Recurring Series

Currently | January 2022

Loving… our January weather. This is the time of year that makes living through the humid, hot summer months worth it. Our weather has been phenomenal. My A/C has been turned off for most of the month, I’m finally getting to wear some warm winter clothes, and I can wear jeans in the middle of the day without dying. It’s been amazing! Most days, we’re somewhere in the 60s or low 70s and most nights, we get down into the 40s or 50s. I am just really hoping this cooler weather stays around in February!

Loathing… anxiety spirals. It’s been a really tough month for my mental health. Things started off really rocky but have started to improve as the month has progressed. I am so grateful for that. Having an anxiety disorder can be so tough—what’s scarier than your mind working against you?—but I worked through the anxiety spirals, got back into therapy, and am hopefully on my way back to mental health stability.

Watching… Only Murders in the Building, which got off to a slow start for me, but quickly got so intriguing that I watched the last 4 episodes in one sitting. (I rarely do this!) It was an excellent show (aside from some upsetting animal content) and I’m excited for season two.

In January, I also watched season two of Younger and kept marching through my rewatch of Brooklyn 99. The Amazing Race came back, which I was so excited about! This season happened in the midst of Covid; the players were able to do two legs before production had to shut down. Thankfully, though, after a 19-month break, they were able to resume production! Not all the teams were able to return (including my favorite team, wah), but I’m so glad the players had the chance to resume the race. And, finally, I’ve been watching this season of The Bachelor, but it’s so borrrring. I’m only watching so I can listen to Knox and Jamie’s recaps afterward.

Listening to… The Dropout. I originally listened to this podcast back in 2019 or 2020, which covered Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. I’ve been loosely following the trial but didn’t know that The Dropout was covering it until way later in the trial. I decided to wait until the trial had concluded and the verdict read to dive back in. It’s a lot less stressful and aggravating to listen to all the ways Elizabeth Holmes defrauded and hurt people when I know she was found guilty! The Dropout does an amazing job covering the trial and bringing in experts to discuss the way these kinds of trials go, and I’m slowly working my way through the episodes.

Grateful for… staying healthy this month. It really seems that Covid is coming for all of us. In 2020, I didn’t know anyone close to me who had gotten it. In 2021, I started hearing about cases of those close to me and near the end of the year (specifically with Omicron), it seemed like everyone was getting it. I’m honestly super surprised that I haven’t gotten Covid and I don’t really think it’s anything I’ve done right (because you can do everything right and still get it!) I think I’ve just gotten really lucky.

Anticipating… kicking off a fun creative project with my bestie, Bri. We met last month to start brainstorming what we want this project to look like and what we needed to get started, and I left feeling so inspired and excited. And also a little scared—which I’m seeing as a good thing. It’s good when things feel a little scary! Trying something new, wondering if it will be a complete failure, being unsure if you have what it takes to take a concept and make it come to fruition… man, that’s where the magic happens, isn’t it? I’m excited to give this a try and see what happens! It could flop or it could be a success or it could fall somewhere in the middle, and I’m excited to put in the work and see where it goes.

Thinking about… how to lower my triglycerides levels. I talked about this on Friday so I won’t belabor the point, but my numbers are way beyond the normal range. I think the three big things I can do to lower my triglycerides are to eat less sugar, exercise more, and eat fewer carbs. I’m going to focus on the first two more than the carbs goal, at least right now. I am already working on lowering my sugar intake (starting with soda!) and I think I’m going to bring back my daily step goal, which will entail going for more walks. More to come in my February goals post!

Wishing… for a sit/stand desk. I’ve long wanted a sit/stand desk, but I always thought they were super-duper expensive. I found a couple options on Wayfair for under $400, and now I reallllly want one. They have programmable settings so you can just push a button when you want to raise or lower the desk, and they get great reviews. While I want to prioritize other home purchases this year (like a new mattress!), I am definitely adding a sit/stand desk to my list of things to save for.

Buying… not too much this month, thanks to my spending freeze. (Oh boy, am I glad it is over tomorrow!) I have spent a lot of money adding to my household supplies and toiletries, but I think I’ve talked enough about that lately. One purchase I bought this month (which I bought with a gift card, so I didn’t cheat!) was a pair of canvas hangers. I received a huge canvas world map for Christmas and wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to hang it up, but during a search of how to hang a canvas painting, I came across a video of CanvasHangers. You simply hammer this little contraption into the corners of the canvas (the nails are super tiny); each contraption has a sharp pin that you push right into the wall. I was pretty convinced the hangers weren’t going to hold my canvas, but I was delighted that it worked! Much easier than hammering nails into the wall and trying to get the canvas to hang straight.

Feeling… excited about the changes February will bring. I am going to officially step into my role as content team manager, which means, for the first time in 8+ years, I won’t have monthly content to worry about! I’m looking forward to having one-on-one meetings with the people who will be on my team and learning about the best ways to support them on a day-to-day basis and in terms of career growth. It’s going to be a new challenge for me, but I’m so ready for it.

What are you currently watching and anticipating?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 77)

1) Bloodwork Results

Last Friday, I got bloodwork done. (As expected, they had to bring in their “expert” phlebotomist because I have really deep veins.) I got my results on Wednesday and I was relieved to see that my glucose and A1C levels are normal. I definitely want to improve my numbers (my glucose has remained steady on the high end of normal for two years now), but I’m glad I don’t need to be too concerned about prediabetes. What was super concerning, though, were my triglycerides which were astonishingly high. Triglycerides are part of the cholesterol panel that determines one’s risk for heart disease. While my total cholesterol was normal, my triglycerides were not. Thankfully, all of my other cholesterol numbers improved, even if some of them still aren’t in the normal range (HDL and non-HDL, but they are just a few points away from normal). Anyway, I’ve been doing a lot of research about lowering one’s triglycerides levels and I’m trying to come up with a plan where I can work towards healthier cholesterol without putting myself on a strict diet. I know I will need to continue limiting sugar as well as red meat and carbs, and I want to make sure I’m doing so in a way that aligns with my values and isn’t seen as a punishment. Lots more to come on this!

2) Eczema

I am pleased to report that my eczema/dermatitis (whatever this thing is) seems to be improving. I’ve been applying hydrocortisone cream twice a day and I’ve started to notice a real difference in the way my skin looks and feels. Hooray! I’ll keep applying the cream until the flare-up is gone, but I’m hoping I can restart my skincare routine sometime in February. I’ve really missed doing my skincare routine and I’m excited to get back to it.

3) My Backup Supplies Shelf

Look at my new backup supplies shelf in my hall closet! I am so proud of this little area of my home. I was running low on a lot of my supplies—conditioner, mouthwash, tampons, eyeglass wipes, laundry detergent, and the special sensitive laundry detergent I use when I wash my bras—and it was quite scary to see how much money I was going to spend to double-up on everything I needed. And then Target was running a sale—if I bought 3 boxes of tampons, I could get a $5 coupon; and if I bought 4 bottles of shampoo/conditioner, I could get a $5 coupon. Normally, I would say “no way!” Three boxes of tampons?? What am I, the queen of England?! But I took a deep breath and added 3 boxes of tampons, 2 bottles of conditioner, and 2 bottles of shampoo to my cart and pushed the purchase button. It was scary, but I did it! I’m proud of myself and I feel a lot of joy in looking at my shelf filled with supplies. Lisa commented on my post last week where I talked about the under-buyer/over-buyer conundrum, and said she sees herself as a “just-right buyer” and I think that’s what I’m aiming for. I’ve been an under-buyer because spending a lot of money at one time scares me, and my goal is to become a just-right buyer who has backups of her normal supplies and toiletries, but I’m not, like, stockpiling for the end of the world out of panic.

4) Niagara Falls

My mom and I have started planning our 2022 trip! We thought about taking a cruise, but neither of us is totally comfortable going that route just yet. Maybe in 2023? Instead, I did some research and presented her with three options: Arizona to visit Sedona and the Grand Canyon, Canada to visit Niagara Falls, or an all-inclusive resort in Costa Rica. I was so pleased when my mom picked Niagara Falls! Of course, it all depends on the COVID situation, but we’re not planning on going until the summer so we should be okay. (Hopefully.) My plan is for us to fly into Buffalo, rent a car and drive over to the Canada side of the Falls, spend a few days in Canada exploring the Falls (and possibly a day trip to Toronto?), and then driving back over to Buffalo to explore the Falls from the U.S. side. I’ve always wanted to visit Niagara Falls, and I’m excited to tick a new state (New York) and a new country (Canada) off my list, too! Seasoned travelers, please let me know if my loose itinerary sounds ridiculous. 🙂

5) Weekend Plans

I don’t have a lot going on this weekend, which I’m taking to be a good thing. This afternoon, I’m meeting up with my mom so that we can take the dogs to go get their paw prints done. One of the artist studios near us is offering this fun event where pets can come into the studio, get a clay impression of their paws, and then the studio will make a custom painting incorporating their paw prints. Isn’t that such a great idea? I can’t wait to see what they do for Chip and Lucy! (And no, I’m not taking my girls because I think it would be way too traumatizing for them, haha.)

Saturday, I have no plans other than getting caught up on blog stuff and work stuff. And then, on Sunday, it’s the AFC/NFC championship games! I am so excited! While my team didn’t even make the playoffs, both my brother’s favorite team (the 49ers) and my nephew’s favorite team (the Chiefs) are playing. A few years ago, the 49ers and the Chiefs were in the Super Bowl, and that got very contentious, so while I want both of their teams to make it back to the Super Bowl, I don’t know if I want another tense game like that! So we’ll see how it goes.

Have you ever been to Niagara Falls? What are your weekend plans?

Categories: Recurring Series

Snapshot of my Day | January 25, 2022

Happy Wednesday, friends. I think we’re overdue for a quick Snapshot of My Day post, don’t you? This post idea was conceived by Torrie and I included a new addition this time around, inspired by NGS.

Here’s how Tuesday looked in my world.

Time I woke up: 6:20 a.m. My alarm went off right at 6am, but I snoozed it twice so I could snuggle Ellie, who was sitting on my belly.

First thing I did upon waking: I got dressed for a workout and then tried streaming a spin workout on my laptop (my spin bike is near my bed, so I usually prop my laptop on my bed and stream a Peloton workout from there), but I couldn’t get the Peloton website to work this morning. I contemplated going for a long walk instead, but my weather app told me it was lightly raining and that just didn’t seem fun. I also contemplated skipping my workout but I was already up and dressed, and that felt like a waste of an early alarm. In the end, I opted to stream a spin workout through my Peloton app on my phone. It’s not ideal since I can’t keep track of my cadence (I use an app on my phone to track my cadence during workouts), but I’m proud of myself for still getting in my workout when everything was against me! ALSO, I GUESS THIS MEANS I JUST NEED TO BUY A REAL PELOTON BIKE, RIGHT???

Today’s weather: Rainy and cold! The high is 57F and with the gloomy weather, it feels extra chilly for this Florida girl.

An out-of-the-ordinary thing that happened today: I had dinner plans today with my mom, my cousin, and my cousin’s daughter Mia, and I arrived a full 30 minutes early. We were eating at a restaurant in a big shopping plaza with a Target, so I meandered around there for 25 minutes, where I could do nothing more than window shop since I’m on a spending freeze for January. It wasn’t nearly as hard as I imagined to just look around and leave without buying anything.

Last thing I read (not on the Internet): The Banker’s Wife by Cristina Alger.

Last thing I read (on the Internet): I believe it was Nicole’s latest blog post!

Last text I sent: “Nice! Twinning!” which I sent to my mom.

Last text I received: A picture from my mom of her try at today’s Wordle puzzle—we both got it in four tries. I’ve gotten both of us hooked on Wordle after resisting the temptation for weeks.

Last website I visited: I think it was the workflow system my company uses to keep track of content projects. Fun, I know.

Last show I watched: Only Murders in the Building (<– which should come with a “dead cat” warning, FYI.)

Last thing I said: “Hi, my love. How are you?” which I said to Lila when she jumped up next to me.

Last thing I ate: A pizookie! (A pizookie is a cookie cooked in a deep dish pizza tin. It comes out hot and gooey and yummy.)

What I was doing an hour ago: Finishing up dinner with my mom, my cousin, and Mia! Mia sat super close to me throughout the meal, which was adorable. I love the way she loves me!

What I will be doing an hour from now: Hopefully, I will be snuggled up in bed with my book! I still need to run through my nighttime routine (clean the litter boxes, tidy the apartment, and brush my teeth), but that shouldn’t take too long.

Current whereabouts of other members of my household: Lila is eating a late dinner and Eloise is hiding in her tunnel. (I think she’s waiting for Lila to walk by so she can pounce on her!)

One thing I crossed off my to-do list today: I finished up one of my clients’ January content and sent it off to be proofed. That was a relief to cross off my list!

What’s the first thing you did when you woke up this morning?

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 76)

Happy Friday, friends! I want to take a moment to say a great, big thank you to those who left comments on my last post. My anxiety has started to feel a bit more stable in the past week—closer to that “6” number on my scale—and it feels good to feel good. I really appreciate everyone who read that post and reached out with supportive comments, even if you’ve never dealt with the kind of anxiety I experience. It’s not easy to write about my anxiety episodes, but the only way we will destigmatize mental illness is by talking about it and bringing other people into our world, and thank you for giving me the space to do that.

Now, onto some much lighter topics for today’s Five for Friday post!

1) Dermatitis vs eczema

So, I’m still dealing with my annoying facial rash. When I saw a doctor about this rash in November, she wasn’t sure if it was a case of dermatitis or eczema, but since it wasn’t itchy, she figured it was dermatitis and prescribed me steroid cream (which was, shockingly, $100 for a small tube). The rash seemed to go away after about a week of using the cream but it came back around the end of December. Ughhh. A part of me wonders if I’m allergic to something in my skincare routine, so I haven’t done anything skincare-related for many weeks. I also bought a bottle of hydrocortisone cream that’s formulated for eczema and dermatitis flare-ups, and while I haven’t been the best at applying it regularly (I only remember when my rash itches, which isn’t all the time), it did clear up part of the rash. Progress! I need to get better at applying it at least three times a day to see if it takes care of the rest of my rash. And then I’ll slowly restart my skincare routine, one item at a time, just to see if it was something I was using that caused the flare-up.

2) Lunchtime reading

I started a new habit this year: eating breakfast and lunch at my dining room table and reading my book! Previously, I would usually eat breakfast at my dining room table but play a game on my phone. And for lunch, I would always eat at my desk while scrolling through Reddit forums. I used to read on my lunch break when I was working in an office, and I want to get back into that habit. It is such a pleasant way to pass 20-30 minutes in the morning and afternoon. I feel like it sets the right tone at the beginning of my day and gives me an actual break from screens in the middle of my day. Plus, I can usually knock out at least 50 pages of whatever book I’m reading during these breaks and that leaves me feeling super accomplished!

3) From an under-buyer to an over-buyer

Have you heard of the “under-buyer/over-buyer” personality from Gretchen Rubin? It’s fascinating to me. I am a chronic under-buyer. As in, I run out of much-needed household items frequently. There have been days when I haven’t been able to wash the dishes in the sink because I’ve run out of dish soap. There was a week when I had to keep running into the kitchen to wash my hands after using the bathroom because I ran out of bathroom hand soap and only had a bottle next to the kitchen sink. There were the few days I ran out of toothpaste and, um, had to settle for mouthwash. (Gross, I know.) I’ve run out of toilet paper, conditioner, trash bags, you name it. It’s a personality flaw of mine, and I am turning over a new leaf in 2022.

Now, every time I start running low on something, I’m buying two products at one time. When I finally replaced my bathroom hand soap, I bought two—one to use now and one to store in my bathroom closet to pull out when this bottle runs out. I also bought a backup bottle for my kitchen. I have a backup roll of paper towels and a backup package of Clorox wipes. It’s a wild and crazy world I’m living in now! The second step of this plan is to always replace my backup whenever I pull it out of the cabinet to use it. When that happens, I will immediately add the item to my Target cart. (Target curbside pickup is life, so I usually keep an open cart on the Target app where I add items regularly to pick up when I have the time.) Ideally, I’d have more than one backup but apartment living doesn’t exactly give me a ton of storage space, so alas, one backup per item it is!

I’m not exactly sure what causes someone to be an under-buyer, but I think growing up poor definitely contributed to it for me. I’m not used to buying extras of things just to have them around and make my life easier… that’s just not the way things work when you’re poor and living paycheck to paycheck. But I don’t have to live that way any longer (which is something I do not take for granted) and I’m on a mission to unlearn some of my habits that developed as a result of being poor. Like under-buying! There’s such a sense of wealth and freedom in knowing I can have backups of anything I want and running out of something won’t be a crisis anymore.

4) Beautiful weather

After having a super warm December, Florida has been showing up with its January weather. This week, we even got into the low 40s! We’re staying in the upper 60s/low 70s during the day with chilly nights, and I even had to turn on my heat one day this week. I know that for those of you in the north, this weather sounds like fall to you, but hey, Florida does its own thing when it comes to winter weather. (And, well, everything else it seems. Sigh.) I’m happy with it! I can barely handle weather below 55 degrees, haha, so this is just about perfect for me.

5) The StoryGraph

Have you guys heard of The StoryGraph? It’s a Goodreads alternative, and I’ve been hesitant to join because I feel like there are so many apps that come and go, touting themselves as the “next Goodreads.” But The StoryGraph has had some staying power and I’ve noticed more and more friends joining it, so I decided to take the plunge last weekend. It was nice that I was able to import my entire Goodreads library (I have 11 years of data and nearly 1,600 books so there was no way I was going to manually do all that) and I like the ability to give quarter-star ratings, add content warnings, and see more stats. I don’t think it is as user-friendly as Goodreads (it’s really hard to find friends who use the app and I always forget where to click to add my rating and review when I finish a book), but I do love the clean, modern interface. I think I will still primarily use Goodreads (especially since that’s what most of my friends use and I like the community aspect of the app), but I’m excited to dip my toe into The StoryGraph a little more to see what it’s all about. If you want to follow me, I’m stephanywrites on both Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

Are you an under-buyer or an over-buyer? What’s the weather like where you are?

Categories: Recurring Series

My Final 2021 Budget

Hi friends and happy Monday. It’s Martin Luther King, Jr., day here in the U.S. and I am very grateful that my company gives us the day off. (I’m planning on doing my January 5K today with my mom and the dogs!)

Today, I’m here to wrap up my 2021 budget with some final numbers. For the past few years, I’ve been keeping a detailed spreadsheet about my spending and while it can be a lot to keep up with, I’ve gotten into a habit of inputting my numbers once a week. I used to be so bad at keeping track of my spending, so I am proof that you can change your ways. 🙂

Overall Bills (40%; -1.1% from 2020) – I spent $12,810 on rent (+$1,637 from 2020), $1,329 on electric (+$296 from 2020), $553 on water and utilities (-$37 from 2020), $960 on Internet (no change), $1,302 on my phone bill (-$94 from 2020), and $1,260 on my student loan (+$100 from 2020).

Food (14.9%; +.6% from 2020) – My food spending was right about on par with what I spent in 2020, so it’s good to know that the food budget I set for myself ($600 per month) is my sweet spot. Ideally, I’d like to bring down this number but it’s not something I’m too worried about. This year, I spent $3,184 on restaurants/Ubereats orders/fast food (+$197), $3,503 on groceries (-$168), and $175 at Starbucks (-$49).

Savings (8.9%; +2.8% from 2020) – Just as I did in 2020, I stopped adding to my savings in the latter half of the year. While I should have an automatic savings fund set up, there’s something I like about manually moving money into my savings. I saved a little bit more this year than last (+$674) with an average of $301 per month.

Home (5.3%; +2.7% from 2020) – My home purchases took up a bigger slice of the pie this year, mainly because I bought a sectional at the beginning of the year ($1,124). This category is also comprised of home decor ($352), things for my home office ($312, which includes my comfy new office chair), home goods ($136), accessories ($102), and tech ($405, which includes a new TV).

Auto (4.9%; +1.5% from 2020) – I spent a little more on gas (+$48) and car repairs (+$102). I spent less on car insurance (-$16). And I also spent money on a car down payment. I had saved some money for the down payment but also had to pull $500 out of my account to ensure I could put $4,000 down. I expect this area of my budget to be a much bigger piece of the pie in 2022.

Shopping (4.7%; +.7% from 2020) – I’m still trying to figure out how to properly categorize and track my shopping habits. I spent $853 on clothing (+$415), $601 on books (+$189), $243 on accessories (+$154), and $107 on hobbies (+$21). Workout accessories ($126), kitchen tools ($77), and other ($134) round out this category.

Spa (4.4%; +2.2% from 2020) – This category comprises massages ($896), hair appointments ($677), and pedicures ($477).

Beauty (2.1%; +1.4% from 2020) – My beauty category definitely grew in 2021, which I was expecting. I didn’t itemize my beauty spending, which I’ll probably do in 2022, but this category comprises my skincare products (I use Paula’s Choice), makeup, and face masks (the skincare kind).

Pets (2.1%; +.1% from 2020) – This category remained stable from 2020 to 2021, woohoo! I spent $256 on vet appointments (+$108), $180 on litter (+$33), $146 on food (-$52), $128 on treats (+$13), $91 on toys (+$5), and $159 on supplies like a new water fountain and new beds.

Travel (2%; +1.1% from 2020) – Last year, the only travel expense I had was a plane ticket that had to be canceled. I was able to use my plane credit this year for a fun trip to Chicago with my mom. Our biggest expense that trip was on our adventures, with food a close second.

Supplies/Toiletries (2%; +.2% from 2020) – I budget $100 per month for supplies/toiletries and usually come well under budget. In 2021, I averaged $75 a month.

Subscriptions (2%; +.6% from 2020) – Another category that increased a bit from 2020, but not by too much. This category comprises Patreon subscriptions, Netflix, Spotify, an air filter subscription, and other streaming services. I averaged $78 per month on subscriptions.

Entertainment (2%; +1.6% from 2020) – My entertainment budget was definitely up in 2021, as expected. I spent $508 on adventuring with friends, $262 on dates, and $147 on in-app purchases.

Christmas (1.7%; -.2% from 2020) – I spent a little less on Christmas this year, although I still feel like I spent so. much. money. I spent $164 less, but last year’s budget also included buying a new Christmas tree so I’m guessing I need to budget around $700-$800 every year.

Health (1.4%; +1% from 2020) – I spent 1% more on health purchases in 2021, but the majority of this category comprises the spin bike I bought in early 2021.

Gifts (1.3%; +.3% from 2020) – In 2021, I averaged around $50 per month on gifts.

Charity (.3%; -.4% from 2020) – My goal at the beginning of 2021 was to pick one charity a month and donate $25. I quickly fell off the bandwagon, though. Ugh.

And there you have it! I really love writing these quarterly budget posts, so I plan to continue them throughout 2022. This year, I’m making some changes to how I track my spending—mostly, itemizing all of my shopping/home purchases so that I have a better idea of what I’m spending my discretionary money on. I am also going to break up my food purchases into 5 categories: groceries, fast food, restaurants, Starbucks, Uber Eats (with a separate category for tips).