We also discovered an Indian grocery store and managed to get our spices cheaper. We typically order it from Amazon for twice the price. This is actually lower since my in-laws paid for our groceries when they were here. I don’t think twice on spendin
Home Maintenance – $1,076
We bought 2 appliances. Mr. MMD bought a Sebo Felix Vacuum from a local store and it cost us $769.6. We’ve been using our Dyson for more than 7 years now and it never does a great job on getting our dog’s hair. I can definitely noticed the difference using Sebo. It is pricey but hopefully should last us another 7 years. We also bought an air purifier from Costco. We had a year with some haze and smoke due to fire and we want to be more prepared for that in case it happen again this year.
Utilities – $360.98
These are for 2 months of water, sewer, electric and natural gas and 1 month of garbage. Our electric should be higher in the coming months as I switch our heat pump to cool. We’ve been using our A/C this time. I’m researching on steps to move to induction oven and hopefully get it converted before the year ends.
Education – $677
Two months of AHP’s preschool tuition. We have a break for the summer, but then, MBP are enrolled on camps, but those are on kids activities.
Healthcare/ Medical – $667
Our health insurance and co-payments. The big one is my allergy test that was not covered by insurance, followed by co payments from doctor visits and payment for some lab test. I’m hoping that we can get reimbursement from the lab payments as well.
General Merchandise – $623
Our catch all items coming from Amazon, Walmart and other items. It would be interesting to see the total amount we spent on these items by year ends.
Kids Activities – $403
Basketball camp for MBP and Tee-ball for both MBP and AHP. Mr. MMD is coaching their teams and it is so fun to watch, but also exhausting.
Automotive – $201
We got a ticket for speeding on a school zone. Apparently Mr. MMD is going over 20 MPH while the school zone light is flashing. The camera caught it and the city sent us a $200 bill. I didn’t bother contesting it. I paid online with a $1 fee to pay electronically.
Charitable Giving – $200
Entertainment – $199
Popcorn for movies. Mr. MMD also took MBP to watch the Storms Game. He also went to a woodworking workshop.
HOA – $168
2 months of our HOA bill.
Restaurants – $163
Wow — we actually ate out. This is for our dinner out at Chipotle for Mr. MMD’s birthday. He also met up with a friend in Seattle for brunch. I attended my first FI meetup as well. We also took the kids to Menchies, McDonalds and Wendys. We are loosening up on this spending. It’s good. We just discovered a good Indian restaurant close to us and I would definitely visit again.
Clothing/Shoes – $124
I bought some items from REI, but ended up returning it. I also got the boys some down jackets from eBay. Mr. MMD bought some new pants from GAP and I got MBP and AHP some clothes at Goodwill. MBP is getting into all kinds of sports and wanted some jerseys. I found a Golden State Warrior Jersey, a Washington football shirt for $3.99. I also got the boys some shirts for 4th of July.
Gas – $110
Four trips to Costco for gas.
Pets – $82.54
We got our furbaby her food from Chewy.
Travel – $53
I got AHP a Kindercone Sleeping bag from REI. I purchased a gift card from Raise to stack up some discounts.
Mobile Phone – $29
We are still using Xfinity Mobile.
Internet – $28
This is for 2 months of internet.
Alcohol – $20
Mr. MMD met up with a friend for drinks.
Dues and Subscription – $15
Two months of Amazon Prime.
Gifts – $164
We got $150 of Amazon Gift Card as gifts for the kids teachers. The rest are for birthday parties.
Misc – $17.88
Annual renewal of this domain and a $5 annual fee for a meet up group.
We had one of our worst months this year, health wise. I was overwhelmed and cried, but it also made me appreciate the good days and the life that we have. We are lucky and I’m grateful that I have the time to recover at home with my family.
We spent 9 days in Oahu for Spring Break. It was the longest flight that the kids have taken. I started planning this trip a year out. I booked the hotels, on points once I know that dates of the kids break. Being in Seattle, most families spends their break in Hawaii (or Mexico) and I know that it will be a high season. For this trip, we spent $2,483.30. It is low because our flights, hotel and car rental were all booked with points. Without these, we will probably need to add an additional $5k on that amount.
Ko’Olina Lagoon
I am also officially retired again. I completed my second year, managing a Tax Site for VITA. It was a pretty good and a very relax gig. Our site was not as busy as my previous tax site, but I prefer that. I never felt “taxed” coming home. We had our end of year celebration at a local Mexican place. The food was better than I expected and the company was great as well. I hope that majority of my volunteers come back.
We also attended AHP’s friends birthday party. We are at a point that we are attending more of our kid’s friends birthday party than hanging out with our own friend. That said, it is nice to see some families at our previous coop. Lastly, MBP’s campfire troupe had a Pinewood Derby at our local park. He had a lot of fun decorating it and looking at the brackets. He narrated what’s going on for everyone.
This month, we spent $4,958.09. It’s about time that we spend more than $4k. Let’s take a look.
Description
Amount
Travel
1669.16
Healthcare/Medical
714.79
Groceries
488.48
Home Maintenance
382.55
Education
323
Pets/Pet Care
229.69
Utilities
210
Automotive
178.25
Clothing/Shoes
137.21
Gasoline/Fuel
118.77
Home Improvement
101.58
Kids Activities
97.3
HOA
84
General Merchandise
65.16
Gifts
55.53
Charitable Giving
41.3
Alcohol
17.55
Mobile Phone
17.2
Internet
13.92
Dues & Subscription
7.65
Service Charges/Fees
5
Total
4,958.09
Travel – $1,669.16
This is the amount of money we spent in Hawaii during our trip. We spent $444 for a valet parking in our hotel. I could have parked next door and spend half the price or even less, but I like the convenience. I drove around the block with the intention of parking on the next door garage, until I realize that it is not worth it. At least not to me. I prefer the convenience of having the car in front waiting for us once we are ready for the day’s adventure. Even with this cost it didn’t really break the bank. I also find myself “spending” and fighting my nature to be frugal on everything. We ate out for dinner on all nights except for one where we order in a pizza. I had the best poke bowl and the best ramen in front of Waikiki. Yes, those are expensive, but it is ok. We spent $40 on 1 coconut and 2 mangoes from a street vendor on our way from Kualoa Ranch. That is also ok. I actually prefer to spend my money giving it to the hands of locals. Oahu, just like any other cities in the US, are not immune to social issues even though they are living in a paradise. You can tell that there are parts that are pretty run down. If you look at Waikiki, I’d be willing to bet that majority of the people who own the condos were not locals. This means, that the money doesn’t really stay in the community. When you look at houses in Oahu, the school rankings around it are very low. I feel that Hawaii is a playground of folks living in the West Coast (mainly California) or Japan. The rest of our spending was for food, transportation, souvenirs and tips. I paid for our GoOahu Pass in the previous month, so it is not here.
$40 for 1 coconut and 2 mangoes
Anyway, I’m already planning our trip back next year. This time in Maui. I’m getting better at getting more value on our points, but Maui will be trickier. There are less hotels in the island and I’m still not sure if they are back to normal after the devastating fire in 2023. If not Maui, perhaps Florida coast.
Healthcare/Medical – $714.89
We are still paying some bills from Mr. MMD’s colonoscopy that happened last year. The last bill was $498.8 We also paid our health insurance for $99.48, vision insurance for $5 and our dental insurance for $77.52. Our dental insurance is actually good through end of June. I bought another box of eyedrops from Costco for $20.25 and some gummy vitamins for the kids for $13.74.
Groceries – $488
This is low because our “grocery” spending in Oahu were categorized as travel related.
Home Maintenance – $382
We hired a plumber to fix our outside faucet so we can water our front yard. My hope is to xeriscape our front yard at some point. It is small, but I’m not sure if HOA will allow a no grass front lawn.
Our tulips are alive!
Education – $323
AHP’s preschool tuition. This will go up to $355 next year. I can’t believe it’s almost summer. One more year for him and he is off to Kindergarten.
Pets/Pet Care – $229.69
Our furbaby had vet visit for $145. We also ordered her food from Instacart (affiliate link). This is the second time that I ordered her food there. Petco has a same day delivery with in-store pricing for Instacart. They also usually run deals. I was able to stack it by buying a discounted GC at Raise (Affiliate link). I got $100 GC for $84.69.
Utilities – $210
Water, sewer and garbage. Nothing new here. Our electric and gas were paid in May.
Automotive – $178.25
Annual registration for our 2011 Toyota Prius.
Clothing / Shoes – $137
I got the boys a minimalist shoes from Amazon. AHP has a very wide feet and I’d like to keep their feet on a wide splayed shoes, zero drop shoes. I found one at Amazon that is reasonably priced and bought 2 for $72.9. I also got the 3 of us (boys and I) some flip flops from target to use in Hawaii. AHP ended up hating them and didn’t even wear it in Hawaii. I got them some toe socks as well, a biker shorts for me from Costco on sale at $10.98. Lastly, I paid $15 to consign the kids stuff at a consignment store. I think I’m getting $60 back. I’m not sure if it is worth it, since I have to tag all the items and put it in the system. That said, it is nice to finally get rid of all their stuff in one go. The Prius was packed! I can’t believe we accumulate those items, considering I’m very careful on things I buy, since I know that I need to store them somewhere!
Gasoline/ Fuel – $118.77
We gas up our Prius twice and our Jetta once.
Home Improvement – $116
Some stuff from Lowes and Costco. I think it is the soil for our garden bed.
Kids Activities – $97
4 tickets to the Tacoma Rainer’s game and painters tape from Home Depot.
HOA – $84
To pay for our playground and trails. I do hope someday it will go away.
General Merchandise – $59.61
Random stuff from Costco, Amazon and Walmart. Delta also broke a wheel on our Uppababy Vista. Luckily they reimbursed us for it. They are also very quick to respond. One wheel was $51.45. Mr. MMD also bought some games.
Gifts – $55.53
Gifts for MBP and AHP’s friends. I typically spend $20 per person for gifts. Sometimes less if I can find something interesting at the dollar store.
Charitable Giving – $41.30
MBP has another fundraiser at his school and he just need to get those key chains. We donated the minimum. I don’t mind the charity drive, but I don’t think it is teaching the kids that it is for a certain cause. MBP just want the key chains!
Alcohol – $17.55
For Mr. MMD. I do get wine from Trader Joe’s as well for my monthly book club.
Mobile Phone $17.2
We are still at Xfinity Mobile. This is for 2 lines using about 1gb of data.
Internet – $13.92
We should be getting lower internet package from Xfinity going forward.
Subscription – $7.65
Monthly Prime Membership
Fees – $5
Chase fee of $5 for the Savings Account that I opened to get the sign up bonus. I received $900 sign up bonus by opening both Chase Savings and Checking account and having my paycheck directly deposited to it. I closed it now and transferred the balance to a high yield CD. I still net positive even with the fees.
Overall spending for April is less than I expected considering we went to Hawaii.
We visited Kualoa Ranch twice during our trip to Oahu. The area was very beautiful, especially for a private ranch. The owner of the ranch used the funds of the tours to maintained the ranch as a sanctuary.
I picked 2 tours for our trip. Our first tour was the Grown Farm Tour in the morning. I used our Go City Pass to reserve our tour. First, you have to go to their website. The cost starts at $54.95 for adult and $41.83 for kids. Go City will give you a promo code which will bring the cost down to $0. The ranch charges $1 per person to reserve which are then refunded back to your credit card after the tour.
I received several emails confirming my reservations. They also asked me to send my Go City QR code the day before the tour to expedite the check in process.
The check in process was a breeze. I went in there and showed my ID and they printed out my ticket for our group. We got lucked out because there were only 2 other groups in the tour. It wasn’t long until we were in the trolley for our first of the three stop.
During our first stop, we saw some birds native to the islands, my favorite being the red crested cardinal. We also saw some native farming process for both plant and fish. During our stop we sampled some poi, smoked fish and pineapple. Our stop has a great view of the Kualoa Mountain Ranges.
Our next stop was all about the large man made fish pond that were maintained my the ranch. It was pointed out that several movies were shot there, like 50 first dates. I don’t recognize the rest. It was of course beautiful. During this stop, we get to sample a Macadamia Nut and we have to open it ourselves. It was my first time seeing a macadamia nut in a shell. Apparently, you need a special tool to open it. It was delicious and tasted very buttery.
Our last stop was to see more of the farm and also the place they shot Jurassic World. This ranch is actually very famous because of all the movies that were shot here, most famous is probably the original Jurassic Park. We sampled some cocoa and again it was my first time eating eat. It’s like eating rambutan because you don’t really eat the beans. MBP enjoyed it. I find it too slimy.
We then went back to the welcome area, just in time for lunch. Overall, I enjoyed this tour. The movie tour is so popular but this tour actually has some sites as well without the crowd. There were plenty of time for the kids to run around and chase the birds.
The next tour we took also in Kualoa Ranch is the Secret Island Tour. Since we are using our Go City Pass, we have to go on a different day. It works well for our schedule. We took a more scenic route to go to the ranch on our way. We also picked the best day because it rain just the day before that. The Secret Island Tour was probably my favorite activity that we did in Oahu. Similar to Grown Tour, I made a reservation in advance and was charged $4. The $4 was refunded on my credit card on the day of the tour. They asked us to checked in at 11AM as the bus will leave at 11:30. Similar to Grown Tour, I received an e-mail asking for my Go City Pass which I sent a day before. This must be a popular time because there was a line to checked in. Once I got my pass, we sat down on one of the benches to eat our pack lunch. We also changed to our swimsuits and put on our sunscreen.
The tour was running late and there were probably 60+ people. It was a bit crowded waiting in line. We took a bus to the pond and took a 10 minute boat ride to the island. The ride gave us a great view of the mountain. It was really cool. Once we got there, a guide showed us the bathroom, changing room and told us the do’s and dont’s — really common sense for everyone. We also signed up for a boat tour to see some turtles. Once we got there, the kids went to the ocean right away. There were plenty of sand toys for the kids. There were also plenty of shelter, volleyball court, horse shoe, ping pong table and corn hole. MBP played it all except for the horse shoe. When it was time to board the boat, we saw a spectacular view and about 10 or so turtles. They’re like showing off! It was really cool. Back on the beach, Mr. MMD and I also tried stand up paddle boarding and we took the kids on a kayak ride. We didn’t go far, but it was really cool to get to do all these water activities. MBP also watched some family play beach volleyball. He apparently kept score for them. We stayed there until 3PM and were the last one to board the boat back.
As I said, this was probably my favorite activity. The beach was calm and the island gave us plenty of opportunities to do some water activities. It also never felt crowded.
Overall, I definitely recommend visiting Kualoa Ranch. I can’t speak for their other tours but I enjoyed the Grown Farm Tour and the Secret Island Tour.
