It’s 1 week into my 2-week pay period. How’s my spending going?
$15.96 - Chicago Tribune online subscription
$26.49 - at home covid test kit
$14.99 - new Seanan McGuire Kindle book, OOPS, forgot I preordered this many months ago and it just released and charged me
$14.06 - moisturizer
$18.72 - margaritas for me and Boyfriend
$10 - compost dropoff monthly fee
$61.89 - groceries
$62 - my share of catsitter for next week’s trip to STL.
Total: $224.11
Should I drop the Tribune subscription? I subscribed at the beginning of the pandemic, finally, because I wanted to be able to read 1 news source that wasn’t paywalled. I do still read it daily, online. And I believe in supporting local journalism. But it’s not really a NEED.
Drop it! I recommend Block Club or the Reader for local news. I am an annual subscriber to both, but you can read a lot of both for free. The Tribune’s owned by a gross corporation now
Dentist was free. No Yom Kippur movie because that’s when the actual dental work got done. I did just spend $25 on Trader Joes earrings for my sister’s Christmas gift this year. I feel like that evens out? Tracking this and comparing it to projections kept me from splurging on some JCrew items I don’t need
Not to mention TIME savings! This is the best part to me. I find it challenging to schedule salon visits. Shoot, that reminds me I promised I would take LB to my salon to get his cheap haircut fixed, but this may be logistically impossible. Oops.
I took the SodaStream out of the box and told the Boy not to buy canned seltzer. We will NOT save money this way, but it helps the environment, and since I already bought 2 carbonation cylinders and 6 bottles of flavor drops, it is definitely a short-term savings!
I have to make dinner on Thursdays during soccer season and I made a very cheap one last night! Pesto made with freshly-from-the-garden kale* and walnuts (so much cheaper than pine nuts), pre-cooked and frozen shredded chicken that was bought on sale, and pasta.
*Kale I think is one of the few things I can actually save money by growing. It grows like gangbusters and keeps coming back for months. I mean, I know kale is cheap to buy, but so were the seeds and I just toss them in the ground with a little compost.
I made a double batch since the food processor was already dirty (and also there is a LOT of kale, cannot stress enough the volume of kale we are talking about here) and put one in my chest freezer, which is now like 75% kale pesto, for winter.
We have been spending a ton of money but I will say this for us, we are good at resisting the urge to get takeout! It helps to have only one car. Soccer practice ends too late for the Boy to get it and I was on my bike.
I’m still so happy with the SS 2 years later. So many cans saved! Also, cocktail bitters make great flavor drops, and slices of lime or lemon are very tasty (though less shelf stable). I’ve also quartered and saved peels after juicing a citrus, which makes a good seltzer.
Yes, I’ve been on the Trib ride many times my friend. You have to call (India I think) and they’ll try to reduce the price. If that’s all you need, then you could say yes. If you keep saying no, they’ll cancel you. If you want it effective immediately and a refund, it’s hard but if you’re persistent you will win.
But here’s my hack to read the articles- library database. I browse the online trib and if I want to read an article “Sea Slugs Hold the Key to COVID Cure”, I switch to the library and do a keyword search on sea slugs and read it there.
It’s two steps, but I got so tired of calling and missing the gotcha deadline for the intro rate. Also I think it’s probably supporting them, since I’m sure the library pays them and I pay taxes to support the library.
I went through this with Denver Post and did wind up keeping the subscription. I wanted an annual charge, not a monthly one, and they eventually made that happen–but only for a while and now it’s a monthly charge again. Grrr. BUT they did start throwing in a free Sunday paper, which is kind of nice and the kids like the comics.
It’s the easiest most low-key casserole ever. I don’t use a recipe and I make it a little differently each time but my basic method is to layer the following starting at the bottom (grease the pan!) with:
Flour Tortillas (bottom layer)
“Refried” beans*
Adobo pulled chicken (or any meat, really, you could also use more veg)
Raw chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapeños (sometimes I add other raw peppers too)
Crushed Tortilla Chips
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
I repeat this as many times as I can (usually 2-3) until the casserole is full. If the casserole looks kind of dry (this one did) then I add moisture somehow. This time I added chicken drippings to the top but salsa works too. Then I bake it at like 375 for 20 minutes, top with cheese and toss back in for another 5-10 minutes until super melty. Other things I’ve added in the past: corn, cotija, ground beef, queso, homemade salsa, tofu, roasted red peppers, avocado, plantains. You can basically put anything in it, only the refried beans, tomatoes, and tortillas are essential IMO.
*Canned refried beans are super expensive. Instead, I buy plain canned pinto beans and puree them with onion powder, garlic powder, and vegetable oil.
One year I made a ton of appetizers and set them up all around the apartment with loads of candles and pillows and blankets everywhere. I even made printed menus and it was really fun! We watched movies and lounged and…etc, etc, etc.
Oh also once I planned a huge city-wide scavenger hunt type thing for dh, it was written as a poem and a riddle so he had to figure out clues and then I’d meet him at the place with something planned, but it was all super cheap stuff like “walk by the river” or “make out in DUMBO” or whatever.
Another thing we do sometimes is read poetry aloud to each other. I know that’s not everyone’s style but you could each pick the 5 love poems that most resonate with you about your relationship and then read them to each other. Pair that with a nice dinner and I think you’re pretty well set.
I just had an idea, actually, since you semi-recently bought a place you could each pick out a gift for the house, with the intent being making it more of a home but with the added fun of surprise! You could set a budget too to make it more of a game. Are you DIY people? I can’t remember. Maybe it could be a DIY thing if you are!
I love all of these ideas!! The appetizers with printed menus sounds amazing.
I think we will do the gift for the house idea for holiday gifts? We are DIYers! Maybe an at home wood crafting project?
What we decided for tonight (because we are both TIRED from life the last couple of weeks) is to get takeout, bring the pup, and watch the sunset at the park below, its a 10 min drive from our house. It is going to be a great picnic and then we can come home, maybe watch a movie and lounge, and
this sounds great. Thank you!
