1. The Lockdown is going well. We are actively not buying a lot of things. Like a pitchfork and frappuccinos. But we’ve been flexible enough to see Up (it came out of the eat-out budget) and I’m going to be making organic fertilizer for the garden (will come out of the grocery budget). We are living like college students–if you offer us free food, we will eat it, and we’ll ask for leftovers. The other day, I dreamed I bought something I didn’t need, and I felt kind of sick.
2. Yesterday, I spent a couple hours on the beach at Oak Island reading and writing. I was nervous to go by myself. I’m ridiculous and feel self-conscious when doing things like going to the beach all alone. I know it’s stupid. But being there was so deliciously wonderful that I’ll definitely be back. There was no Facebook or email to distract me. No jellybeans to be tempted by. Just me and sand and the waves and Ayn Rand’s We the Living and an essay I’ve been working on for a while now. Lovely.
3. Does anyone have good recipes for black beans? I’ve got a ton of them in my pantry and need to use them up.
4. A couple weeks ago, I was buying a few groceries at Wal-Mart and my cashier started telling me about his terrible day, about his cousin’s death, about rude customers. He said I looked trustworthy. I tried to be sympathetic, tried to respond in an appropriate manner, but wasn’t sure how to react. I did feel bad for him. But I also wasn’t convinced he wasn’t making it all up. The other day, Jesse and I landed in his line, and he told us a story about not being able to sell firecrackers to kids, stupid Wal-Mart, oh the poor kid, it was just those things you throw on the ground and they go pop! We smiled sympathetically, laughed at the right moments, paid for our food, and left. I think he’s an actor getting ready for a role. Jesse guesses he’s a psychology student doing a social experiment.
14 Comments
1) Nick & I need to go on lockdown. I don’t know if I have the bravery to last very long. We should be posting our budget in the office & putting money in envelopes so we don’t spend more than is in the envelope. I just wish there was some kind of fun reward for our frugality. I guess the reward is less debt.
2) Sounds like you read a lot. What books do you love? Something you would read again and again.
3) I don’t have any black bean recipes, but google Mexican lasagna, I think it uses black beans and is very yummy.
4) I never know what to say to people when you really only have about 1 minute to change their life. How do you make someone feel better when you’re not really involved in their life enough to know what’s really going on. And if this is all a test I am probably failing- Thank God for grace!
p.s. I know I don’t really know you Erin, but I enjoy reading your blog and you do seem like a trustworthy person. See you around. Amy
I like making black bean salad. It includes black beans, corn, red pepper, tomatoes, parsley, feta cheese, and balsamic vinegarette. Yum! Also good on nachos, which are a relatively cheap dinner that you don’t feel bad eating in front of the TV. We have a no-TV policy at dinner, except when having nachos or pizza
I’m glad your lockdown is going well. I think the longer you do it, the easier it will get. You just get used to not spending. And I’m so happy you had a lovely beach day. Oak Island sounds like a beautiful place.
Amy:
1. Lockdown is a lot more freeing than I expected. When spending isn’t an option, it makes decisions so much easier. I think having a clear goal in mind (saving up for something, or reducing debt by a certain amount, or something along those lines) helps a great deal. Then, when faced with a temptation, you can say, I want a vacation more than I want a mocha. And a time limit helps too. Try it for a month. I think by the end of this month, we’re going to want to keep a lot of the things we’re doing now.
2. Some of my favorite books: The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel, A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle, Fates Worse Than Death by Kurt Vonnegut, The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger, pretty much anything by David Sedaris, and The City Is a Rising Tide by Rebecca Lee. The best book I’ve read recently is We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch (about the Rwandan genocide).
3. Sounds tasty!
4. I know–I feel the same way. Like, someone better than me would probably have something awesome to say to this person, but I just stand there stuttering. Sigh.
And thanks, Amy! See you around!
Yana:
Love the black bean salad idea. Since we don’t have cable, there’s usually nothing to watch during dinnertime anyway, so we don’t often eat in front of the TV. But a good plate of nachos and a fun movie might be a nice way to start an evening! Great idea.
I think you’re right about the lockdown. I’m looking forward to incorporating aspects of this into our “regular” lifestyle once the income situation changes. It’s really opened my eyes to things we buy that we really don’t need to spend money on.
I forgot to mention that the black bean salad is good with cornbread, which you seem to be proficient at making.
I’m delighted that you got up the courage to go to the beach alone and that it was a great experience. My sister is a very independent young woman. She goes out ot eat and to movies and on vacations by herself. I like to think that I would/could do those things alone, too, but I haven’t ever really had the reason or opportunity to. The one thing I do do by myself whenever I can is go to the beach. This is partly because no one else likes to stay for as long as I do, so if I go alone, no one is there to make me leave. The real reason though is that the beach is one of my favorite places to be, and I don’t need company to make it great. In fact, the things I like to do there are really solitary activities anyway: reading, dozing in the sun, and swimming. This is not to say I don’t enjoy company who wants to attend, but I like it by myself just fine.
Anyway, I am glad you had such a nice time reading and writing and not being distracted by things. More beach time for the summer!
I LOVE yours and Jesse’s theories about your overly communicative cashier. I like that you guys are coming up with stories to explain him.
Some people are just weird and lack that social barrier that most people have developed. Who knows, maybe they are normal, and all of us are weirdos for feeling separate from our fellow beings. But I for one do not enjoy talking to random strangers about things that are way too involved for our 30 second transaction. We had a Blockbuster guys who was the most talkative, annoying fellow ever. (For instance, he would tell every customer (every customer!) not to forget to remind the dvd. Har har har.) We tried to avoid his line whenever we could. But I guess even that is more ordinary than telling someone about your cousin’s death.
Yana, I don’t know how proficient I am at cornbread, but I do enjoy it quite a bit.
And Zea–I like the idea of socially awkward people being normal and the rest of us being crazy for putting up such barriers. Ha! Joke’s on us. Who knows. That Blockbuster guy sounds like he’d be a funny character for a story. Some of us just don’t know when to stop…
Why do I love budgeting so much? It’s always been a game to me – so perhaps along with the freedom you mentioned, you get faced with a challenge. How low can you get the electric bill this month? Can you go one more week without groceries even though you budgeted for it? The new thing for us: we’re going back to the cash. We’re not on lock-down, but why not practice discipline anyway?
Weren’t you the one who mentioned the brownies you bake using black beans? Go for that.
And if I were someone working at Walmart, I’d probably pull out some odd nuggets of conversation myself. Only I would tell REAL doozies solely to entertain myself with the reactions of the customers. After all, it’s walmart – you need something to laugh about during the day.
I need to read some Ayn Rand. Haven’t done that yet.
I heard you read “The Road” recently. We should discuss. I would love to hear your thoughts!
Kir: Yes, it is a game! How hot can our house get in the summer, how cold in the winter…We change the thermostat a little when we have guests. Good luck with the cash–let me know how it goes.
And, wait, brownies and black beans?! Whaaa??
Dave: This is my first Ayn Rand book. Good so far. Yes, we’ll have to chat about The Road. They’re making a movie, I hear. I’m worried. Also, there’s a rumor going around that you have a copy of World War Z you might be willing to loan out…if that’s true, let me know. Apparently I’m really into end-of-the-world/zombie/post-apocalyptic stuff. Unexpected. But fun.
Yes. I am definitely worried about the movie coming out in October, but from what I have seen it may be a decent adaptation. I just have to imagine it is hard when the book has such sparse dialogue.
I am in possession of World War Z, which is an incredibly fun read. I will try to remember to give it to Jesse for you. I love passing on great books!
If they go all “Hollywood” on it, I think they might blow it, but it could be a really lovely film if done well. I guess we’ll see!
I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. How it is that I was able to live on so much less as an ugrad. Why it is that I think I need so much more now. And, in part, things do cost a lot more now. But there are just a lot more trappings of being an adult. A more sophisticated wardrobe. An actual household, as opposed to a space for studying and sleeping. Blah blah blah. Some of that is a matter of material want. Some of that is a matter of immaterial want—to be accepted in a social circle that doesn’t sleep until noon and wear pajamas to class and eat cereal for dinner. I play budgeting games too, and then readjust the thermostat for guests and so forth. It’s starting to make me think that what I really need is friends who are, overall, more responsible adults [than your average adult]—I mean, ones who live closer!
I kind of dislike black beans. Not enough to just turn my nose up at them, but I don’t actively choose them either. I prefer pinto beans. However, I have thrown black beans into the slow cooker with red peppers, chicken stock, lots of adobo, and a hit of red wine before and served it over yellow rice.
My acting professor gave us homework assignments he called “the invisible theater,” which were a lot like secret social experiments. (Aren’t you familiar with JJ too?) But I’m with Kir on this one; if I worked at Wal-Mart, I’d be extra-weird for my own entertainment’s sake. I do like Zea’s idea that we’re the weirdoes for having so many reservations, but on the flip side of that, I think there may be something about me that puts out that it’s-not-so-weird vibe because I am a typical target for really bizarre outpourings from people I don’t know well. I mean: really bizarre. It’s usually preceded by something like, “I just feel like I can say anything to you, and it’s okay.” And in my head, I usually think something like, “What makes you think that this is appropriate?”
Anyway, I really like Peter Mayle books too. ☺
Oh yeah, I was also going to say that the mocha vs. vacation thing is a LOT like the filling bags with dirt thing.
Yes, I took a class with JJ once. That’s hilarious about the invisible theater! We’ll add that to the list of possibilities–acting student.
The whole encounter really made me wonder–what exactly was I doing that made me seem like a good candidate for sharing that? Was it a facial expression? Was it something I said? Or was he going to say it no matter what, and that just seemed like a good way to preface it?
And you’re absolutely right about the whole connection between purpose and saving. I definitely couldn’t do the lockdown if I didn’t have a clear idea of why I was doing it and what benefit we were going to get out of it.