In Times of Trouble

Oh thank the heavens above, moments ago I finished the last of the rice/corn/beans/tomato creation I made Monday night and have eaten for every lunch and dinner since. (My protein levels are high and I'm feeling a bit gassy, co-workers, so WATCH OUT! And NOO I'm not bitter that someone forgot the FRIDAY DONUTS this morning. I was only depending on it for my morning sugar-high and daily HAPPINESS, that's all.) You see, I am trying to watch my spending, and one way I'm saving my pennies is to cook a BIG dish early in the week, then feast and munch on it until it's totally gone. It's more cost-effective than buying millions of Lean Cuisines, and I am finally learning how to (sort of) cook.

Everything would be monetarily fine if I didn't have these damn car payments (see how I am cleverly blameshifting my budgeting issues?). It all goes way back to February when my friends and I met at a local bar for their wonderful happy hour drinks and pizzas and when I went back outside two hours later, discovered that some D-BAG had CRASHED INTO MY CAR AND DRIVEN AWAY AND IF I FIND YOU I WILL SLAY YOU. No note. No apology. I hope Karma comes and kicks him in the arse because that was a horrible thing to do, just leave my poor car broken and jagged out there in the snow with no explanation. I obviously cried a lot into my cute red mittens and called the police and waited in Lindsay's car while she and the other girls stroked my hair and told me everything would be okay. Then I cried more in the police car while filling out a report, and though he didn't stroke my hair (it would have been hard to do, seeing as I was sitting in the backseat behind the fence-divider-thingy), the policeman also told me everything would be okay.

See, to go off on a long tangent, I really doubted that everything was going to be okay. This was the SECOND car that had been totalled while in my possession. And I knew that the car was totalled, because it was definitely getting on in years and the back wheel is just NOT supposed to jut out at that harsh of an angle. (I had also totalled my beautiful little '98 Honda Civic junior year in college when everyone came to an abrupt halt on the two-lane highway and the lady behind me didn't notice I had stopped, but ran right into me and forced my car into the back of the pickup in front of me, and now I am being SUED by said white trash K-Fed look-alike pickup driver because he claims I hit him before Barbette hit me, and it's a big clusterfuck and frustrates me to NO END, but I have lots of blind, naive faith that eventually justice will be served, so check back on December 18 when I have to go to COURT.) The hardest part of the whole second-car-totalling experience was calling my dad, because my biggest fear in life is NOT actually centipedes, it is disappointing my parents. (I am what most people would consider a Good Daughter, minus my senior year in high school and freshman year in college when I decided I would Rebel and anger my parents to no end with my choice of boyfriend.) But even my dad told me everything would be okay, except I could kiss goodbye a huge chunk of my disposable income.

Alright, I am getting waaaay off topic here. To sum things up, I am learning how to Spend Wisely because of the following reasons:

1. After the car debacle, I took the insurance money and put it towards an adorable new Honda Civic that I love with all my heart, minus the massive bird crap currently adorning the hood. But these car payments and insurance payments? Oy vae, they are the PITS.

2. My roommates and I choose to live in a nice area of town and our rent is not really THAT bad (especially when I talk to people who live in REAL cities, like New York or Chicago or DC) but it's more than it used to be (i.e., living at home where it was FREE and then living in the ghetto where it SHOULD have been free). And I enjoy decorating. And wine.

3. My salary is not too bad for a recent grad, but let's keep in mind that I do work for a non-profit here in the Midwest, where people are more concerned with the recent shooting at KFC and rising property values and whatever animal-rescue story aired on the local news last night than with giving money to others.

4. I enjoy traveling. A lot. Just take a gander at that there weekend schedule to the right. Sure, most of the trips require only a two-hour car ride to the Cleve, which I find relaxing and gives me an excuse to belt out show tunes and Fiona Apple and Mandy Moore at the top of my lungs. And for the rest of the trips, I have cashed in bunches of airline miles and coupons and Alex has graciously gone splitzies with me on some flights since he can fly everywhere for free (damn you, Real Consulting Jobs).

Did I mention that I was a financial consultant? I know, I find it very funny too. I still have no idea how I got this job, seeing as I was a HISTORY major in college and would like nothing more than to read books and maybe write some too for the rest of my life. But the fact that I give advice on how to wisely budget and spend money makes me think about how maybe I need to turn the tables on myself. And so, to bring this story around full-circle, one of the ways that I am pinching my pennies (weird phrase, that one) is to cook more for myself, cut waaay back on lunch dates with Janie (sorry pal), and mooch as many free meals as I can from my parents because seriously why else do I still live here in this city.

As stated before, my most recent venture into cooking was this "chicken and spicy tomato sauce" experiment linked above. It is delicious, though it will be a (long) while before I make it again. I'm sort of burned out on it. Next week, I think I will try MEATLOAF. As many people know well, I LLURVEEE meatloaf! Oh my gosh, I'm salivating just thinking about it. I remember the first time that Alex took me to visit his grandmother, and she made Spamloaf for us (okay actually it was hamloaf, but whatev). I nearly cried from happiness because maybe it WAS a tad undercooked and I was risking food poisoning and/or death by having another helping, but I had finally found a soulmate who shared my love for LOAFS and I told her over and over again that I would be back, and could she send me the recipe?

Hmm. I just read this rambling entry again. I hope I don't come across as a complainer...I am not asking for pity or donations or anything. I guess I'm just happy I finally finished that gigantic tupperware full of flatulence-causing rice and stuff (my cubicle neighbors are happy too), and I'm muy excited about Meatloaf Monday. And Meatloaf Tuesday. And Wednesday. And so on. Check back next week to see what clever things I do with my meatloaf each day! HOORAY!