For the first time in this whole “Budget Watch” thing, we enter a realm of fuzzy math.

Shane has been hard at work these past few weeks building what will become the interiors for our space capsule (and, because we’re on a budget, bits of those interiors will double as mission control gizmos and doodads a few weeks later). Because he has a vault filled with gold coins in which he goes swimming every evening, he did not need cash in advance to purchase the materials needed.

This week, however, I finally wrangled from him an amount due: $160.00. Well, $160-ish, he says, because he hasn’t added up all the receipts yet, but in my obsessive-compulsive mood, I didn’t feel like waiting until later to sort it all out. So we’re calling it an even $160 for now.

(Side note: That’s about twice what I had planned on paying for the set. We can afford it – we’ve spent well under than planned on several other bits and pieces – but the cheapskate in me still sees that number and flinches a little. The director in me, meanwhile, knows the fancy set design will be worth it in making our crummy movie look moderately less crummy.)

The rest of the spending this week has been on odds and ends, the sort of thing that’s going to fill the budget from here on out. In addition to bad donuts and warm orange juice for last weekend’s read-through (at least the coffee was free), we’ve also stocked up on pens, highlighters, envelopes, and other office supplies. I also had to mail out paperwork and scripts to a few in the cast who couldn’t make it out Saturday ($19.50 in total postage).

And then there’s the goodies for the set. I’m almost finished stocking up for what I hope to be a well-stocked production bag: first aid kit, mirror, tissues, wet wipes, and hand sanitizer (because if someone gets a little chocolate smudge on his face, damn straight I’ve got it covered), plus dry erase markers for the clap board and a surge protector/power strip.

Finally: I also met with Robb tonight to go over some more monster suit and killer table (don’t ask) items. He says he doesn’t need any money yet, adding with a sly grin that he “knows a guy.” I’m thinking some of our effects goodies may have fallen off the back of a truck. As long as I can maintain plausible deniability, I’m cool with that.