#living on a budget

[mushroomwillow]

When you order a pizza and have too much leftover freeze it. You can heat it up in the oven later

Most veggies you can blanch, a very quick dunk in boiling water and then into ice water and then thaw

Soups are a great thing to freeze. Broths too.

Milk can even be frozen and thawed. Just make sure you put it in the fridge asap when it’s thawed

Juices, same as milk. Freeze then leave out to thaw.

There’s a lot more, but these are just off the top of my head

Being an adult will having you freezing foods you didn’t even think were possible to freeze

[smallpossibilities]

5 Budgeting Strategies That Can Transform Your Financial Life

Managing finances can be overwhelming, right? If you’re aiming to save for a vacation, pay off debt, or simply get a grip on monthly expenses, finding a budgeting strategy that works for you is essential. Here are five budgeting methods that I’ve found incredibly helpful, along with some practical tips you can use right away.

1. Zero-Based Budgeting: Plan Every Dollar

Overview: In Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB), you allocate every dollar of your income to a specific category. This includes regular expenses like rent, groceries, and utilities, as well as savings, debt repayment, and discretionary spending such as entertainment or dining out. The idea is to ensure that no dollar is left unaccounted for, giving you a comprehensive view of where your money goes.

How to Apply:

List all sources of income.

Write down all expenses, starting with essentials and then non-essentials.

Adjust the amounts until your income minus expenses equals zero.

Stick to your budget and review it monthly.

2. The 50/30/20 Rule: Balanced Budgeting

Overview: The 50/30/20 rule is a simple and effective method for managing your finances. It divides your after-tax income into three main categories: needs, wants, and savings/debt repayment. This balanced approach ensures that you cover essential expenses, enjoy discretionary spending, and work towards your financial goals.

How to Apply:

Calculate your after-tax income.

Allocate 50% to needs, 30% to wants, and 20% to savings and debt.

Track your spending to ensure you stay within these limits.

3. Envelope System: Spend Only What You Have

Overview: The Envelope System is a tried-and-true budgeting method that helps you control spending by using cash for different expense categories. This system encourages discipline and awareness by limiting spending to the cash available in each envelope, making it easier to stick to your budget and avoid overspending.

How to Apply:

Determine your spending categories and allocate a set amount of cash to each.

Use envelopes to separate cash for each category.

Spend only the cash in each envelope, and stop when it’s gone.

Refill the envelopes at the start of each month.

4. Pay-Yourself-First Budgeting: Prioritize Savings

Overview: The Pay-Yourself-First budgeting method prioritizes savings and investments before addressing other expenses. By treating savings as the most important “expense” and paying it first, you ensure that you are consistently building wealth and working towards your financial goals.

How to Apply:

Decide on a percentage of your income to save.

Transfer this amount to a savings account as soon as you get paid.

Budget the remaining money for expenses and discretionary spending.

5. Priority-Based Budgeting: Focus on What Matters Most

Overview: Priority-Based Budgeting emphasizes allocating your resources according to your most important goals and values. This method helps you identify and prioritize expenses that align with your financial objectives, ensuring that your money is spent on what truly matters to you.

How to Apply:

List and prioritize your financial goals.

Allocate your budget starting with the most important expenses.

Adjust as needed to ensure priorities are funded first.

Review and revise your priorities regularly.

Conclusion

Finding the right budgeting strategy can significantly improve your financial well-being. Whether it’s zero-based budgeting, the 50/30/20 rule, the envelope system, pay-yourself-first, or priority-based budgeting, each method offers a different approach to managing your money. Explore these strategies to see which one aligns best with your lifestyle and begin your journey towards financial stability and freedom.

Happy budgeting!

Cas Lin Small Possibilities

[stil-lindigo]

Bisan is calling for another global strike!

I saw some posts just outlining Jan 21st, and wanted to clarify that Bisan has called for a full seven days of action.

What a global strike would look like is:

calling in sick to work

purchasing bare essentials ahead of the week so you can observe the general boycott of goods / buying as little as you genuinely can

putting in a concerted effort to elevate Palestinian voices and make it clear that this strike is in support of a permanent ceasefire!

For those who will have to purchase necessary goods during this time, please observe the brands that the BDS movement is asking us to boycott!

♢♢♢

Right now is also a good time to mention some better uses for your money during this week.

Available e-sims in Gaza are running low!!

Mirna El Helbawi and her team are working round the clock to continue to connect Palestinians as Israel does its best to cut them off from the rest of the world.

You can learn how to purchase and send e-sims here, and below you’ll find a list of what is currently needed (the areas in brackets indicate what region you should select to buy e-sims in).

--

CareforGaza is an organisation that does verifiably good work, distributing supplies directly to Palestinian families.

They have a Gofundme set up at the moment, but because of Gofundme’s poor track record regarding refusing to transfer funds to Palestinians, I’d recommend continuing to donate directly to their PayPal here.

Good luck to all of you. Don't turn away from Palestine!

[cavorta]

Self-care on a Budget

In this blog, I‘d like to share some tips if you live on a budget and cannot afford to buy much, join fitness clubs etc. https://cavorta.substack.com/p/self-care-on-a-budget

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

A procession of confessions.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[opshizt]

DRUM ISLAND PREVIEW FOR THE LIVE ACTION LOOKS SO SICKKK WE'RE EATING Y'ALL

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

putting my prediction on record now that the coming decade is going to see the rise of viral-marketed fancy at-home water filtration systems, driving and driven by a drastic reduction in the quality of U.S. tap water (given that we are in a 'replacement era' where our current infrastructure is reaching the end of its lifespan--but isn't being replaced). also guessing that by the 2030s access to drinkable tap water will be a mainstream class issue, with low-income & unstably housed people increasingly forced to rely on expensive bottled water when they can't afford the up-front cost of at-home filtration--and with this being portrayed in media as a "moral failing" and short-sighted "choice," rather than a basic failure of our political & economic systems. really hope i'm just being alarmist, but plenty of this already happens in other countries, and the U.S. is in a state of decline, so. here's praying this post ages into irrelevance. timestamped April 2023

[plushri]

edited 22/02/2024 - my mum helped me raise the match goal from £100 to £200

edited again 22/02/2024 - I met and exceeded my goal! Donations are still very welcome because I think it's really impactful to show our collective donations, I will close this on the 27th when I am paid and can make my donation

Idea credit goes to @ibtisams and I was inspired by @stuckinapril and @geekydragon !

I am doing a donation match!

I will match every pound donated, from now until next week, up to £200! I will donate £50 regardless of the outcome.

-

1. Donate any amount you can to one of the places below:

UNRWA | Palestine children's relief fund | esims (link is a how to guide!) | Operation olive branch (any family that resonates with you)

2. Send me proof/receipt showing the date and amount, cross out any other information you wish

(currency does not matter, I will convert it and donate the equivalent in GBP)

3. I will update in the reblogs how much has been donated so far, and will make my matched donation on the 27th of February (when I get paid the money I plan to donate)

I'm currently planning on splitting my donation across the above sources, but I will donate £200 total.

-

If we meet the match goal we will raise £400 for people who desperately need it right now! It's easy to feel a small donation doesn't help, so hopefully this is a way to illustrate how it all does really add up.

Any amount helps, if you have £1 to spare please do, but if you can donate more I urge you to

If you have nothing to spare, please reblog and do your daily click

[meg-noel-art]

Arcane is a Masterclass in visual storytelling

I hate that a lot of the discourse post Arcane has been centered around it's focus on visual storytelling. Whether this be in regards to character interactions, or plot hints, etc, it seems that the genius of Fortiche and the writers is being criticized unnecessarily. This studio accomplishes what every artist DREAMS of excelling at. It's one of the things I appreciate most about the show. It uses its medium, animation, to its absolute fullest potential. It requires analysis and multiple rewatches and study to fully appreciate it. And I wanted to break down a specific moment that really does illustrate the control Fortiche has over every SECOND of this show (and one that's been controversial) Spoilers for Arcane S2 Episode 9

There is a set up in this final scene that lets us know what will happen to Jinx before it happens. And it lasts a single frame. Your eye and subconscious will register it before your brain ever does. As Jinx throws herself at Warwick/Vander and Vi pushes herself up to reach for her, a single frame focuses on the Hextech crystal in Vi's gauntlet.

Visually the scene could have cut from Vi's face, to her reaching for Jinx. But it shows us the Hextech purposefully - because it will be relevant to the scene. This is a visual cue for "remember this is here, remember what it does? It's about to have a payoff." And it's FAST, but on PURPOSE. And we see the payoff once Jinx uses it to depower the gauntlet moments later.

We knew as the audience, something would, because there was intentionality reminding us it was there. The way Jinx was going to fall was spelled out before it happened. Simultaneously, what they DON'T show in this scene is equally as relevant.

Jinx pulls out the bomb but we never see her deploy the pin. (She clearly DOES as there is an ensuing explosion). But this is different from the moment in season 1 on the bridge during her fight with Ekko, when we see the pin and bomb roll out of her hand before Ekko's reaction shot and the explosion. In that moment they gave us the visual indication of "there is no time" and indeed, they are both caught in the explosion.

But, in the S2 finale, the visual delay in her not removing the pin for us on screen, gives her canonically more time to escape its blast. It's a subtle visual nod to "Never found the body" trope. Hey never saw her pull the pin sooo ;) winkwinkwinknudgenudge. It's a hint to her survival due to nothing more than a single action of what we DON'T see. It needs to be subtle and tricky so that we DO have trouble believing it, but that we also still have a modicum of hope that we're right... That's awesome storytelling.

The next moment we are given a visual of the explosion we see a clear (incredibly fast) offshoot her shimmer abilities (as many have already pointed out.

Finally, in the final scene, Caitlyn nor Vi say a single word about the fallout of the battle. But we are given three visual cues to piece together what happened. Our minds are still purposefully meant to be processing the 'death' of Jinx, which as viewers, occurred 60 seconds ago.

The final battle occurred at the top of the Hexgate and Cait is looking at a blueprint of its construction.

2. The next cut is to the detonated head of the bomb we saw Jinx use while falling, meaning Cait is specifically thinking of the same moment we are. The single piece of bomb she's looking at also insinuates that's the only thing they "found" of her. Another nod to the "no body, no death" trope. But what is she thinking about it?

3. It shows us exactly what she sees and is thinking. A specific location within the Hexgates (which, notably, also includes the only TEXT we can visually make out. The line above it is pure scrawl.) 'air ducts'. An escape route in the same direction we saw Jinx's shimmer line go.

Jinx is likely alive and not a single line of dialogue was needed for that speculation to make sense or be followable.

Without a relevant line of dialogue (besides Cait's memorial-esque voiceover) since the battle, we can be relatively certain of three things:

1.) Jinx escaped the blast 2.) Jinx fled Piltover/Zaun 3.) Cait/Vi know this or suspect it (I believe Vi knows but that's a whole other meta of mine)

Whether or not that is your storytelling *preference*, this show needs to be appropriately commended for it's mastery of its art form. While I think it's fine and fair to say "I wish we had a bit of dialogue" regarding this or that, or a scene that laid x,y, or z out in a different way - it's not necessary. Not with the way the studio visually has told this entire story.

Anyway I don't even know how to end this, this is just a moment that stood out to me really hard, especially because people had such mixed feelings on the ending.

This studio is so god damn inspiring as someone who's dream is to work in storytelling and animation. Standing ovation.

[muffinlance]

Do you get the impression the live action is treating us like utter morons?? Like I thought that making it aimed at an older audience would open the doors for more subtle story telling, but no, they're just using monologues to tell us eveything! Like in the second episode Katara's like 'oh his power isn't that he's the avatar, it's that he ~connects~ to people'. Girl we're not idiots we can see that!! And the first episode with Aang's goddawful 'I don't want this responsibility' monologue

THIS, YES. The word that keeps coming to mind is definitely "subtlety". The show for literal children? Had it. The remake for adults? Not so much.

[celestialrealms]

Fun fact: In Barbatos's intimacy storyline in Nightbringer he ends up living with Solomon and MC at Cocytus Hall temporarily. Here's a highlight from his 40 intimacy call:

The way he makes Solomon sit in the corner. 😭 You cannot convince me he didn't raise this man.

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

If I were Buck right now I'd put a bi and a rainbow flag with "ally" on my Instagram profile, then post a picture of me kissing Tommy on the cheek, then turn off my phone.

[dispatchesfromtheclasswar]

[tenebrous-dream]

girl calm down youre just joining an idol group 😭😭

[danskjavlarna]

Source details and larger version.

If the plural of "Uncle Sam" is "Uncles Sam," you'll find some bizarre Uncles Sam in this gallery.