I'ts been a month since my last post, and I have much to answer for

I may already have disclosed that I am a tad bit compulsive with my finances. A classic example is that when BritBox looked like a better streaming service for all things BBC ($5.99/mo) I dropped previous source Acorn so as not to pay twice for BBC content. However the contents vary over time so I sometimes miss out - a virtue sacrifice. And these details are at my finger tips not because I recall them (OH NO!) but because it is all in my Quicken, documenting EVERYTHING money related since 1997. It's a great resource for nit-picking obsessing. 

I mention this to gently introduce the really shocking truth: I create a yearly budget which I try mightily to stick to. Unless conditions on the ground shift: for example I added a "Tag" to note expenditures and revenues related to Covid-19. This way I could stay cool while hand sanitizer and face masks blew up my "Misc. personal care" budget category. This is important context for the following financial trap I find myself in. 

I am funding a food source for a scurry of Genus Sciurus Linnaeus (tree squirrels), which I have decided belongs in the aforementioned budget category. This category encompasses personal care items (for cleanliness, and less so, appearance) as well as mood enhancers (pot and now backyard hi jinks). I told myself that putting out bird feeders to attract squirrels was for Cleo (inside cat) who needed at least one reason to be conscious. But as is so often the case it was really for me. They provide delight and hilarity which are thin on the ground these days. I purchased two feeders and a bag of critter food with the intention of upping the scurry factor. But the larger one, hanging close to a major tree limb proved to be the preferred source. The small one, hanging from a puny branch ended up being ideal for the putative target audience. 

 

Hard to see gray squirrel on top of feeder.

 Squirrels must have elite athlete metabolisms. I need to refill the large feeder weekly, which I just weighed out at 1.4 lbs. I have seen as many as 3 squirrels pigging out at one time. The preferred method for food acquisition is to hang upside down, three paws clawed in while the squirrel uses one to swing, tilt and shake the feeder creating a pile below, where they can feed without further exertion.

 The rate at which the food disappears explains why, when I found the critter food on Amazon, and made it a subscription, I was informed that most buyers get a monthly delivery. So, yeah, at 1.4#/week I will need about 6# per month. At 8# bags, I will need 1 bag per month, for about $10. If I cut back on purchased news sources, that will have a two-fold impact: saving my mood and some $$ (to offset mask replacement costs).