Let me say that again. All diets suck.
Anyone, and I think I mean everyone, understands that sentiment. Diets seem like such a great idea. Cut out what you don't need and life will get better. But the thing is, diets don't work. You get too caught up in rules and forget to live life. Three months in and you loose momentum because your goal is so far away and this is just too hard.
Along the way I've learned that diets are not sustainable (or much fun). To make real and permanent change in your life you have to change your actions and perspective. Not easy. Harder than a diet even, but it lasts longer (a lifetime if you keep at it), feels better and achieves the goals you set out to set.
I learned this same lesson two years ago. I had done my fair share of attempting to diet, hoping to loose weight. It never worked, I lost interest months, days, weeks in and I got nowhere. I was left feeling disheartened and angry with myself. I quit that viscious cycle in January of 2011 when I started the Weight Watchers Points Plus programs. Every food is worth a certain number of points. Fruits and veggies- 0 points. A piece of bread-2 points. A glass of red wine-4 points. These points add up, quickly. Each day you get an alotment of use 'em or loose 'em points. Your saving grace in Weight Watchers are your weekly points, bonus points that a good for one whole week. The beauty of the weekly points (which is ultimately my point here, I swear) is that you can use them throughout the week, to add cushion to each day (one extra glass of wine) OR! you can use them all up at once (big, lavish dinner out with friends).
Well, my point is this: our diet isn't (quite) working. We're saving money quite well, but we're not having much fun. Granted, we knew we would need to say no more and do way more with lots less. But saying no to every happy hour, dinner or outing for fear of spending money is depressing. While hosting dinner parties is lovely and finding free stuff around the city to do an adventurous way to rediscover DC (more on that later...) it still doesn't beat a drink with friends after a long day's work or dancing the night away at a concert.
So, we'll issuing ourselves a monthly allotment of points. Fifty bucks each. For whatever we want. Yarn for a new project, a book that G just absolutely needs, drinks or even one fancy-pants dinner out, just the two of us. We still will have to say no, but we also get to say yes, in moderation.
Diets don't work. Life style changes do. So here's to starting a whole new life!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
The take out dilemma
No spending, no take out, right?
First, let's discuss why take out is awesome. It does not require me to turn on the stove or oven, meaning more time sitting on the couch watching a movie. You call, you pay and you wait for 40 minutes and at the end-you've got super tasty food in front of you. AND the food! Thai and Indian are my two favorite take out cuisines. Why? Well, they're delicious, spicy and two cuisines I have yet to master.
Take out did not make the cut of necessary spending, however. Does that mean no Thai or Indian for a whole year? Heck no! It just means that I have to add a few new recipes to my repertoire. So we started with a well loved basic- Pad Thai. And? Tangy, spicy and just peanut-y enough, all the qualities I look for in a good Pad Thai. The key ingredient? Tamarand paste. Super stinky on its own, but clutch in making truly delicious Pad Thai. We're still perfecting the ratios of tamarnd, soy, fish sauce, brown sugar and peanut butter. Goals are good, right?
And so, while it does require me to turn on the stove, get off the couch and actually cook, it tasted all the better for it. It took less time than waiting 40 minutes for take out, cost half the price of a noodle dish from our favorite Thai restaurant and forced my hand at trying something new.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
a damn good cup of joe
Sunday morning and all you want is a good cup of coffee and a tasty baked good. At the local coffee shop around the corner two double cappuccini and a couple of pastries will cost $15. At home, we've got everything we need for the same Sunday morning pick-me-up for less.
What do you need for a good at home cappuccino? G and I are quite fond of the Bialetti Moka Express. So fond, in fact, we've got two. A small one for just one double and a slightly larger one for two doubles (G's Christmas present from yours truly). Fine, freshly ground beans turn into the perfect, deep espresso in just minutes with the moka maker. And the frothy milk? When we got back from Italy last April we were so desperate for good cappuccini that we invested in the Bodum milk frother. Perfect frothy milk every time. We haven't gone out for coffee in months, thanks to these two awesome kitchen tools. 
So, instead of venturing into the cold and spending $15 on a simple Sunday breakfast, we are cozy in our PJs and enjoying our homemade treats.
Happy Sunday, everyone!
Saturday, February 2, 2013
The January Summation
So first, all of you fans out there.
Your continued want to read about our trials and travails during this process, in addition to your ability to talk to us everyday, is simply outstanding and much appreciated. For that, we both want to thank you. Greg personally can't believe you all want to read this much about our lives. But you want more than I assume, you want the updates on how we're doing.
So far we have paid off $1,521. That leaves us with ($39,479) left to pay off. Not a bad start to a completely new way of living. As always though, there's room for a bit of improvement.
For starters, sickness is not a way to live cheaply. You stay home from work, take medicine, and use public transportation because peddling your bike makes you feel woozy and cough. Also, the random trip to the grocery begins to enlarge your grocery budget. An avocado on the way home from work that you forgot to buy at the grocery when you planned tortilla soup, a six pack of beer to celebrate being off antibiotics, etc. All legitimate purchases in our eyes, but they begin to add up. Add maintenance on your primary mode of transportation and you begin to understand that living frugally isn't so much a random act of savings, but a planned, concerted effort.
So where to start? Well, easily number one is: don't get sick. Ahhh, but the randomness of the universe simply doesn't let you off on this one. Unless you go around kissing flu patients. Then well.....
Second: maintain your transportation. We can't believe how many rusty bike chains, wobbly wheels, and bikes in disrepair we see everyday. No wonder BikeShare does so well. A simple check on your ride would save a bunch of headache and dollars from your pocket.
We haven't found a third yet, but we're looking into the problem. We will keep you informed of our discoveries. For now, onwards to February!
Your continued want to read about our trials and travails during this process, in addition to your ability to talk to us everyday, is simply outstanding and much appreciated. For that, we both want to thank you. Greg personally can't believe you all want to read this much about our lives. But you want more than I assume, you want the updates on how we're doing.
So far we have paid off $1,521. That leaves us with ($39,479) left to pay off. Not a bad start to a completely new way of living. As always though, there's room for a bit of improvement.
For starters, sickness is not a way to live cheaply. You stay home from work, take medicine, and use public transportation because peddling your bike makes you feel woozy and cough. Also, the random trip to the grocery begins to enlarge your grocery budget. An avocado on the way home from work that you forgot to buy at the grocery when you planned tortilla soup, a six pack of beer to celebrate being off antibiotics, etc. All legitimate purchases in our eyes, but they begin to add up. Add maintenance on your primary mode of transportation and you begin to understand that living frugally isn't so much a random act of savings, but a planned, concerted effort.
So where to start? Well, easily number one is: don't get sick. Ahhh, but the randomness of the universe simply doesn't let you off on this one. Unless you go around kissing flu patients. Then well.....
Second: maintain your transportation. We can't believe how many rusty bike chains, wobbly wheels, and bikes in disrepair we see everyday. No wonder BikeShare does so well. A simple check on your ride would save a bunch of headache and dollars from your pocket.
We haven't found a third yet, but we're looking into the problem. We will keep you informed of our discoveries. For now, onwards to February!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Pneumonia and Chicken Soup
So sorry for the radio silence. I am still getting use to the idea that I have a blog...that maybe someone reads...that I should consider updating. Anyway, most of what has been pulling me away from the keyboard has been Greg's nasty case of pneumonia. Technically, only "walking" pneumonia, but it has been a fun round of antibiotics, tea and chicken soup. He's definitely out of the weeds, now, which is great, but it's slow going. Being sick poses a few challenges when you're trying to live on a short budget. Doctors visits and medicines are nastily expensive, but ABSOLUTELY necessary. Tea, cough drops and Kleenex are also necessary, but man oh man, has our CVS bill been through the roof this month. All money well spent if it means getting healthier faster, but it really does start to add up.
I have been furiously cooking any all warming foods I could thing of. We've had at least 5 types of soup in the past week, aided by homemade chicken stock. At $1.89 a pound, I bought a 3 pound chicken at Eastern Market last weekend. We roasted it with potatoes, carrots and turnips, covered it it lemon, oil and salt and had a grand old feast. With the left over meat I made chicken tacos the next night (which also got us lunch the following day). With the picked over chicken carcass, we made about 12 cups of beautiful, flavorful chicken stock. I have a couple jars in the fridge and the rest in the freezer to be pulled out when needed. So, for under $6 we had protein for 3 meals and enough stock for at least 2 big batches of soup. Brilliant!
This post is low on the details of how the plan is going, more about getting into the swing of posting. As the end of January roles around, we'll give a good summary of who, what, when, why, how, etc.
I have been furiously cooking any all warming foods I could thing of. We've had at least 5 types of soup in the past week, aided by homemade chicken stock. At $1.89 a pound, I bought a 3 pound chicken at Eastern Market last weekend. We roasted it with potatoes, carrots and turnips, covered it it lemon, oil and salt and had a grand old feast. With the left over meat I made chicken tacos the next night (which also got us lunch the following day). With the picked over chicken carcass, we made about 12 cups of beautiful, flavorful chicken stock. I have a couple jars in the fridge and the rest in the freezer to be pulled out when needed. So, for under $6 we had protein for 3 meals and enough stock for at least 2 big batches of soup. Brilliant!
 |
| mmm! chicken tacos taste even better after days of soup! |
This post is low on the details of how the plan is going, more about getting into the swing of posting. As the end of January roles around, we'll give a good summary of who, what, when, why, how, etc.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Weekly Round up
Sorry for the delayed weekly round up. For those of you who haven't already heard, we had a little medical emergency on Thursday evening when my mom drove herself to the ER. I have been a bundle of nerves since then. But she started to improve, a lot and quite quickly, and even though the docs couldn't seem to figure out what was wrong they sent her home on Friday night.
We took her home and made green chile cheese burgers, which made everyone feel better. Greg also woke up sick on Saturday. So, the whole house has been hanging out, convalescing. You know what they say, a family that convalesces together, stays together...
Needless to say, it's been an interesting weekend. Many thanks to all the family and friends who lent support, love and words of comfort. Now that everyone is on the mend, let's talk money.
Accomplishments over the past week:
Mini-dinner party with the mom before all hell broke loose.
Greg made a first payment on the debt to his parents.
I made my standard payment on school loans (I have big plans to pay of a large amount at the beginning of February, more on the thought process behind this later...).
I also paid off my credit card today, but this is a standard monthly practice for me. I got my first credit card about a year and a half ago, knowing full well that my younger self would not have managed my money well and that I would have even more debt than I now. When I first got my credit card I had at $500 limit. I used it for bills, going out to dinner, and then I would pay off the whole thing each month. Before a big European adventure last year, I asked the bank to up my limit. They bumped me up to $1,500. I still use it sparingly enough that I can pay it off totally (or almost) each month. It allows me for a little extra wiggle room with my finance but I never let myself get out of control.
We took her home and made green chile cheese burgers, which made everyone feel better. Greg also woke up sick on Saturday. So, the whole house has been hanging out, convalescing. You know what they say, a family that convalesces together, stays together...
Needless to say, it's been an interesting weekend. Many thanks to all the family and friends who lent support, love and words of comfort. Now that everyone is on the mend, let's talk money.
Accomplishments over the past week:
Mini-dinner party with the mom before all hell broke loose.
Greg made a first payment on the debt to his parents.
I made my standard payment on school loans (I have big plans to pay of a large amount at the beginning of February, more on the thought process behind this later...).
I also paid off my credit card today, but this is a standard monthly practice for me. I got my first credit card about a year and a half ago, knowing full well that my younger self would not have managed my money well and that I would have even more debt than I now. When I first got my credit card I had at $500 limit. I used it for bills, going out to dinner, and then I would pay off the whole thing each month. Before a big European adventure last year, I asked the bank to up my limit. They bumped me up to $1,500. I still use it sparingly enough that I can pay it off totally (or almost) each month. It allows me for a little extra wiggle room with my finance but I never let myself get out of control.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
A Dinner of French Onion Soup
Tonight marked our first dinner party on the Fast. To be fair, it was just us and my mom, but that doesn't make it any less of a party. We toasted the Fast and the wonderful opportunity of week-day dinners together.
It all started because of one of Greg's wild cravings. Anyone who doesn't know this about Greg, well, I guess it's public knowledge now-they come and can't be ignored until satisfied. A few months ago Wendy's was all Greg wanted. The craving didn't die until he brought home a junior bacon cheese burger, a spicy chicken sandwich, fries and a frosty.
This week, the craving was set on french onion soup. I whole heartily believe this is a better craving than Wendy's (though, I must admit, I do love french fries dunked in an ice cold frosty). So, I indulged him, figuring a big vat of onion soup had to be fairly cost effective.
Knowingly serving french onion soup and not calling my mother would be, well, a dangerous move. She adores french onion soup, can't resist ordering it if it's on the menu and spent a good portion of her first visit to France in 1971 looking for "french" onion soup. Needless to say, she didn't find quite what she was looking for...c'est la vie!
Over the weekend I bought beautiful onions at Eastern Market. While we usually make our own veggie stock, beef stock is not a staple in our freezer, so I bought some while out at the Market, too. Today Greg grabbed fresh herbs, wine and cheese and baked up two beautiful loves of fresh bread.
Greg's version of the classic came from Best Recipes. Onion-y, not too sweet, lots of fresh herbs and the right balance of fat in the brown broth. Served in hand made bowls (thanks to yours truly), covered in fresh toast and slightly burnt Swiss cheese, it was decadent.
All totaled, I think our soup was about $2.50/serving, which sounds steep for a vegetable soup. Maybe my conversion is off? Or, maybe it was the wine and cheese. TBD. Anyway, it supplied a spectacular meal for this evening and lunch for tomorrow. We even sent some leftovers home with my mom- think she'll share?
It all started because of one of Greg's wild cravings. Anyone who doesn't know this about Greg, well, I guess it's public knowledge now-they come and can't be ignored until satisfied. A few months ago Wendy's was all Greg wanted. The craving didn't die until he brought home a junior bacon cheese burger, a spicy chicken sandwich, fries and a frosty.
This week, the craving was set on french onion soup. I whole heartily believe this is a better craving than Wendy's (though, I must admit, I do love french fries dunked in an ice cold frosty). So, I indulged him, figuring a big vat of onion soup had to be fairly cost effective.
Knowingly serving french onion soup and not calling my mother would be, well, a dangerous move. She adores french onion soup, can't resist ordering it if it's on the menu and spent a good portion of her first visit to France in 1971 looking for "french" onion soup. Needless to say, she didn't find quite what she was looking for...c'est la vie!
Over the weekend I bought beautiful onions at Eastern Market. While we usually make our own veggie stock, beef stock is not a staple in our freezer, so I bought some while out at the Market, too. Today Greg grabbed fresh herbs, wine and cheese and baked up two beautiful loves of fresh bread. Greg's version of the classic came from Best Recipes. Onion-y, not too sweet, lots of fresh herbs and the right balance of fat in the brown broth. Served in hand made bowls (thanks to yours truly), covered in fresh toast and slightly burnt Swiss cheese, it was decadent.
All totaled, I think our soup was about $2.50/serving, which sounds steep for a vegetable soup. Maybe my conversion is off? Or, maybe it was the wine and cheese. TBD. Anyway, it supplied a spectacular meal for this evening and lunch for tomorrow. We even sent some leftovers home with my mom- think she'll share?
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