Merry Chrismukkah - Holiday Expenses
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 tried to challenge myself to a no-eating-out month for August, but when my colleagues asked if I wanted to go to a three-course Thai lunch for $9.99, I couldn't say no. I bang out the rest of my projects for the day and leave work around 5pm. Ari and I have actual plans tonight with friends! I wasn't too thrilled to have to spend money but it's the suburbs and we don't feel like hanging at someone's house.
Ari picks me up from the bus stop and we head to my place. We sit and chat for a bit before I head into the shower and get dressed for tonight. Our dinner reservation is at 8:20pm so we have plenty of time before we have to leave so I put on Refinery29's Sweet Digs to show Ari how ridiculous NYC real estate is in attempts to persuade him to consider Jersey City as an option for our future apartment together. I am unsuccessful in my attempt.
At dinner, I order an eggplant parmesan and I should've remembered how big it was last time. I thought I was hungry but I can't even finish half! I use my card to pay because I need to spend 3k in the next three months to receive the Capital One Venture Card points. Everyone Venmos me except for my friend who purchased our movie tickets, I pay her back by paying for her meal. - $23.59
I wasn't too thrilled to watch Bo Burnham's Eighth Grade, not because I didn't think it wouldn't be good but because I don't appreciate that he's telling the story of a middle-school girl. What does he know about a thirteen-year-old girl? It's also very important for me to vote with my dollars and I want to use it to support directors of color, especially in the film industry where we are significantly underrepresented. I don't like to see more than one movie a month but will now make sure I see Sorry to Bother You before it's no longer in theaters, even if it comes with a far drive.
The film was surprisingly really funny, awkward and relatable. Even as a 24-year-old woman I related to the character in that I feel somewhat out of place in certain environments and have to mentally prepare for big social situations like networking happy hours! Oh god. I'm still so very awkward.
It's about 12:30am when I get home, I'm not too tired so I lay in bed scrolling through Instagram. Technology, what are you doing to my brain? I fall asleep around 2am.
SATURDAY
It's 7am and Charlotte won't stop crying. I take her out and being the picky dog that she is she doesn't do anything because of the rain. I'm annoyed but can't go back to bed so I watch some of Bo Burnham's YouTube videos and the beginning of his Netflix show per my friend's recommendation. In the Netflix special, he acknowledges his privilege as a straight white man and I appreciate him for that.
I decide to start working on my blog since I'll be watching my nephew all afternoon and will not have time to do it later. So in a way, I'm happy Charlotte woke me up.
At around 11:30am my wonderful nephew arrives, he's asleep so I keep working on the blog. When he finally wakes up I decide to walk to the library to scan some pages from The Simple Path to Wealth and return it since I'm five days overdue. I couldn't renew it because SEVEN people were waiting for it! Which is great, but I needed extra time — so sorry for everyone waiting. It's a hot day and our walk is about 40 minutes, but my nephew falls asleep and I get my workout so it's a win-win. - $0.60
We're back at my house around 3pm, which is perfect because his grandfather will be picking him up in an hour. I wash him so he's clean when I send him off. Ari comes over while we I'm doing this.
After the nephew leaves I have time to shower and get ready for dinner with Ari's family to celebrate his job offer. We head over to his house around 5:15pm to pick up his mother and grandmother.At the restaurant, I order vegetarian tacos and they are delicious. I'm a pescatarian, but I've been trying to reduce my fish consumption over the past few weeks and I've been pretty successful. Ari and I share an apple cobbler for dessert. I am FULL.
We leave and head over to Ari's. I want to watch something, but Ari just wants to lay in bed. I will never understand why he doesn't find it relaxing to lay in bed and watch Netflix, but apparently, that's too much work for him so naturally, I fall right asleep.
Ari drops me off at 11:30pm because I'm exhausted and just want to sleep. I knock out before 12am.
SUNDAY
8am and I'm surprised that I've slept so late. Yes, 8am is early for most people but I've been waking up around 6:30/7am lately. It's a jogging day. I get dressed and head out the door with Charlotte. Now that I have a Fitbit band I can track my miles! We did 4.35 miles in 56 minutes. Something is something, right?
My dad is making omelets when I get home and I make us a green smoothie with peanut butter and banana. He doesn't enjoy drinking it, but I force him to because it's healthy and he needs it. My sister calls and says she wants to hang out with us. I hit the shower and get ready for whatever we decide to do.
I've been stalling on making these protein balls, I don't know why because this only takes about 10 minutes. These will be a good mid-day snack during the workweek and since I haven't meal-prepped today, I need to feel like I've been productive.
They (sister & co.) finally arrive at 12:30pm. We chat for a while before someone announces they're starving. We head to this Japanese food market, where I order a vegetarian udon in fish stock - this was the only veggie option I could find, but I'm happy about it. - $19.15
Dad suggests we stop by an empanada shop, in my Abuelita's old place, for dessert. I never say no to guava y queso empanadas and I haven't had time to make them at home in a while. Plus, I don't know how I would make them without using plastic.
We're home at 5:45pm and Ari calls, I haven't spoken to him all day so I'm delighted to hear him immediately ask if he can come over. UH DUH! The answer is always yes. Actually, that's not true, I do require a lot of alone time.
I'm scrolling through Instagram and finally decide to ask my followers for salon recommendations. I've been dying to cut my hair short, above my shoulders, for a while. Ari says I'll never do it, but he's never seen how spontaneous I was with my hair. I book an appointment for Saturday. Now it's a done deal. - $60
Ari hasn't had dinner so he orders a burger from the local diner, we pick it and bring it back for him to eat at my house. He's watching The Wire and I work on my blog before I go to bed.