I fixed some things! (and other miscellany)
I had a day off yesterday soooo, I tweaked a few things. I think you should be able to see the "previous post" and "next post" navigation links at the bottom of each post now.
Also, I added an archives drop-down menu in the middle of the homepage and one in the footer at the very bottom of every page.
I'm still working on other stuff (like getting that "free grilling recipes" placeholder out. heh.). Slowly but surely, we will get there. 😉
I took my Christmas tree down
I was late getting it up this year, and also late getting it down. Whoops!
Please notice that I never even took the price tag off of the tree:
Next year, I want to make a point of getting the tree up sooner so we can enjoy the cozy lights longer. I was sad to take it down, especially because I worked so many days around Christmas and thus was not home to enjoy the coziness.
It's weird wearing scrubs so much
My friend and co-worker Brittany and I were talking about how little we wear our regular clothes now that we're out of school; we're either wearing scrubs at work or comfy clothes at home, which means our medium-nice clothes barely see the light of day!
872,000
That's how many people have seen my little Instagram post about my car. GEEZ. This post just keeps going and going.
And still, people are being generally nice about my little dream car. 🙂 There's just the occasional, "That's an ugly car!" comment; almost everyone else is cheering me on.
About my grocery budget...
Someone recently asked how I spend this much on groceries since my menu posts seem to show me eating so little.
But, my grocery budget includes things like toilet paper and dishwasher soap.
Also, I am obviously eating more than just my dinner meals show! Almost all 21 of my meals each week come from home, and so do my snacks and my coffee.
For instance, on the last work day, I ate:
- egg bites, whole grain toast, an apple, and coffee for breakfast
- an Aldi brand Rx bar for a snack
- a lunch of chipotle chicken green salad with an avocado, plus grapes, some cheddar popcorn, and a piece of chocolate
And then I had dinner when I got home.
Also, although she is not here for every meal, I'm feeding my 19-year-old daughter as well.
The other thing is that at this point in my life, I am definitely not maximizing my grocery savings like I used to. The time/money balance changes with different life stages, you know? And right now, it's leaning a bit to me having more money and less time to devote to grocery bill slashing.
I do the basics, like eating at home, and mostly cooking from scratch (ish!). I shop at Aldi, I work on avoiding food waste, and I still make homemade yogurt, granola, and chicken broth.
But, I cheerfully buy some things I didn't before, like rotisserie chickens, various cheeses, berries, and so on. I prioritize protein more than I used to as well (trying to resist middle-aged muscle loss!)
Basically, if an item fits my nutritional goals and time constraints and is reasonably affordable, I buy it without thinking too hard.
I know this is a luxury, and I appreciate it because I did not always have this wiggle room. So, I don't take it for granted; I'm just pointing it out to explain why my grocery spending is not especially low.
If my time/money balance changes, I will of course adjust my grocery habits accordingly.
Speaking of time...
My plan for the next year
For the past six months, I have been managing full-time nursing work, online BSN classes, plus my usual blog/Patreon stuff.
I'm not sure I'd want to sustain this level of effort forever, and the good news is that I don't have to.
After my first year of nursing is up, I am allowed to go down to two shifts a week instead of three. I'll still will qualify for health insurance, but two shifts are way more manageable than three. And I will be fine financially because I still have my blog income.
Also, I should be done with my BSN program by next December, and that will take a big load off of my plate.
So, I am hopeful that a year from now, my life will feel a little bit less chaotic! I just have to hang in there for the next 12 months. 🙂
Alrighty; that's enough miscellany for now!
Oh I am so happy to hear about the work flexibility you have to transition to 2 shifts a week in the future. How amazing and helpful for your life!
I certainly is lovely to have that certain point in the future to look forward to! It's makes it almost into a game.
*It. While some might think me lovely occasionally, that was not the point of my comment. This does not bode well for the rest of the week. I might have to cancel spelling in our homeschool for the week. Or maybe I just need to stop typing and make the coffee.
You are lovely, Jody. I didn't even notice the typo until you pointed it out which is why I am a terrible proofreader.
@Jodi S. that had me laughing so hard! hahaahahah
Jody, your comment are always well thought out and kind. I enjoy reading what you have to say.
Awwww! Thank you. You made my day 🙂
I have a similar approach to grocery shopping and eating. I want to eat high quality food at a reasonable price.
Something I do now with a little more wiggle room in the food budget is by a drink or snack at the concession stand at my sons basketball game. I used to do that rarely, esp as my other kids were usually with me. Now I can do it guilt free and feel good that I'm supporting the sports programs of the schools we visit. ( Popcorn usually was cheap, so I'd get that for my kids to share, but I'd usually gave water bottles and granola bars from hone.)
I absolutely LOVE wearing scrubs. It makes getting dressed easy, laundry is easy (wash and dry, no need to baby them)...honestly, the best. Over the summer I was in a setting where it would have been very odd to wear scrubs and I had to get dressed in actual clothes every day and I was like, "Oh, this is fun!" ...for ONE day. By day two, the feeling was more, "Argh, I have to do this EVERY DAY?!"
Also with you on getting through the next year. I have 11.5 months left in my residency and once it's done I'm going to work less (and be able to make more.) Can't. Wait.
I think I'm the other way! I had to wear a uniform for school and now I really resent being told what to wear - I worked somewhere once where they introduced a uniform, and I wasn't very happy! I really enjoy being creative and having control over my outfits.
Hang in there! You got this.
If it makes you feel any better, the feast for Jesus' Baptism on January 12 is the official end of the Christmas season in the Catholic church, and that's when the church decorations get taken down. So you were liturgically correct for me, anyway. 🙂 I take mine down after Epiphany, though, on December 7. I don't put them up until mid-December either, so we really only have our Christmas decorations up for a few weeks. Our living room is not very big, and it feels kind of cluttered with the tree in it.
I really had to clean out the ash in our woodstove this morning, a task I had been putting off because my husband enclosed the pasture right behind our house to put the sheep in there to eat weeds and that is where my ash barrel is. So my choices were to take the over-full tray of ashes--which inevitably spills at some point--down the carpeted hall to the back door to go down the now-ice-covered back steps, through the back gate, and around the corner to the barrel; or go out the front door and the long way around to the same back gate, etc.; or go out the front door and dump the ashes near the driveway. I don't like to dump them by the driveway, but my laziness won. And then when I got outside, flashlight in my mouth because it was still dark and carefully balancing the pan of ashes, I found there was enough of a breeze to blow the ashes into my face. Yuck. It's done, though! The sheep should be out of that pasture this week, so I won't have to do this again.
My husband brought one of the old trucks to a mechanic to get the manifold(?) fixed. Getting vehicles to a mechanic is a serious endeavor here. He took it to the closest mechanic, but that's still 60 miles away. But now we have another licensed driver in the house! My eldest son followed his dad and I didn't have to go anywhere. Yay.
Our new school is done, yay! The older students spent the week before Christmas break helping to move everything to the new building and the teachers spent much of their breaks setting up their new classrooms. Only to be told that there were some issues--kitchen and bathroom things, mostly--that were not up to code yet and students couldn't be in there. The old building is already being demolished for the next phase of construction, so there's nowhere to go. Our administration was extremely unhappy about this, as were the rest of us. The first week of school back was canceled last week--and I'm guessing will have to be added on to the end of the school year, boo--and this week we're doing virtual schooling. I really really really hope we can get back to school in person next week.
SO with you on cleaning out woodstove ash! They are the best heat ever, but miserably messy. When I moved South, I swore I would never split kindling or carry ashes again . . . 40 years later, I haven't!!
I enjoy that I can now assign all wood chores, including splitting kindling and stacking wood or bringing it in, to my children. When I no longer have children at home, I will not be very motivated to do all this myself. 🙂
My parents were all about their money saving wood stove when they had teenagers to split, stack and haul in wood, feed the stove, carry out the ashes and do all the extra cleaning caused by the ash and the stuff that falls off logs. They stopped using it when we left home.
Ha! After we all left, mom and dad, I guess, finally took over the third floor of our house, where all our bedrooms were. Suddenly there was a new heating system an full insulation up there!
They suddenly realized it was cold... lol.
I'm another one whose enthusiasm for using my woodburner has fallen off--with old age and arthritis, in my case. Somehow, lugging logs up from the old attached garage, through the basement, and up the stairs to the living room has gotten less attractive. I still light 'er up about 6 or 8 times a winter, but it is no longer a major source of heat for me.
Oops. Epiphany is January 6, not December 6.
Strictly speaking, anyone would be justified in leaving decorations up till Candlemas (Feb. 2), which is the absolute end of the Christmas and Epiphany seasons. At least so says my NDN1's CF.
Whew! Glad to know I have until Feb. 2. Our Christmas decor and tree are still up. 🙂
I will pretend to be an observing Catholic to justify my decoration timing. Hehe.
Go full-bore and pretend to be Orthodox. Generally gives you another week.
Thanks for working on the new blog design, I appreciate it! I'm glad you get a slight reduction in workload next year.
I did a lot of planning for Florence this weekend and borrowed some guidebooks from the library. I don't know why I'm so much better at planning trips than other areas of my life - maybe because trips are fun!
I'm trying to motivate myself to go to the gym later. It's so cold here. Staving off muscle loss is a good reminder!
Forgot to say - I don't have a tree because I go to my parents' place for Christmas but I finally got around to putting away my kitty advent calendar yesterday. I kept up the fairylights though because they add such lovely colour to the room, especially during this dark time of year!
Ohhhh Sophie, Florence is my spirit home. I am so excited you're going there. I grew up for a few years in Italy and then several more in Spain, and returning to Florence is like coming home, even though that's not where I lived in Italy 🙂. Though I was fortunate to go there many, many times. My husband likes it but doesn't feel the deep soul connection that I do, so I hope he still agrees to enjoy it for a few days on our next European trip. He says I want to see more places! I completely understand that but to be so close and not go there... So hard. I thought for the next trip I need to end there because leaving it is honestly so hard. Please let David know I'll be back to see him 😉
How lucky to live there! I will give David your very best regards 😉
Have you ever done a "grocery haul" post sharing what you buy and how you plan to use it? I always find those interesting and it might help illustrate what you shared today about other meals, household needs, etc.
I remember, years ago, she used to do a post about her grocery haul each week. I’d love to see an updated version of this, too. Unlike others, I’m amazed Kristen is only spending that much on food and such. It would be interesting for me to see what that covers. My grocery bills are insane right now.
I decorate the week or weekend after Thanksgiving. During the first week of December, I always host the Christmas Party for one of the women's groups that I belong to. I started doing this after my children left home. I needed some motivation to decorate and celebrate. Every Christmas is a little different now as we try to get in some type of holiday rhythm. The addition of grandchildren and in-laws... loss and death ... careers and moves have changed our Christmases. We are struggling to find our new traditions. However, no matter what is decided that year my decorations are out and the lights are up early because they have to be.
On another note, I break out household expenses and any type of pet items from my grocery totals. Thus, my budget only reflects the purchase of food. When shopping, I also prioritize lean protein. This is something my doctor began encouraging many years ago. With just two people, this is not horribly expensive. However, I often remember the challenge of feeding active teenagers when pasta, rice and potatoes were included in nearly every meal.
Kristen, I'm glad you can look forward to slowing down a bit. I look at your schedule and think how challenging it is. You are amazingly productive.
I think I'm learning that the "normal" routine I'm chasing isn't ever going to be permanent.
I agree, Jody S. The only constant in life is change, and we all need to roll with it as best we can. (I'm better at this in some areas of my life than in others. Re: technology, for instance, my friends are still having to drag me kicking and screaming into the 21st century.)
There is such a thing as tech fatigue (one of the signs it is time to retire). I have it. I "did the math" the other day and realized I have work 75% of my life working in IT (almost 48 years). I have decided I am done learning yet another new software - and one that is just because it is the shiny new thing and "senior management" don't like the vendor of our current software. Never mind it will be a train wreck - I professionally and tactfully pointed out its flaws (read: where we'll have problems) and guess what. And there will be additionally issues on top of what has been pointed out.
I am so done with train wrecks. Over my career, I have found ways to decrease the impact of said not wise decisions. But with this one, I can't. With all the other software I've used, the only "downtime" was a few hours (at best) each month. Not so with the shiny new software.
Change for the sake of change is not good IMHO. Upside - is frugal living gives me the luxury of "intent to retire". And I do have the option of working 2-3 days per week and not having to deal with the train wreck software. We'll see. Plan is to work until the end of June for an additional pension contribution (that is unless they change that - already been 2 changes that only benefit the company, not the employees). I swear corporate America will never "get" that money is not the only motivator. Off soapbox.
Kicking and screaming right with you, A. Marie. I like physical books and calendars, paper and pencil budgets, ledgers, planners, to do lists, grocery lists/inventories, and meal plans. I learned at 74 I have ADD and a learning disability for technology (also don't process foreign languages). Who knew? 🤷♀️ JA survived, so I figure we will too. lol
There is a season for everything under the sun.
Although I generally prefer cooking from scratch, there are weeks when I make full use of frozen components or "cook it tourself" meal kits . If only for inspiration!
I've been making my own slowcooker yoghurt since summer but was underwhelmed by the last batch. I figured the low temperatures were affecting the process, so I moved the slowcooker to a spot further away from the kitchen window ventilation grid, and also shortened the cool down pase. The result: velvety creamy rich thick yoghurt. I will have to write down the new timelines for the recipe though or I will forget. Fortunately my cookbook has space for adding your own recipes.
About the tree -- if you don't get it down by January 6, the Feast of Epiphany, I don't think anyone is really the wiser. I see in my neighborhood that people keep their outdoor decorations up way longer than that.
Last year I enjoyed a January tree. That's when you take the ornaments off the tree but keep the lights on through the month of January. A little light in a time of darkness and bleak weather. It works especially well with fairy lights! This year though, I took the whole tree down pretty promptly, because I had set it up in a place that was a little intrusive.
Our neighborhood keeps the lights up through February. It is so dull and dreary, and the snow is dirty-looking, so it makes it less so.
I did see that it was trendy to leave up all the greenery and lights through winter and into the spring. The idea is for these things to act as a basis for your winter decorations.
January - silver and snowflakes
February - hearts and cupids
Mardi Grad
March - St. Patty's Day
Spring/ Easter
I don't do this, but if I lived someplace that was cold and dark for most of the winter, I might consider it.
I think it's kinda funny from a "humans and time are weird" perspective that we all (and I am really just talking about myself) say, "This is the best way! Finally I have honed in on the correct method!" and proceed to tell it to everyone we know — only to look at it a week or six years or half a lifetime later and say, "Man, that totally does not work. I don't know why that would have worked."
Interesting thought. I'll have to think about it for a while.
I remember a similar discussion in a college philosophy. The gist: Time is a construct. Humans have invented to bring order to chaos.
How nice to see the lightening of your load on the horizon - I wonder what you'll find yourself prioritizing when the space in your schedule expands besides rest - I hope some fun 🙂
Do you get any extra compensation for the Instagram post? I don't know how those are monetized, if at all. I hope so :-)
And I don't think it is that late to be taking down Christmas things, though I suppose it's more important to be prompt with a real tree. We took our tree down yesterday, but there are some years that it stays up for most of January!
Our decorations are down but the tree is still up. Since moving to this house I haven’t found a space that I like storing it, just spaces that work well enough. I have a few ideas that I will look into this week.
My little sister is a cardiac ER nurse and she says she either wears scrubs or loud outfits!
Taking the dog for a walk has become treacherous! The days get just warm enough for the snow to melt and the nights are so cold everything freezes. No one can keep up with the icy sidewalks so it’s either ice skate while walking the dog or walk on the thankfully ice free streets. Still getting the walks in though!
My son and his beast friend exchanged their Christmas gift this weekend. I was so pleased that they made gifts for each other. My son gifted a side table/cabinet that he made in his woodshop class that he burned?/etched?/engraved? a photo of the two of them on the top. His friend 3D printed Xbox accessories for my son. Both were so personalized and sweet that my mama heart was bursting.
I am so happy for you that you have a goal of getting to more life flexibility, once you have done a year at your job. I also think 2 shifts instead of 3 sounds very doable and will fit in well with the rest of your life. I love that you are prioritizing yourself & your overall health & well being over money making, and that you have the luxury of doing that because of all of your years of frugal practice, and the blog. That is so fantastic!
I'm not in love with the newish job I have, and I have emotionally committed to, at a minimum, one year to avoid paying back my sign on bonus. There are a lot of other financial milestones associated with the work, so once I hit the year, I've created a bit of a countdown for myself to see how much further I can get. I will be very impressed if I can get to the full three years I originally (mentally) committed to, but there are plenty of days that feels very unlikely.
Sorry to hear the new position isn't a great fit. Hopefully it improves- or that something better is on the horizon!
glad your load is lighter. thanks for the chiquita photo. like your different browser. is that the correct phrase? change is hard for me, but it is much nicer than the old one. could we have a shelley photo soon, please? is your spiffy diffy car a 2025 or 2026? have you named it yet? the car i had i college was a 1963 plymouth valliant. it was a pushbutton one. i was a freshman in 1972. senior year i had a wreck driving someone to the supermarket. then i got a 1972 datsun. and my dad and stepmom made me sell it when i returned home from college.
Re: car comments. My immigrant Greek grandfather would never swear in English with these two exceptions: "To hell with it" or "To hell with them". Covers any situation. 😂
Hmm, I'm about to get into wearing mostly comfy clothes and decent-for-public clothes and have realized I need to change my wardrobe some. I've been looking at the options out there and have not been too thrilled so far. For instance, I don't plan on wearing the wide-leg jeans with the hems rolled up around my ankles, thanks anyway.
I had my first non-holiday 4-day "weekend" and I made lists for each day, to accomplish some of the many small-to-largish tasks I've put off. At some point, though, I realized I had not penciled in time to rest and relax! That will need to be a priority as well. I spent a little time reading or porch sitting, but not nearly enough.
JD, again, welcome to Retirement Land, where there's no need for decent-for-work clothes. (This was never a problem for me as a telecommuter--and it wouldn't have been at the NYC home office either, where everyone dressed as if every day was Casual Friday--but it's even less of a problem in my retirement.)
And I'm with you on wide-leg pants, especially with cuffs. I seriously don't need pants that make me, as a short fat woman, look even shorter and fatter.
I have a standard schedule for Christmas decorations. I deep clean before Thanksgiving. Tree goes up sometime the weekend after Thanksgiving and for the next week I slowly bring out ceramics and other decorations. We enjoy them until Jan 1 or 2 and everything gets taken down. I dust and vacuum really good. I have waited a couple years for Jan 6th but quite frankly it made me sadder in the end.
I am trying to clear out my head and schedule this year. I work too much during tax season and I am starting to feel the effects (call it age.) Plus I still volunteer and help others. It just might be time to take a step back. I have considered a "regular" job but I really don't think so.
Ok, there's my brain dump.
Your grocery spend discussion is similar to another in my feed. I follow @thewholecook on instagram, and she posts recipes but also sometimes just a photo of what she's eating for breakfast or lunch and people were commenting on his much she eats. She eats a normal amount to me, and she theorized that people are used to seeing extremely low carb or low calorie food on social media and not the food you need to actually fuel an active and enjoyable life. She is unapologetic about loving food and not settling for sub-par meals, and I'm there for it!
As a result of that discussion she's posting her grocery haul and more of her non-recipe meals. I'm loving it because I work from home, and I sometimes make lunch too complicated. I appreciate her quick meal preps that serve her non-dinner meals as inspiration for my meals! I think it's weird that people are making comments about your grocery budget.
Oh, that's an interesting take about the super low calorie food on social media.
I am fairly tall (5'8"), I lift weights regularly, and I have an active job, so all of that requires a fairly decent amount of food!
I'm glad to hear you will be able to work fewer shifts after a year. I was worried about you burning out with so much on your plate!
I get what you mean about grocery spending. Our budget was super tight for years, and I still think of myself as very frugal, but the belt has loosened a notch or two and I'm able to spend more on things like fresh fruit and veg and the occasional convenience item.
I think you actually eat very well as far as nutrition is concerned — all sorts of fresh vegetables and fruits, limited carbs, no (or few) convenience foods. I’d be interested in learning what the average two-adult family spends on food every week.
Kristen, your blog and life are smoothing out beautifully!
Meanwhile, my website with a blog (since 2008) crashed last week and took my email with it. Hours on the phone with Apple and with BlueHost solved it, didn’t solve it, did solve it, didn’t solve it, until I was to the point of trying to figure out if: A. Is it possible to earn a living as an artist without a website? B. Should I just quit working? C. How can I find another server instead of BlueHost and not lose all my years and the money I have just paid to renew the site and domain names? D. Something else I haven’t yet thought or . . .
Last night it didn’t work again. I resigned myself to another day wasted on the phone. This morning it is working.
Heavy sigh.
Oooh, I am so sorry that you are dealing with this headache!
work flexibility is where its at! You can always pick up shifts - someone always needs that but so lovely to not have it and to have the choice. When I was working in the hospital I also had the same revelations with scrubs/clothing and my wardrobe got realllllly pared down. I did not realize that until I no longer wore scrubs and realized how little clothes I had, ha. Silver linings - less laundry. I think your grocery spending is still low - food costs have gone up exponentially over the last few years its hard to quantify weekly spending you know? Sending you good vibes and Cheers to a less chaotic 2027!
Thanks for putting in the links to previous and next posts!!!
Schedule: Many years ago, I found that it was beneficial to others around me and to myself to work a four day week (eight hour shifts). My mouth and I were constantly getting into trouble. It was very beneficial. I have since continued to cut down my schedule to maintain some income and have time for myself. And even though it's been a couple of years, I have trouble dividing the time wisely.
Scrubs and other: By the same token, I wear mostly two piece pajama type clothes while at home. I'm not afraid to be seen in them if I have to answer the door or take out the trash. My best friend bought Karen Neuberger pajamas for me when they first came out. They are expensive but I've gotten some on eBay. They are also nice for trips. (I have half as many pj sets in general as scrub sets and that's a lot.)
Christmas decor: I used to decorate on Thanksgiving Day when I spent the day alone. I did it that early because working did take away time from enjoying it. The last couple of years, I've minimized decorating to just a few things because getting things out, means having to put them away at some point. I have some treasured ornaments that fit year round so they just stay up. My "tree " this year was a tier of vintage Anchor Hocking custard dishes and plates in the Tiara pattern and Charm on graduated size footed cake plates, surround by mini battery operated red lights and wrapped peppermint candies in the bowls.
Emerald green Anchor Hocking...
That sounds like a neat tree!
I just worked 2 12 hr shifts a week when raising my girls. Then I would just pick up 8 more hours somewhere in that week. All of my jobs gave me FT benefits at 24 hrs which was great. Now as a school nurse I just work 32 hours and get FT benefits and I am off every Thursday for appointments etc so I do not have to use my sick time, it is a win win. And yes you will get your life back. It will be nice to work your 2 days and then if you wanted to travel you have all the time to do that without having to take PTO.
Yes, exactly, you can always pick up. But it's nice not to HAVE to.
When you work so many hours, you just have to make a few sacrifices. Sometimes I would literally be too brain fried to fix dinner. I would get what I called out fast food meal--a rotisserie chicken , some cut up fruit (which is more expensive) and some sort of deli side for my husband. Not the cheapest but cheaper than eating at a fast food chain and definitely healthier. As long as the people were fed!
Today's miscellany is all over the place. DH, myself, and DS#2 and DS#4 headed out on Friday for our annual trip to Florida. Last year DS#1 came, this year he is working and so DS#2 came instead, to celebrate being done with nurse aide training (and getting certified!), and for a break before his nursing classes start in the fall.
We were anxiously watching the weather radar, which showed a monster rainstorm in between us and our first stop in Macon. In the end we made a quick stop in Chattanooga, just to hit the restrooms in a church we knew, which was amazingly enough open at an odd time. Across the street we saw a bunch of hotels and we took that, plus the radar, as a sign that we should stop there instead of driving through Atlanta, in pounding rain, at night. We had the BEST hotel stay ever. Quiet as anything. And then we had to drive through pounding rain again, but in the daylight, and by the time we got to Atlanta it was clear skies and--more importantly--the weekend, so much less traffic. And we made it here safely!
This year we brought our bikes, and what a difference it has made! We've been biking to the grocery store whenever we can, and I even biked to get a haircut today. Biking in Florida is a whole nother beast, it being much flatter than our usual terrain, so no hills to conquer. If it weren't for the very hot summers I might think of moving here. Today it's 70 degrees and breezy. The other winters we've been here it's been colder, so it's odd to see all the native Floridians out and about, because other Januarys they stay inside when it's 50-60 degrees!
Enjoy your stay! In the northeast part of the state today it is cloudy, a bit chilly and very windy. I hope that the weather is better where you are and you have lots of sunshine.
You used to bake all your own bread, too. Bread is ridiculously expensive to buy, very inexpensive to make, BUT it's a huge time sink. There are ways to do that more time efficiently, but I don't blame you one bit for not doing it while working this much AND working on your BSN. That would be crazy!
On my daughter's wish list for getting the perfect job as a pediatrician was a practice that allows the doctors to wear scrubs. She got her wish! So much better than dressing "professionally" every day!
I forgot to add before that I thought you et al might find this article about Aldi interesting!
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-01-06/german-grocer-aldi-built-an-american-empire-on-discounts-and-deals
I, too, mourn the loss of cozy holiday lights at this dark time of year. I keep a few strands of lights and artificial garland up until mid February every year. They come on with timers and I can literally feel the cozy vibes when they brighten each evening.
That job flexibility sounds beautiful when you get there.
I love the short weeks we have during the school year because my sanity levels on those weeks are sustainable. Not so much on full weeks.
It isn't all bad to have more money than time. While I don't grocery shop, better half still watches for sales, particularly beef (but also checks pork and chicken). But we don't waste food - there is always time for that.
And it is a bonus that the medium nice clothes last longer (read: you maintain your weight). If it is pre/post menopause don't beat yourself up - while you may weigh the same as you did, the weight might not always be in the same place. I work from home so I get the same bang for the buck on medium nice clothes.
The avocado pit looks "pale" - just photo lighting? Or a new variety I haven't seen.
Oh and 2-3 days would allow dental/vision - will likely go on Medicare but the HDHP plan is still an option re: socking away pre-tax dollars. I'll have to do more math on that one.
I don't think that will go away - would drive away far too many employees.
In 1 year 1 month and 2 weeks I will RETIRE!! Without the job I have now, I used to joke that I would retire at lunchtime on the day of my funeral (which wasn't much of a joke either due to low paying jobs and financial missteps in the past).
retirement is the BEST. they should let you do it when you are young is what i say.
i have been retired for 11 years and i would not go back to working a regular job for any amount of money. i did my regular job, volunteer work and i was an outside travel agent to pay my dental bills before we got dental insurance. i worked 40 years at the same job in the same company with the same horrible human being of a boss.
may she rest in peace. she passed a month before i retired while she was on vacation.
I have a question: Do you still make a full batch of yogurt? Or have you halved the recipe or anything like that? I have made yogurt from time to time, but I'm the only one in my house that will eat it. I'm curious how you handle this for a smaller crowd.
I do! It keeps for several weeks in the back of the fridge, unopened, so I rarely have any go bad. 🙂
That's helpful. Thank you!