Skip to main content

No Buy 2020: May Review

Something went wrong. Something went terribly wrong in May. Was it related to being done with school and finally having free time? Must have been. Because I spent 89% of my monthly average from 2019. Not exactly a big accomplishment this month.

Here's where I think I went awry:
  • I barely spent anything on groceries in April, but I definitely made up for that in May. Pantry needed to be restocked, apparently.
  • Home maintenance. I purchased a ceiling fan and an above-range microwave that both needed to be replaced, so that was $300 right there. Luckily, my dad was able to come out and give me some assistance with installing both. Okay, he installed them. I just provided moral support. 
  • Eating out is a thing again. My friends and I have, a few times now, gotten drinks on a patio or food to-go since we're (safely) meeting up again. I also cheated once and got to-go food just for me, so I need to be careful not to make excuses moving forward. Slippery slope!
  • Amazon got me. Granted, I bought things I needed (color catchers for the laundry, new Brita filters, etc), but it was a little spendy. Oh, and mother's day gifts. Can't forget that.
  • I bought myself an end-of-first-year-of-PA-school present and I didn't exactly hold back. I got myself a Chemex coffee carafe, a nice gooseneck electric kettle, food scale and coffee grinder. 
  • To stay active, hang out with friends, and keep somewhat socially distant from others, my friends and I have taken up hiking. So, I purchased a park pass. We're getting great use out of it already though!
These blog posts are probably pretty boring for people to read, but I think it's a great way for me to review my spending and see where I need to be more cautious. Groceries, eating out, and gift for myself combined with some necessities quickly brought me back up to my usual spending habits. It's a good reminder that if I'm not careful, I can easily spend more than I intend.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Distance Year 1: My daily routine

Over the summer, I wrote about my daily routine . Remember, at that time I was living in a tiny studio apartment and doing school full-time on campus. As expected, the transition to life as a part-time student, part-time dietitian has been challenging. I'll say this upfront. I knew PA school, even in a part-time program, was going to be difficult. But this has, well, exceeded those expectations. When people tell you that you'll be studying basically all the time, they weren't kidding. But I'll let my daily routine help you see that! Work Day Schedule I work three days a week (generally W-F), and I have quickly realized that I can't slack off on these days. If I do, I definitely get behind! 5:15 - Alarm goes off. My small dog Milo somehow takes up the whole bed but I try to sneak out of bed without disturbing him too much. He's lazy so he'll sleep most of the morning. 5:30-6:30 - Watch a lecture while sipping on my coffee and eating a simple...

My favorite books about medicine

I am a medicine junkie. Medical shows (House, Grey's Anatomy), documentaries (Diagnosis), and books … I love it all! Even though summer is coming to an end (and we're about to kiss our free time good-bye!), I wanted to share a list of my favorite books about medicine. Side note: Even though we don't have a lot of free time, I have found that reading a little bit for fun before bed helps me wind down to go to sleep. Way better than staring at my phone like I used to do! Anyway, these books are in no particular order (because ranking them was just too dang hard!). Also, I'm pretty sure that all of these books are $15 or less, so it won't break the bank for us poor college kids to read a few. Every Patient Tells a Story This book was actually recommended to me by PA students when I was interviewing at the school I am currently attending! Apparently it was strongly encouraged to read by one of the professors, and it sounded amazing. Written by Dr. Lisa Sand...

Resiliency: PA School During a Pandemic

I saw this article on Facebook and it really hit home for me: "Your 'Surge Capacity' is Depleted -- It's Why You Feel Awful." I strongly encourage you to read the whole article yourself, but a few things stuck out to me that I feel compelled to share.  First, what's surge capacity? It's your adaptive abilities for dealing with acute stress. The problem with a pandemic is that it isn't really acute in the same way that a massive tornado or other disaster might be. We're in this for the long haul, and if you're like me, those adaptive abilities have worn thin.  For me, this has looked like feelings of helplessness and exhaustion. I've spent a lot more time on my couch watching bad reality TV than I'd like to admit. But with school starting in up in less than a week, that really isn't going to fly. So how does a student (in an intensive graduate program) keep moving forward? "Both-And" Thinking One of my favorite lessons fro...