This week has flown by … compared to last week at least. I hope next week goes by even faster, because Tony and I are heading out of town for a quick weekend getaway in Washington DC! We haven’t gotten away together (aside from visiting family) since our honeymoon, so we’re really excited to spend some quality time together. We could really use it.

When I set up our budget for this month, I tried to limit our spending in a little in certain areas to give us a little extra spending money for our trip. Unfortunately, we haven’t been as strict as I had hoped, so we’re pushing it. We’re using part of our tax refund to cover gas and a meal out, but other spending for the weekend is coming out of our regular budget.

To avoid going over budget for the week, we’re attempting to get through the weekend without spending money on anything but groceries. This is tough for us, because we usually run all of our errands (and spend most of the money we spend) on the weekends. Wish us luck!

And now on to the round up:

• Small Notebook offers a list of tools that come in handy around the house. Are you prepared to be your own handyman (or woman)?
• Almost Frugal shares some interesting facts about money in France. It’s always fascinating to me to see the differences in cultures when it comes to money and spending.
• Northern Cheapskate has some tips for extending the life of your shoes. Shoes are definitely an item that I’d rather spend a little extra on if they’ll last longer.
• Sense to Save shares a detailed list of expenses from her hospital stay for the birth of her son. It is shocking and terrifying how expensive hospital stays can be. Yikes. I can’t believe we ever lived without health insurance.
• If you’re planning a meal out this weekend, head over to BeCentsAble. She has some sweet restaurant deals from Ruby Tuesday, Subway, and TGI Friday’s.

Happy Friday!