year-long-money-diary

[year-long-money-diary]

DAY 3

2 AM - I wake up super thirsty but also well rested. Grab some ice water, drink a few sips and crash.

6:15 AM - I wake up to my alarm and feel tired and grumpy. Set my alarm for 6:30 AM and go back to sleep.

6:30 AM - Mess around in bed

6:50 AM - Finally get out of bed, put water on the stove to boil, and hop in the shower

7 AM - I add ramen to the boiling water, put away the dishes from last night and wipe down the counters.

7:10 AM - I sit down with my ramen and some YouTube.

7:45 AM - I get dressed, pack my bag with some of the leftover mac and cheese my roommate made yesterday and the sliced apples I didn’t actually eat.

8:05 AM - I leave the house feeling relieved that I am going to make it to work fairly close to 8:30. I grab the WashPo on my way out - I’m debating cancelling this since my office gets subscription papers that we can take from but I might have purchased a year’s worth? I put it on my to do list of things to consider. 

8:38 AM - I arrive at work and get started on some work.

9:30 AM - My boss assigns me a task without a lot of guidelines. This kind of work is some of the most stressful work - clearly guidelines are important to me but he’s stressed so I don’t push it too much. I listen to him and a colleague complain about a client who they’re meeting with tomorrow. They passingly invite me to the meeting which is out of the office. I remember my goals of being aggressive and taking up space and showing my worth so I tell them that I would in fact, love to attend the meeting because I think it’s relevant to my ability to run future meetings like this. Boss says sure but to confirm by the end of the day.

10 AM - It feels like a pity invite so I text a former sorority sister who is everything I want to be professionally for her thoughts and advice. She tells me to take advantage of the offer because they might not invite me to things like this in the future if I’m being shy and wishy-washy. Good point.

10:30 AM - I work on what I can and run by my boss’ office because I don’t think he looked at the source material before recommending it.

12 PM - The office is hosting a meeting about 401k’s (I can’t have one until a year with the company) but they are providing Potbelly for lunch so I have a Mediterranean sandwich. 

2 PM - I feel like I’m reading the same stuff over and over again and like I’m walking around in circles. My presentation feels terrible and I feel like my boss is annoyed with me. I get really anxious and feel like my boss is disappointed.

4 PM - I colleague comes by to look at the presentation format and then sends me some slides to add.

5:10 PM - I take a deep breath, put on my tennis shoes and walk by my boss’ office to let him know that a draft of the presentation is in the folder (he seems annoyed) and that if the invitation stood, I’d like to tag along tomorrow. He says okay.

5:15 PM - I walk to Trader Joe’s and pick up two bottles of Montepulciano - it’s the cheapest red I’ve found that tastes pretty okay. ($10.95)

5:30 PM - I wait for the bus (it’s less of a walk if I take it) but it doesn’t come probably because of evening traffic. I walk to the metro instead kind of annoyed.

6:15 PM - I get home, throw some ramen on the stove, and get some water. I really need to find a feel option that is quick, flavorful, and warm - that’s why I eat so much ramen but it obviously isn’t good for me.

6:30 PM - I call a friend some college that is home for the summer and we talk about our work, families, and generally reflect. She’s awesome!

8:15 PM - We get off the phone. I think about how I’m going to have to get up early to try on the suits I own to see which fit best for the meeting today. I’m very cognizant of meetings with all men - I’d like to wear pants but since my pants aren’t hemmed right now, I’ll have to wear heels which can be loud and distracting. I also don’t know how long we’ll be walking and I don’t want to draw attention to myself. I’ll think about it tomorrow. 

8:30 PM - I pour myself a glass of wine and read Modern Romance for a bit. Honestly, I probably could have just gone to sleep I was feeling so down and tired.

9:45 PM - I decide to call it a night early and set my alarm for 6 AM.

DAY 3 TOTAL: $10.95

[year-long-money-diary]

DAY 2

6:15 AM - I wake up feeling terrible...again. I set an alarm for 6:30 AM.

6:30 AM - I spend time on reddit and social media to mosey about. I’m trying to refrain from falling asleep because I always end up feeling worse when I do. 

6:55 AM - I finally decide to roll out of bed remembering how much it sucks when I’m fighting against the clock to get to work before my boss. I put water on the stove to boil and hop in the shower. I get out of the shower and put some ramen into the boiling water and let that cook while I put away the dishes from yesterday. I slice up an apple for a snack later in the day. 

7:15 AM - I sit down to eat my ramen with some YouTube. 

7:45 AM - I get dressed (a polka dot black blouse with a black skirt). I remember to grab a book that I purchased for my friend whose book club I’m attending later in the day. I also grab the left over stir fry and the last slice of banana bread for lunch. 

8:00 AM - I should have left 5 minutes ago. But, I wash the dishes, check the weather to see if I need an umbrella, and grab the trash to throw out on my way out. 

8:05 AM - I head out, throw the trash out, and head to the metro. 

8:40 AM - I get to my desk, turn the heat that’s still running from yesterday off, and log into my email. I put my lunch in the fridge and grab my mug to get a coffee from the office kitchen.

9:30 AM - I check in with my boss and it looks like we’re on the same page. He wants me to sit in on the 2 PM meeting he has with a client. 

12:30 PM - I reheat the stir fry for lunch - it’s delicious but not very filling. Since I finally have good insurance, I make a dentist appointment. I have pretty severe anxiety surrounding the dentist after a bad experience so it was scary but the woman on the phone was very reassuring and even talked through future sedation options with me.

2 PM - I sit in on the call my boss asked me to sit in on. It’s a lot of back and forth and very “business-y”. I work in lobbying but I’m a lot more interested in the technology and proposals than the business / politicking / keeping clients on but both are important. The meeting runs over and we have an interview we need to have at 3- my boss asks me and a colleague to run it from the other conference call so we’re not late. My heel becomes detached from my shoe and I am really sad about it - I’ve literally only worn them indoors while at work and for 4 weeks at that.

3 PM - We start this conference call with a potential consultant. The person rambles and talks forever. I am exhausted and bored. My boss periodically mutes the call to highlight how unaware this candidate is.

4 PM - I’ve finally returned to my office and am exhausted. I am looking for somewhere to go after work. I don’t really want to spend money but I’m also tired and I AM supposed to be at book club at 7 which makes it unreasonable to go home after work.

5 PM - I switch into tennis shoes and run out of work. I head to the metro and get off at the stop with my favorite wine bar: Verre Wine Bar. 

5:30 PM - I order a glass of the Moda from their happy hour menu while trying to figure out why my emotions were raging. I pull up the summary my roommate wrote for me regarding the book we’re supposed to be discussing (long story but I’m hoping to read from now on). 

6 PM - I order a brussel sprout salad because I think I’m hungry which is what is making me feel particularly tired. I also order a second glass of Moda. The book club host posts in the FB group asking who is planning on coming. Turns out it’s only me and my roommate. We decide to impromptu host.

6:45 PM - I pay my tab and walk home so I can meet my roommate and the host at my apartment. 23.80

7:10 PM - I get home, dice some green apple, (my roommate made mac and cheese) and we wait for our friend. I glue the heel back to my shoe with some super glue and rant to my roommate.

7:20 PM - Our friend arrives and we pour some wine we have open. We start eating some mac and cheese and chat about the book.

9 PM - We switch to talking about theology and travel. 

10 PM - I start picking up dishes, washing the dishes and brushing my teeth to indicate that I really need to get to bed.

11 PM - I crash while watching a YouTube video.

DAY TWO TOTAL: $23.80

[year-long-money-diary]

DAY ONE

5 AM - I wake up feeling refreshed after a series of wild dreams. I use the bathroom and decide I’ll just lay in bed and daydream.

6:15 AM - My alarm goes off. I feel awful and exhausted. I clearly fell asleep instead of daydreaming. I set my alarm for 6:30 and go back to sleep.

6:30 AM - I set my alarm for 6:45 and get on reddit / try to read.

7:05 AM - I finally get out of bed. I’ve done this routine for a few weeks now. I think I may need to just start going to bed earlier and go back to using a sleep timer because this is getting exhausting. I set water to boil on the stove and hop in the shower.

7:15 AM - I add some ramen to the pot to cook and start putting away the dishes from the night before. I don’t like eating traditional breakfast foods and much prefer spicy and warm food. I eventually should transition to something like eggs which is healthier but for now this is cheap and delicious. 

7:30 AM - I sit on my couch and eat my ramen with a YouTube show. I’ve received two flash flood warnings by this point

7:50 AM - I quickly get up to get dressed. Since it’s supposed to rain, I choose to wear a black and white striped dress. 

8:00 AM - I brush my teeth, put on deodorant, brush my hair, and make my bed. 

8:05 AM - I pack my bag with my lunch (leftover stir fry!) and some snacks (a scone my roommate brought back from a hometown bakery and an apple). I remember I’m going on a date later so I grab a pair of flats (I wear tennis shoes to the metro and switch into my loafers at work but I don’t want to take my loafers home). After debating on whether I should wear a rain coat (it’s hot but apparently it’s supposed to be pouring but it’s not raining when I look out my window), I decide against it, grab my umbrella and start my walk to the metro.

8:10 AM - I again am reminded that I should have left my house 15 minutes ago and remember that I forgot to get the rice I froze yesterday so my lunch is going to be missing a lot of filler. I remember the half priced burgers for my date and decide it’s not worth turning around for.

8:40 AM - I get to work and get on the same elevator as the COO of my company who’s pants got soaked by the rain and is very grumpy. I put my lunch in the fridge, grab a cup of coffee, switch out of my tennis shoes, and settle into my email with the sound of rain outside.

12:00 PM - The office manager and the intern are playing a chance game and invite me to join. I’ve been looking for a way to join the conference room lunch group so this is the perfect entry. I heat up my lunch and join them.

12:45 PM - I call my electric company. They haven’t charged us utilities in two months and I’m getting nervous. Turns out they are returning our security deposit in the form of credits + one month I misread the credit as the bill so we have a lot of credits and likely won’t have to pay utilities for a few months. I spoke to a super helpful person on the phone and glad it was sorted out. 

2 PM - I realized I made a mistake in scheduling a call with my boss and a potential consultant. I hadn’t noted the time zone that the consultant listed in his email to me but he had still accepted my calendar invite. I was embarrassed as it’s only my first month at this job. I remember what I learned though and promptly went and explained my error to my supervisor. I said I didn’t think it was going to be a huge issue because he did accept the invite but that if it was a problem, it was my fault and that I would reschedule. 

2:30 PM - Half hour before the call and I’m feeling sad about my screw up, annoyed, and hungry. I eat the scone and wait.

3 PM - Call happens, he answers, all is well. 

4:45 PM - I leave work to head to my therapy appointment. It’s with a new therapist - I’m at a student clinic where we get a new clinician every school year. 

5 PM - Therapy is fine. I feel like she is very quick to assign names / categories to my problems but she’s also a student so I get that it’ll be a back and forth. 

6 PM - I leave therapy and check my phone. My date apparently had something critical to work on this evening and cancelled. I debated going to my favorite wine bar to get a drink - I already budgeted for a burger. But, I realized I was craving stir fry a lot more so I headed home. 

6:30 PM - I get off the metro and call my friend J on my way home. I continue talking to him while I make my dinner. 

7:30 PM - I get off the phone, and eat my dinner with some YouTube. 

9:30 PM - I brush my teeth, take off my jewelry, and head to bed a little early.

DAY ONE TOTAL: $0