Hi. I’ve been reading your blog for a while and remember at one point seeing a blog post about your banking situation. I would appreciate a post about how you bank and specific services you use as I’m fairly young and looking at different options. I tried just googling Citi but they have so many things going on it’s confusing. Specific links or names of the options you use would be a helpful starting point.
-Agile
Oooh, I know why you got stuck! I have mentioned my savings account at CIT Bank, not CitiBank.
CitiBank does have a dizzying array of options, but CIT Bank is pretty slimmed down. I have their Platinum Savings account, which offers a very competitive interest rate.
So, that’s where I have my cash savings parked.
It’s an online-only bank, but given that it’s just a savings account, I don’t find that to be at all inconvenient. It’s linked to my checking account, which makes transfers nice and easy.
Click here to open a CIT savings account.
I’m curious. Do nurses not need watches with secondhand anymore?
-Bee
(Note: this was in response to me saying I’d listed my student nurse watch (with a second hand) for sale.)
Nurses do still need clocks/watches, but the hospital where I work has big clocks up on the walls of each room, and if push came to shove, I would also be allowed to use my phone to time something.
But when you are a student nurse, no phone is allowed.
So, I am happily going back to wearing my Withings watch, which is a non-smart-watch activity tracker.
my original Withings watch
You guys always have questions about my watch when it appears in pictures so: the one I have is a few years old, but it is the most similar to the ScanWatch Light, which is a little cheaper on Amazon than straight from Withings.
However, the one on Amazon doesn’t come in the gold metal color that I have; you’ll have to go to Withings for that!
I love my Withings watch because it tracks basic activity, sleep, and heart rate, and tells time. THAT’S IT. I do not want to read text messages on my wrist. I already find a phone distracting; I don’t want to be glancing at my watch in the middle of talking to someone.
My current Withings model
I also love that it looks like a normal watch. People compliment me on it all the time, and they’re always really surprised to find out that it’s an activity tracker.
Speaking of design: look how beautiful this blue ScanWatch2 is!! (not an affiliate link) I have zero reason to buy a new watch at this point, but when my current one dies I will probably choose this color scheme.
One last thing: I love that I hardly ever have to charge my Withings watch. Maybe once a month or so, the battery gets low, and then I have to charge it for about an hour.
What is the dressing on the crab salad? Looks like the cilantro sauce, which causes me to ask if that is homemade or storebought.
-CA Artist Jana
Yup, it’s cilantro sauce and it’s homemade. I have used recipes before, but at this point, I just eyeball the ingredients and throw them in the food processor.
Generally, it’s sour cream, mayo, cilantro, lime juice, black pepper, fresh jalapeño pepper if I have it, garlic, and salt to taste.
I find this to be a pretty flexible combo of ingredients, and as long as you have a creamy base and cilantro, it works out even if you don’t have everything else.
But do make sure to rinse your cilantro well. I have been occasionally lazy with that and then my dressing is gritty with sand. Cilantro is surprisingly sand-ridden sometimes!
Got something to say about savings accounts, smartwatches, or cilantro sauce? Talk to us!
P.S. If you have a question you want me to answer, leave me a comment or email at thefrugalgirl@gmail.com 🙂
CarolineRSA
Tuesday 3rd of June 2025
In most SA hospitals, nurses are not allowed to wear wristwatches (though some do). Many of us wear fob watches on our uniforms. Rings are limited to single wedding bands.
Carla G
Monday 2nd of June 2025
I wore a wristwatch almost literally non-stop from the age of 6 until I gave birth to my first child at the age of 32. I basically only took it off to shower. When I went into labor they needed me to take it off, and then I worried about it hurting the baby as I snuggled and nursed. So I haven't gone back, and I just rely on my phone. One of these days, when baby #3 is big enough, I will go back to the beautiful watch my husband got me. While I pretty much always have my phone on me, I really enjoyed the convenience and experience of wearing a watch.
Jules the First
Tuesday 3rd of June 2025
@Carla G, that’s so funny…I did the same thing! I used to wear a watch and a bracelet, and when my little guy arrived it just seemed so chunky and uncomfortable for him that I took them off. And now somehow I’ve lost the habit and haven’t worn anything in years…he’s turning 4 soon!
Steve
Monday 2nd of June 2025
I've been wearing a Timex Ironman for the last 30+ years. Price friendly, durable, and accurate. I use the stopwatch and countdown timers frequently. I sometimes switch it out for a base level Fitbit to track heart rate and activity throughout the day.
That being said, an analog dial with a second hand has its own unique allure.
Can't wait to try the cilantro sauce. Thank you for sharing!
Ruby
Monday 2nd of June 2025
I have a lovely Skagen watch that just tells time in minutes and hours. I love it because it looks right on my super skinny wrists but is big enough to be read easily. When it looked like the Skagen might not make it back from being repaired, I bought a Timex Indiglo that's really too big for me -- the strap is hitched up in the last hole and still slops around some. But it's good for wearing at night when I need to check the time.
Anita Isaac
Monday 2nd of June 2025
i c the whole world of manattan (practically) wears smart watches. I like my Bulova Caravelle just fine thanks. it is delicate, pretty and has gold and silver tone. it makes my plain gold wedding band look special. i have the original wedding band. hubby is on his third. he lost the two previous ones. he went to australia on a business trip i told him if he doesn't come home with his wedding ring he shouldn't come home. well, it came home with him but shortly thereafter it was lost. i don't chase after savings account interest as i just have to pay more in taxes. i do put every spare cent into the stock market and if i need money i sell something. there is always something to sell either to get the profit or for a tax loss to offset a gain.
now that the weather is nice i sit on a bench in the middle of stuy town and watch the world go by. my cockapoo buddy likes to sit on the bench with me. that is where i notice all the smart watches.
this year hubby and i will celebrate 25 years of marriage. g-d willing. where did the time go? sept 14. i wanted to get married on my birthday sept 12 like my mother-in-law did but my parents wouldn't let me. they were footing the bill. it was really beautiful. but, hardly any of hubby's friends were there, nor mine. mother-in-law said the wedding is for the parents. how weird is that? ah well at least our kids will have a wedding that suits them.
Anita Isaac
Monday 2nd of June 2025
@Selena, not sure but my family was very difficult.
Selena
Monday 2nd of June 2025
@Anita Isaac, the one kiddo of mine who is married did it their way. Husband and I lump summed cash (we've also gifted cash here and there). They spent squat on the ceremony and had a nice reception when the weather was better. Other kiddo I doubt will get married. Got the same amount of lump sum cash. Since when did your child's wedding become all about the (sometimes paying) parent?