Recently I mentioned that I’d be in Phoenix to help out my daughter, who was due for cataract surgery. It took place yesterday; if you want to know how it went, check out her post, “Cyclopian, but still here.”

Her follow-up appointment took place earlier today and things are not quite normal (see her post for why) but the doc says it’s okay. So I feel confident saying that this Sunday, March 17, will be fine for a meet-up.

I went back and forth on the best day to schedule this. Ultimately my reasoning is that working people tend to use Saturday for errands, household chores or even just a little self-care. Working people who go to church on Sunday are generally done by lunchtime.

Thus I’ve planned to be at the usual spot – a Wendy’s restaurant near my daughter’s Phoenix home – from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday. We can talk about money, frugal hacks, writing or anything you like, really.

 

I might even be convinced to share a photo of DF. But no other identifying characteristics* – I want to keep a little bit of mystery in the relationship.

Previous meet-ups have been great fun, so I hope you have the chance to stop by. And if you’re of a certain age, you can use my Wendy’s frugal hack.

 

Buy something, get something

 

Usually all I want is a soft drink; the cheapest one is $1.79 (or was, anyway, the last time I was here). But seniors can get a free soft drink if they buy something else. A baked potato is $1.59 – it’s cheaper to buy a baked potato and get the freebie than to buy the drink.

Not sure what they consider “senior,” but I believe I’ve been doing this since my mid- to late-50s. And just FYI: At another fast-food place I asked what “senior” meant and the teenager behind the counter looked a little terrified,

“I don’t know, ma’am,” he said nervously. “They just told us if someone asks for a senior drink, we’re supposed to give it to them.”

The Wendy’s in question is at 2640 W. Thunderbird. You’ll see a Home Depot behind it; in fact, the two share a parking lot. I’ll be the one tapping away at her laptop and probably wearing a “Money Nerds” T-shirt, which is black with a pink logo.

Also, I’ll be putting chives on the spud in honor of St. Patrick. And don’t even think about pinching me for not wearing a green T-shirt: My eyes are green. That counts.

*Sometimes I wonder whether people think I made DF up – after all, not every 60-something man is as enlightened when it comes to matters of both the heart and the hearth. But a reader named FrugalStrong can attest to his flesh-and-blood status, since she was kind enough to host us when I attended the 2017 Financial Blogger Conference.