Half the battle of being a teacher is learning how to NOT say everything that you want to a student. For example, when a student asks if he can turn on the air conditioner, it is very difficult not to respond with one of the following:
"Can you spell 'air conditioner'?"
"No, because I don't want you to spread your post-P.E. funk around the room."
"You can turn it on after you remove it from the window so I can jump out of it."
I used to relieve my stress/anxiety/hallucinations with a lunchtime venture to my dealer, AKA Starbucks, at a rate of $5 per fix. Needless to say that I was running a double-digit tab by Tuesday. So what is my new free fix? A yogi-led group "WOOSAH!" at the beginning of each of my classes. We close our eyes, inhale through our noses, exhale through our mouths, and then cycle through rounds of whispering/saying/screaming "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSAH!" until I feel my eye stop twitching. I know it's working because I haven't felt the itching in the back of my throat due to withdrawal. I also don't crash at 530 on the Parkway going 65 mph.
Try it out... Your pockets and your parietal lobe will thank you later.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Penny Pinching Panic
I try to start my day off positively because I truly believe that your attitude makes up your life. For years I let my depression, anxiety, and insecurities dig me deeper into holes I felt too weak and scared to crawl out of. It affected everything from my job performance to my relationships to my health, occasionally landing me in the hospital for severe panic attacks. My finances have been arguably my biggest Achilles heel and it's taken years of personal growth to learn, accept, and move on from my money mistakes of the past. It's a lot of work when you see the error of your ways. The work primarily comes from not being down on yourself so much about what you didn't do. I still fall into this trap every now and then, especially if I see an item of clothing I want to buy. I get mad at myself, much like I did this weekend, for wanting to add to my closet, since it's well-stocked already. Just this past Sunday I was in a tizzy about getting summer dresses since the ones I have all seem too juvenile for my approaching-thirty self. While standing in TJ Maxx with three dresses in tow, I felt my chest tightening and my eyes pulsating with pain as I struggled to suppress tears of disappointment. I felt ridiculous. I felt like screaming at myself. Almost five months had passed since I'd last made a purchase and here I was nearly passing out over three dresses that wouldn't even put me in the 3-digit dollar range.
But I could hear him echo in my ears, "It's your fault I can't live the life I want to." Biting words from a love who'd rapidly grown tired of hearing me say, "I can't. I need to save to pay down my credit cards" when suggesting anything more extravagant than a drive-thru meal. He'd look at my closet and complain, "If you hadn't spent your money on all of that then maybe we could do something together sometime instead of you saying that you can't afford to go out." It was entirely untrue, but at the same time not entirely untrue either. Spending $50 on going out to eat didn't make sense to me when I could make just as good of a meal for $10 and then have leftovers the next day. But I could see the sense of buying a sweater that I'd wear for 5 years and paying $25 for it. The only problem is, I'd rationalized that purchase about 100 times over in the 7 years before meeting my then-love. So his words cut me to the core whenever he'd make mention of my closet. I hadn't purchased much since the inauguration of our relationship, but it was something he couldn't understand and it was something he began to use against me during the disintegration of "us."
So imagine, just a few months after separating from the guy you thought was The One, having new and higher bills to pay because now it's just you paying your rent, groceries, and other typically-split expenses, and just taking the afternoon to see if there's anything new you can add to your downsized closet (since you realized upon moving after said-breakup that getting rid of some clothes wasn't a bad idea at all). You see three things you REALLY like and they actually don't resemble anything you already own, and then all you can hear is the nagging, nasally, needling voice of the person who is supposed to love you calling you irresponsible, ridiculous, sad, pointless, and superficial because you're even in a store that sells clothes. It's the last voice you want to hear when you've just wrapped up a week of working 10 extra hours so that you can build up your savings account and diminish even more of the debt that said-love ridiculed you for incurring in the first place. But that's all I could hear, and it was like it was coming from the intercom of the store. I almost cried. It was that painful of a memory.
But I thought back to the beginning of my day and how I said I was going to start it off positively...I never made the conscious decision to finish it positively too... not until that moment. I wasn't going to let my insecurities and my former flame completely stymy my spending. I've been so hard on myself these last four months, overanalyzing and underspending as much as I could without resorting to grading papers by candlelight. I've managed to save even more than I did when I was in my "cheaper" relationship and I feel a lot more relieved, responsible, and empowered. So why was I letting my past hinder me from enjoying something I have loved for years? Blame it on my mom going to design school and being the evolving fashionista for most of my formative years, but I LOVE fashion. Not just clothes, FASHION. And there's nothing wrong with that. I don't know why I felt like I needed to put this up on this blog, but I guess it's because I want other people to know that your day can start and end well, even if you panic halfway through. I made the conscious effort to start off right and in that moment it became clear to me how important it is to reassure yourself and build your own confidence constantly throughout the day, otherwise the universe will remind you of what you are trying to avoid most and you'll find yourself calculating the number of whole chickens you can buy for the price of one dress and how many meals you could make out of two whole chickens if you were to follow the Rachael Ray recipes you saved from a few months ago.
So I stood in the store, put my ish on layaway (because, really, I did want to take time to think about it when in a calmer state...sleep on it), bought the trenchcoat I originally picked up at the start of the shopping trip since my other one had become too stained and too small, and got in my car, went home, and made dinner. I called my mom and talked to her for two hours. She's better than any therapist. And she helped me end my day the way I wanted to: positively. It's okay sometimes to treat yourself to something, to cut yourself some slack, to not give 100%. Everyone needs a break.
I love Joyce Meyer and one of her book titles is one of my favorite sayings, something I ended my day with and continue to end my days with as I progress in this journey to manage my money:
"EAT THE COOKIE; BUY THE SHOES."
Cheers to an evening of a Redbox movie (hot hot hottie Ryan Gosling in "Crazy Stupid Love"), leftover Qdoba from lunch, a warm apartment, and a super comfy sofa to enjoy it all on.
*Celebrate the little things and prepare for bigger blessings*
But I could hear him echo in my ears, "It's your fault I can't live the life I want to." Biting words from a love who'd rapidly grown tired of hearing me say, "I can't. I need to save to pay down my credit cards" when suggesting anything more extravagant than a drive-thru meal. He'd look at my closet and complain, "If you hadn't spent your money on all of that then maybe we could do something together sometime instead of you saying that you can't afford to go out." It was entirely untrue, but at the same time not entirely untrue either. Spending $50 on going out to eat didn't make sense to me when I could make just as good of a meal for $10 and then have leftovers the next day. But I could see the sense of buying a sweater that I'd wear for 5 years and paying $25 for it. The only problem is, I'd rationalized that purchase about 100 times over in the 7 years before meeting my then-love. So his words cut me to the core whenever he'd make mention of my closet. I hadn't purchased much since the inauguration of our relationship, but it was something he couldn't understand and it was something he began to use against me during the disintegration of "us."
So imagine, just a few months after separating from the guy you thought was The One, having new and higher bills to pay because now it's just you paying your rent, groceries, and other typically-split expenses, and just taking the afternoon to see if there's anything new you can add to your downsized closet (since you realized upon moving after said-breakup that getting rid of some clothes wasn't a bad idea at all). You see three things you REALLY like and they actually don't resemble anything you already own, and then all you can hear is the nagging, nasally, needling voice of the person who is supposed to love you calling you irresponsible, ridiculous, sad, pointless, and superficial because you're even in a store that sells clothes. It's the last voice you want to hear when you've just wrapped up a week of working 10 extra hours so that you can build up your savings account and diminish even more of the debt that said-love ridiculed you for incurring in the first place. But that's all I could hear, and it was like it was coming from the intercom of the store. I almost cried. It was that painful of a memory.
But I thought back to the beginning of my day and how I said I was going to start it off positively...I never made the conscious decision to finish it positively too... not until that moment. I wasn't going to let my insecurities and my former flame completely stymy my spending. I've been so hard on myself these last four months, overanalyzing and underspending as much as I could without resorting to grading papers by candlelight. I've managed to save even more than I did when I was in my "cheaper" relationship and I feel a lot more relieved, responsible, and empowered. So why was I letting my past hinder me from enjoying something I have loved for years? Blame it on my mom going to design school and being the evolving fashionista for most of my formative years, but I LOVE fashion. Not just clothes, FASHION. And there's nothing wrong with that. I don't know why I felt like I needed to put this up on this blog, but I guess it's because I want other people to know that your day can start and end well, even if you panic halfway through. I made the conscious effort to start off right and in that moment it became clear to me how important it is to reassure yourself and build your own confidence constantly throughout the day, otherwise the universe will remind you of what you are trying to avoid most and you'll find yourself calculating the number of whole chickens you can buy for the price of one dress and how many meals you could make out of two whole chickens if you were to follow the Rachael Ray recipes you saved from a few months ago.
So I stood in the store, put my ish on layaway (because, really, I did want to take time to think about it when in a calmer state...sleep on it), bought the trenchcoat I originally picked up at the start of the shopping trip since my other one had become too stained and too small, and got in my car, went home, and made dinner. I called my mom and talked to her for two hours. She's better than any therapist. And she helped me end my day the way I wanted to: positively. It's okay sometimes to treat yourself to something, to cut yourself some slack, to not give 100%. Everyone needs a break.
I love Joyce Meyer and one of her book titles is one of my favorite sayings, something I ended my day with and continue to end my days with as I progress in this journey to manage my money:
"EAT THE COOKIE; BUY THE SHOES."
Cheers to an evening of a Redbox movie (hot hot hottie Ryan Gosling in "Crazy Stupid Love"), leftover Qdoba from lunch, a warm apartment, and a super comfy sofa to enjoy it all on.
*Celebrate the little things and prepare for bigger blessings*
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Chicken Cacca-poor-i
Occasionally I have the urge to indulge in the Suzy Homemaker corner of my soul and prepare something that at once seemed all too adventurous, overwhelming, or time-consuming and detailed for the ADHD zip code of my soul. Looking to stretch a buck and cram some more time for grading my middle schooler's papers, I went to Giant and purchased a 7-pound bird, actually two 7-pound birds. He was promptly named Chicken Little because he was the smaller of the buy-one-get-one-free Perdue Roasters. Yes, two chickens for the price of one. I also picked up three more BOGO deals: two bags of salad mix, two jars of curry (another time-saver), and one bag of onions with one bag of Russet potatoes. I was the Noah of the aisles, filling my ark with twins of kitchen staples.
First things first: I plan on eating this chicken until Friday and hopefully will be able to make reasonably sized batches so that I can take it to work as well. Cubed or pulled chicken is an easy toss-in to just about any grain-based dish so that I can get a much-needed daily dose of protein. My typical lunch is not too expensive -- a Healthy Choice microwave meal, a Marie Callender's steamer, or the occasional Beefaroni bowl or Cup-of-Noodles (the quintessential lazy food, specifically for those who would like to consume their entire salt intake in a single 12-ounce Styrofoam cup). I can spend anywhere from $2 - 5 on lunch on a given day, sometimes all five days per week. Again, not too shabby but not too healthy, either. And neither is that soda or bottle of iced tea that always seem to sneak its way onto the scanner of my self-checkout lane.
Here's a little pic of Chicken Little:
1 7.3-lb chicken: $6.93 (bought two chickens for $13.85 total to get the BOGO deal)
4 carrots: $.50
4 stalks of celery: $.60
4 medium yellow onions: $1.60
1 garlic bulb (broken and popped out all of the cloves): $.30
Extra virgin olive oil (already in the pantry)
Salt (pantry)
4-color peppercorns (pantry)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
1 lemon
Total: $9.93
Just 5 cooking steps:
1. Set the oven to 475 F degrees. Rinse the chicken and remove the innards (most will come in a bag already stuffed inside of the cavity of the chicken).
2. Coarsely chop the vegetables, without peeling the onions or carrots. Set in the bottom of a roasting pan. Set the chicken on top of the vegetables.
3. Pretty up the chicken: sprinkle the outside of the chicken with the herbs, salt, and pepper. Prick the lemon with a fork a few times and stick inside of the chicken along with the 2 bay leaves. Sprinkle any remaining herbs and a little more salt and pepper inside of the chicken.
4. Put the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes per pound (2 hours and 20 minutes, though I pulled it out when there were 5 minutes left because it was done). Now, many chickens also have a white plastic tab that pops out when the chicken is done. If your chicken does not have that, then it doesn't hurt to invest a couple of bucks in a meat thermometer. When you put it in the thigh it should read about 165 degrees Fahrenheit. No thermometer and nervous about under- or overcooking your bird? My mom taught me to stick a knife in the thigh right where it pushes against the rest of the chicken and if the juices run clear and there's no red near the bone, then you're good to go.
5. Once you put the chicken in the oven, immediately turn the oven down to 400 F degrees. Cook it for the appropriate amount of time, basting it occasionally (I check mine once every half hour). I use extra virgin olive oil to keep the bird and veggies moist. When it's done cooking, pull it out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before you carve, serve, and enjoy!
My first night with Chicken Little:
In case you're wondering, I did not eat the veggies (not that night at least!). They're being saved for my homemade chicken noodle soup, which, sadly is still acceptable in DC's chilly start to spring. That will most likely be tonight since it's already down to 49 degrees in the District. I'll have to curl up with a bowl, blanket, and the next episode of "Bones" in my Netflix queue!
Always hungry,
Kristen
First things first: I plan on eating this chicken until Friday and hopefully will be able to make reasonably sized batches so that I can take it to work as well. Cubed or pulled chicken is an easy toss-in to just about any grain-based dish so that I can get a much-needed daily dose of protein. My typical lunch is not too expensive -- a Healthy Choice microwave meal, a Marie Callender's steamer, or the occasional Beefaroni bowl or Cup-of-Noodles (the quintessential lazy food, specifically for those who would like to consume their entire salt intake in a single 12-ounce Styrofoam cup). I can spend anywhere from $2 - 5 on lunch on a given day, sometimes all five days per week. Again, not too shabby but not too healthy, either. And neither is that soda or bottle of iced tea that always seem to sneak its way onto the scanner of my self-checkout lane.
Here's a little pic of Chicken Little:
Yes, his hind-ness is in the air but cooking backside up is supposed to produce juicier, more tender breasts (I feel like SVU Detectives Benson and Stabler should be bursting down my door just for writing that). Yes, his bosom was supple and should provide enough meat for several incarnations of sauce and rice.
What I did:
Here's the total:
1 7.3-lb chicken: $6.93 (bought two chickens for $13.85 total to get the BOGO deal)
4 carrots: $.50
4 stalks of celery: $.60
4 medium yellow onions: $1.60
1 garlic bulb (broken and popped out all of the cloves): $.30
Extra virgin olive oil (already in the pantry)
Salt (pantry)
4-color peppercorns (pantry)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
1 lemon
Total: $9.93
Just 5 cooking steps:
1. Set the oven to 475 F degrees. Rinse the chicken and remove the innards (most will come in a bag already stuffed inside of the cavity of the chicken).
2. Coarsely chop the vegetables, without peeling the onions or carrots. Set in the bottom of a roasting pan. Set the chicken on top of the vegetables.
3. Pretty up the chicken: sprinkle the outside of the chicken with the herbs, salt, and pepper. Prick the lemon with a fork a few times and stick inside of the chicken along with the 2 bay leaves. Sprinkle any remaining herbs and a little more salt and pepper inside of the chicken.
4. Put the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes per pound (2 hours and 20 minutes, though I pulled it out when there were 5 minutes left because it was done). Now, many chickens also have a white plastic tab that pops out when the chicken is done. If your chicken does not have that, then it doesn't hurt to invest a couple of bucks in a meat thermometer. When you put it in the thigh it should read about 165 degrees Fahrenheit. No thermometer and nervous about under- or overcooking your bird? My mom taught me to stick a knife in the thigh right where it pushes against the rest of the chicken and if the juices run clear and there's no red near the bone, then you're good to go.
5. Once you put the chicken in the oven, immediately turn the oven down to 400 F degrees. Cook it for the appropriate amount of time, basting it occasionally (I check mine once every half hour). I use extra virgin olive oil to keep the bird and veggies moist. When it's done cooking, pull it out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before you carve, serve, and enjoy!
My first night with Chicken Little:
I complemented him with some herbed stuffing, mixed greens salad with carrots and a Greek vinaigrette, and a full glass of riesling. The meat was moist and flavorful, with lemony undertones contrasted with the spiciness of the peppercorns (freshly ground in my pepper mill!). So yummy it knocked me out and I ended up awaking a little later than usual :)
In case you're wondering, I did not eat the veggies (not that night at least!). They're being saved for my homemade chicken noodle soup, which, sadly is still acceptable in DC's chilly start to spring. That will most likely be tonight since it's already down to 49 degrees in the District. I'll have to curl up with a bowl, blanket, and the next episode of "Bones" in my Netflix queue!
Always hungry,
Kristen
Sunday, March 25, 2012
What it is...
I've tried to start blogs in the past, much to no avail, but hopefully this time is different. I no longer have television (or at least anything beyond the network channels my soon-to-arrive digital antenna will provide) so I have a lot more USEFUL time on my hands, thus the inception of this blog. I aim to save money in all arenas of my life, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. It started out with the decision to move into my own apartment instead of getting a roommate, but has quickly evolved into an experiment of "How much do I really need?," "How much should I pay?," "How much can I save?," and, my favorite, "How much can I DO with what I HAVE?" There are so many opportunities out there to save money instead of spend it, and I want to (reasonably) find as much as I can.
Warning: This is not a crazy coupon or frugal finds blog where I have a super strict budget or have a goal of "screwing The Man." This is just a little journey that I'm chronicling in an effort to be more economical but not be boring!
Warning: This is not a crazy coupon or frugal finds blog where I have a super strict budget or have a goal of "screwing The Man." This is just a little journey that I'm chronicling in an effort to be more economical but not be boring!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)