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!
Any topic here is up for discussion, and/or you can do a little miscellaneous brain dump in the comments if you’d like.
Source: www.thefrugalgirl.com…