The high of my week was meeting my baby brother! My mom and I took a short road trip on Sunday to meet the most beautiful dachshund puppy and he’ll be hers on May 12. I am so, so excited for her (and for me because, let’s face it, I’m going to love that little baby so much), and I cannot wait until he joins our family. My mom is naming him Chip and I’m already so in love with him. (And yeah, I have puppy fever like mad right now.)
The low of my week was not feeling the healthy living lifestyle. Ugh, it’s been a struggle, friends. At one point this week, I texted my mom the below message because I was so over it. I know I just need to switch up some of the food I’ve been eating (probably getting stuck in a rut) because six weeks straight of having two hard-boiled eggs for breakfast is enough to make anyone go crazy, amirite?
An article I loved was Why I Am (Still) Using YNAB by San from The In Between is Mine. Currently, the way I budget is with a plain old Excel spreadsheet, even though I know there are tons of apps that could be super helpful in helping me better categorize my expenses and build a stronger budget. But I’ve yet to do that because I get a little overwhelmed by the thought of setting it up (I always figure it will take me a while) and scared at the thought of actually taking a long, hard look at my budget (I am a very loose budgeter right now). But this post by San lays out the You Need a Budget system in such a way that I feel like I could maybe give it a try, even if it is overwhelming.
A podcast episode I enjoyed was How Paramedics Work by Stuff You Should Know. This episode was fascinating, like the fact that standards for paramedics didn’t come out until the 1970s (!) and explaining the difference between EMTs and paramedics. Give it a listen!
The best money I spent was $20 on a new pair of sandals. My current pair of sandals are just about near the end of its life and it has been time for a new pair for a while, but I’m an underbuyer, so it was hard for me to commit to a new pair. But finally, I did and I’m happy with my purchase!
My plans this weekend include a pedicure date with my mom on Saturday, my friend’s 90s-themed 30th birthday party on Saturday evening, and a writing date on Sunday morning. I am particularly looking forward to my friend’s party because we’ve been encouraged to dress up for it. I am not the most creative person when it comes to dressing up (see also: why I hate Halloween), but I figured out a fun outfit for the party and I’m interested if people will “get it.”
What was the high of your week?
My husband loves tracking money (he’s weird, okay?) but he just started using YNAB and he loves it.
and OMG Chip is so cute!
Ugh, isn’t Chip just a DOLL? I am so happy my mom finally took the plunge and is getting a dog. She’s been wanting one for a long time!
I used mint and love it. It’s not as good as YNAB but I use it to track where my money is going and don’t really use it for budgeting. But it’s a good free option. But YNAB is much better if you are using it as a budgeting tool.
The high of my week was Paul’s baptism on Sunday. It was great to see family and have my mom here for about 24 hours. She changed so many diapers (gladly!!) and did most of his bottle feedings. It was so great.
That’s a really good distinction you made between Mint and YNAB – one is more of a money tracker and the other more of a budgeting tool.
I’m so glad you got lots of time with your mom! I’m sure she loved snuggling Paul and doing all the baby chores. 🙂
OMG Chip is so freaking cute! I hope that your mom adopting a day will be a good way for you to ease back into that dog life – not as a dog mama, but as a dog sister, so it doesn’t hurt your heart as much & you can just love on him & spoil him & work toward the day when you might be able to adopt again, too. Also: HE LOOKS SO SOFT.
I’ve never tried YNAB but just got back into trying to use Mint.com. Fingers crossed…
Yes – I think my mom getting Chip is the best possible scenario for me. I get all the dog snuggles I need without any of the responsibility. I’m so excited to have a dachshund around again!
Thanks for the link love. And if you decide to give YNAB a try, I am here to help! Setting it up is a little bit of work, but not as bad as it sounds… and once it’s set up, it’s really easy to keep up with your expenses via the app. Let me know if you need any guidance!
I am so excited that you’re mom is getting a dachshund baby! OMG!
Thanks, San! I’ll definitely reach out to you when I finally take the plunge for YNAB. I think it would be revolutionary for my budget, so I just need to put in the work and get started!
OHHHHH that little puppy is a heartbreaker! So excited that you all have a new member of the family coming soon!
UGH, healthy living, man. It’s such a challenge.
I cannot wait for Chip to join our family. It’s the perfect setup for me: I get all of the love and snuggles that a dachshund provides, but I don’t have to be the one to train him! Win-win. 🙂
THAT PUPPY!! Oh my goodness – so very, very cute!