Weekend Money Diary #7: Brooklyn Birthday Celebrations
I love tracking my expenses in a spreadsheet, but as an avid reader of the money diaries at Refinery29 and The Luxe Strategist, I thought it’d be fun to share my weekend spending in the same storytelling format for my #WeekendMoneyDiary segment.
FRIDAY
I'm at a work conference today and because we're in NYC, our meals are not included. I'm annoyed by this because if I were at the office I wouldn't be spending $27 on two simple Caesar salads. I pay for my colleague's meal since she paid for Chipotle yesterday. - $27.71
I actually have fun plans for the night and as soon as I leave the conference and finish some last minute work-related errands. I bike over to Milkbar, it's my friend's birthday celebration tonight and Ari and I agreed to bring them some dessert. We thought about getting balloons but that didn't make sense for the night's plans. Plus, who doesn't love Milkbar's bday truffles? - $24
We rented an Airbnb for the night (which was $47.50 per person), but I'm a bit ahead of schedule so I head over to Ari's work in DUMBO to kill time before our friends arrive. At around 6:40pm we call the Lyft and make our way. I've never had a talkative driver, but this one is on a roll. I'm not even sure how the conversation started but we learn about his fiancée and their relationship problems. I can't really relate, but I'm happy to be a pair of ears for someone to vent. Ari pays. - $24.35
Dinner is at 8pm so I don't really have enough time to get ready when we arrive. I shower and do my makeup in under 30 minutes, which I guess is a long enough time. Taking the subway isn't really an option because of the lack of time so Ari calls a Lyft. We split the cost. - $7.47 (my half)
I love birthday celebrations because I get to see a lot of people I usually don't, like my college friends. I saw them a couple of weekends ago, but still. Of course, I sit next to my wine expert BFF and he doesn't have to try to hard to convince me to split a bottle. We decided on the cheapest one. Ari and I decide to order meals we can share, I go with the fettuccini al pesto and he orders red beet gnocchi with cheese sauce. Some appetizers are split amongst the table. When it comes time for the bill I'm surprised to see everyone jump up and offer to use their rewards cards, but alas the birthday girl uses her card. We divide the check by all of us. -$40
Time to hit the bars! We walk to The Woods and to my delight there is no cover. Oh, the glory of going out early! I order a frozen strawberry daiquiri because I've been craving a frozen drink all summer. Actually no, since 5 de Mayo, 2017. So I owe this to myself. I only intended to buy one drink but there's a $20 card minimum. This is how they get you! The music is a great mix of the 80s, 90s, and early 00s. We take the stage and dance for who knows how long. By the end of the night, we're in the backyard smoking and talking. It's 2:30am and they tell us to get inside. A fight breaks out and we leave shortly after. Ari calls and Lyft XL since we are taking two more friends with us to the Airbnb. Ari pays - $24.29
SATURDAY
I AM SO HUNGOVER. I didn't even drink that much but I did mix my alcohol. I immediately hit the shower. There's nothing I hate more than being hungover and dirty. We need to leave the Airbnb by 1pm, so we head out before then and walk to the subway. Ari and I just barely make the 2:15 bus.
We decide we need to eat as soon as we get home so we go to the pub down the street from my house. Not very vegetarian-friendly, but I need fatty foods so french fries and mac and cheese will do. My mom calls and asks us to pick up my sister and take her to her second job. We leave the pub and head over. - $12.00
I feel like absolute shit and am contemplating canceling the last minute plans my aunt and sister made. I lay on the couch for a bit thinking about what to do. I hate letting people down so these decisions are unusually hard for me. I decide to stay in Jersey, there's no way I can go to Pennsylvania and be in a good mood. I rest for a bit before Ari picks me up for the night.
Once we get to his place, we just sit and chill. I am still pretty functionless and I've pretty much given up on any plans to get work done. We decide to get to bed early and by 10:30pm, we are sound asleep.
SUNDAY
I wake up at 6:30am from allergies. My throat hurts and I can't seem to clear my nose. I finally manage to feel better enough to go back to sleep. Around 9:30am, I'm up for good. We decide on bagels for breakfast, I try to convince Ari to get them for us since I still don't feel 100%, but he's not buying so I go along. Everything bagel with cream cheese for me and an everything bagel with butter and raisin bagel with roasted nut cream cheese for Ari. He pays. -$7.96
We decide to do some work after breakfast. I don't really do much except mess around with my laptop. At around 3pm, I go home and start cleaning. I hate how dirty my basement and whole house gets from Charlotte's hair. My bedsheets are full of it. While I love my Char Char I do become extremely frustrated by the shedding. I'm in this cleaning mode so I decide today is the day I take all the things I don't need to Goodwill. Our car broke down so the only one available is my sister's. It's got its own set of problems but I decide to take the chance, only to change my mind 5 minutes later. I call Ari and ask him if I can borrow his car to go to Goodwill, he joins me for the ride.
After Goodwill, we head over to Whole Foods because I need some essential oils for this recipe I've been meaning to try. Oils are not cheap but I buy them anyway because I plan to make a lot of things with it. I also pick up almond milk and cracker and brie for mom to enjoy tonight. - $91.23
We pick up my sister from work on our way back. She owes me $60 so she gives me her work bonus, a $50 VISA gift card. I happily take it and use some of it for gas. I get home and start eating the brie, it tastes funky. We don't finish it and throw it out. I should've checked the dates but I TRUSTED YOU WHOLE FOODS! - $10.00
I make my homemade mouthwash and toothpaste while watching Explained on Netflix. Ari calls around 10:30pm to say goodnight and I decide Insecure is better than sleep right now, so I don't fall asleep till 12:30am.