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[365-money-diary]

March Reflection

This month was wild. I’ve been really busy with reporting projects in 9-5 and also unwilling to use my computer after 5pm. I am definitely in the phase of the pandemic where I am not able to concentrate on anything outside of work and it definitely showed. Lack of motivation, focus, everything – Hence why I went 3 weeks without an update.

Things appear to be moving in a positive direction though and I’m happy to be in a place where I feel like I’m going to be able to achieve some sense of normalcy soon. 

Oh also, I got my tax refund and didn’t have to pay my mortgage this month so extra funds for me in March!

[365-money-diary]

days 84 - 90

day eighty-four [mar 26]

9:30 am - i take today off “just because.” wake up a little later than anticipated and walk the dog to the lake. stop at press coffee and order an iced oat milk hazelnut latte. $9.03

11:00 am - read and hang out. H who just moved to the neighborhood stops by for a bit. I greet him with a large hug – it’s my first day of full effectiveness of the vaccine!

1:00 pm - start to walk back when i realize i have to pee badly. eat leftover cauliflower fried rice for lunch. 

3:00 pm - do a barre class & shower. Gmail charge comes thru for my blog. $6.52

5:00 pm - carbon 38 is having a sale – i score a matching set of leggings and a sports bra and another crop top shirt thingie. $120.63

7:00 pm - annual charge for amazon prime comes thru. My parents and sister send me some money to cover their share. Mine comes out to $32.64

8:00 pm - it’s my day off and i’m not cooking. buy us chipotle. $17.89

day eighty-four total: $180.19

day eighty-five

8:00 am - it’s my first opportunity since cases are down to take a barre class in the park! my studio has a ‘lil setup at the mesa farmers market and i attend. it’s so fun!

10:00 am - drive back home and ask if K wants to get coffee but he’s absorbed into qualifying (F1 starts back up this weekend). I watch the rest of it with him and work on a post for sheet pan nachos for my blog.

day eighty-five total: $0

day eighty-six

9:00 am - ask K before we watch the race if we can grab coffee downtown. I get a nitro cold brew with ice. He treats.

10:00 am - make us pancakes and hashbrowns for breakfast and we watch the race. While not many crazy things happened, it’s still a good one! 

7:00 pm - we have plans to meet with K’s brother & his SIL to hit balls at the driving range. I buy my bucket. $8.66

day eighty-six total: $8.66

day eighty-seven

9:00 am - pure barre charge. $15

5:30 pm - finish the barre challenge – 20 classes in 31 days.

7:00 pm - make pad thai for dinner

day eighty-seven total: $15

day eighty-eight

11:00 am - eat leftover pad thai for lunch

day eighty-eight total: $0

day eighty-nine 

12:00 pm - make grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch. K is thrilled!

8:00 pm - treat us to chipotle for dinner $17.89

day eighty-nine total: $17.89

day ninety

9:00 am - it’s the first day of the month!

7:00 pm - groceries arrive. in this round, i buy bananas, plant yogurt, apples, eggs, tofu, pinto beans, scallions, tortillas, garbanzo beans, romaine lettuce, pasta sauce, bbq sauce, tortilla chips, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, serrano peppers, chives, cilantro, garlic sprouts, rice noodles, riced cauliflower, broccoli, bread, cucumbers, avocados, olive oil, lemon, lime, potatoes, green beans, brussels sprouts, clementines, chocolate, salsa, asparagus vegan cheese, celery, oat milk, veggie straws, frozen burritos, hamburger buns, frozen pizzas, mint, tomato paste, sesame oil, carrots, edamame, spring mix, cabbage, ginger, sesame seeds, vegenaise, squash, basil, artichoke hearts, red lentil pasta, regular pasta, tomatillos, pasilla peppers, tortilla strips, chocolate chips, jelly, peanut butter, miso, OJ, ice cream, pretzels and naan. $343.26

9:00 pm - i didn’t have all of the ingredients to make seitan ham so no veggie sandwiches tonight for us. I’m not interested in cooking either so we pick up blaze pizza. $19.88

day ninety total: $363.14

[365-money-diary]

days 77 - 83

day seventy-seven [mar 19]

8:00 am - it’s friday! seriously so excited… it’s been a hell of a week.

11:00 am - i don’t share too much about work here because the stuff i do is sort of confidential right now. one of our vendors called me into a 1:1 because i hurt someone on his team’s feelings. i really like this person and would never want to make her feel that way, but i stand by my escalation process for this specific thing she did. the vendor tries to tell me to come to him first before escalating internally and i say that’s fine for things outside of tests but if we’re testing something and she changes something without running it by us first, we will run into the same problem.

1:00 pm - meet with my boss to tell her what happened and she gets so pissed and asks to meet with the vendor again 1:1 to remind him who the client is. the vendor blows her off and i am just livid regarding how that vendor thinks he can run the show and tell me what to do. 

4:00 pm - our data scientist schedules a meeting with me for right now and i’m just like… please i need wine and i don’t want to be on my computer. but the meeting is great and i’m grateful for all of the work the data team does to support me.

4:45 pm - i have never been more excited to do barre in my life. 

6:00 pm - big whiskey+mezcal cocktail. i’m basically ready to indulge after today and treat k to pizza from zeeeeks. we eat and watch the first few episodes of the new season of Drive to Survive. $44.29

9:00 pm - my friend in CA posts a go fund me type thing so he can get to NYC for an art show he is featured in. I toss in $50

day seventy-seven total: $94.29

day seventy-eight

9:15 am - make coffee and watch more Drive to Survive with k. End up making breakfast burritos with tofu/eggs scramble, beans, hashbrowns and cheese for breakfast.

10:00 am - our dishwasher smells like fish. i investigate with a little help from k and we get the filter cleaned and run a bowl of vinegar throughout. it helps a lot!

2:00 pm - do a barre workout & rinse off 

7:00 pm - start prepping stuff for veggie sandwiches but k gets this funny thing in his head to hit golf balls. i don’t really want to but he seems like he is in a really good mood. we split a large bucket of balls. he treats.

9:30 pm - we eat a late dinner of veggie sandwiches and watch more Drive to Survive.

10:00 pm - i am trying to figure out this capsule wardrobe thing out and it seems like everyone has a pair of white sneakers. i find a pair from a company that looks cool called superga and find a new pair on poshmark for $20 off. $45.29

day seventy-eight total: $45.29

day seventy-nine

9:00 am - i spend most of today in the kitchen with not much to show for it. i make a hot sauce that is way too spicy, chile de arbol salsa, a peach and mango pie, chickwheat shreds, and cucumber cashew ranch. i try to shoot some stuff for the blog too but my motivation runs out by 2:30 pm. i’ll work on this throughout the week.

3:00 pm - kinda tired of barre so i decide to play ddr. make some good progress on afronova.

5:00 pm - meet with k’s parents on zoom. salt eggplant and zucchini for GRILLED veggie sandwiches.

6:30 pm - fire up the grill, hop in the shower, roast some shit.

7:00 pm - everything is super oily but really delicious. i’ll work on that for next time.

8:00 pm - watch the last few episodes of Drive to Survive. it was kind of a whatever season but i though they did a good job of trying to make normalcy out of a season with the pandemic.

10:00 pm - spend too much time browsing thru this modcloth sale only to feel like i don’t want any of this shit and i need to refocus on “capsule wardrobe”

day seventy-nine total: $0

day eighty

8:30 am - make my coffee and dose out my vitamins. Pure barre charge comes through. Eat leftover tofu scramble for breakfast. $15

10:00 am - Make more tofu for Nashville hot tofu salads.

3:00 pm - I finish all of my work and shoot the glamour shot of cashew cucumber ranch. It looks good!

5:00 pm - do a pure barre live stream. Feel good about my posture.

7:00 pm - make grilled veggie sandwiches again for dinner. Try to use less oil this time and I think it works out a little better for our stomachs.

day eighty total: $15

day eighty-one

8:30 am - coffee.

10:30 am - eat my last slice of pizza for breakfast. Realize we are out of vital wheat gluten so I buy more on Amazon. $12.93

12:30 pm - more nashville hot tofu salad. I need to buy more cleanser and moisturizer from acne.org so i take the plunge. $50.40

3:00 pm - day is really slow thankfully so i do barre early.

4:30 pm - Q calls and I take a long walk while chatting with him about a new potential work opportunity.

7:00 pm - our kitchen is a disaster and i’m not up for cooking so i offer to buy us chipotle. $17.89

8:00 pm - my eyes have really been bothering me today so i decide to fold laundry to get myself away from screens. watch a few episodes of the challenge (i’m on season 24 now!) while i do that and it doesn’t seem to hurt my head.

day eighty-one total: $81.22

day eighty-two 

8:30 am - charge for cbs all access/paramount + comes through $6.48

10:30 am - J has an employee discount to Free People and offered to apply her discount to a pair of jeans I’ve been eyeing. $50.59

4:00 pm - i get a charge for hbo on my card and i think it’s my sister. I’ll go ahead and not count this charge since she will pay me back.

7:00 pm - k and i decide to go hit golf balls. i buy a medium-sized bucket. $8.66

day eighty-two total: $65.73

day eighty-three

day eighty-three total: $0

[365-money-diary]

days 70-76

day seventy [mar. 12]

7:00 am - up early! today is vax #2. i get coffee ready for k & me and pack a few rice cakes just in case. 

7:45 am - k has a bad case of diarrhea and i don’t really want to go without him so we wait it out for a bit and then head over. i’m a little late for the appointment but it’s all good. we make our way through the pod and i get my second dose of pfizer. unfortunatley no extras for k but he has a volunteer slot on tuesday.

9:45 am - make it home and hop in my first meeting of the day. 

10:30 am - k brings me water and i lay down. i’m feeling a little off from the shot but overall i’m in good spirits.

12:00 pm - eat leftover pad thai and acv + water (trying a new thing for my belly fat which is either hormonal or gut health related and i’m talking both at the same time to see if i notice any difference in a month or two)

4:30 pm - meet with my coworkers for hh on zoom. learned that everyone is starting to get their shots slowly but surely. :) opt out of drinking just in case i get kicked in the ass over night.

7:00 pm - k and i decide on chipotle pick up for din. i get a burrito with light rice, black beans, corn, pico, veggies, lettuce and guac. we also split chips and salsa. k pays, and we watch tommy boy.

day seventy total: $0

day seventy-one

9:15 am - wake up feeling ok! no fever or anything – just a sore arm. k and i cuddle up in bed extra long this morning and i sweet talk him into taking me to get coffee from cartel downtown.

10:30 am - we make it to the coffee shop. he gets a nitro cold brew and i get a hot oat milk latte. he pays.

11:00 am - i start working on a blog post for chipotle chickpea melts and k plays some rocket league. i take a break to make us tofu/egg tacos for brunch.

4:00 pm - i finish my post and make buffalo popcorn.

6:00 pm - k goes to hit golf balls, but my arm is too sore so i walk to the lake instead with some wine. i get a wild urge to celebrate in some way and i stop at whole foods and buy a brownie. $4.07

8:00 pm - make it home and make buffalo chicken sandwiches for dinner with frozen onion rings along with ham brine in prep for veggie sandwiches. we watch a 3 part series about mark hoffman on netflix and turn in.

day seventy-one total: $4.07

day seventy-two

8:30 am - wake up feeling kinda groggy. our groceries from instacart are already shopped for and en route. damnit. make a chemex while i prep the kitchen.

9:45 am - k still isn’t awake yet so i just start bringing stuff in on my own. this round includes various protein bars, popcorn, buffalo sauce, vegan sour cream, apples, lemon ginger tea, rice noodles, agave, veggie sticks, gf pretzels, asparagus, green beans, brussels sprouts, seltzer, hashbrowns, salsa, veggie bouillon, chocolate bars, chocolate chips, parsley, coleslaw, cayenne, linguine, arugula, bell peppers, squash, eggplant, ciabatta rolls, nectarines, mangos, cloves, spring mix, riced cauliflower, tortillas, pasta sauce, vegan mayo, gf pasta, plant yogurt, plant cheese, real cheese, chives, hamburger buns, habeneros, potatoes, carrots, tortilla chips, sprouts, tomatoes, tofu, onions, chickpeas, romaine, limes, lemons, jalapenos, cilantro, broccoli, bread, garlic, cucumber, scallions, bananas, & frozen burritos. $301.60

11:00 am - eat leftover popcorn while k takes a walk. i work on posting my blog post to socials and even manage to squeeze out a tiktok of it. 

4:00 pm - feelin’ good enough to do barre. rinse off finish and making the ham for din.

7:00 PM - snack on snap peas and ranch dressing. 

8:00 PM - eat sandwiches for din with bbq pop chips. 

day seventy-two total: $301.60

day seventy-three

8:30 am - pure barre charge comes out. same coffee different day. $15

12:00 pm - k is going to volunteer tomorrow to get his vaccine and requests no spicy food. i oblige and make us bbq chickpea salad. 

4:00 pm - do a barre workout. 

6:00 pm - veggie sandwiches for din.

day seventy-three total: $15

day seventy-four

5:15 am - k is up and at it for his volunteer slot. i roll back over for some extra sleep.

12:00 pm - make the same salad as yesterday

3:00 pm - i end up going on a goosechase all around town for some really stupid top secret thing for k’s job. 

5:00 pm - give up on life and pour a rum drink. make veggie sandwiches and potatoes for din.

6:00 pm - k makes it home from his slot and takes some time to relax. I have a hh zoom with my pal SM from work.

8:00 pm - k falls asleep like a cute lil angel baby and i chill with him in the bedroom while watching some of the challenge

day seventy-four total :$0

day seventy-five

11:00 am - roast tofu in the oven for NASHVILLE HOT TOFU SALAD YEA BUDDY.

12:00 pm - it’s very good.

4:00 pm - do a pure barre live stream

6:30 pm - NY Friend is in town!! (he lives in ABQ now) We mask up and hang in the back yard and wait for Q. The three of us walk to the lake and split a bottle of wine and drink out of our own paper cups. It is very very adorable and I miss these guys so so much.

9:00 pm - on our way back i have to pee really bad. We cross a AZ Distilling Co and I can’t wait I just have to pee. They sweet talk me into getting a patio cocktail and I agree. i get this mezcal+rye concoction. It’s super good. $20.13

10:30 pm - arrive home drunk. this is the best day of the pandemic.

day seventy-five total: $20.13

day seventy-six

12:00 pm - more salad

5:00 pm decide against exercising. i’m hungover from yesterday.. Hah. prep dinner early so i can eat before lady zoom.

7:00 pm - say hi to my pals on zoom. Everyone seems pretty bummed which is annoying but i think it’ll be better when i see them in person.

10:00 pm - my everlane stuff got delivered and the pants fit which was my main concern. I order a few body suits and t shirts to supplement (all from Everlane). Look at me building my capsule wardrobe. $130.95

day seventy-six total: $130.95

[365-money-diary]

days 63-69

day sixty-three [mar. 5]

8:00 am - Notice my tax refund has hit +$1213! Make a chemex. Try to be chill for this am’s call. It’s kind of a big one.

10:00 am - Well it went really well. I was asked to be a decisionmaker on the call so that’s a nice boost to my ego. Eat the final piece of pineapple pie to celebrate / also just to eat breakfast.

2:00 pm - I have a giant monthly report that I’m delivering next week, so I get started on that. I get ¼ of the way done and decide to cut work early to exercise. 

5:30 pm - We try to order from Monroe’s – the hot chicken place I picked up food from for M’s birthday but it’s closed / not taking online orders. We decide to get Cornish Pasty instead. K gets a veggie Mexican and I get the vegan Guinness stew. We also share an order of oven chips with garlic & jalapeno. K pays for this one.

8:30 pm - I am so so full. I have a phone date tonight with C - I think in my last diary I referred to him as BFF? Either way, he’s moved to Seattle and we chat probably every month or so for a few hours. I am feeling so so full from pasty that I take a really long walk to settle my stomach. I walk to the lake and then across and down to campus. At some point I stop to buy a water from a vending machine but it gives me a Dr. Pepper. Find a different one and buy a water instead. $4.25

11:30 pm - Realize I need to go to bed and let C go.

day sixty-three total: $0

day sixty-four

8:30 am - Wake up and make a chemex. Read a few chapters of The Guest List and start to move all of the furniture in the living room into the center of the room for the trim. Spend the next hour cleaning/prepping while K walks to the lake.

11:00 am - Last time I did the kitchen my quads were so sore so I decide to do a pure barre class prior to starting knowing that I’ll be way too sore tomorrow.

12:30 pm - K and I are determined to get this hot chicken. We place an order at the downtown location and I go over there to pick it up. We both get vegans - extra hot + hot + fries + 2 orders of pickles. $48.18

3:00 pm - Finally start taping the living room.

6:45 pm - That took 400 years. Start the first layer of paint.

9:45 pm - Second layer of paint.

11:45 pm - Eat some chips and salsa. Manage to bolt the door closed and head to bed. What a day.

day sixty-four total: $48.18

day sixty-five

8:45 am - Wow my legs. I am so so sore. I want to try to get the living room put back together as soon as possible so I don’t delay in making my coffee and ripping up tape. 

11:00 am - Why does this take 800 years? It’s not fair. Make us tofu/egg tacos for breakfast with low carb tortillas.

12:00 pm - K helps me put the room back together. We really take our time sweeping and dusting and even going through all of our things. He is a big help! 

2:30 pm - The living room is put back together! Rejoice.

3:30 pm - K and I go hit golf balls. We both do a lot better than the first time we went out and have a lot of fun. He pays for the bucket of balls.

5:00 pm - Toss beans in the instant pot.

6:00 pm - Pour a glass of wine and meet with K’s family on zoom.

7:30 pm - Big burritos for din with beans, rice, lettuce, cheeze, & jackfruit with chips and salsa.

8:00 pm - idk what’s up with me but i am in a huge snacky mood. Eat chocolate and a few spoonfuls of peanut butter. 

9:00 pm - K walks to the lake and I start scoping out clothes/sales again. I have a $100 gift card from Everlane for Christmas from K’s parents and decide to use that. I buy 2 dresses and a pair of pants. ($18.27) I also stumble across a pair of boots that are just beautiful. I want them so badly but they’re made of leather. I scope out Poshmark and find a pair in my size and they’re ACTUALLY used and in my size. They’re listed for $80 and I offer $70. The seller accepts ($83.12) $101.39

day sixty-five total: $101.39

day sixty-six

8:00 am - I am so sore still. Ugh. Pure barre charge comes thru. $15

10:00 am - Officially done with pie for breakfast so I eat yogurt instead. 

12:00 pm - Finish the last of the BBQ chicken salad for lunch. Continue my shopping adventures and find a pair of mules from Madewell on Poshmark. Offer $50 and it’s accepted. $61.50

4:00 pm - I’m still pretty sore but I stretch out a bit and do a pure barre livestream. 

5:30 pm - The weather is really nice out and so I decide to read on the porch. It doesn’t take long before K asks me to come with him to his office so he can clean out his stuff. Background: he was furloughed in August and the place he works isn’t renewing the lease. 

7:00 pm - We arrive home. I think K feels defeated. I kinda do too.. Feels like the end of an era. He isn’t up for dinner. I heat up some pozole for myself.

8:00 pm - K decides to go for a walk and I want to finish Season 21 of The Challenge (Rivals) so I stay home. Make a rum drink with soda water, a tiny agave squeeze and some limes. It’s very good.

day sixty-six total: $76.50

day sixty-seven

7:45 am - up early today. I have a meeting at 8:30 today to pull some data/talk about KPIs for the project I’ve been put in “decision-maker status” for. The meeting goes well and I feel good about the data alignment.

9:30 am - I get sent a zoom link without any warning. I tell them to give me a minute so I can pee and heat up my coffee. On my way to the kitchen I knock over a glass and it shatters EVERYWHERE. I take a few minutes to clean it up and forget to pee.

10:45 am - run to the restroom. K asks me to join him in the spare room where his “office” is. I work on reporting for a while in there. Eat plant yogurt.

12:30 pm - i wait too long to eat and am feeling overwhelmed and stressed. K rubs my back and helps me clean the kitchen. I swear these dishes never end.

1:15 pm - i have to pee again and this time it burns. Fuck fuck fuck. Not sure if it’s yeast or urinary tract but either one can’t be good. I pay some more attention to my body and realize that i can feel my bladder swelling which means i’m in uti territory. I have a super sensitive bladder and this puts me in a panic. Change my underwear, dig through my supplies and find a test strip, and AZO. Pound a bunch of water to keep things moving. 

1:45 pm - Fears are realized. At home UTI test comes back positive. I am able to land a prescription very quickly through undisclosed sources. In the meantime, I take AZO for my symptoms and advil for my bladder inflammation.

5:45 pm - Finish working for the day and all I want is a glass of wine but I know that will fuck up my urinary tract even more. Stick to water and such. Decide not to work out tonight either given I don’t have the antibiotics yet and any agitation to my bladder will harm my current state.

6:15 pm - Roast potatoes in the oven and the text from CVS comes that my prescription is ready. Roll on over to pick it up. $1.02

7:00 pm - Buffalo chicken sandwiches is the vibe for dinner. Continue drinking water, take more AZO. 

day sixty-seven total: $1.02

day sixty-eight

8:00 am - wake up feeling like my body did some solid healing work. Make a chemex and QA some stuff for a 9:30 meeting where I have to present.

11:00 am - plant yogurt. Definitely feeling a lot better today already AND my calendar is clear for work aka def going to work out before 5. 

11:45 am - Buy vitamin D on amazon but it’s free since I have the gift card from my boss. Eat leftover cauliflower fried rice for lunch.

3:00 pm - work is actually slow today and my urinary tract is feeling on the mend. Take a barre class recording and shower all before 4 PM.

6:00 pm - tonight we’re doing leftover big burritos with roasted potatoes. We’re out of tortilla chips and honestly dipping the potatoes in salsa is pretty dope.

8:00 pm - i kinda ease in and out of feelin’ tired. Read some of The Guest List before turning in.

day sixty-eight total: $0

day sixty-nine

8:00 am - wake up feeling again like i was in a deep deep healing mode sleep. Make coffee and get to work.

11:30 am - make pad thai for lunch.

2:30 pm - try on all of my clothes that came from ann taylor/loft plus the boss boot shoes from poshmark. Everything fits really well and I’m happy I took the plunge to figure out what my new sizes actually are. I am still really self conscious of my belly… it’s like a ledge and i really don’t get it because i am otherwise very thin. It could be a hormone thing or it could be a gut thing but i decide to try to tackle both at once. Vitamin d and zinc for horomones (which I already have on hand) i do some research and find a supplement from hum nutrition to try and decide to start taking ACV shots to see if anything changes. $25.45

4:50 pm - do a pure barre live stream recording. Shower and eat too many snacks.

7:00 pm - start a new season of the challenge while k goes to hit golf balls. Upon his return I make him a burrito with potatoes and myself some leftover pozole.

11:00 pm - finish the guest list. Didn’t see the ending coming at all! Get some sleep for vaccine #2 tomorrow.

day sixty-nine total: $25.45

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 57 - 62

DAY FIFTY-SEVEN [FEB 26]

8:00 AM - Charge comes thru for my blog’s G suite stuff $6.52

8:30 AM - Make a chemex, eat a banana. Get to work.

12:00 PM - BBQ chicken salad for lunchie.

4:00 PM - Pick up all of my things from the Pure Barre studio. Sign the 100 & 250 barres and take home some socks, a beanie, and a pair of Beyond Yoga Leggings. Play DDR.

7:00 PM - Make veggie sandwiches with potatoes for dinner.

DAY FIFTY-SEVEN TOTAL: $6.52

DAY FIFTY-EIGHT

8:30 AM - Make a Chemex. K and I have big plans today to hit up the driving range. I haven’t golfed in 400 years and I used to be decent. Played in highschool and such.

10:00 AM - First course we tried had a line. We showed up to a second and found some spots but literally no one was wearing a mask. So so weird. K and I tighten our KN95s and split a large bucket of balls. He pays.

11:00 AM - That was awesome! I need to get my clubs regripped but overall I feel good about my effort.

11:45 AM - K and I are trying to eat out once a week. K is craving Chipotle and I don’t really care what we eat. I get a burrito with light rice, black beans, veggies, guac, lettuce, pico and corn. K gets a salad. $15.67

1:00 PM - I have a handful of things I’d like to shoot for my blog so I get started on that. I shoot a chipotle chickpea melt & a brothy orzo skillet with mushrooms and kale.

7:00 PM - K has a livestream he has to help with. I make buffalo chicken sandwiches for dinner with asparagus. For whatever reason the only thing I can seem to do today is watch The Challenge. I think I make it through 6 episodes of Season 20 and eventually fall asleep.

DAY FIFTY-EIGHT TOTAL: $15.67

DAY FIFTY-NINE

11:45 AM - My friend M’s birthday was a few weeks ago and I know all he wants is friend hangs. I offer to pick up lunch for us plus his wife. He picks a Nashville hot chicken spot that surprisingly has a vegan option. I get a sandwich plus an order of fries for all of us to share. M gets a sandwich and his wife gets chicken strips. $58.64

12:00 PM - On my way to the restaurant, I realize my staple gun is on my car seat. I wonder if I left my car unlocked on Friday when I came home from the barre studio and the sources point to yes. K discovers they took an entire bag of sneakers that we planned to donate but nothing else is missing. I am so stupid.

12:30 PM - Arrive at M’s house with food in hand. We eat outside and then mask up and hang for a few hours. His lil kid runs around and it’s very wholesome. The food is delicious and I’m really excited to try it with K soon!

3:00 PM - Arrive home and shake off the gross feeling that someone was in my personal stuff last night. Remember to lock my car and put the parking brake on just in case.

4:00 PM - Roast pineapple to make a pie tomorrow. Pour a glass of wine and meet with K’s family on zoom. It’s really nice to see them!

8:00 PM - Make gf pasta for dinner.

DAY FIFTY-NINE TOTAL: $58.64

DAY SIXTY 

8:00 AM - Happy Monday! Make a chemex. Pure barre charge comes out $15

10:00 AM - It’s a brand new month and I’ve got goals! Goal #1: fix my skin. It is soooo acne prone right now and I think in general it’s just starving for nutrients. Goal #2: Fix my mouth. I have developed a case of bad breath and I would like to do a round of Crest whitestrips. Goal #3: Actually get on this “new wardrobe” train. Aka buy some stuff. #4: figure out how to get rid of my flyaways I feel like this is the perfect month to do all of this because I don’t have a mortgage payment AND I get my second vaccine shot which means I’ll be integrating a little more into the world next month. 

10:30 AM - Support Goals #1 and #4 by purchasing Verb ghost shampoo and hair oil, some chapstick, and hyaluronic acid + b5-2 from The Ordinary at Sephora online. $57.52

12:00 PM - Eat leftover orzo for lunch. K is shooting live streams this week so I am saving the salad for days where he is home.

2:00 PM - I’m so snacky today. I think my period is on the way. Eat pretzels, kill the rest of the chex mix, maybe some tortilla chips too. Start the process of making pie.

5:45 PM - Pull the pie out and it looks excellent. Barre lives stream starts at 6:00 so I get ready for that.

7:00 PM - Feels good to do that again after a short break this week. K gets home shortly after I finish and I toss potatoes in the oven to go with our veggie sandwiches. 

DAY SIXTY TOTAL: $72.52

DAY SIXTY-ONE

8:30 AM - Pie for breakfast! + Chemex

10:00 AM - I have two friends named B and I interact with them quite a bit so I’m naming this one B-1. B-1 texts me and says she’s got a Birch box coup for a huge box of Mighty Paches and asks if I want her to swipe a box for me. I say yes in support of Goal #1 and venmo her. $35

12:00 PM - Support goal #3 by making some purchases - LOFT & Ann Taylor are having blowout sales rn so I get a long sleeve black dress from LOFT with some cream colored loafers and a black turtleneck and a long sleeve sweater dress from Ann Taylor. $142.26

12:30 PM - Eat more orzo for lunch. Try to be less snacky today. Get some really good compliments from leadership on how amazing I’ve been to work with lately on some really big initiatives that are super important to the org. Makes me feel good! 

4:30 PM - Finish my stuff for the day and decide I don’t want to get too much more into work. Call G and take a walk in the neighborhood.

6:00 PM - Attend a Pure Barre live stream. Rinse off and make chipotle melts for dinner with asparagus. Leave some leftover pieces ready for K to assemble when he comes home.

7:00 PM - Finish The Challenge Cutthroat and drink some wine. K comes home and plays some Rocket League. I read The Guest List on my Kindle.

DAY SIXTY-ONE TOTAL: $177.26

DAY SIXTY-TWO 8:00 AM - Chemex & pie. Decide to spend the morning catching up on non-work stuff (i.e. this MD series) due to working past hours on Monday. Hoping today will be slow and I can catch up on outstanding items for work today and then focus on reporting tomorrow for a big presentation I have next week.

11:20 AM - Support Goal #2 - Crest White Strips! 

12:00 PM - Therapy. She says I’m doing well. I have to say I agree. $90

5:00 PM - Discover one of our data tools is under-reporting. Ugh. Do a live stream recording and make pozole for dinner.

10:00 PM - There was a document that was sent out for work super late and I have a meeting at 9:00 AM tomorrow to talk about it so I do some light reading before bed.

DAY SIXTY-TWO TOTAL: $90

[365-money-diary]

February Reflection

A lot happened this month! I closed on my house, I hired someone for the first time in my life to file my taxes, I bought all the supplies to paint the trim in my house, and I bought a fancy electric gooseneck tea kettle. I think I did alright with spending.. Since K’s income is a little tight these days I’m trying to be a little tighter too just in case something happens, then we’ll for sure be covered. Next month, I don’t have a mortgage and my tax refund comes thru so I’m really looking forward to spending some extra money on revamping my wardrobe, taming my flyaways, whitening my teeth, and so forth. Also looking forward to getting my second dose of the vaccine in March and K gets his first. I think we have a goal of reintegrating by May which is going to be SO GREAT!

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 50 - 56

DAY FIFTY

6:25 AM - Up an at ‘em. It’s vaccine day! The State Farm Stadium is 30 minutes away from my house and I kind of have a history of feeling light-headed and such so I eat a piece of toast before we leave. Prep our water bottles and coffee in our respective hydroflasks and we’re out the door.

7:25 AM - We arrive to the stadium and go through a slew of checkpoints. Unfortunately because of the storms they aren’t giving out plus ones today so we will try for K again when I get my second. The process is pretty easy and we are out of there in 30 minutes. I get the Pfizer vaccine. :) 

8:30 AM - K and I take a walk since I still have some time before work starts. 

10:00 AM - Today is going to be super easy workwise so I just kind of take my time easing into it. I start to feel some tingles from the shot as well as arm soreness. Nothing I can’t handle though! 

12:00 PM - Annual charge for my recipe plugin comes through for my blog. Heat up broccoli fried rice for lunch. $49.00

2:00 PM - My arm is starting to hurt but nothing I can’t handle. Eat pretzels.

4:00 PM - Ditch work early to take a walk to the lake. Bring wine in a hydroflask to just sit and enjoy the weather. I chat with T on the way and then FaceTime with H who says he’s moving to Philly. Super bummed honestly. DJing with him is one of my favorite things on this planet.

6:00 PM - Arrive home to find a sleepy K. My arm is really hurting at this point and we decide to take a nap.

7:30 PM - Wake up feeling groggy and in pain. Remember they advised drinking water before taking Tylenol so I down 48 ounces and actually start to feel better. Heat up a Big Sur Breakfast burrito for dinner and K and I watch the first 30 minutes of Uncut Gems. K’s brother hits him up to play RocketLeague and so he breaks away to that and I watch more of The Challenge.

11:30 PM - I am tired of being awake and would just rather be asleep.

DAY FIFTY TOTAL: $49.00

DAY FIFTY-ONE

8:30 AM - Wake up feeling like my body has been doing work to fight something, but without any external symptoms (fever, chills, fatigue) minus my sore arm. Continue hydrating and make a chemex.

9:00 AM - I can’t really work on the trim today as planned because of my arm, so I decide to work on my blog instead. 

11:00 AM - Make pancakes and hashbrowns for breakfast.

2:30 PM - Post a recipe for Greek Salad. The Internet seems to be receptive which is nice… my last few recipes have flopped. Finish The Ruins. Actually bummed Sara & KellyAnne didn’t win. Evan, Kenny, and Johnny suck and needs to rot in hell. Make a giant bowl of popcorn.

5:00 PM - Drop off a ball and a tube to a friend who is starting to take Pure Barre classes again. Walk back and then K and I walk to the lake with the dog. Feels like the best thing we’ve done all day tbh. My arm still hurts too much to exercise so this is the best it’s gonna get.

7:45 PM - Arrive home and roast potatoes for buffalo chicken sandwiches. I’ll definitely be shooting this for the blog.

8:00 PM - It’s one of those nights where I already did everything and I’m tired of screens. I reached out to a friend a few days ago for book recs and I pick one from the list called The Guest List. Buy it on kindle. $16.40

9:30 PM - I’m already ready to start a new season of The Challenge. This one is Fresh Meat II. Can’t believe Darrell gets eliminated on the first episode. Dang.

10:45 PM - K and I decide we’re tired and that it’s time for beddie. My body is definitely ready for sleep. 

DAY FIFTY-ONE TOTAL: $16.40

DAY FIFTY-TWO

8:30 AM - Wake up feeling pretty rested. Definitely a lot better today. Arm is mildly sore. Might be able to ride the bike or play DDR today. Maybe modify Pure Barre but probably not. Take a shower for the first time since Thursday because I usually shower after I exercise and that hasn’t happened in a while… hah.

9:00 AM - My kettle has been here for a few days but I haven’t broken it out of the shed yet. Unbox the beauty, give it a little rinse and make my first cup of coffee. I like how quiet it is and how little space it takes up. 10/10.

10:15 AM - I notice I still have a half block of tofu leftover so I make tofu/egg tacos for breakfast with Field Roast Sausage, mushrooms, onions, and jalapenos.

11:15 AM - Clean the kitchen and prep for shooting. I am feelin’ the vibes from my last post so I don’t want to lose motivation. Make miso butter pasta since it’s really all I can swing with the ingredients in my pantry. 

1:15 PM - Finish shooting and import the photos into my library while watching The Challenge in the background. Decide might as well start editing. I don’t have much else going on and I’m again, feeling motivated.

4:30 PM - K goes on a drive and I decide to play DDR. My arm is not ready for barre but it can dangle a bit while I stomp on some arrows. I decide I really want to learn Afronova on heavy which is something I never was really able to pass consistently in my youth. It’ll be a good thing to work toward over the next few weeks.

5:30 PM - Pour a glass of wine and hop on zoom with K’s family. It’s nice to see them.

7:30 PM - Make buffalo chicken sandwiches for dinner with potatoes.

9:00 PM - Walk to the lake with K. 

12:00 AM - Finish my entire post for miso butter noodles. I don’t think I’ve ever shot and posted something in the same day. Exhausting! Hah

DAY FIFTY-TWO TOTAL: $0

DAY FIFTY-THREE

8:00 AM - Pure barre charge. Make a chemex. And eat half a bagel with earth balance and nooch for breakfast. Also get charged for my automatic payment to Amazon for iron pills $27.93

9:00 AM - Today is my officemate’s birthday. My boss and I pitched in to get her a Lululemon gift card. $35

12:00 PM - Leftover miso butter noodles for lunch with air-fried broccoli.

5:00 PM - Today was honestly exhausting but I am ready to move. Play a few games of DDR and then do a barre class. 

7:00 PM - Rinse off and make the last of the buffalo chicken sandwiches. We’re very excited for groceries tomorrow hah.

9:30 PM - Buy a phone tripod. I suck at doing videos one-handed and I know I can grow my pages like bananas if I can actually shoot the content correctly. I apply the gift card my boss got me for building her website so this is on the house. 

DAY FIFTY-THREE TOTAL: $62.93

DAY FIFTY-FOUR

7:00 PM - Long ass day. Groceries are slated to arrive. Incoming of bell peppers, tomatoes, grapes, tofu, cucumber, broccoli, red onion, limes, lemons, bananas, jalapenos, serranos, clementines, bread, chickpeas, tortilla chips, tortillas, sprouts, potatoes, baby carrots, onions, salsa, cauliflower rice, cilantro, gf mini pretzels, apples, hashbrowns, oat milk, cheese, vegan cheese, brown rice, white rice, gf pasta, spring mix, romaine, tomato paste, dark chocolate, red wine and balsamic vinegar, pineapple, scallions, oregano, shallots, mushrooms, orzo, kale, chipotle peppers, eggs, brown sugar, burger buns, corn, parsley, veggie straws, vanilla bean, asparagus, snap peas, a pound of coffee, plant sausage, plant yogurt, zucchini, radish, cabbage, seltzer, plant yogurt, pasta sauce, plant pizza, jelly, and mustard. $350.86

8:00 PM - Eat red lentil pasta for dinner.

DAY FIFTY-FOUR TOTAL: $350.86

DAY FIFTY-FIVE

1:00 PM - Done with meetings for the day. My brain hurts. Hah make salad (bbq chicken, spring mix, carrots, bell pepper, onion, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and ranch is the combo for the week), drink seltzer, tryyyy to calm down. 

3:40 PM - Actually hoping no one bothers me for the rest of the day. Change into workout clothes and sneak in my last barre class for the challenge. 

6:00 PM - Get charged for CBS all access. Craving a cocktail instead of wine. Pick some grapefruits from the backyard, text J to ask how to salt a rim, then make a grapefruit + mezcal drink with a chili-lime salted rim. YUM.  $6.48

7:00 PM - Veggie sandwiches with potatoes is the name of dinner for the next few days. So good!

DAY FIFTY-FIVE TOTAL: $6.48

DAY FIFTY-SIX

8:30 AM - Make a chemex and “get to work.” Today is super slow. I finish the last of my outstanding tasks, make 2 batches of chex mix which I regret because K says he won’t be eating any since he’s trying to avoid salt. Snack on that and then make salad for lunch.

1:30 PM - Literally no one has pinged me so I take the opportunity to play some DDR. I play for nearly an hour before anyone bothers me and nail down the steps to this one section of Afronova at ⅕ the speed. I’ll try ⅖ tomorrow! 

5:30 PM - K and I are both starving so I make us dinner early today. Drink a grapefruit + mezcal cocktail after din.

8:30 PM - K asks if I’ll walk to the lake with him and the dog. I kind of don’t want to since I played my heart out already but he asks pleeeassse and I oblige. The walk is really really nice. We even sit near the waterfront for a while watching people do this cheesy skate routine. 

10:30 PM - Make it back. I work on my blog in K’s office while he edits video stuff. I have The Challenge on in the background and finish Fresh Meat II. Only 11 more seasons before I can cancel my membership! Hah.

DAY FIFTY-SIX TOTAL: $0

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 43-49

DAY FORTY-THREE

7:30 AM - Up a little early so I can close on my house. The process is pretty easy and I feel safe about it and such. We do it on the front porch with 6 foot folding table.

8:30 AM - I need to re-caulk the side door trim before I can start painting so I do that while I make my chemex. This is fun (not) because I don’t own a caulk gun. 

10:30 AM - Eat a plant yogurt

12:00 PM - Snack on chips and salsa – damn the salsa I made is so good this time. Also make salad for lunch. I’m set up in the kitchen today which is clearly a bad scene because I keep going to the pantry for more snacks. Relocate to the bedroom.

2:00 PM - I really should get my barre class out of the way today. I have a 4PM happy hour and I know I won’t want to work out after that, so I do a 10 minute low impact ride and then start class.

4:00 PM - I get done with most of the class and hop on zoom. Make refried beans in the instant pot for dinner while we chat.

5:00 PM - Finish the zoom and knock out the last 10 minutes of barre. I don’t like to split the classes up like that but oh well. 

6:00 PM - Finish making the beans as well as rice and jackfruit for burritos. K isn’t hungry so I watch an episode of The Challenge before making the burritos.

7:30 PM - Ok these are really good. Dang! I don’t want to drink tonight so I open a La Croix and try to hydrate.

DAY FORTY-THREE TOTAL: $0

DAY FORTY-FOUR

8:00 AM - I’m awake and I feel really good. K is still pretty conked out and I get the idea to go to Cartel. I haven’t been in a few months because cases were super high but now seems like a good opportunity. This is the one thing I do behind K’s back. It’s contactless and it’s super safe so I don’t really consider it to be a risk but I know he isn’t ready to drink things directly out of containers they’re served in on the same day you buy them so let’s just leave this between us. Buy a hot oat milk latte and tip $10. $17.57 

10:00 AM - Make a chemex so K doesn’t suspect anything. Hang with him on the couch for a bit and then start moving around the furniture in the kitchen to start taping.

11:30 AM - Take a break to cook breakfast - tofu/egg tacos with field roast sausage.

12:15 PM - Back to taping. It takes forev, but I think I did a good job.

3:45 PM - First coat done. Watch an episode of The challenge before I apply the second.

5:30 PM - Done with the second. Watch more of the challenge.

7:00 PM - Dinner tonight is pozole. I take my time making it and drink a glass of wine while I cook.

8:00 PM - Dang this is so delicious.

DAY FORTY-FOUR TOTAL: $17.57

DAY FORTY-FIVE

9:00 AM - Woah I am SO SORE. What the hell? My quads. Make a chemex and work on putting the kitchen back together, but I run out of time and have to meet with S and her BF on zoom. K joins me and it’s a really good time. 

11:15 PM - Ok back to tape removal. 

12:15 PM - Done! / Looks good! Make more tofu tacos for breakfast.

2:00 PM - My boss is applying for citizenship in the US and she asked me to help build her a website. I have totally spaced it over the past two weeks and get cracking on it today. Make some good progress and send her what I have.

4:00 PM - Watch some episodes of The Challenge. For whatever reason this feels like the first time I’ve actually relaxed this weekend and I am here for it.

6:00 PM - We drive to a bar I DJ at on the reg during non-pandemic times to do a pick up of their Valentine’s Day special. Neither K or I are big V Day fans and we feel like this is good enough to “celebrate.” We get two veggie dogs, fries and a bottle of wine to take home. J (my friend who owns the bar) runs my card for $31ish and I tip $20. K insists he pays and he venmos me $50. $1.89

7:00 PM - I haven’t had fries in like… a year. And these ones are really delicious! The wine is good too. Spend the rest of the evening catching up on my blog. I haven’t felt very motivated to work on it this month.

8:00 PM - Get a charge from Amazon… S is buying movies again. Make a venmo request for $16 and she fulfills it. $0.19

DAY FORTY-FIVE TOTAL: $2.08

DAY FORTY-SIX

8:30 AM - WOW I am still sore WTF. Make a chemex and notice my tea kettle has a rust spot. Damnit. At this point, I would rather just buy an electric kettle with a gooseneck spout to get rid of both of my kettles, but I’m trying to stick to my budget this month. I’ve been covering K’s groceries throughout the pandemic and he owes me around $2k at this point. Because of this, I’ve kind of cut back on clothing and other frivolous purchases until he starts to pay me back so I can still save money every month. But rust is rust and I don’t want to get sick. Buy a Stagg EKG kettle with a nice wood handle. $160.62

10:00 AM - plant yogurt, a clementine and Pure Barre weekly charge. $15

12:00 PM - It’s salad time but I’m kind of out of tempeh and am a little burnt out on the miso Asian vibe anyways. Toss together some greens, bell pepper, onion, carrots, snap peas, cucumber, and a frozen Quorn spicy chicken patty and top it with cashew ranch. It’s honestly really good. 

4:00 PM - Call M to wish him a happy bday. Tell him either next Sunday or the Sunday after that we will do a lunch thing together in his backyard to celebrate. Drink a nuun while we chat.

5:15 PM - I do a pure barre workout but make the mistake of doing it on my work computer at the post-workday slacks are coming in hot this AM. My body’s HR doesn’t really pick up but I still feel proud of myself for pushing thru the soreness.

7:00 PM - K and I eat big burritos for dinner with jackfruit, beans, rice, lettuce, tofutti sour cream, cheeze, and jalapenos with chips and salsa. They’re so good and I am sad that we’re out of tortilla chips and salsa now.

8:00 PM - Since dinner was kinda big and I had fries yesterday, I spend the evening hydrating instead of drinking wine. K and I watch a 4 part docuseries on Elisa Lam & the Cecil Hotel. At some point he goes off to work on some stuff and I wrap up this website I’m building for my boss who is working on getting her green card.

DAY FORTY-SIX TOTAL: $175.62

DAY FORTY-SEVEN

9:00 AM - Make a chemex. Finish the site and send it to my boss who approves. Hopefully I don’t have to actually post it for her. I hate dealing with hosting and such. 

10:00 AM - I don’t really want yogurt today and find a small portion of tofu scramble leftover from Sunday. Heat that up and top with truffle hot sauce.

12:00 PM - Kill the rest of the salad ingredients today by making the same dish as yesterday but with peas instead of red bell peppers. Review the site I made for my boss. She sends me a $100 amazon gift card! How sweet.

5:00 PM - Get sucked in a meeting and am not able to leave until 5:30. I’m not interested in exercising this late so I zone out on the couch for a bit and snack on some gf pretzels. Start a new season of The Challenge. Drink a glass of wine.

7:00 PM - Heat up leftover pozole for dinner. Eat with K while we “watch” a hockey game. 

8:30 PM - Pour another glass of wine and chat on the phone with Q. I end up feeling super antsy halfway through our conversation and decide to take a walk. I do a nice loop down to the lake and back to my house. Next time we decide that we will walk together.

10:30 PM - I check my phone after our conversation to see 100 slack messages from various team members. Looks like there is something going on which will affect the report I have to give tomorrow. Read thru, ask some questions and feel good about what I have to change.

DAY FORTY-SEVEN TOTAL: $0

DAY FORTY-EIGHT

8:15 AM - Up a little early today so I can adjust my report. Make a chemex while I pull numbers.

9:30 AM - Present the info. It’s good stuff! My boss is out of town so I think today should be pretty chill. Get a note from my bank that the wire of leftover funds from the mortgage stuff has been transferred to my checking totaling $1250.39. 

12:00 PM - Make broccoli fried rice for lunch. Things turn chaotic for the rest of the day and by the time I know it, it’s 4:00 PM

4:15 PM - Decide to cut out early today and take a live barre class. 20 minutes in (10 minutes before 5), I get a message from my teammate asking to hop on zoom. She has computer issues so I’m actually able to finish the class before she’s ready. 

7:00 PM - Finally done working. Rinse off and make pasta for dinner. Drink 3 glasses of wine. 

9:30 PM - K and I play Mario Kart for a while before turning in.

DAY FORTY-EIGHT TOTAL: $0

DAY FORTY-NINE

8:30 AM - Today has to be more chill than yesterday… It just has to be. Make a chemex. See that my hair dresser is selling shirts for her shop. Venmo her. $25

12:00 PM - Prep chicken seitan shreds. Broccoli fried rice for lunch with seltzer. 

1:30 PM - Finish making the seitan, eat an apple, gf pretzels and carrots. I realize I forgot to eat breakfast this AM. Ugh.

5:00 PM - My butt is super sore from yesterday but I do my barre workout anyways. It’s so nice to not be interrupted. My cal burn is low but I don’t even care. It’s just nice to move.

6:00 PM - Rinse off and prep dinner. We make buffalo chicken sandwiches with roasted potatoes. They turn out pretty good and I’m excited to eat them over the next few days.

8:00 PM - Drink a glass of wine. I google if I can have more since I’m getting the COVID vaccine tomorrow and it seems like one is ok but maybe not more so I decide against it.

DAY FORTY-NINE TOTAL: $25

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 36-42

DAY THIRTY-SIX [FEB 6]

8:30 AM - Make a chemex and get to work.

10:00 AM - Pineapple!

12:45 PM - Heat up cheesy red lentil soup for lunch with a La Croix. 

4:00 PM - Do a 10-minute Peloton ride and a barre class. Barre class gets interrupted as I get text updates for the grocery order. I kind of end up half-assing it toward the end but I’m glad I got it done. 

5:45 PM - Prep the kitchen for the grocery order – incoming of bread, greens, tomatoes, onions, garlic, tempeh, tofu, tortillas, tortilla chips, pretzels, apples, jalapenos, lemons, limes, cabbage, cilantro, vegan sour cream, rice, chickpeas, pinto beans, frozen burritos, bell peppers, eggs, parsley, ginger, BBQ sauce, buffalo sauce, grapes, sprouts, brussels sprouts, green beans, miso, cloves, frozen pizzas, hamburger buns, plant yogurt, cucumber, carrots, chipotle seitan sausages, tomato paste, broccoli, bananas, celery, potatoes, clementines, hashbrowns, red lentil pasta, dijon, seltzer, pineapple, dark chocolate, strawberry jam, vegetable bouillon, zucchini, mushrooms, dried oregano, radish, & snap peas. $342.39

7:00 PM - roast potatoes and make veggie sandwiches. Drink a hibiscus mezcal cocktail too. MAX RELAX for the rest of the eve. It’s Friday baby!

 DAY THIRTY-SIX: $342.39

DAY THIRTY-SEVEN

9:30 AM - Slept in weird vibes. Feel tingly when I stand which means blood pressure is bad. We are seeing friends today and I don’t want to power through it so I just drink some soy sauce. It does wonders and I’m feeling better within 30 minutes. Make a Chemex and watch an episode of dessert person.

10:30 AM - Head out to our pals’ house (If you read my last diary series, they’re the people we used to go to Suns games with) in uptown Phoenix for an outside hang. We meet their new baby and he is super cute. Hang out 10 feet apart and it feels so normal and chill. I also find out that I apparently qualify for the vaccine because I work to facilitate education, so I need to look into that.

2:45 PM - K and I haven’t eaten today and we’re starving. We split a Daiya pizza and eat snack on chips and salsa while we wait. I also eat a clementine. 

5:30 PM - Feel my body starting to fade and I’m kind of barred out. Decide to walk to the lake. I do a bad job of getting my HR up but I still enjoy my time outside. 

8:00 PM - I’m not hungry at all from all the salt. Decide to eat a small bowl of cheesy lentil soup for dinner but mostly just pound the water while working on a post for oil-free Greek dressing.

8:30 PM - I notice someone posts a sample sale for Splits 59 which is one of my favorite workout brands. I’m hitting 250 Pure Barre classes this week and use it as an excuse to celebrate. Buy 2 pairs of leggings and a cute tank. $70

10:00 PM - Definitely at that point in the day where I feel like I’m just passing time.

DAY THIRTY-SEVEN TOTAL: $70.00

DAY THIRTY-EIGHT

8:45 AM - Spend some time in bed adjusting my fantasy bball team. Still set to be undefeated in the more competitive league. Eventually make a chemex and post my oil-free greek dressing around the web. 

10:30 AM - I listen to a session on Mined, cook brunch (tofu/egg tacos with soyrizo) and and frantically get ready for M’s baby’s 1st bday. 

1:05 PM - Arrive at the party… what I thought was going to be just me, M, his wife, his mom, and his kid is actually them plus 6 other people hanging in the backyard. Not my favorite thing I’ve had to deal with this pandemic. Everyone is outside/masked. I learn that 2-3 of them have already been vaxxed but it’s still kind of a weird situation for me. I know if K was with me it would be bad news, so I am grateful he stayed behind today.

2:00 PM - Hightail it outta there once 4 more people show up. Listen to music really loud in the car and scream some lyrics on my way home. Feels good man.

2:45 PM - Continue listening to tunes at home, digging thru my Spotify discover weekly for the first time in a while and building a set that I want to record sometime next week.

3:15 PM - K’s brother and wife stop by and we do an outside masked hang with them for about an hour and a half. We haven’t seen them since December of 2019 so this is really really great.

6:00 PM - K and I keep talking about getting takeout but nothing sounds good so we just decide to do veggie sandwiches and potatoes. Drink wine.

7:00 PM - I decide to work on my tax stuff all evening instead of exercising. It takes 2 hours but I get all of my stuff together and send it to the guy. Pour myself a celebratory glass of wine after.

10:00 PM - K and I watch Beverly Hills Ninja in bed. I’d never seen it before and it was so good.

DAY THIRTY-EIGHT TOTAL: $0

DAY THIRTY-NINE

8:00 AM - Chemex. Pure barre weekly charge. $15

10:00 AM - A local bar down the street has been closed since March and a pal posts a GFM on their behalf. I donate to it. Eat a banana and a clementine $50

11:30 AM - Prep salad for the week - greens, gochujang tempeh, miso dressing, soba noodles, snap peas, carrots, and cucumber. Finish about 2 minutes before a call and I’m scrambling to appear composed.

5:30 PM - Do a pure barre livestream while K runs to go pick up dinner from a local vegan spot. K gets a fried chicken seitan sandwich and I get a burger. It’s really really delicious and I’m super stuffed after.

DAY THIRTY-NINE TOTAL: $65

DAY FORTY

8:30 AM - Chemex. Work is still kind of wild but I make a lot of progress on my report this AM so I’m feelin’ good there.

9:30 AM - Banana and clementine.

12:00 PM - Salad.

4:30 PM - Try to do a PB live stream (my 250th class) but Zoom’s server is being weird so I do a 30 min Peloton ride instead with a 5 min stretch.

6:00 PM - Veggie sandwiches with potatoes for din again. 

8:00 PM - A friend from highschool, N, and I chat and it’s really really great. I drink 2 glasses of wine while we catch up. 

DAY FORTY TOTAL: $0

DAY FORTY-ONE

8:30 AM - Oof my quads are sore. Make a chemex.

10:00 AM - Eat a banana.

11:00 AM - We’ve been dragging on the KN95 thing but decide to go for it today. Buy a pack of 50 in assorted colors, some Healthy Blood iron from Garden of Life, and poop bags for the dog. (Counting this expense as “home”) $98.04

12:00 PM - Spend time doing an analysis that doesn’t really tell me much but it was worth looking into. Eat gochujang tempeh salad

2:00 PM - I have a zoom scheduled with a work pal who I haven’t seen in forever. She tells me (much like the few others) that we qualify for the vaccine. I decide to make the appointment based on her feedback and after 40 minutes of messing with the system was able to get in on Feb 19.

5:00 PM - Take my 250th Pure Barre class! I am sweaty and it’s great.

6:45 PM - K isn’t really hungry so I eat the last of the red lentil soup.

7:30 PM - We have plans to see a friend in town from Ohio. Meet up with him at his hotel and sit on the front patio masked up for a while. I am mostly cold and have to pee.

9:45 PM - We arrive back home. I snack on a few pretzels, drink a glass of wine, eat some grapes and some dark chocolate.

DAY FORTY-ONE TOTAL: $98.04

DAY FORTY-TWO

8:30 AM - Chemex. My allergies are bad this AM. Send emails out - looks like my tax return is going to give me $1200 but then I owe $200 on my state. I always owe on state. One day… Also send a note to the loan guy who says I’m definitely going to close tomorrow at 8AM so we shall see.

10:30 AM - Tax invoice comes in. $220

11:00 AM - Boil some more soba noodles for salads. I’m basically going to be in meetings until 4:30 PM today so I’m trying to get ahead of all my stuff. Also do a check for all of the house painting things that came over the past week. Looks like it’s all here and I can start painting this weekend!

12:00 PM - Make salad in between calls and crack open a La Croix.

4:30 PM - My calls are done, do a 10 minute Peloton climb ride and then do a Pure Barre stream.

8:00 PM - Eat the last of the veggie sandwiches for dinner. Drink 2 glasses of wine and some dark chocolate. Something about tonight is off in my brain. I don’t have the capacity to be productive so I just watch episodes of The Challenge on my laptop while K plays Rocket League.

DAY FORTY-TWO TOTAL: $220

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 29-35

DAY TWENTY-NINE [JAN 29]

8:30 AM - It’s payday! Wooooo! Make a chemex, eat a plant yogurt. Schedule for today is pretty clear so I’m hoping I can edit photos for iBlog and do some work with the Mined app.

9:30 AM - Eat a plant yogurt  & a few pretzels

12:30 PM - Back to salad today.

2:30 PM - It hits. My brain feels tingly, my body feels heavy. Low blood pressure has arrived. I try to move a little bit for the next hour and drink a nuun while I listen to a session on Mined.

3:45 PM - Play DDR, but my heart isn’t in it.  By the end, my legs feel heavy, I’m not very agile at all. 

5:30 PM - Pour myself a glass of wine and eat a handful of Swedish Fish. It’s all downhill when I break out the fish. Ugh. 

6:30 PM - I need more wine or something… Still not feeling that great. Drink another glass and prep dinner - We’re eating mini bean rice, and cheese burritos for din with chips and salsa.

8:30 PM - K asks if I want to go on a stroll. The walk helps me feel better so I’m super grateful we got out! Spend the rest of the evening watching The Challenge and working on my blog.

DAY TWENTY-NINE TOTAL: $0

DAY THIRTY

8:30 AM - I definitely still have a bit of residual weirdness from yesterday but I think as long as I can stand for a few minutes every hour and get in a long walk at some point I’ll be alright. Make a chemex and practice staying present.

11:15 AM - Take a mile and a halfish walk while chatting with my T.

12:30 PM - K returns from his walk to the lake and brunch is served – breakfast tacos. His has eggs and mine potatoes. Usually they have tofu but we’re out. They’re pretty good honestly! Open a lemon La Croix 

3:00 PM - Not feeling that great. Keep trying to stand and walk around. K goes for some snacks and I join him. Eat some grapes, gf pretzels, and a few veggie sticks. Finish my blog post for lasagna roll ups and watch a handful of episodes of The Challenge

5:00 PM - Drink another La Croix and decide to do a 20 minute bike ride. I’m not really looking to kill myself today since I know I under perform when my blood pressure is bad so I just get through it for the sake of hopefully feeling better after. 

7:00 PM - K and I split a pizza for dinner plus air fried broccoli. Read some of Whole Again.

DAY THIRTY TOTAL: $0

DAY THIRTY-ONE

8:00 AM - Last day of the month! Wake up still feeling gross. Make a chemex and watch The Challenge while I wake up.

10:00 AM - I have a recipe I want to shoot today. I FaceTime my B half way through cooking and I kind of lose interest by the final shoot. I might have to reshoot it but I’ll see what the photos look like tomorrow or Tuesday before readjusting.

4:00 PM - Eat a small bowl of soup and an alpha burrito. Paint sampling has begun! We narrow it down to 2 and then pick another area to paint and have a clear winner.

5:00 PM - Zoom with K’s family then K goes on a walk to the lake. I go with him and am grateful for the company.

DAY THIRTY-ONE TOTAL: $0

DAY THIRTY-TWO

8:00 AM - New month new budget! Pure barre charge comes out. $15

9:00 AM - We basically get forced to donate to a specific organization at work every year and this is the year. I donate some dough to get it off my desk. $20

10:00 AM - Buy 4 containers of no-chicken bouillon base from Vitacost and a thing of vital wheat gluten from Amazon. $34.07

1:45 PM - Buy all the stuff to paint the trim! I’m only buying 2 gallons of paint and will get more if I need it… plus a paint pail, a tiny foam roller, and tray, painter’s tape, plastic sheets for the floors, a small paintbrush, a plastic spatula. The things aren’t slated to be here until the 10th so I have some time to mentally prepare before it arrives. $173.06

12:00 PM - K and I finish out the last of the salad. We did so good with produce this time!

3:00 PM - K wants BBQ chicken sandwiches which honestly sound super delish so I prep chicken seitan. It doesn’t take as long as the ham thankfully!

4:30 PM - Do a pure barre live stream, rinse off, toss potatoes in the oven.

6:30 PM - Food is ready! Drink a glass of wine after with some chocolate squares and a few Swedish Fish. I’m not feeling 100% yet from my iron crash and my will to be productive is zilch. K and I finish watching a doc series about the unabomber on Netflix and eventually turn in.

DAY THIRTY-TWO TOTAL: $242.13

DAY THIRTY-THREE

8:30 AM - Today is going to be absolutely crazy. I have meetings from basically 9-5. Make a chemex and hop on my first meeting.

9:30 AM - Eat an orange for breakfast.

12:00 PM - I have just enough time to prep cheesy red lentil soup in the instant pot before my next meeting.

5:15 PM - What a whirlwind. Sit for five minutes and reset. Then, put on my workout clothes and do a 10-minute Peloton ride plus a pure barre livestream.

7:00 PM - Make BBQ chicken sandwiches again for dinner with broccoli. Make an old fashioned and chat with a friend until about midnight. Woosh!

DAY THIRTY-THREE TOTAL: $0

DAY THIRTY-FOUR

8:30 AM - Today won’t be as chaotic thankfully. Make a chemex and slowly ease into work.

9:45 AM - Spoke too soon. Had to present something in a huge meeting on the fly. It went well.

10:45 AM - My friend A is getting married at the courthouse on Saturday. She isn’t inviting anyone and it makes me sad because I wish I could be there! Order flowers to be delivered to her house. $74.78 

10:55 AM - My friend M’s kid is turning 1 this weekend and is having people over in the backyard to celebrate. I buy his kid (who I basically consider to be my nephew) an upright tiny piano so he can go to town. $75.66

11:00 AM - My therapy session is today. Get some good insight and schedule an appt for next month. $90

4:00 PM - Today did not end up being chill AT ALL. Wow. Maybe tomorrow will be better hahaha.

5:30 PM - Take a walk and call S and then do a Pure Barre class. Shower, and make BBQ chicken sandwiches for dinner with green beans.

8:00 PM - Drink wine, watch The Challenge. K and I play some Mario Kart too.

DAY THIRTY-FOUR TOTAL: $240.44

DAY THIRTY-FIVE 

8:30 AM - Make a chemex. Cut some pineapple for breakfast later this AM.

10:00 AM - Pineapple time. I take my time easing into today since this entire week has been wild. Order some stuff on Thrive - dried pinto beans, coconut milk, nuun, vegan parm, a sheet mask, baking powder, and jackfruit. $52.49

12:30 PM - Eat cheesy red lentil soup for lunch and a polar seltzer. 

3:00 PM - More pineapple.

5:00 PM - Make a hibiscus syrup thing for a cocktails later and seitan ham water.

5:30 PM - Barre workout. Going 4/4 babyyyy! Shower, make dinner - BBQ chicken sandwiches and potatoes, do dishes etc.

DAY THIRTY-FIVE TOTAL: $52.49

[365-money-diary]

January Reflection

This month I did two huge things: refinance my house and buy a 6 months supply of alcohol. I’m really hoping this is the last time I’ll have to do this before K and I are vaccinated. I’m still in the closing process of the house which is causing some residual stress… overall good start to the year though. 

Love that my transportation costs were zero. I think I drove my car twice last month.

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 22 - 28

DAY TWENTY-TWO [JAN 22]

8:30 AM - Wake up feelin’ good. Plus, it’s Friday! Make a chemex and eat a slice of orange bread for breakfast.

11:00 AM - Work has me stressin’ today. So happy it’s Friday.

12:00 PM - K wants a haircut and I need a break from my desk. I’ve been cutting his hair since the start of the pandemic and while I’m not great at it, I feel like I improve with every trim. Make southwest salad with chipotle ranch dressing for us for lunch.

3:30 PM - Snack on chips and salsa. Now that the appraisal is over, I’m excited to start a project I’ve been planning for a while - painting the trim in my entire house gray. Idk what it is but the trim we have is terrible and it is a sore spot IMO. Repainting will certainly help! Buy 10 paint samples from Home Depot and officially swear to be done spending money for the rest of the month. $31.13

4:00 PM - All I want is wine but I also want to play DDR. Decide to play first and then I can finish yesterday’s bottle of wine hah.

4:45 PM - That was SO fun! I’m seeing progress in every time I play. Do a round of dishes, rinse off in the shower, and pour a glass of wine. Hang out on the back porch and just enjoy the weather for a bit.

6:00 PM - Start prepping dinner – we’re doing veggie sandwiches with potatoes again. More wine!

7:00 PM - I have a late HH zoom hangout with a coworker. I finish yesterday’s bottle of wine and pour a small glass out of a new bottle. 

9:00 PM - K and I play Super Mario World until midnight or so and turn in.

DAY TWENTY-TWO TOTAL: $31.13

DAY TWENTY-THREE

8:30 AM - Spend the morning clearing YNAB charges. Definitely over my budget this month with the alcohol but it’s ok – I think this will be my last large alcohol run before we get vaccinated which gives me hope that I can buy less in general.

9:00 AM - Eat a clementine and make a chemex. I usually get up about 30 minutes before K so it gives me an opportunity for some me time. I read a couple of chapters of Remain in Love, watch Claire Saffitz make bagels on NYT Youtube, and listen/take notes to a session on the Mined app.

11:00 AM - Make tofu breakfast tacos with soyrizo for brunch. K and I play Super Mario for a while and I start to feel my blood pressure drop so I decide to go for a walk.

2:00 PM - Walked for 45 minutes and caught up with T, my best friend from high school. Decide after returning to just knock out today’s workout and do a 45 minute Power Zone Endurance Ride and a 5 minute Post-Ride Stretch. Rinse off, eat 2 clementines, a pretzel rod, and drink a nuun. 

6:00 PM - Finish posting thousand island dressing. I finished everything I wanted to do today to relax and I definitely feel refreshed and ready to shoot more recipes tomorrow. Watch a doc called Some Kind of Heaven with K, edit some more photos, and watch The Challenge

DAY TWENTY-THREE TOTAL: $0

DAY TWENTY-FOUR

9:00 AM - Chemex and a half a bagel with Earth Balance and nooch. Get a charge for CBS all-access. I signed up for this to specifically watch The Challenge. I’ll cancel it once I’ve binged all 20 seasons. $6.48

10:00 AM - Get to work on prepping nachos. I have a ton to shoot today which I am sort of looking forward to. I shoot a couple of the components - the nacho cheese & instant pot pinto beans and then toss the nachos together on a sheet tray and marvel at my work.

1:00 PM - We finally get to eat the nachos. They turned out super delicious and honestly, aren’t too terrible for the bod either. Open a polar seltzer and chill on the couch for a bit. 

4:00 PM - Clean the kitchen, play DDR, drink a glass of wine on zoom with K’s family.

7:00 PM - Make broccoli fried rice for dinner. Try to catch up on hydration while I watch the challenge. See a charge come in from an annual Nintendo live thing. $21.47

8:00 PM - Finish season 11 of The Challenge and read some more Remain in Love while K plays Super Mario.

DAY TWENTY-FOUR TOTAL: $27.95

DAY TWENTY-FIVE

8:30 AM - It’s raining again today. Make a chemex and eat a banana. In general, I’m having a hard time getting started today though I’m not sure why. Pure Barre weekly charge comes thru. $15

11:15 AM - Ok I really gotta focus. Make my to-do list and get crackin'.

12:00 PM - Make lunch - Same salad as last week – Spring mix, taco seasoned tofu, corn, scallions, black beans, avocado, cilantro, and a cashew chipotle ranch dressing – with a La Croix.

3:00 PM - Eat some grapes & a few tortilla chips

5:00 PM - Do a 30-minute Peloton ride. Efforts beyond “endurance” are so challenging for me. One day I’ll get there.

7:00 PM - Rinse off and drink 2 glasses of wine, a few chocolate squares, and broccoli fried rice. Spend the rest of the evening editing photos of seitan corned beef and watching The Challenge.

TWENTY-FIVE TOTAL: $15

DAY TWENTY- SIX

8:30 AM - Make a chemex. Today is pretty light so I spend the morning opening mail and paying bills. Email K his portion for rent – I don’t include the landscaper since his funds are kind of limited right now being furloughed. I add it to our ongoing tally of COVID expenses which we will settle up at some point when he has a stable income – he owes me around $1500 but I also don’t really care since eventually we’ll be married and it probably all evens out in the end.

10:00 AM - Eat a banana and a few crackers.

12;15 - Eat the same salad as yesterday with a La Croix.

3:00 PM - Eat pretzels. 

4:30 PM - Drink nuun and do a barre workout. 

7:00 PM - Eat broccoli fried rice for din with wine. Finish my post for seitan corned beef.

9:00 PM - Go on a cold walk with K and then finish Remain in Love.

DAY TWENTY- SIX TOTAL: $0

DAY TWENTY- SEVEN

8:30 AM - Chemex and plant yogurt

12:30 - Eat the same salad as yesterday with a La Croix.

3:00 PM - Eat chips, salsa, and some potato-carrot cheese. Buy a book called Whole Again for Kindle. Start doing a session on Mined app but get interrupted by work stuff. NBD! $12.99

5:00 PM - Do a 30 minute Peloton ride with a friend.

7:00 PM - Finishing out the last of the veggie sandwiches tonight for dinner with roasted potatoes. Also drink a glass of wine and finish the Mined session.

DAY TWENTY- SEVEN TOTAL: $12.99

DAY TWENTY-EIGHT 

8:30 AM - I got a decent amount of sleep last night. Feelin’ a-ok! Reconcile YNAB activity before peeling myself out of bed. I’m way over this month due to two yardwork charges and the alcohol but I’ll live. Make chemex, open laptop, get working.

10:30 AM - Eat a plant yogurt.

1:00 PM - K and I split the rest of the broccoli fried rice today for lunch. It’s not much so I also eat a half a bagel with butter, nooch and salt.

5:00 PM - Take a walk, call S (sister) and she is kind of spiraling and wants to take me on the rollercoaster with her so I let her go. We end up reconvening and she sort of apologizes.

6:00 PM - Make dinner, a recipe from bon appetit - Miso Polenta with Spring Vegetables and Tofu. The store was out of polenta so I make it with rice. Turns out alright but probably won’t make again.

7:00 PM - Hop on a zoom with some lady friends and then facetime my childhood nanny G. She’s the best and I miss her so much. Drink 2.5 glasses of wine

11:00 PM - An acquaintance posts that she has COVID. She’s a food service worker and posted her venmo and I send her $20. $20

DAY TWENTY-EIGHT TOTAL: $20

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 15-21

DAY FIFTEEN [JAN 15]

8:40 AM - Wake up feeling sore AF. I should’ve stretched after playing, but I obviously didn’t. I also feel like my stomach didn’t eat itself from the inside out while I was sleeping so that’s nice too. Make a chemex and get to work.

10:00 AM - eat plant yogurt.

11:00 AM - eat a few carrots and a clementine.

12:30 PM - make a greek salad for lunch with a La Croix - this is the last of the salad ingredients until Thursday essentially. Shed a singular tear.

3:00 PM - I am a tiny bit hungry. Eat a piece of rye toast.

4:14 PM - I wanted to start working out 45 minutes ago ugh. OK here we go. The hour goes by a lot faster than I expected which is nice. Rinse off and cook an early dinner – Reubens and potatoes.

8:00 PM - I wanted to drink alcohol but I’m too full from dinner to even enjoy it. Heat up chamomile tea instead. I want to work on my blog but K wants to hang instead and I’m in no position to deny the closeness. We play some Mario Kart, watch 30 for 30 about BC and the mob, and turn in early.

DAY FIFTEEN TOTAL: $0

DAY SIXTEEN

8:30 AM - Make chemex and eat a clementine. My sister (S) asked me and my brother (B) to listen to a 20 minute session on the app Mined about codependency. I take a stab at it and get some good notes. 

10:00 AM - Landscaper is going to show up any second so I move my car and pick up dog poop. Text with S more about my cousin’s virtual baby shower tomorrow and go in on some cute stuff from PBKids. Total is $64.05 and she venmos me $32. $32.05

11:15 AM - I actually have a lot of stuff I need to do this weekend though right now I’m too annoyed at my neighbor to focus. Long story short – he has been wanting our dead grapefruit tree for like 6 months and keeps asking if he can cut it down. I said sure. But then he asked our landscaper to do it for him? It’s weird. I mostly don’t care because it’s gone, but the nerve he had to insert himself is wild. $120

12:00 PM - Make Tofu tacos for breakfast and make a to-do list of stuff I want to accomplish today. (post cauliflower leek soup, put away records, barre throw away things my mom has forced me to take out of her house over the years, wipe doors)

6:00 PM - Eat 2 rice cakes. I only manage to get the cauliflower leek soup up, put away the records, and throw away the stuff mom gave me. I think today ended up being a little bit overwhelming emotionally with the landscaper plus the codependency session so I’m kind of burnt. 

7:00 PM - Make pad thai for dinner. Can’t stop snacking on Swedish fish. Drink an old fashioned while K and I watch Night Stalker. Realize part way through that the reason I keep eating Swedish Fish is because something feels off. I fall asleep around 11:30 knowing it’s my blood pressure and that if it doesn’t fix over night I’ll get right to it in the morning.

DAY SIXTEEN TOTAL: $152.35

DAY SEVENTEEN

8:00 AM - Wake up feeling like I’ve been hit by a bus. Ugh. I’ve been struggling with an iron deficiency for a while and have it mostly fixed but I still have occasional days where my blood pressure really gives me issues. 

9:00 AM - Peel myself out of bed and drink some soy sauce. Sounds disgusting but sodium is the only thing that truly helps AND it works fast. Drink a chemex and a boat load of water. Work on posting the cauliflower leek soup

10:00 AM - S calls and I take a walk to chat. I’m still feeling really down from the blood pressure but I know walking will help. It’s actually really nice to get outside. I should do this again later tonight.

11:00 AM - More soy sauce, more water, more coffee. Have a good direction for where I want to go today. Just taking it one task at a time based on how I feel and granting myself the grace.

12:30 PM - Feel good enough to start moving which is great because once I can get over the initial fog with this blood pressure stuff, moving is what keeps me feeling better. Wipe down the doors and then attend a virtual baby shower for my cousin E. 

3:00 PM - Make broccoli fried rice for lunch. I prefer the cauliflower but the store was out of it. I feel like this broccoli stuff would taste great with some kind of cilantro hummus situation but that’ll be for another day I suppose.

3:30 PM - Back to cleaning! The bathrooms are always terrible and today is no exception. It’s always hard to tell if I even make progress because everything is white and the grout is stained orange. Give up after an hour and a half.

6:30 PM - Tag team folding a couple loads of laundry with K while we watch NBA. This week ends bittersweet for my fantasy team. He beat me in one but I’m in first place in the other. Officially 3-1 and 4-0.

8:00 PM - Eat leftover pad thai for dinner.

DAY SEVENTEEN TOTAL: $0

DAY EIGHTEEN

8:30 AM - Wake up feeling like I was hit by a smartcar, so a little better! Today is MLK day and I’m grateful for the extra day off. Make a Chemex, drink some soy sauce, and watch an episode of The Challenge. Pure barre charge comes thru. $15

9:30 AM - Get started on dusting the entire house. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done this due to lack of Swiffer 360 dusters. It takes forever but honestly our house hasn’t looked this good in years. Swap out the lightbulbs in the bathrooms and the bedroom, shower, and eat a plant yogurt.

11:30 AM - Have a sibling zoom call with S&B I walk while we chat and it’s honestly really nice to get outside. 

1:30 PM - Start shooting my recipe for lasagna rollups. Eat a cup of cauliflower leek soup and a few pretzel rods while I cook. It takes a while but I think they turn out great.

4:00 PM - Eat a lasagna roll and watch an episode of The Challenge. I haven’t worked out in 400 years (read: yesterday and the day before.) and it’s low key killing me, so I suit up and do the thing.

6:00 PM - That was mildly painful. Low cal burn, couldn’t focus to save my life - new moves so lots of pausing during transitions. Oh well. At least I did it.

7:00 PM - Eat two more lasagna rolls for dinner. K and I watch Terrorism Close Calls and I drink a vodka + vanilla seltzer + orange peel.

DAY EIGHTEEN TOTAL: $15

DAY NINETEEN

8:30 AM - It’s appraisal day. Ugh. So excited to get this over with. Make a chemex and open my work stuff. I have a lot to do but have a feeling I won’t be able to concentrate very well until after the appraisal is over. On a nice note - I am feeling leaps and bounds better from yesterday and the day before. 

10:00 AM - Eat a plant yogurt and finish out the rest of my coffee. Meet with my teammates about an outstanding task and then do the random stuff around the house to prep for my appointment.

12:00 PM - Here goes nothing! K and I leave the house with KP and walk her around the block a few times until the appraisal is done. As much as I feel like my anxiety should be gone, it’s not. I think particularly because today is really busy with work. K and I hang out outside on our laptops for a bit to let the house air out before going back inside.

1:00 PM - Eat broccoli fried rice for lunch with a Polar seltzer. Snack on a pretzel rod and some Swedish Fish while it heats.

3:00 PM - Eat the last of the cauliflower leek soup and a few carrots.

5:30 PM - Make a nuun and do a barre live stream. My focus today is so much better but my cal burn is abysmal again. Rinse off and heat up lasagna rolls for dinner. Snack on Swedish Fish while they heat. I really wish I had wine right now because I can feel my body could use the extra help blood pressure-wise but I won’t get my alcohol delivery until Thursday. Sigh.

8:00 PM - Idk whats up but my body is asking for more food so I eat tortilla crumbs and salsa and some dark chocolate. Make vegan ham brine for seitan. Realize I’m out of liquid smoke and buy a 6 pack from Amazon. $15.37

9:30 PM - It’s official, this iron thing is killing me. Ugh. Now I know. I’ll be more conscientious of my supplements, I promise! Finish editing photos of Thousand Island Dressing, watch The Challenge and call it a day.

DAY NINETEEN TOTAL: $15.37

DAY TWENTY

8:30 AM - Still feeling off from iron. This is seriously the worst it’s been in MONTHS. Worst part - it takes 4 weeks for you to produce new blood cells so I can only assume this will happen again since there was a substantial gap in my supplementing.

9:00 AM - Make a chemex, prep the seitan ham dough and bake. I chat with Google support for an account I’m having problems with. The person’s name is Swastika. Feels like a bad omen for inauguration day. Eat 2 clementines and pretzel rod.

12:20 PM - Starving. Decide on Lasagna roll ups for lunch with a Polar. 

2:00 PM - Finish my work for the day. I have on my list of things to do that I want to test this orange spice bread for the blog.

3:00 PM - Spice bread in the oven. Do a round of dishes to prep for tonight’s grocery run. It doesn’t come out great and I eat two slices.

5:15 PM - Do a barre live stream and it goes really well. Super focused, super strong, super sweaty. One more class to go for the challenge this month! Rinse off and continue prepping the kitchen and do the final bake on the ham. 

7:05 PM - Ensue grocery madness. Incoming of onions, bananas, lemons, limes, bell peppers, cucumbers, cheese, cheeze, tortilla chips, tomatoes, dark chocolate, green beans, broccoli, jalapeños, low carb tortillas, bread, oranges, potatoes, cilantro, chickpeas, romaine, celery, clementines, spring mix, frozen burritos, apples, oat milk, tofu, soyrizo, brussels sprouts, eggs, grapes, frozen peas, vegan sour cream, taco seasoning, tomato paste, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, corn, black beans, avocados, mushrooms, snap peas, pineapple, vegan mayo, carrots, rice noodles, seltzer, beets, cauliflower, parsley, pumpkin seeds, thyme, plant yogurt, garlic, riced broccoli, white rice, gf pretzels, micro arugula, & black olives. $327.69

8:15 PM It takes over an hour, but everything is washed and put away! Make air fried broccoli with miso butter and veggie sandwiches for dinner. 

9:00 PM - Make a crappy drink with flavored vodka. The only thing I have in my house is shooters left over from my sister’s bachelorette party. She’s now divorced if that gives you any idea of how long this stuff has been sitting around. More alcohol comes tomorrow at least! Eat a few Swedish fish.

9:30 PM - Play Mario Kart, watch The Challenge, and call it a night.

DAY TWENTY TOTAL: $327.69

DAY TWENTY-ONE

8:30 AM - Chemex and work. Alcohol is coming sometime this AM from my friend J who has a wholesale hookup. Much like everything else in the pandemic, I just buy in bulk. It’s easier that way!

10:30 AM - Eat a slice of orange spice bread for breakfast. It’s definitely growing on me but I think I need to adjust a few things before shooting/posting. J drops off my booze order. I got 2 crates of wine (24 bottles total), a bottle of bourbon, rye, mezcal, rum, and st. germaine. She says it was $400 but I pay her more. $450

11:00 AM - Start prepping chile de arbol salsa & stuff for this week’s salad - spring mix, roasted tofu with taco seasoning, avo, chipotle ranch dressing, cilantro, green onion, black beans, tomatoes and corn. YUM. Eat salad with a La Croix. 

3:00 PM - I get the appraisal back! My house came in at $390k. (I bought it for $245k) OMG! Eat a celebratory slice of orange bread.

6:45 PM - Finish class 15/15 for the barre challenge. 11 more months to go. hah! Rinse off, roast potatoes for veggie sandwiches. Pour a celebratory glass of wine. 

8:30 PM - Pour another half glass. What a week! End up going on a walk with K & KP which was really nice. I need to get out more. This weekend I will. Stay tuned. ~*~*~

DAY TWENTY-ONE TOTAL: $450

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 8-14

DAY EIGHT [JAN 8]

9:00 AM - Wake up still feeling full from yesterday’s black bean burgers. Make a chemex and start working. I have a performance evaluation today and as well as an after-work happy hour so I want to try to get everything done before the review and then workout after before HH.

10:30 AM - Eat a banana

12:30 PM - Have a short break before my performance review. Make a Greek-ish salad and drink a Seltzer before my quarterly performance review which I am slightly nervous for since I was very slow in both November & December.

3:00 PM - Performance review went well. No criticism from my boss, though I should’ve known. She is the most direct supervisor I’ve ever had so I always know where I stand. Eat some grapes. I’m not super sore today but there’s something in me that’s saying to take a breather from exercising today (probably my “reward” for a good performance review), so I slowly finish my work for today.

4:00 PM - My best friend (let’s call her T) from high school calls and we catch up for 45 minutes. Pour a mezcal soda while we chat. I let her go attend Happy Hour and realize this after work HH thing isn’t happening. Today is David Bowie’s bday and I get sentimental about the annual David Bowie Nights I would do with H (I never gave him a name in my last diary, but we’ve remained pals over the years and he will probably come up more this time around). I FaceTime H kinda drunkenly and he goes to the corner store and joins me with a bottle of wine. I pour a second mezcal soda. We chat until 7:45 and I lowkey make dinner towards the end.

8:00 PM - K and I eat veggie sandwiches with potatoes for dinner. He slinks off to work more and I facetime another friend, J to chat about H’s latest drama. 

10:00 PM - Go out on the couch to find K already falling asleep. I’m kind of drunk anyways and there’s no point staying up so we decide to turn in.

DAY EIGHT TOTAL: $0

DAY NINE

2:00 AM - Wake up sweating. This is my new hangover thing and has been happening throughout quar. Drink some water, turn on the fan, and stay up for an extra 30 minutes until I pass out again.

9:15 AM - Wake up feeling ok! Make a chemex and watch the latest episode of Dessert Person on YouTube.

10:30 AM - Get started on blog stuff for the day. I have a stacked list of stuff I want to shoot this weekend. I’m only one ingredient spread in before I start to feel light-headed from last night’s alcohol, so I break to make breakfast – tofu/egg scramble tacos with soyrizo. I still feel a little weird after so I drink a nuun and things start to improve.

3:30 PM - I shoot thousand island dressing, Russian dressing, cauliflower leek soup, and the first half of seitan corned beef. Tomorrow I’ll finish that, and shoot rubens, italian dressing and a greek salad. I don’t usually shoot 7 recipes in one weekend, but I’m very much out of content. 

4:30 PM - Finish shooting for the day and eat a small bowl of cauliflower leek soup. 

6:00 PM - Working out on the weekends is always hard because of lack of routine / structure, but I suck it up and do a barre live stream. Shower and watch the last of the Suns game and import photos. 

7:45 PM - Make veggie sandwiches with miso butter green beans for dinner. This is the last of our veggie sandwiches which is sad. I love them so much! Spend the rest of the evening with K. We watch part of the 76ers game where they only had 7 players, a few episodes of Letterkenny, and then I read Remain in Love while he played RocketLeague.

DAY NINE TOTAL: $0

DAY TEN

8:45 AM - Doomscroll in bed for a bit and finally make myself a chemex. Put on an old episode of The Challenge. Buy a very belated birthday present for a friend - mamafuku seasoned salts. $34.95

10:30 AM - Pump myself up for shooting for the rest of the day. I have to finish the seitan, then shoot a greek dressing, a greek salad, and reuben sandwiches. None of these things should take too long but I also shot all day yesterday so I’m dragging ass. 

3:15 PM - Finially finish! I ended up also taking a decent break to chat with my sister on the phone part way through. I think everything looks alright though. 

4:00 PM - Import photos, eat a cup of cauliflower leek soup with a La Croix, watch an episode of The Challenge, try to hype myself up to exercise but by the time I am ready to play DDR, K says we’ll be zooming with his parents in just a short while.

5:30 PM - Drink the last of the wine in the house – a true bummer – on zoom with K’s parents. Cook dinner after – reubens with miso butter broccoli with more La Croix. We watch some Letterkenney and then K plays RocketLeague while I read some Remain in Love / zone out on fone. 

9:00 PM - K finishes playing and I assume the DDR position. My tracking has already improved quite a bit since Tuesday. I play most of the tracks on standard and close my Apple Watch rings after 30 minutes. Rinse off, put the Challenge back on and edit photos of Russian Dressing. 

DAY TEN TOTAL: $34.95

DAY ELEVEN

8:30 AM - Ugh Monday. I actually have a lot to do already today. Make a chemex and do the dishes leftover from yesterday’s cooking adventures. Pure barre charge comes through. $15

9:45 AM - I have a giant stack of packages and mail in the house from the past few weeks. Open up one of them and it contains a phone case I bought from a “tech company” that is probably just a fancy version of Wish. Slap it on my phone. I honestly can’t believe I went over a month without a case without cracking anything. I’m amazing.

10:00 AM - Missed a call on Friday afternoon from an appraiser scheduler, so I call them back to get something on the calendar for next week after MLK day so I have the 3-day weekend to clean. Eat yogurt for breakfast.

12:00 PM - Make a greek salad for lunch with a La Croix. It’s really good but not very filling. I have a feeling today is going to have a heavy snack vibe.

2:00 PM - Eat a handful of pretzels. 

3:00 PM - Eat 2 clementines

4:00 PM - Eat a handful of tortilla chips. Start thinking about dinner. Don’t want to do reubens and burritos sound really nice so I start the process of making chile de arbol salsa and instant pot refried beans.

5:30 PM - Do a Pure Barre livestream. My focus is a little better than Saturday, so I’ll take it!

7:00 PM - Make rice on the stove while I clear some dishes and make burritos for din. Spend the rest of the eve watching random YouTube videos with K. He falls asleep at some point on and I turn on The Challenge. 

11:00 PM - Gently wake K up and we head to bed. Put on the Suns game from earlier and cuddle up. By the end of the first quarter, I’m asleep.

DAY ELEVEN TOTAL $15

DAY TWELVE

8:30 AM - Wake up to find a couple of weird charge notifications. One is from Instacart for the exact amount of my last order – a duplicate charge. And the other is an auto-ship from Thrive market but it was supposed to charge my mom. I text her to let her know she owes me $20. I won’t include either of these charges since I’ll get reimbursed / refunded. The autoship also reminds me to look at the account and cancel my next one with Thrive.

9:00 AM - Get the stuff sorted out with Instacart. They’re going to email my sister (we share this account) the deets and she’ll forward to me. Make a chemex and make my way through the stack of paper mail before starting my workday. One of them is a confirmation of my credit score – 749. Sign a bunch of papers and put them in a giant envelope to send back to the loan company.

10:00 AM - Eat plant yogurt for breakfast and try to focus on the outstanding tasks I have this AM which is surprisingly kind of a lot.

11:45 AM - H texts me saying he forgot his wallet to buy lunch and asks me to place an order at Chipotle that he can pick up. Always happy to help! Place the order online and it’s $10.43. He PayPals me $10 for the damage. $0.43

12:45 PM - Make a greek salad for lunch with a La Croix. This salad has like 5 calories since the dressing is oil-free and leaves me wanting more. 

1:00 PM - Eat a handful of mini pretzels. 

3:00 PM - Heat up a small bowl of cauliflower lentil soup. Officially done snacking until din.

5:15 PM - Done with workie. Make a nuun and do barre live stream. The class recording this time is actually “easy” which is nice – my body must be adjusting to the new moves. Make leftover bean cheeze and rice burritos for din.

7:00 PM - K and I watch King of the Hill for a bit and then he plays RocketLeague while I read some Remain in Love and then work on a post for Russian dressing. Watch some of the Challenge in the background.

DAY TWELVE TOTAL: $0.43

DAY THIRTEEN

8:30 AM - Good morning to me! See a charge come in from Blueland for soap & dishwasher tablets. Kind of a bummer because I don’t need them at all right now. Move my next delivery date to November 1 and put a note on my calendar a week before to check my stock. Note that the Instacart charge is gone. Hooray! Make a chemex, do the dishes and spray down the counters. $25.19

9:30 AM - Not sure what it is about today, but my calendar is clear and I know tomorrow is going to suck with meetings, so I really take my time and ease into the day. I don’t feel super confident posting the Russian dressing all over the interweb and would rather stage it as a thousand island vs Russian dressing kind of thing, so I just decide to post on Insta, Pinterest, and one Reddit forum before deciding that’s good enough. 

10:00 AM - Eat a yogurt. These Oui ones are really too sweet for me, but I’m at the mercy of whatever is on sale because honestly yogurt is a giant rip off. I should learn how to make my own.

12:30 PM - Make another greek salad with La Croix for lunch. Fully prepared to snack again since this guy is just not very filling. 

1:20 PM - Eat a handful of mini pretzels

2:30 PM - Eat a cup of cauliflower leek soup. I’m actually caught up on work for once which is nice. Looking forward to knocking out barre before 7 PM - hah. We’re still a week out from needing groceries, but it takes a while to plan/prep. With the appraisal on Tuesday, I know it’s not going to be a fun weekend so I start thinking about what I want to make for the rest of the month.

3:30 PM - Find a bougie polenta recipe I want to give a go as well as shoot oil-free instant pot refried beans and nacho cheese with potatoes and carrots. And use all of that to make sheet pan nachos. Should be a fun weekend of shooting there. Eat grapes. 

4:30 PM - I can’t hang with how hungry I am. Eat tortilla chips and salsa. Do a barre live stream and do a peloton 10 minute low impact ride. 

8:00 PM - K isn’t hungry for dinner so I heat up a Philly burrito and eat it with more tortilla chips and Sweedish Fish for “dessert.” I watch some of The Challenge and then K and I play Mario Kart and watch Letterkenny before turning in.

DAY THIRTEEN TOTAL: $25.19

DAY FOURTEEN

8:30 AM - I hate 9 AM meetings. Get my shit together enough to make a chemex before I have to be on the call.

10:00 AM - I can’t handle how many snacks I keep eating throughout the day. Toast a bagel for breakfast with Earth Balance, everything but the bagel seasoning, nooch, and salt. Eat some Sweedish Fish while I wait for the bagel to toast.

12:30 PM - Make the same greek salad with a lemon La Croix. I eat quickly as I have to present at 1 so I eat quickly in prep for that.

2:50 PM - It’s over! It went well and got good compliments on my presentation skills by all parties. AND I’m not starving. A win for all! I realize half the lights in my bedroom & bathroom are out which is a bad scene for appraisal. Buy some replacements on Amazon. $27.98

3:10 PM - Start building the grocery order for next Wednesday. I realize I’m doing this really far in advance, but I’m worried I won’t have the gusto for it this weekend. 

4:30 PM - Heat up a small cup of cauliflower leek soup for a snack. Debate to myself about whether or not I want to do barre and for whatever reason an hour of it sounds boring. DDR sounds fun though so I go for that instead. Get a good cal burn and even AA Kind Lady on Heavy. It’s coming back baby!

6:00 PM - Rinse off and make dinner – we’re doing Reubens tonight with roasted potatoes. Really really delicious dang. 

8:30 PM - Drink a yellow chartreuse with Lagunitas Hop Water and play Mario Kart with K. Then edit photos of cauliflower lentil soup for my blog.

DAY FOURTEEN TOTAL: $27.98

[365-money-diary]

Days 1-7

DAY ONE [JAN 1 2021]

8:00 AM - I’m back! It’s been a few years since I’ve done this and I thought it would be cool to try again. There are a lot of differences with COVID in my life – I mostly don’t leave the house and we [K and I - same boyfriend] are waiting for the vaccine before integrating back. 

10:00 AM - Grab a handful of chex mix, make a chemex, and zone out on the couch for a bit. It’s been a really slow week all around, but good. I’ve gotten a lot of cleaning stuff done and I’m hoping to wrap up my to-do list this weekend.

11:45 AM - Clean the kitchen and shoot black bean burgers for my recipe blog. I started this sometime in 2018 but really picked things up in 2019 and even more so with being home in 2020. I have a goal to turn this into a lucrative side gig by the time I have kids which won’t be for a few more years. 

2:30 PM - Burgs turn out great and photograph well too. K and I eat them with a side of chips and salsa and a seltzer.

4:30 PM - K, KP (dog), and I take a 1-mile walk. I do a Pure Barre livestream after. I’m doing the platinum challenge this year (15 classes x 12 months), so my first class of 180 is done! Hah. Decide I want to buy some stickers for the chart I made to track my classes so I buy a pack on Amazon. $7.44

6:30 PM - Make cauliflower rice for dinner with tofu. Put Mamafuku crunchy chili sauce on it that friends gifted us for Christamas. 

10:30 - Get a nasty text from my mom about refinancing my house. I want to put K on the title, but it turns out I will get taxed a gift since we are not married (yet!). Kind of annoying, but K and I decide to just wait until that happens. Also my parents suck with anything non-traditional and it is becoming a huge problem in our relationship.

DAY ONE TOTAL: $7.44

DAY TWO

9:30 AM - Make a chemex. Feeling a little off from last night and the way my mom seems to think she can step all over me. Watch Youtube [Dessert Person] and start to edit photos from yesterday.

12:00 PM - Make soyrizo tofu (for me) / egg (for K) scramble tacos for brunch. 

1:00 PM - Can’t decide on which color background is better for these burgers and after polling my friends one of them suggests and A/B test. The nerd in me is so down and I build the campaign in Facebook. Open a seltzer. $10

3:30 PM - Ride the Peloton for 10 minutes (Trying to integrate this more into my workouts - I love it, but I love barre more!) and then do a barre stream. I email the studio about the new warmup since I seem to have hurt my lower back from yesterday’s workout. 

5:00 PM - K is tired of finding my hair literally everywhere so we decide it’s time to cut it - I haven’t had a cut since December 2019. He chops off a good 6-8 inches. It looks ok! 

6:30 PM - Heat up leftover lasagna rolls and air fry some green beans for dinner. Eat a piece of peppermint bark while everything heats.

9:30 AM - Make a chemex. Feeling a little off from last night and the way my mom seems to think she can step all over me. Watch Youtube [Dessert Person] and start to edit photos from yesterday.

12:00 PM - Make soyrizo tofu (for me) / egg (for K) scramble tacos for brunch. 

1:00 PM - Can’t decide on which color background is better for these burgers and after polling my friends one of them suggests and A/B test. The nerd in me is so down and I build the campaign in Facebook. Open a seltzer. $10

3:30 PM - Ride the Peloton for 10 minutes (Trying to integrate this more into my workouts - I love it, but I love barre more!) and then do a barre stream. I email the studio about the new warmup since I seem to have hurt my lower back from yesterday’s workout. 

5:00 PM - K is tired of finding my hair literally everywhere so we decide it’s time to cut it - I haven’t had a cut since December 2019. He chops off a good 6-8 inches. It looks ok! 

6:30 PM - Heat up leftover lasagna rolls and air fry some green beans for dinner. Eat a piece of peppermint bark while everything heats.

8:00 PM - Pour myself a glass of rosé and rummage for snacks - eat a small handful of chex mix and some gf pretzel sticks. 

9:00 PM - Looks like yellow is winning the A/B test by about 2%! I build out the rest of the assets for the post so it’s ready to go first thing tomorrow.

DAY TWO TOTAL: $10

DAY THREE

9:30 AM - Chemex and a handful of chex mix. Turn on Raptors / Pelicans game from yesterday. Wrap up my black bean burger post and get it up into the interspace.

1:00 PM - Wow that took 100 years. I’m really trying to amp up my posting signal, and what normally takes 30 minutes took an hour. Blah. Need to get away from screens.

2:00 PM - Eat leftover black bean burgs for lunch with chips & salsa with a Polar seltzer. Set chairs up in the backyard. NY Friend is in town and he and Q are stopping by. Q paid me back the last of the ~$2k he owed me sometime last summer. We’ve remained very close and I don’t feel like our friendship has been affected by this transaction in a negative way!

5:15 PM - NYF & Q head out. Jump on a zoom with K’s family for a bit and then hop over to another one with some of my girlfriends. Pour a glass of rosé. 

8:00 PM - Watch the last two minutes of the Suns game (they lost). Need to eat. Heat up a Big Sur Breakfast Burrito for dinner with tortilla chips and truffle hot sauce. Check analytics on black bean burg it’s doing REALLY well. Yay!

9:30 PM - Make brine for ham seitan and check my fantasy teams (I’m in two NBA leagues). Both are on track to win this week!

DAY THREE TOTAL: $0

DAY FOUR

7:00 AM - Pure Barre weekly charge. $15

8:30 AM - Cue that They Might Be Giants Song, I Don’t Want to Go to Work. Pull on a pair of fitted sweats with an Everlane tee. Make a chemex and seitan ham dough. Open my computer and discover that Slack is down. Do some misc reddit things before returning to emails.

9:30 AM - KP barfs on the carpet. Gross. K helps me clean it up. Wash hands and toss seitan ham in the oven.

10:00 AM - Eat siggi’s plant-based yogurt for breakfast. This is by far the best vegan yogurt out there. 10/10 - vanilla is the best.

11:45 AM - My seitan exploded. Damn. It’ll still taste good but I hate when that happens! Eat a piece of rye toast.

12:45 PM - Eat a leftover lasagna rollup for lunch along with the last of the chex mix. Open a Polar seltzer.

4:30 PM - Here’s the part where you stop reading already because of generational wealth - Dad calls and says there was enough money in the family trust this year for every grandchild to get $5k and that he transferred the money into my account. This was a total surprise - we thought last year was supposed to be it. Always eternally grateful for all of the gifts my grandparents have given me over the years and 2021 is no exception. Check my account and see my stimulus also hit today. What a day to be alive. 

5:30 PM - Do a Pure Barre live stream, take a birdbath, and get ready for the grocery order. We order Instacart every 2.5 weeks and it’s always a production to wash and put everything away. In this order, we get frozen burritos, tofu, tortilla chips, riced broccoli, real cheese, vegan cheese, frozen corn, plant-based yogurt, cloves, low carb tortillas, bread, onions, scallions, bell peppers sauerkraut, pickles, relish, vegan butter, sprouts, bananas, basil, green beans, vegetable bouillon, chickpeas, oranges, romaine, grapes, clementines, black beans, vegan mayo, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, thyme, rosemary, cauliflower, garlic, lemon, celery, cucumbers, limes, jalapenos, apples, horseradish, leeks, cilantro, marinara sauce, dark chocolate, frozen peas, olives, BBQ sauce, salsa, pepperoncinis, mustard, lasagna noodles, & lemon juice. $324.11

8:15 PM - Finish up seitan ham and roast potatoes to go with veggie sandwiches. We eat these at the start of every grocery run and they have Dave’s Killer Bread, Vegenaise, vegan cheese, seitan ham, cucumber, onions, red bell pepper, sprouts, romaine, and red wine vinegar. So delicious. Pour a rosé after dinner.

DAY FOUR TOTAL: $339.11

DAY FIVE

8:15 AM - Lay in bed thinking about the generosity of my grandparents. Decide to put $3k of the money into my investment account, $1k into HYSA, and put the last $1k off to the side for wardrobe improvements – I lost some weight last year and NONE of my clothes fit. I have 4 dresses that are work-appropriate and the rest - I gifted to friends and others in need. For the most part, I’m waiting until COVID winds down and I have to be in public again before buying much just in case my size changes again. 

9:00 AM - Chemex, banana and a clementine for breakfast. KP seems to be feeling better today. 

12:30 PM - Make K and I salads for lunch with romaine, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, chickpeas, red onion, and cashew ranch. Open a Polar seltzer.

2:00 PM - Yard guy texts me and says he never got December’s payment. He says it’s totally chill but it’s absolutely not because he did a crap ton of work on our side yard. Pay him plus an extra $20 immediately and schedule something for the weekend so he can get the rest of the leaves out front. $180

3:00 PM - Last night I found the DDR subreddit and honestly couldn’t be more happy. I LOVED the game and still have my gear from middle school. I drop in the shed to find my mat and dust it off to use for later. Also eat a handful of gf pretzels. Venmo my old coworker for a joint bday present for another old coworker. $25.30

4:00 PM - Work is finally slow so I change into my exercise clothes early and do pure barre livestream. I make it through the entire workout uninterrupted and try DDR for the first time in a hot minute.

5:45 PM - That was SO fun. I played for 30 minutes. Did mostly songs on standard but had way better stamina than other times I’ve tried to pick it back up again when I’ve been extremely out of shape and couldn’t really keep up + light songs are boring so this was just a treat.

7:30 PM - Make leftover bean, rice and cheeze burritos for dinner with chips and homemade chile de arbol salsa. Drink a glass of wine after.

DAY FIVE TOTAL: $205.30

DAY SIX

8:50 AM - I slept through my alarm? Or turned it off. Weird. My butt is so sore today from yesterday’s workout. Make a chemex. Eat a banana.

10:00 AM - Have a call with a mortgage loan officer and give him the official green light to proceed with refinancing my house. Interest rates are so good right now. Shortening my loan by 4 years and mortgage will only go up by $20! Give the guy my card number to pay for the appraisal and credit check. Goodbye stimulus. $658.66

12:30 PM - K turns on the news to watch the Trumpers protest. I make a salad for myself for lunch and toss one for him in the fridge. Attend virtual therapy. Got some good things to think about and am energized after. Therapist doesn’t take insurance so this is OOP. $90

2:15 PM - Tune into the news. What a giant cluster. I don’t have much to add to the conversation. I’m disgusted but not surprised. Eat 2 clementines and a handful of gf pretzels.

5:30 PM - Do a barre livestream. Start to catch myself feeling a little wonky halfway through and make a nuun. Perk up after 5 minutes and finish strong.

7:00 PM - Make veggie sandwiches for dinner with miso butter broccoli. Watch the news for a while, finish a book about abusive partners (I grew up with a lot of abuse and still deal with it from family members who suck), pour a glass of rosé and eat a couple chocolate squares and a few sweedish fish.

12:30 AM - Fall asleep on the couch. At some point I wake up and sleepily eat a few mini pretzels on my way to the bedroom.

DAY SIX TOTAL - $748.66

DAY SEVEN 

8:50 AM - Sleep in again but this time on purpose. Make a chemex and eat a banana and two clementines for breakfast. Make an effort to drink water too.

10:00 AM - My back has been feeling really bumpy lately and I think I need to get that layer of bacteria off since my regular cleanser isn’t cutting it. Buy a bar of zinc soap from Amazon. $14.04

1:30 PM - Eat K’s salad from yesterday so it doesn’t go bad with a Polar seltzer. 

4:00 PM - Work has been wild today. Lots of calls. Good progress, but not so much for a major report I have due soon. Hopefully I’ll be able to finalize it tomorrow so it’s off my desk. Eat some grapes. 

5:30 PM - Ride the Peloton for 10 minutes and do a barre live stream. 

7:00 PM - Rinse off, do the dishes, roast potatoes in the oven, make the last of the black bean burgers for dinner. Spend the rest of the evening working on the header and footer templates for this project, reading Remain in Love, and watching NBA.

DAY SEVEN TOTAL: $14.04

[365-money-diary]

365 Money Diary is an archive of one year’s spend of a 31-year-old living in Tempe, AZ with a $75K or so salary.

Industry: 

2018: Marketing  2021: Higher Education

Age: 

2018: 27 2021: 31

Location:

2018: Tempe, AZ 2021: Tempe, AZ (same house)

Salary: 

2018: $58,500 (plus freelance $750 - $1200 / month plus occasional DJ gigs $100 - $150 per gig) 2021: $71.5k + Rent from K ($500/mo) and ½ of utilities + Deejaying but that doesn’t happen with COVID. Prior to COVID I was making $300 - $700 every month.

Paycheck after taxes: 

2018 (2x month): $1918.00 2021 (every 2 weeks): $1847.72

Gender Identity

2018: Woman 2021: Woman

Monthly Expenses

Monthly Housing: 

2018: Mortgage is $1100. Boyfriend pays $400 (I make a little more than he does), so $700. 2021: Mortgage is still $1103.91 but will increase slightly because I’m going to refinance my house soon. K pays $500 now, so I’m around $600.

Monthly Loans: 

2018: $0 - Parents paid for college. I’ve never had a credit card. 2021: $72 for Peloton payment. Since the last time I did this diary, I also bought a car and paid it off completely. I still don’t have a credit card and I don’t think I’ll ever get one at this rate.

Utilities: $220 - $450 split in half for internet, water, trash, and electricity. Summer electric bills get pretty crazy when you live in the desert.

Car payment: 

2018: $0 - Car is paid off. 2021: $0 - Car is paid off but since 2018, I bought a new car and paid it off haha.

Phone bill: $0 - Parents pay for it. Update here that I have asked several times to take this over and they say nah.

Car Insurance:

2018: $90 2021: $97

Health Insurance: 

Was: $150 (0% is covered by my work. The plan I’m on is some catastrophic Christian sharing plan thing. I hope I never have to actually use it.) Current: $26.17 per paycheck. I have real insurance y’all! 

Netflix & Hulu: $20

Landscaper: 

2018: $100 2021: We found someone else to help with this and he comes whenever we call so I’ll report this in the daily log.

Gym:

2018: $10 2021: I split a Peloton subscription with K so ½ of $42.15 and then I also pay weekly for a Pure Barre live stream subscription. I’ll be reporting this in the daily log since it doesn’t quite line up with a monthly spend.

Prescriptions: 

2018: $30 2021: $0

Donations:

2018: $0 2021: $35 - I donate to an all-ages concert venue in Phonix, a Black farm, a local human rights org, and a local harm reduction program

Digital Storage:

2018: $0 2021: $3.23 for iCloud

Accounts

Acct #1 - Checking 2018: ~$16k 2021: ~$31k

Acct #2 - Investment 2018: ~$44k 2021: ~$60k

Acct #3 - HYSA 2018: $0 (didn’t exist yet) 2021: ~$8k