Note: I’m not a citizen, but I’ve been living in the US long enough to be considered a resident alien for tax purposes. On my visa, I cannot work any job that’s not directly related to my major in grad school (IT/computer science), but I can invest in the stock market.

Section One: Assets and Debt

Net Worth: from -$13,603.63 (Jan 2020) to $9,605.97 (Jan 2021)
Retirement Balance: $16,000 in my 401(K).
I only started working 2 years ago and my company messed up my registration so they basically didn’t put any money into it my first year there (I found out in horror and they gave me around $1,000 to say sorry…). I contribute 9% and my company matches 3%.
Savings account balance: $2,500
I have $2,500 set aside as my “emergency fund”, and I’m building back my vacation & study abroad budgets after having to tap into them for a move. My job is very stable and I won't be let go any time soon (unless I quit myself) so I’m not setting aside a big emergency fund for now.
Checking account balance: $3,111.01
Investment account: $1,500 in some stocks.
I initially dumped half of my 2019 bonus and some monthly contributions (totaling around $4,000) to this account to test strategies. This was my “study fund” and I didn’t care if I’d lose it all. I grew the account to around $10,000 and withdrew almost everything (that went to all the fees I had to pay to break my lease, my brother’s lease, deposit, moving expenses, and new furniture) and left $1,500 worth of stocks in there right now.
Credit card debt: $2,243.76 on my BestBuy card and PayPal Credit.
I had the money to pay for the items in full but they offered X months interest-free and I wanted to throw money into my debts instead. I always pay off all balances well before the deadline. I also pay all my credit cards in full and have never paid any interest.
Student loan debt: $11,046.09 left on my $20,000 loans at 8% for my BA in Biology and Statistics. Day 1 of arriving in the US, they sat us down, handed each of us a pen, and said hey kids here are the terms of your 8% loans, sign the documents now! I just turned 17, didn't even know I had to pay this money back, and remembered thinking "Is 8% a lot?" That's how clueless I was.
As a non-citizen, I will never have them canceled, so my plan was to tackle this as soon as possible and I started paying more aggressively until they made it 0% interest since Q4 last year.
Car loan: $4,900 left on my $10,000 loan at 8.9%. I didn’t have a long credit history when I bought the car (September 2019) since I only got my first credit card after graduation, so the rate was terrible. I’m planning to pay this all off after my bonus comes in March.

Section Two: Income

Income Progression:
2012 - 2016: I had multiple student on-campus jobs all throughout my undergrad, making from $7.25 to $10/hour. After graduation, I couldn't find any job directly related to my majors within 3 months (I had only been searching for Bio lab work), ran out of money, and had to go back home. Honestly, I didn't want to keep doing science either and was very lost back then.
2017: My first full-time job was being a tutor for a private college prep institution when I went back to my home country to “figure out what I wanted to do with my life.” They paid pretty well for the standards of living there ($1,000/mo). I worked that job while self-studying how to code and data science courses on the side and preparing my grad school applications.
2019: I got a job at my current company a semester before I graduated from my MS in Data Science program. This was my first “big girl job.” I started out at $64,000 and couldn’t work for 2 months due to complications in my visa processes so that ate up all my savings that year. By the end of the year, they bumped my salary up to $76,000 and we also had an annual 3% raise, so in total $78,280 + 5% bonus.
2020: One of my teammates left and one thing led to another, I got a title change from Data Analyst to Data Scientist towards the end of the year. I asked for a raise and they bumped it to $96,000 + 5% bonus.
2021: After our annual 3% raise my salary is now $98,880 (+ at least 5% bonus). I think I’m slightly underpaid, but this job is very low-stress and flexible (especially after we WFH).
Main Job Monthly Take Home: $5,082.58
Taken from my last paychecks (before the annual raise)
Gross salary: $8,000
Tax: $2,081.68
401(k) deduction: $720
Health insurance: $115.74

Section Three: Expenses

Rent & renter’s insurance: $935 for my share for a 2bed/3bath condo. My parents pay a flat $700/mo for my brother’s share. He recently moved here since his school went virtual until at least the end of this semester and our family wanted us to be nearby to take care of each other.
Savings contribution: $900
Investment contribution: $420, but will increase once my car loan is paid off.
Debt payments:

$1,000 on car loan until paid off.
$200.13 minimum on student loans for now at 0% interest, will increase to $1,100 when car loan is paid off.
$300 for Best Buy & PayPal Credit promotional deals

Car insurance: $127.01 ($762.05 paid in full every 6 months)
Car registration: $25 ($300 annual)
Donations: $20 monthly (ASPCA), plus several hundreds throughout the year (last year I donated to BLM orgs and local animal shelters)
Gas: $0. I drive an electric car. Charging probably drives up my electric bill by a bit, but still cheaper than gas. Also, this means no car maintenance at all until my car battery dies, which probably won’t happen in the next 5 years.
Utilities (electric, natural gas): ~$150
Wifi: $40
Cellphone: $10.61 ($108.66 for 6 months and I got a $45 credit from my bank)
Groceries: $500 (for 2 people)
Subscriptions: $20 (HP Ink, shared Netflix account, YNAB, Disney+)
Pet expenses: ~$20 for wet cat food
Personal care/hobby: I collect perfumes. Between makeup, skincare, clothes (which I had planned to stop buying this year) and perfume bottles and samples (the majority of my "personal care" expenses...), I averaged $400/mo last year. Without the makeup, skincare and clothes, I budget $150/mo this year for my fragrance hobby.
Household supplies: $30
Education: $30 (language/technical textbooks, Udemy/Coursera)
Gifts: $30
Credit card fee: $21 ($250 annual)

Section Four: Background

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Education is one of the top priorities in our household and this has been instilled in my mind since I was a kid. Perhaps because my grandparents were both professors and my parents both attended grad school, it was expected of us to have at least a bachelor's degree. With that said, my family tried to support our higher education financially as best they could and I'm very thankful for it. During undergrad, I had need-based financial aid and on-campus jobs, and my parents helped with the rest of my tuition. I still had to take (required by the school) a $20,000 loan. My grandmother helped pay for my 2-year master's program.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
During high school, I had a measly weekly allowance and my dad had me write out all the transactions in a notebook. I thought it was very silly back then but now thinking back, it was probably some good practice. Other than that, they didn't talk about money at all, and I was absolutely clueless and wasn't interested in personal finance until a couple of years ago. I don't remember how but I think I woke up one day and decided to read every book about personal finance I could find and now I do talk with my dad about finances.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job was washing dishes as a student worker! We all had to do it our freshman year before we were allowed to find other jobs. I managed to find 3 other jobs (stage crew, sports event worker, and math tutor) and stayed with all of them for 3 years.
Did you worry about money growing up?
Even though our parents never let on to us about their finances, they made sure that we'd grow up comfortable financially, so I didn't worry because I didn't know anything.
Do you worry about money now?
Yes. As I grew up, I came to learn more about my parents' financial situation and realized that they've sacrificed a lot for us. I had the majority of my college tuition supported by the school, but my brother doesn't, and tuition in the US isn't cheap, especially when you convert it to our local currency. I also never know for how long I can stay in the US and keep making the same kind of money I'm making now so I'm trying my best to pay down the student loans ASAP.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I became fully financially responsible for myself when I started working at my current company. Before that my student worker jobs paid for my personal expenses in college but my parents still chipped in for tuition. I guess my family back home is my safety net but personally, I wouldn't ask them for help even if bad things happen to me in the future.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Nope.

Diary

Day 1 (Thursday) - $3.35

Alexa wakes me up and turns the light on. I change into my work clothes and head downstairs to my “office.” My boss starts our daily standup call, talking about what we did yesterday and what we plan for the day.
I have my annual review meeting. Everything goes well and my bosses are very pleased with what I’ve done, especially after I transitioned into my new title as a Data Scientist, which honestly brought me more fulfillment in my job as well. We talk about our annual bonus and raise, which I already expected. It’s not a lot of money but hey any money is money and I’m not saying no.
Some people bought my photocards so I gather all the orders and purchase a shipping label since 1 order is with tracked shipping. (Don’t ask me how this works but I’m a K-pop fan and we collect expensive cardboards. Depending on the popularity of the member of the group, profit margins can go up to 400%.) I head to the post office and drop off all the packages ($3.35)
I’ve been waiting for the mailman all day and he finally comes! I’ve been working from home for almost a year now and my back pain is starting to kill me so I decided to “invest” in a $400 chair with lumbar and neck support. My cat happily takes the other chair and starts claiming her territory on it.

Day 2 (Friday) - $206.24

I wake up on cue at Alexa’s daily briefing. Half an hour passes while I ponder on a perfume sample set I saw in someone’s fragrance collection on Reddit.
I eventually give in and purchase the Zoologist sample set ($120.24). It’s within my budget this month, I’ve been eyeing this one for some time now and I can resell it for 80% value once I’m done testing them, so it’s not a huge loss anyway.
Late lunch today. I make a quick lunch with sausages and keto toasts and quickly finish it while watching some YouTube videos on personal finance and updates on $GME (no I did not buy any shares).
When in doubt, throw every leftover food in your fridge in a pan and make fried rice. Side dish is sweet and sour tomato and egg “cloud soup.” Then we have our weekly family video call with my parents back in my home country.
I go down the YouTube rabbit hole again and buy 2 more perfume sample sets ($86.00). All the purchases today (~50 samples) would probably take me months to try out so I promise myself no more until next quarter as I click the pay button.

Day 3 (Saturday) - $71.27

I wake up at 8:45 am and laze around for half an hour, scrolling down Twitter and answering my friend’s questions on how to enter the stock market. Today is my cheat day (I have one every 2-3 weeks), so I contemplate if I should order delivery for lunch. I check YNAB and decide that it’s too expensive, so I go downstairs to make myself a hearty breakfast with a latte, half a croissant, grilled chicken breasts, and snack on some shrimp crackers and tangerines.
I purchase a shipping label ($3.22) and head out to the post office. For some reason I want to smell like a lemon cake today, so I spritz on Xerjoff Lira, put on sunscreen, and head out. This perfume always makes me feel so warm and delicious.
I spend the whole afternoon catching up with my Chinese and Korean lessons for the week.
Suddenly craving some instant noodles, so I immediately get up and head to a local Asian grocery store to shop for instant and pho noodles (I’m planning to make pho for Lunar New Year) and some snacks for my brother ($38.71). We drop by a bubble tea shop nearby and get bubble tea and 2 dessert cakes ($19.71). I usually don’t drink sugary drinks, but since it’s my cheat day, I put in an order and pay for the both of us.
Some more PC orders came in and they’re all with tracked shipping. The post office is closed tomorrow but I’ll just pay now for the shipping labels so that I won’t forget ($9.63).

Day 4 (Sunday) - $0.00

I literally do nothing today until 4 pm.
I make dinner, then finish my Chinese lesson and review the flashcards I made yesterday. That’s enough activity for the day.
One of my friends calls to show me her album haul of the day and I'm tempted, but (fortunately?) there's no kpop store in my city so I make myself forget about buying any more albums.

Day 5 (Monday) - $40.10

I wake up with a headache, not feeling too well, so I request a day off and message my boss. I can’t go back to sleep, so I just lie there in bed for a couple of hours. I suddenly remember that WandaVision is on air, and there are a couple of movies on there I haven’t watched yet, so I subscribe to Disney+ ($7.52) and start binge-watching.
We ran out of soft drinks for my brother, so I have to drive to Costco again after lunch ($32.58). I also need to drop off all the orders that came in over the weekend.
I go to my old apartment for my move-out inspection (I haven't been living there since December but still had to honor the 2-month notice and pay for all the rent). There are a couple of spots that might cost me some deductions in my deposit. Sigh. At least I get to tell them to remove the charges on my lease for February, and they assure me that they will.
I finish binge-watching some movies on Disney+. I see Colourpop is advertising some Valentine’s Day palettes on my feed. I do not need those, I do not need those, I do not need those. I should’ve just unfollowed makeup brands on social media. Some more late-night scrolling, and then I finally go to sleep.

Day 6 (Tuesday) - $8.02

I wake up groggily, still feeling a bit sick. We have a late standup today, so I take my time making my coffee and start working, as my cat also settles in on my lap and starts napping. My head is still aching and I'm not sure if it's the cold or just keto flu so I load up on electrolytes, fish oil, and acetaminophen just in case.
Somebody lowballed me on one of my postings. Ugh I hate it when they do this, but this one is not selling too well, so I meet them halfway. I purchase another shipping label ($3.03).
Today is our bi-monthly deployment date, which means all the engineers (and anyone who has committed changes in our codebase) meet up and sit around until all the merges are deployed into production. I had some changes last week so I just sit there and do my own work until it's my turn. My boss told me this morning he had some test API from one of our new clients so I go to check out some of the data there. Oh how I love me some messy, messy data that nobody knows what to do with.
The repair guy who came to fix our washing machine doesn't leave until 5:15 pm so I drop by the post office late, but just in time as they're collecting the mail! Then I drop by a nearby (rather upscale) grocery store as I'm running out of heavy cream, but everything is so expensive. I compare price per oz and pick up the coffee creamer instead ($4.99).
I heat up the cauliflower rice and leftover curry and eat dinner as I watch Coco (I can't believe I've never actually watched it!) Then I review my Chinese flashcards for a bit, do half an hour of Just Dance until I sweat, play with my cat, and call it a day.

Day 7 (Wednesday) - $3.49

I stayed up quite late yesterday playing a mobile game and finally wake up after snoozing the alarm for the 84th time. My boss starts our standup at our usual time; there's nothing urgent or pressing today so I just take my time. I take a quick nap in the afternoon and go back to work.
I use the last drops of avocado oil to fry up some bulgogi for dinner. Need to go back to Costco for more avocado oil tomorrow, I guess.
After dinner, a friend asks me about perfume samples that she wants to try. I go online to search for them but no dice since they belong to a new collection that only got launched in Europe. I take this time to try out some similar smelling samples in my collection as well.
I review my Chinese flashcards and do some workbook exercises. After an hour, my brain is fried on Chinese but I don't want to go to bed yet, so I pick up a book on my bookcase that I was reading a while ago (A Random Walk Down Wall Street) and read one more chapter.
An order came in so I purchase another shipping label ($3.49), update my budgeting app for a bit, and then head to bed.

Summary

Category	Amount	Note
Food & Drink	$95.99	Groceries
Fun / Entertainment	$7.52	Disney+ subscription
Home & Health	$0.00
Clothes & Beauty	$206.24	Perfume samples
Other*	$22.72	Shipping labels
Total	$309.75	shipping labels not included

*I don’t count the shipping labels as expenses because they’re already factored into the profits I made from my sales, but I included them anyway because they're still charges on my accounts. Any profit goes back to funding my album purchases so... I guess it's a vicious cycle.
Overall, a pretty normal week for me in terms of food. I don’t eat out often (I allow myself only one meal and one dessert every month) and have used up my 1 dessert allowance this week so I probably won't have any more this month. I might’ve gone overboard with the perfume purchases this week, but tbh perfumes bring me joy. My mood is lifted and I'm transported to old and new places every time I put on a perfume that I enjoy, so for me, it’s worth it. I try to be frugal whenever I can, but I'll never skimp on education and hobbies that make me happy. Writing this week-long diary, I realize I need to get back to working out, though. I'll probably have to stop procrastinating and pull out my RingFit gears still inside the moving boxes. Playing Just Dance also makes me miss dancing so bad as I used to be active in several dance crews since college (but stopped after I started working full time). I'll try to stick to Just Dance for now to get my cardio until Covid is over and I can get back to in-person dance classes.

I am 35 years old, I made $67,665 gross last year (between multiple jobs) and live in Buffalo and work in higher education and retail.

Title: I am 35 years old, I made $67,665 gross last year (between multiple jobs) and live in Buffalo and work in higher education and retail.
This is my 5th MD update. Previous MDs in June 2019, October 2019, February 2020, and July 2020.
Ref29 questions:
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Absolutely. Both of my parents have bachelors degrees, and it wasn’t even a conversation of “if” I was going to college, but “where”. I ended up going to a private 4-year college, with a 75% merit scholarship. I was able to pay for the first semester with savings bonds/general savings, but took out loans for the remaining semesters. I worked 2 on campus jobs (tour guide and TA), plus at a coffee shop - this was more for spending money/gas etc. Looking back, I wish that I had put more of that income aside for paying for school, but I was definitely headlong into the student loan trap of “it’s ok, this is good debt….blah blah.”
I thought that i had the exact idea of what I wanted to do for a career - and that basically required a masters degree - so I went straight to grad school after undergrad. Private - and took out the maximum student loans for both years. I cannot stress what a terrible financial idea this was. The last half of my MA was in DC, so I used the loans for rent/food, as I had a full time unpaid internship. Long story short, what I thought was my career goal wasn’t.
I am FINALLY nearly done paying off my loans. If I had to go back and give my past self advice, it would have been to not go to grad school directly after undergrad. I still might have gotten my masters, but I would have done it in a much more financially responsible way.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
We had conversations growing up - but it was much more of a conversation now that I’m an adult. I’ve noted in past MDs, but my parents have told us that they regret not being able to help us all more as teenagers/college/young adults, so they’ve been extremely supportive of my focus on debt repayment.
Did you worry about money growing up?
Not really. I remember being conscious about it - we didn’t have new cars (EVER - like it’s still a thing), and we used coupons/budgets/bulk freezer meals for shopping, but I think a portion of that was that there were 4 of us kids. We were all involved in a variety of extracurricular activities as well, but I don’t remember even being like, limited or restricted from doing anything.
Do you worry about money now?
Absolutely.
While I am noting that I’m making progress, it is still very overwhelming. It’s really hard for me not to beat myself up when I either buy “treats” or things that aren’t really treats, but are just home comforts. I finally bought myself 2 sets (!) of decent sheets this past month after having 1 set of crappy sheets for the last 2 years lol. I still have so much work to do, on debt repayment, fully funding my emergency fund, and (massive goal here) saving for a down payment on a house.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I would say I was financially responsible for myself when I moved for grad school in the fall of 2008 (so when I was 22/23).
That being said, I definitely have had a financial safety net - my parents always assisted with grocery money if I needed it - when I was married, that definitely was not only a safety net, but also got me in a lot of bad habits.
Since my divorce, my parents have assisted with cell phone, car insurance, and letting me live with them for a few months when I moved back to the US. I know that if something happened, they would absolutely assist with a place to live if I needed it.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
As previous MDs have noted, my parents have assisted with assorted checks when my dad got a bonus, and they have always been extremely generous with holiday $.
Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance (and how you got there): $33,194.67 (up from $23,800 in February 2020)
This is a combo of Stash Retire ($1721.52), 401K from a previous job ($17,330.01), retirement accounts from my current job ($2807.58 in my optional IRA to which I contribute extra; $2947.46 in the basic retirement plan, to which my employer contributes 7%), and TSP from a previous job ($8,388.10).
Savings account balance: $1000
Checking account balance: $1381.07 (at the start of the money diary)
Credit card debt (and how you accumulated it): $7,558.08 (focus has been more on student loans, plus I am a bit guilty of using it at random points) (down from $19,556 in June 2019).
Student loan debt (for what degree): Current remaining balance is $972.57!!!!! This is down from $23,645.37 in June 2019) (combined loans for undergraduate and graduate degrees in International Relations. To give you an idea of how much I’ve paid off - I’ve paid $118,297.81 off up to this point).
*note: December was a PHENOMENAL debt payment month for me (just over $4k).
Section Two: Income
Main Job Monthly Take Home: $2847.53
*after using the IRS refund calculator, it became clear that I was expecting a much higher refund, so I stopped having extra withheld. Eventually I’ll get the hang of it.
Side Gig Monthly Take Home: $1442.72 (average monthly take home August-December 2020)
My retail job fully reopened, and I also applied for, and got a promotion, which meant both an hourly raise and more hours)
Any Other Monthly Income Here:

Christmas $ from Mom & Dad - $1000
Stimulus Checks - $1200 + $600 (Both of these went mainly to debt repayment)

Section Three: Expenses
Rent / Mortgage $980.00/month (+ $3.95 service charge when I pay online) (no change)
Retirement contribution: $115.58/month Roth IRA from work + $80.00/month into Stash Retire (no change)
Savings contribution: $0/month (Debt payments are the priority)
Investment contribution: None
Health/Dental/Vision Insurance: $76.38/month (Through work, it gets taken out biweekly)
FSA contribution: $27.78 biweekly (I set my annual contribution at $750 this year, up from $600)
Debt payments
Student Loan minimums: $55.54 is strictly the minimum for my FINAL (!!!) student loan, but as you all know by now, I have been attacking these with a vengeance and plan on this being gone no later than March.
Credit Card minimums: Avg. Monthly Payment $300. (as mentioned in the debt section, I have slipped slightly on allowing myself to use the credit card, but still have been able to lower my overall amount)
Wifi/Cable/Landline: $64.99/month
Cellphone: Still on the parental plan, but will be transitioning off. I’m shopping around and have started to budget.
Subscriptions: Apple storage - $2.99/month; Netflix- $8.99; (even though I’ve been able to be at home much much more, we still get a monthly barkbox for the toys; Spotify Premium - $9.99/month. Headspace - $14.99/month. Renaissance Periodization - $16.19/month
Laundry (if you pay per load): $40/month. I put aside $10 per paycheck.
Gym membership $75/month - I budget this much for my ROMWOD and Movement Vault monthly subscriptions. This also covers my monthly subscription for my WHOOP band. My retail side gig also provides $225/month to work out. This covers my monthly membership to my crossfit gym, as well as extra megaformer classes. $32.63/month for WHOOP; $13.95/month for ROMWOD; $9.99/month for Movement vault
Pet expenses: $150/month - includes pet insurance. This is what I put into my budget for insurance, food, grooming etc.) Barkbox 31.54/month; Pet insurance $79.24
Car payment / insurance / average gas:$100/month (as my dad plans on retiring within the next year, he will be signing over my car to me, meaning that I will be taking on my insurance. I fully acknowledge that this has been nice to not have to worry about, and that my parents have been absolutely amazing. The current annual insurance for my car looks like it will be around $450. Future money diaries will take this into account.
Renter insurance: $12.50/month
Average groceries / household supply spend; Looking at YNAB, my average spend has been just over $700/month. This seems insanely high for one person, but I do also follow a RP meal plan, meaning that I tend to eat A LOT to fuel my workouts. I also haven’t gone out basically at all ….
Regular therapy: N/A
Charitable Giving: $75/avg. August-Dec 2020 (Much of this was “rage” donating in the run up to the election)
Annual Expenses:
YNAB (You Need A Budget): $83.99/year
NB: Anytime I leave my house, I am masked, including gym visits. It’s honestly not terrible once you find a mask that works for you!
Day 1: Friday
5:45am: Alarm goes off and I get up to put the kettle on to start coffee. Today is a weigh in and weekly review for my meal/training plan, so I enter my numbers and see what my upcoming week will look like as far as my macros. I notice that my chest/shoulder are sore, and hurt when I take a deep breath, but assume that I just slept on my arm wrong. I take out the dog, feed him, and head out to my weightlifting class.
7:30am: Nope, not just sleeping on it wrong. I make it through the lifting portion, but when we start the metcon, I have to stop because it hurts too much to take a really deep breath, instead stretching and cheering everyone else on. Annoyed, but hopefully it’s nothing too crazy. I think it’s just a strain from my muscle up drills the day before. Once I get home, I make breakfast - a savory oatmeal with oats, cheese, chicken sausage, egg whites, and mushrooms, topped with a fried egg and za’atar seasoning from Trader Joe’s. YUM. I log into work and get settled in for a 2 hour (ugh) staff meeting.
11:00am: Finally done with that. Thank goodness for my camera getting to be off. I take a shower and get into “work” clothes - aka lululemon from top to bottom (align leggings, ebb to street crop tank, and a sit in lotus wrap). Back to work until it’s time for lunch, which I have just after noon (rice, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and ground beef, topped with avocado). Work continues afterwards.
2:00pm: Time for work #2! It’s a fairly uneventful (and slow) afternoon/evening, which is ok after the craziness of the holiday season. And I only have to tell 2 people to put their masks on over their nose and they don’t give me an attitude - woohoo! Around 5 I eat my food on my 10 minute break - another taco-ish bowl, just without the avocado from earlier. I get out from work at 7:30pm.
8:00pm: Home, take the pooch out and feed him and make my casein hot chocolate (casein protein is a slower digesting type vs. whey and it’s my evening “meal” most of the time) plus a couple dark chocolate peanut butter cups. I facetime my Mom briefly and then we each put on our respective Star Wars shows - she and my Dad are watching the Mandolorian (they just got Disney+), and I’m deep into season 4 of the Clone Wars. Bedtime routine starts at 9:30 with a couple of melatonin gummies and I brush my teeth and wash my face (eye makeup remover, then Neutrogena foaming cleanser, and a nighttime moisturizer from Aldi). Snuggle up with the dog and a heating pad with a Headspace night sounds playing.
Daily Total: $0
Day 2: Saturday
5:50am: NO. It’s like 30 minutes before I want to wake up...NO.
6:10am: Uggggggh
6:20am: FINE. Dog outside, then fed. I make coffee and another savory oatmeal (AMAZING - same as yesterday, just no bell peppers). Catch up on podcasts and my YNAB budget. In happiest news, I can take a full big breath without that weird pain from yesterday! Yay!
10:00am: Home from my workout, which went amazingly - I love a good long chipper of a workout! I take the dog out for a little cold weather walk and then make my post-workout meal - Kodiak chocolate chip pancakes with blueberries! (use 1 egg and almond milk to make the pancakes and it fits my post-workout macros: 35P, 10F, 65C). I follow this with a cuddle session with the dog while watching Marple episodes and drinking coffee. I also add items to my lululemon shopping cart and exit out of it before I can spend money. While I get a great discount (especially on markdowns), I know I don’t really NEED anything, so I don’t get anything.
1:00pm: Off to the mall for work. I stop on the way to fill the gas tank ($25). It’s a busy day, but a good one - during my break I eat my taco bowl (rice, sweet potatoes, ground beef, peppers and avocado). I work until 7:30pm.
8:00pm: Home, dog out, casein hot chocolate - the usual. I’m nothing if not a creature of habit. I pull out a Trader Joe’s chocolate croissant to prove overnight in the oven. Bedtime is around 10pm.
Daily Total: $25
Day 3: Sunday
7:50am: Whoooops, I intended to wake up around 7:15, but I didn’t actually set the alarm. Luckily the dog wakes me up with a polite whine - I take him out, make coffee and a bowl of oatmeal (oats, almond milk, egg whites, topped with blueberries), and head to my workout around 9.
11:00am: 2 workout classes later, I’m home - post workout meal is the aforementioned chocolate croissant, and a little egg scramble of egg whites, mushrooms, chicken sausage and broccoli. The afternoon is spent with old Miss Marple episodes on Amazon Prime, combined with laundry and apartment cleaning.
3:00pm: I made a quick loaf of bread (2 hrs of rising, then shaping) and put it in the oven. Happily it turns out pretty damn tasty - I make Trader Joe’s Cippino (seafood soup) and have that with toasted fresh bread around 4/4:30pm. A Clone Wars marathon ensues - the Bills are playing in the AFC championship tonight, so the city is basically a giant ball of nerves. I don’t watch the games (and haven’t all season - mostly because I don’t have all the apps/cable), but I follow the score on my phone while watching many (MANY) episodes of Clone Wars. I facetime my mom and dad around 7 after they finish the Mandolorian and we can all squeal with excitement.
9:00pm: Melatonin gummies, contacts out, teeth brushed, face washed, bedtime.
Daily Total: $0
Day 4: Monday
5:45am: Awake, coffee, take the dog out, head to crossfit.
7:30am: Home, dog out again, then breakfast (homemade toast, everything but the bagel smoked salmon, scrambled egg+egg whites) and more coffee. I login to work at 8am, and get the morning podcasts going (Up First, the Daily, Post Reports, the Intelligence).
10:00am: I place a Target pickup order for the snacks for our break area at the mall (seltzer, peanut butter crackers, cookies, granola bars - all single serving packs). I will be reimbursed for this by the store. ($39.57 - I get a notice that an item isn’t available after I place the order...oh well)
11:00am: I’m traveling out of state for a couple of days - it’s a long awaited tattoo coverup (don’t get a tattoo for a significant other….I knew not to do this...and yet I still did), so I make my list of items to pack and things to remember to do (take out trash, do all my dishes, etc). I will be driving to my destination (Indiana), staying at a hotel by myself, going to the tattoo shop (masked), and back to the hotel. Not telling friends I’m there, not going out anywhere. And I’ve scheduled a test for 4 days after my return, per NYS rules. If I could make the drive nonstop, I would, but your girl isn’t giving herself a UTI lol. I’ll be masked and sanitized anytime I step out of my vehicle. Still super nervous, but getting this tattoo covered up is like….the final FINAL step. I also take a shower (finally, yes I’m gross and have been sitting in my workout clothes since I got home - god help me if I ever live with a human again lol).
2:00pm: Time for head out for work! On the way, I pick up my previously mentioned Target order, and also pick up meals for my trip from a local meal prep place - I get a bunch of great stuff (2 breakfasts, 2 dinners, 1 lunch plus energy bites for the car), plus it means that I can just hermit it up in the hotel room apart from the actual tattoo appointment. ($62.68). I get to the mall early before my shift starts - since I know I’ll have a tub in the hotel room, and I don’t have one in my apartment, I get a couple of bath bombs and lotion from Lush ($25.93) and a whole bunch of sheet masks from Sephora ($25.01). Then time for work - It’s a fairly quick shift, which is nice, not too terribly busy and we get a lot done. And people at the mall are generally not pills today - epic win!
8:15pm: Home from work - take the dog out and have a little evening meal of homemade soup from my co-worker (it’s a kale sausage soup her husband makes and it is AMAZING) and the rest of my homemade bread. I finish packing up and the poor pup definitely knows something is up. Bedtime around 10pm.
Daily Total: $153.19
Day 5: Tuesday
5:45am: Alarm, dog, coffee. Rather than dirtying dishes, I heat up one of the prepped breakfasts I brought (a breakfast sandwich with chicken, which is actually quite tasty - plus some blueberries). I get the car loaded up with my stuff and the dog - he’s staying with my parents while I’m gone - and head out by 7:15am. After I drop him off I top off my gas tank ($14.10), and also get a couple of bubly waters and a can of death wish coffee for the road ($6.25).
12:00pm: Lunch stop at panera - fuji apple chicken salad and a cup of chicken noodle soup - drive thru and eaten in the car ($10.94, but I have a gift card). Road Trip Podcasts: You’re Wrong About and Noble Blood.
3:00pm: Gas stop (there’s also a few bathroom stops, but since I didn’t spend anything, it’s not terribly relevant, right? :) ) ($27.01).
5:30pm: Arrival! Check in to the hotel - masked front desk employee, check. Bring my stuff up to my room, and jackpot - biiiiiiiiig tub. Looks like those bath bombs were a solid choice! Open up the work laptop to see if there is anything urgent - nothing crazy - and decide which meal I want for dinner. Bourbon Chicken with Broccoli and Sweet Potatoes it is. Plus a Sparkling Apple Cider vinegar beverage (ginger and lemon) from Trader Joes. Before I eat, I do a lower body focused stretching routine from ROMWOD since I spent so long in the car.
7:30pm: Bath Bomb, Face Mask, Feet Mask, and finished Night Stalker on Netflix. Since I’ll be quarantining until I get a negative COVID test after my trip, I order 10 meals through the same meal prep company that I got my travel meals from ($88.43 - includes both delivery fee and tip). They will be delivered on Sunday.
Daily Total: $146.73
Day 6: Wednesday
6:00am - I had intended to sleep longer, but my body is like - nope, you’re waking up at the same time no matter what. Coffee (keurig in the hotel room - ick) plus a prepped breakfast (a goat cheese egg white scramble with sweet potatoes - which is delicious). Morning podcasts and I open up the work laptop. Since I’m awake I guess.
7:30am: Hotel room workout - I do yesterday’s workout from my gym, with a few modifications, but it still feels great to move after sitting in the car for so long! Shower afterwards, then food (Mexican Taco Bowl!) and work.
10:30am: Squuuuueeee it’s time for my tattoo. I double mask up, drive through for a Starbucks order ($4.74 - paid for on my Starbucks app with previously loaded funds) and head to the shop! I already paid my deposit and took advantage of a gift card sale before Christmas so I don’t owe anything additional today. We do linework, shading, and partial color. It’s going to take 2 appointments to do the full thing, so we make my next appointment for May (augh, I cannot wait!). My coverup is over black text, so a cover up involves a LOT of layering of color. I’m impressed that I still have stamina after not getting a tattoo for nearly 3 years.This is going to be BEAUTIFUL.
2:30pm: After my tattoo appointment, I make a quick stop at CVS (still double masked!) to pick up aquaphor, orange dial soap, ibuprofen, and toothpaste (cause naturally that’s the one thing I forgot to pack - d’oh) ($22.00). I make a curbside pickup order for Panera - another soup and salad combo ($10.55 - again paid for with gift cards!). I head back to my hotel room, eat, put on more podcasts (Planet Money, Can He Do That, Code Switch) and log onto work. An uneventful afternoon follows.
6:00pm: Facetime call with my mom, then dinner and various true crime documentaries on Netflix and Pinterest browsing because as per usual, now I want allll the tattoos. I also put in an order for a grocery pickup on my way home (coffee, coffee creamer, fruit, etc) ($66.82). I try to make a testing appointment through NYS for my return COVID test on Monday, but the automated system keeps putting me in the first available, which is Friday….I’ll try to schedule again on Friday so that the timing works. Bedtime tattoo routine of wash, aquaphor and ibuprofen, as well as a sheet face mask. Sleep around 10:00pm.
Daily Total: $104.11
Day 7: Thursday
6:00am: Welp, up and at em! I finish packing all my stuff, check out of the hotel and warm up the car. I head out around 7:00am. Top off the gas tank ($12.80) and I also add $15 to my Starbucks card and drive thru a Starbucks (Spinach Feta Wrap + Cafe Misto with almond milk). Then it’s time for podcasts and lots of driving. My mom had suggested a podcast from Serial - S*%*Town. IT’S AMAZING and this drive has never gone so fast!
11:00am: (or sometime around this time) Stop for gas ($27.01) and another Starbucks stop ($15 reload) to get another misto, a bottle of water, and a fruit/cheese/hard boiled egg box.
3:00pm: I was going to try to make it all the way without stopping for anything else, but my stomach is about to eat itself. I stop at a Tim Hortons about 45 minutes away from my parents’ house and get timbits and a hot chocolate (which is gross) ($6.66 - eeep). I get to my parents’ house - my mom and dad stay upstairs and in the basement respectively while I use the bathroom and retrieve a very happy pup. Once I get everything out to the car, my mom and dad come outside (double masked, as am I) and we quickly wave and air hug from a distance. On the way home, I drive through the grocery pickup and get my groceries.
5:30pm: Finally home. The dog is very happy to be home too - my mom said when she would come into the bedroom where he was, he would look at her and be - “oh…..just you…”. Such a momma’s boy :) Dinner is actual food (the rest of the kale sausage soup). I also put together a batch of cranberry almond biscotti (based off the Ina Garten cherry pistachio biscotti) - the apartment smells delicious. Settling in for post-travel isolation lol.
9:30pm: Melatonin gummies, tattoo upkeep, and then bedtime with the dog!
Daily Total: $76.47
Weekly Total: $505.50
Food & Drink: $326.64
Fun & Entertainment: $0
Home & Health: $22.00
Clothes & Beauty: $50.94
Transport: $105.92
Reflections:
First, GODDAMN I AM SO EXCITED TO PAY OFF THIS STUDENT LOAN. Just paid another $200 on it this morning, so we’re under $800!! If you hear an excited scream from the Western New York area next month, don’t worry, it’s just me.
Second, this was a higher spend week than usual, but I’m really proud to have budgeted for all of it. I had basically prepaid for the tattoo (on the gift card) and there’s still leftover for my next appointment. I had also budgeted and saved for the increased amount of gas and food.
Third, hopefully this isn’t too boring. My life pre-pandemic wasn’t terribly interesting, and it certainly isn’t now lol. I’m hoping to continue my debt payoff progress by finishing paying off my credit card debt in 2021, and start saving my 3-6 month emergency fund before starting that house down payment savings! I’m even starting to allow myself to start actually looking at Zillow.
I have been isolating since I got back - just drove through and got my COVID test, so fingers crossed for a quick reply!
Lastly, the coverup tattoo is going to be beautiful. I can’t wait for it to be finished!
Thanks for reading this whole thing!

Bank account bonuses expiring at the end of this month / year - December 2020 (BIG LIST)

Big list this month given the end of a year is a nice round deadline. Let me know if any expired early or if we missed any.
Source: https://everybankbonus.com Note - I trimmed some descriptions to fit the max char. count
Personal
[IN] Advance Financial Federal Credit Union Checking with Direct Deposit ($160) - Open a new checking account to get a $50 bonus. Register for and use online bill pay to get an additional $50. Sign up for direct deposit to earn $50. Sign up for eStatements and like the credit union's Facebook page for a final $10 bonus. Total bonus potential of $160. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://advancefcu.org/promotions/checking-promotion/
[TX] A+ Federal Credit Union Cash-Back Checking/Membership Savings ($50) - Use promo code 2020COM50: Receive a $10 bonus after opening your Membership Savings account. Receive a $40 bonus when you receive $800 or more in direct deposits each month within 60 days. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://aplusfcu.org/com50/
[Nationwide] American Airlines CU Checking ($100). - All active or retired airline employees and their family members can open a new checking account and earn $25 for each of the following activities within 60 days of account opening: complete $25+ in debit card spending, receive $250+ in direct deposits in the first two months, enroll in eStatements, and download the American Airline Credit Union mobile app. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.aacreditunion.org/banking/checking/checking-promo/
[AZ] Arizona Central Credit Union Checking ($200). Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.azcentralcu.org/other-offers/special-member-offers/new-member-account-opening-promotions
[Nationwide] Bank of America Advantage Checking ($100). - Use promo code PSR100CIS: set up two $250 direct deposits within the first 3 months to get a $100 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://promo.bankofamerica.com/chooseyourchecking1/offe
[Nationwide] Bank of America Checking *TARGETED* ($300). - Set up $4,000 in cumulative direct deposits within the first 3 months to get a $300 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://promotions.bankofamerica.com/offers/2020 t33004k
[ME, NH, VT] Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Simple Checking ($100) - Request the coupon by filling out the form and click on ‘Email Me My Coupon’. Bring the coupon into a branch and open a new Simple Checking account. Complete a $250+ direct deposit by February 28, 2021 to earn a $100 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.barharbor.bank/checkingbonus418
[ID, OR, WA] BECU Checking and Savings ($200) (Seahawks Teammates) - Open a checking and savings accounts using promo code TEAMMATES200 during application. Within 60 days, complete 10 debit card transactions to earn a $200 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.becu.org/Partners/seahawks-teammates
[IL] Beverly Bank Total Access Checking ($300). - Beverly Bank subsidiary: open account with $100, enroll in ebanking and estatements, and complete 2 monthly direct deposits of at least $500. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.thebeverlybank.com/lp/2019/values.html
[OH] BMI FCU Free Checking ($150). - Enter promo code CHECK20 when applying online or in person. Sign up for eStatements and make 30 debit card transactions over $5 to get a $150 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.bmifcu.org/free_checking.html
[MO, OK] Central Bank Checking ($150, $250) - Open a checking account using promo code C150CM20 / C250CM20 and a $50 opening deposit. Within 90 days, complete 2 or more direct deposits for a $150 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.centralbank.net/150/ https://www.centralbank.net/get250/
[Nationwide] Chime Bank Referral Promotion ($75) – Get a $75 bonus when you have one direct deposit of at least $200 within 45 days of account opening. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 [Ask a friend for link]
[CA, IL] Citizens Equity First CU Checking ($125, $175) - Req's vary by bonus typeExp Dec. 31, 2020 $125 - https://www.cefcu.com/promos/checkingbonus $175 - https://www.cefcu.com/promos/specialpricing
[PA] Clearview FCU Basic or Absolute Checking ($300, $400, $500) – DD and Savings requirements vary by bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.clearviewfcu.org/500-Offer
[IA] Collins Community CU Advantage Checking ($100) - Open a checking account with $50. Set up direct deposit within 60 days to receive a $100 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.collinscu.org/promotions/open-a-new-advantage-checking-account-and-get-a-100-bonus
[KS, OK] Communication Federal Credit Union Paycom ($100). - Use promo code PAYCOM, and within 90 days enroll in eStatements, receive direct deposits totally $1,500, and make fifteen debit card purchases of at least $5 to get a $100 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.comfedcu.org/paycom/
[KS, MO] CommunityAmerica CU Chiefs Checking ($150) - Open a Chiefs Checking checking account. Within 45 days: provide your email address, enroll in eStatements, and set up a direct deposit of at least $250 to earn a $150 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.communityamerica.com/chiefs-checking-special-offer-disclosures
[FL] Community First Credit Union Free Checking ($100) (UNF) - Students, faculty or staff of University of North Florida are eligible to earn a $100 bonus. All you need to do is open a free checking account, which requires a $25 opening deposit and $5 to become a member. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.unf.edu/Redesign1.aspx?id=75162083797
[FL, select counties] Community First CU Checking ($210) - Use promo code "CHK2020": set up a new debit card in the Save My Change Program to get a $25 bonus, set up a monthly direct deposit within the first month to get a $125 bonus, refer friends and family to get a $25 bonus, let the CU try to save you money on an auto loan or credit card to get a $25 bonus, and set up 2 automatic bill payments within the first month to get a $10 Amazon gift card. Total potential bonus of $210. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://info.communityfirstfl.org/free-checking-accounts
[KS] Credit Union of America Core Checking ($300) (Educators) - Open a Core checking account to earn a $100 Amazon gift card. Within 90 days complete a direct deposit of $500 or more to earn a $200 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.cuofamerica.com/Resources/Educators
[MA, RI] Dedham Savings Bank Checking w Billpay ($250). - Set up 2 direct deposits amounting to $1,000 and complete 2 online bill payments both within the first 2 months to get a $250 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.dedhamsavings.com/switch
[DC] Department of Labor FCU Checking (Up to $200). - Set up a $500 direct deposit within the first month (45 days) to get a $100 bonus. Complete 10 debit card purchases within the first 2 months to get an additional $100 bonus. Total potential bonus of $200. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.dolfcu.org/join-dolfcu/
[PA] Dollar Bank Everything Checking ($400). -Open an Everything checking account and receive a $100 reward after making $1,000 or more in direct deposits within 90 days. Receive an additional $100 after receiving $5,000 in direct deposits within 90 days of account opening. Finally, receive $100 within 2 months of the 1-year anniversary of your account opening. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.dollar.bank/Ads/$400-Checking-pa
[VA] Dollar Bank Great Checking ($400). - Open a Great checking account and receive $5,000 or more in direct deposits within 90 days to receive a $300 bonus. Keep account open for 1 year to receive an additional $100 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.dollar.bank/celebrate
[IN] Dyer Bank Statement Savings ($200) -Open a Statement Savings account. Maintain a $15,000 balance for the 3 consecutive calendar months following the calendar month your new account is opened to earn a $200 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.dyerbank.com/community.html
[IN] Dyer Bank Total Access Checking ($300) - Open account with $100, enroll in ebanking and estatements, and complete monthly direct deposits of $500 or more for two consecutive months. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.dyerbank.com/community.html
[IL] Elgin State Bank Cubs Checking ($300). - Elgin State Bank subsidiary: open account with $100, enroll in ebanking and estatements, and complete 2 monthly direct deposits of at least $500. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.elginstatebank.com/personal/banking-and-borrowing/checking/cubs-checking.html
[CO] ENT Credit Union Checking ($200). -Open a new checking account at the Twenty Mile Service Center or Cottonwood Service Center using promo code PARKER. Activate your debit card and make a deposit of $100 or more to receive a $200 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 http://www.parkerchamber.com/hotdeals/info/ent-credit-union-200-new-member-offer-01-19-2020
[CO] ENT Credit Union Checking ($200) [Available for all locations] - Open a new checking account, activate your debit card and make a deposit of $100 or more to receive a $200 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.ent.com/get200
[FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MI, NC, OH, TN, WV] Fifth Third Bank Checking ($250) - Open a checking account after requesting your bonus promo code using the offer link below. Within 60 days, complete direct deposits totaling $1,000 or more for a $250 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.53.com/content/fifth-third/en/mkg/checking-offer.html#disclosures
[MN] Firefly Credit Union Checking ($250). - Use promo code GET250 and open a free checking account. Within 60 days, receive 2 or more direct deposits totaling at least $2,000 and complete 20 debit card purchases totaling at least $300 to receive a $250 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.fireflycu.org/Landing-Pages/250checking
[WA] First Financial Northwest Bank ($300) (Pierce County) - Visit one of the 2 First Financial Northwest Bank locations in Pierce county. Open a First Checking account, Enhanced Savings account, Premium Money Market account, and a CD to earn a $300 bonus. Enhanced Savings account requires a linked checking account that receives $250 in direct deposit or more each month. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.ffnwb.com/fall-promo/
[FL] First Home Bank Checking ($250) (Crunch Fitness Members) -Have an active Crunch Fitness membership and set up a monthly direct deposit to get a $250 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.firsthomebank.com/crunchoffe
[IL, IN, OH] First Merchants Advantage Checking ($100, $200, $400). – DD and debit card req’s vary. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.firstmerchants.com/muncie
[NM] First National 1870 Checking ($200) - Open a new personal checking account (Convenience, Spend & Sign & Save, Elite, Superb, Premier). Complete $500 in ACH credits or debits and complete 20 debit card purchases within the first month to get a $200 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.firstnational1870.com/Welcome200
[IA, NE] First Nebraska Credit Union Checking ($25, $75). -Set up a direct deposit, complete 10 debit card purchases, and enroll in estatements within the first 2 months to get a combined $75 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://firstnebraska.org/news/checking-promo-2020 /
[IL] First Northern Credit Union Checking/Savings ($210) - Open a checking and savings account using promo code BD2020. To earn the $210 bonus, you must direct deposit $250 bi-weekly into the checking account and $100 bi-weekly into the savings account. Each successful checking direct deposit will earn you a $25 bonus (maximum 6 within 90 days of account opening) and each savings direct deposit will earn you a $10 bonus (maximum 6 within 90 days of account opening). Total bonus of $210. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.fncu.org/specialoffe?scpage=1&scupdated=1&scorder=-click_count
[NY] Five Star Bank Checking ($150, $250 for Premier account) - Open an account and set up direct deposit 60 days from the last day of the month the account was opened to get a $250 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.five-starbank.com/banking/personal-banking/checking
[MN] Great River FCU Checking ($100) -Use promo code "St. Cloud Rox" and open a checking account. Within 60 days, complete one of the following: Set up direct deposit OR complete 5 debit card purchases to receive a $100 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.greatriverfcu.org/rox/
[AL, FL, LA, MO, TX] Hancock Whitney Bank Access Checking ($100) -Enter your email address on the form, and receive a promo code. Bring the promo code to your nearest financial center. Set up and receive a qualifying monthly direct deposit of at least $250 within 90 days to receive a $100 bonus. $20 service charge if account is closed within the 180 days. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.hancockwhitney.com/mychecking100ac-20
[AL, FL, LA, MO, TX] Hancock Whitney Bank Priority Checking ($300) -Use the link to get unique promo code. by 12/31/2020. By 2/28/2021, set up and receive a qualifying monthly direct deposit of at least $250 per deposit to earn a $300 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.hancockwhitney.com/mychecking300pc-20
[IA, MN] Home Federal Savings Bank Checking ($250). - Set up a $500 direct deposit within the first 2 months to get a $150 bonus. Register debit card with CardValet app to get a $50 bonus. Complete 15 debit card purchases via mobile wallet within the first 45 days to get a $50 bonus. Total potential bonus of $250. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.justcallhome.com/HighFive
[MI] Honor CU Kalamazoo Checking ($250) -Open a new Honor Benefits or Connect checking account with $25 minimum deposit. Add a direct deposit totaling at least $100 per month within 60 days of opening your new account. Bonus amount of $250 will be paid within 30 days of direct deposit requirement. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.honorcu.com/kalamazoo/
[IL] Hyde Park Bank White Sox Checking ($300). – Wintrust Bank subsidiary: Open account with $100, enroll in online banking, activate e-statements and have direct deposits totaling $500 each month for 2 consecutive calendar months after the calendar month your new account was opened. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.hydeparkbank.net/personal/banking-and-borrowing/checking/white-sox-checking.html
[Nationwide] Incredible Bank Chill Checking (1-Year Netflix Subscription, $203.40 Value) - College students are eligible to have their Netflix subscription reimbursed when they open a Chill Checking account. To be eligible for your Netflix subscription reimbursement, you must be 18+ and present a valid college student ID, have your Netflix subscription charged to your debit card, and make at least 5 debit card purchases each month. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.incrediblebank.com/chillchecking
[MO] Jefferson Bank Checking ($150) – Use promo code C150CM20 and open one of the following eligible accounts: MyChoice Checking, MaxMoney Checking, Free Checking, Preferred Interest Checking, or World Checking. Within 90 days complete 2 direct deposits to earn a $150 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.jefferson-bank.com/150/
[MO] Jefferson Bank Checking ($250) - Use promo code C250CA20 and open one of the following eligible accounts: MyChoice Checking, MaxMoney Checking, Free Checking, Preferred Interest Checking, or World Checking. Within 90 days complete 2 direct deposits that total $500 or more to earn a $250 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.jefferson-bank.com/250/
[NY] Jovia Financial CU Go Green Checking ($150) - Open a Go Green Checking account with a $100 opening deposit. Within 60 days, complete a direct deposit of $100 or more to earn a $150 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.joviafinancial.com/promotions#checking
[CA] LBS Financial Credit Union Checking ($100) - Open a checking account using promo code Marina2020. Within 60 days, set up a $100 direct deposit to earn a $100 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.lbsfcu.org/new-members/
[CT, MA, RI] Liberty Bank Student Checking ($100). - Complete 5 debit card purchases within the first 2 months to get a $100 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.liberty-bank.com/personal/banking/checking-accounts-debit-cards/student-banking
[IA] Linn Area CU Free Checking ($50). - Use promo code "50FORME": enroll in online banking and estatements to get a $50 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.linnareacu.org/promotion/get-free-checking-get-50/
[IA] Linn Area CU Free Checking w Direct Deposit ($50). - Use promo code "50FORME": set up direct deposit to get a $50 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.linnareacu.org/promotion/get-free-checking-get-50/
[MD] LM Federal Credit Union RegulaInterest Checking ($100) - Open a regular or interest checking account. Within 45 days, complete 5 debit card transactions. Within 30 days, complete a direct deposit of $500 or more to earn a $100 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.lmfcu.org/About-LM/News-Promotions/Promotions/Open-a-New-Checking-Account
[MO] Members First Credit Union Checking ($100) - Open a checking account and receive a $100 bonus after signing up for direct deposit, eStatements, and a debit card. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://townplannerstl.com/members-1st-coupons/
[MI] Michigan Schools & Government CU Checking ($200) - Open a Regular or Fresh Start checking account with $25. Within 60 days, sign up for eStatements and receive a direct deposit of $100 or more to earn a $200 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.msgcu.org/checking-offer
[AZ] Midfirst Bank Checking ($150) - Open a new checking account and complete two of the following three activities within 90 days to earn a $150 bonus: Set up a $250 minimum direct deposit, complete 10 debit card purchases, and complete three Zelle® transactions on the MidFirst Bank Mobile Banking App Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://fe37157075640475711077.pub.s10.sfmc-content.com/0dbtkoz15gm
[AZ] MidFirst Bank Checking ($250) - Open a new checking account and complete two of the following three activities within 90 days to earn a $300 bonus: Set up a $250 minimum direct deposit, complete 10 debit card purchases, and complete three Zelle® transactions on the MidFirst Bank Mobile Banking App Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://fe37157075640475711077.pub.s10.sfmc-content.com/zxvj5wjsju2?utm_campaign=vanity&utm_source=midfirst.com%2f%2flive250az&utm_medium=vanity
[NY] Mid-Hudson Valley FCU Checking ($200) - Use promo code GETAPPLE200 when opening a new account. Set up direct deposit of $500 or more within 60 days of opening account for a $200 cash bonus. Choose FREE CHECKING account for no fees. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.mhvfcu.com/$200-checking-offer
[CO, FL, MN, WI] MidWestOne Bank Power Checking ($225) - Power Checking account must be opened online using or redeemed in-person by presenting offer code at time of account opening. You will receive the $225 deposit into your Power Checking account within 15 business days once you have qualified for Power Checking rewards in one of the first three Power Checking statement cycles after account opening. Power Checking Qualifications: Have at least one direct deposit, automatic debit from a third party, or Online Bill Pay post and clear. Receive electronic statements. Have at least 15 Debit Card purchases post and clear. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.midwestone.bank/promotions/2020/power-checking-225
[WI] Monona Bank True Checking ($300) - Open a True Checking account with $100. Sign up for two of the following services: online/mobile banking, debit or credit card, bill pay, or other options. Set up direct deposit and complete 5+ transactions a month and your bonus will be deposited to your account within 90 days after you complete these steps. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/classifieds/9/9c/99c41ee2-3d83-5258-82d5-ab4c7ff1d803/5ee7fd75d935b.pdf.pdf
[IL] Old Second Bank Checking and Money Builder Savings ($200) - Use promo code EM2: get a debit card and enroll in estatements to get a $50 bonus. Earn a $100 bonus after completing two $500 direct deposits. Earn an additional $50 bonus when you meet both of the above requirements and open a Money Builder Savings account and deposit $5,000 within 90 days. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.oldsecond.com/personal-banking/200-checking-savings-special-em/
[MI] Our Credit Union Premium Checking ($100) - Matching deposit up to $100 for new Premium Checking account. Have at least one debit card transaction per month over 60 days. Must sign up for eStatements and complete a monthly direct deposit of $500 or more for 2 months. Must mention ad for matching deposit when opening. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.ourcuonline.org/join
[CA] Paradise Valley FCU Checking ($150) - Open a checking account with a debit card and make 5 debit card purchases within 60 days to receive a $100 bonus. Additionally set up and make at least 1 recurring direct deposit to earn another $50. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.paradisevalleyfcu.org/earn-100-dollars/
[PA] Pennsylvania State Employees CU Checking ($150). - Use promo code "FS150": set up a monthly $300 direct deposit within the first 3 months to get a $150 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.psecu.com/150
[NE, Beatrice locations] Pinnacle Bank Diamond Secure Account ($200) - Earn $50 for completing each of the following: open a NEW Diamond Secure Account, make two direct deposits, make at least 20 debit card purchases, open a NEW PinnSavings Account. Total bonus amount of $200 if you complete all four. Must be opened at on of the Beatrice Locations. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/beatricedailysun.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/classifieds/f/ed/fed38a21-ce2c-5806-8010-bcf35ab3314b/5f04d447c6aa1.pdf.pdf
[Nationwide] PNC Virtual Wallet ($50, $200, $400)- Within sixty days of account opening, make cumulative direct deposits of at least $500 / $2,000 / $5,000 to get the bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.pnc.com/en/personal-banking/virtual-wallet-overview.html
[FL, mainly Southern FL] Power Financial CU Checking ($100) - Set up direct deposit OR have an initial deposit of $500 to get a $100 bonus. Membership with the credit union required, as well as keeping the account open for 90 days. Must open a savings account as well. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.powerfi.org/about-us/important-member-information/promotions/
[IN] Purdue FCU Checking ($150) - Open a new checking account at the Crown Point branch or online with a Lake or Porter County zip code. Sign up for a debit card and eStatements. Make 10 member initiated transactions. Finally, make 2 direct deposits of $500 or more each within 90 days of account opening to receive a $150 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.purduefed.com/site/welcome-crown-point/checking-bonus/
[WI] PyraMax Bank Checking ($125) - Open new Personal Checking account with promo code 125FREE and receive a $125 bonus after making a direct deposit of $250 or more a month for the first 3 months after the account is opened. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.pyramaxbank.com/banking/checking/
[MA] Reading Cooperative Bank - Earn a $50 cash bonus when you open a personal checking account with $10 deposit and set up direct deposit. Earn another $50 cash bonus with you set up online bill pay. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://readingcoop.com/50-50/
[FL, IN, KY, TN] Republic Bank Checking ($100, $200). - Use promo code LX1/LX2: set up a $100 direct deposit within the first 3 months to get a $100 bonus. Complete 50 debit card purchases to get an additional $100 bonus within the first 3 months. Total potential bonus of $200. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://tech.republicbank.com/
[MA] Rockland Trust Bank Checking ($250) (Worcester Branch) - Visit the Rockland Trust Bank location in Worcester, Massachusetts and open a personal checking account. Within 90 days, have at least 4 deposits totaling $2,000 or more. These deposits do not have to be direct deposits. The bonus will be paid directly to your account by April 30, 2021. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.rocklandtrust.com/worcester-branch-now-open
[CA] SAFE Credit Union Checking ($150, $250, $400) - Open a Perfect Cents checking or Prestige checking account with $25. Make 30 debit card purchases within the first 90 days to earn a $150 bonus. Make three direct deposits of $1,000 each or more in the first 120 days to earn a $250 bonus. Total bonus potential of $400. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.safecu.org/Financially-Fit-Checking
[CT, DE, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI] Santander Bank Simply Right Checking ($225) - Enter email and name to get unique promo code: set up a cumulative $1,000 direct deposit within the first 3 months to get a $225 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.santanderbank.com/us/pages/personal/checking-accounts-acq
[FL] Seacoast Bank Premium Checking/Savings ($150, $250, $400) - Open a Premium Checking account with $50 and a Savings Account using offer code DM400. To earn the $250 checking bonus, complete a direct deposit of $500 or more within 60 days of account opening. To earn the $150 savings account bonus, deposit a total of $15,000 or more within 10 business days of account opening and maintain said balance for 90 days. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.seacoastbank.com/switchtoday
[WA] Sound Credit Union IRA Transfer Bonus ($100) - Transfer an IRA or roll over a 401k with a minimum balance of $25,000 to a new IRA with CUSO Financial Services within 45 days and get a $100 Visa gift card. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.soundcu.com/life-and-finances/open-ira-get-100/
[WA] Sound Credit Union Sound Checking ($150) - Open a Sound Checking account. Within 90 days, receive at least one direct deposit of $500 or more to earn a $150 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.soundcu.com/life-and-finances/theres-150-reasons-to-switch-to-sound/
[MN, WI] Spire Credit Union Free Checking ($100) - Open a Spire Free Checking account with an opening deposit of $100 or more. Set up an automatic payment or direct deposit and complete 6 debit card transactions within 60 days to receive a $100 bonus. Account must remain open for six months. $100 bonus will be deposited to the checking account upon account opening. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.myspire.com/about-spire/current-promos
[NY, OH, PA] S&T Bank Checking ($350) - Open a Preferred, Select, or Four Star checking account online to receive a $50 bonus. Sign up for online statements, deposit $500 to the account within 10 days, and make ten $10 qualifying debit card transactions to receive a $100 bonus. All accounts must maintain a $500 balance for the entirety of the bonus process to be eligible for any rewards. Finally, receive a $200 bonus for keeping the account active for 6 months. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.stbank.com/money-tree-promotion
[AZ, CO, KS, MO, NM, TX] Sunflower Bank Checking ($200) - Open a new personal checking account. Complete 20 debit card purchases AND have ACH credits or debits totaling $500 or more that all post to the account on or before 1/31/21. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.sunflowerbank.com/Welcome200
[Tom Green County, TX] Texas Trust CU Checking ($150) - Use promo code 8009: set up one $500 direct deposit OR make 10 debit card transactions totaling $100 within a 35 day period within 90 days after account opening. Your account must remain open with a positive balance. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.texastrustcu.org/MyBankLeftMe/
[MN, WI] Thrivent Federal Credit Union Rewards Checking ($200) - Open a Rewards Checking account using promo code 2020CHECKING and within 90 days complete the following activities: sign up for online banking, enroll in eStatements, make 20 debit card purchases. Direct deposit a minimum of $500 total to receive $100, direct deposit a minimum of $2,500 total to receive an additional $100. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://info.thriventcu.com/checking-bonus-2020
[MD] Tower Federal Credit Union Prime Share ($100) - Establish a membership with Tower FCU using promo code 100GPS20 and $100 will be deposited to your Prime Share account. Minimum balance to open is $5. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.towerfcu.org/the-tower-difference-100gps/
[WI] Town Bank Statement Savings ($200, $300) – Varies by account type. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.townbank.us/community.html
[ND] Town & Country CU Star Rewards Checking ($100). - Set up a $250 direct deposit within the first month to get a $100 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.townandcountry.org/content/star-rewards-checking-100-new-account-offer
[AZ] Vantage West CU Premium Rewards Checking ($200) - $100 bonus + 10,000 Rewards Points (a $100 cash value) for new Members who open a Vantage West Premium Rewards checking account, set up a $500 Direct Deposit within 60 days, and use their debit card once. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://vantagewest.org/get200/
[WI] Waukesha State Bank Checking ($100) - Open a checking account using promo code DDA100GEO20 and deposit at least $100 to receive a $100 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.waukeshabank.com/commyounity-testimonials-6
[CT, MA, NY, RI] Webster Bank Checking ($250 + $250 Donation) - Use the link to the offer below and open a WebsterOne Relationship Checking account. Within 90 days, complete a direct deposit of $500 or more OR complete 20 debit card transactions to receive a $250 bonus. Webster Bank will also donate $250 to the Hartford HealthCARES Colleague Assistance Fund. Use promo code $250WEBONE-HHC-HEROES Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://public.websteronline.com/offers/hartford-healthcare-frontline-heroes
[CA] Wescom CU Checking ($250) - Open a Wescom Checking Account with a $100 deposit and maintain this balance for your first full calendar month after opening to earn a $100 bonus. Use your debit card at least twice a month for two consecutive months to earn $50. Finally, make a qualifying direct deposit of $500 or more for two consecutive months and get $100. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://wescom.org/welcome/?utm_source=wescomtogether2020 &utm_medium=socialads-500offer&utm_campaign=Grail
[OH] Westfield Bank Dream Big Checking with Savings ($100) - With $250, set up a monthly recurring direct deposit for a $100 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.westfield-bank.com/promo-switch-bonus
[IL] Wheaton Bank & Trust Total Access Checking ($300). - Wheaton Bank & Trust subsidiary: open account with $100, enroll in ebanking and estatements, and complete 2 monthly direct deposits of at least $500. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 http://wheatonbank.com/personal/banking-and-borrowing/checking/total-access-checking.html
[MN] Wings Financial CU Checking ($300) - Set up a $300 direct deposit, complete 5 debit card purchases of $5 or more, and enroll in estatements within the first 2 months to get a $300 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.wingsfinancial.com/300-checking
[IL] Wintrust Bank Northwestern Wildcats Checking ($300) - Open a Wildcats Checking account with $100. Have monthly occurring direct deposits totaling $500 or more for 2 consecutive calendar months after your account was opened and enroll in online banking and active e-statements to get a $300 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.wintrust.com/personal-solutions/bank-with-us/checking/northwestern-checking.html
[FL, IL] Wintrust Bank Bonuses ($200, $300)- Checking and savings bonuses, varies by account type and amount. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.wintrustflorida.com/community.html
[CA] Yolo Federal Credit Union Checking ($150) - Open a Simply or Student Checking account. Within 45 days, enroll in eStatements, make 5 or more purchases of $10 or more with your debit/credit card. Complete one of the following: have ACH or direct deposits totaling $500 or more, OR establish an aggregate loan relationship of $5,000 or more to earn a $150 bonus. Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.yolofcu.org/accounts/checking/bonus-checking-offe
Business
(leaving out descriptions because of character count)
[MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA] First Horizon Bank BizEssentials Savings ($150) Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.firsthorizon.com/sb150
[MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA] First Horizon Bank Business Checking & Savings ($300, $450) Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.firsthorizon.com/landing/business/300-bize-checking-landing-bzd300
[Nationwide] HSBC Fusion Business Checking Bonuses ($200, $300, $400) Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.us.hsbc.com/fusion/
[CT, MA, RI] Liberty Bank Business Checking ($100). Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.liberty-bank.com/personal/promotions
[IL] Old Plank Trail Bank Entrepreneur Checking ($300) Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.oldplanktrailbank.com/lp/2020/business-working-capital.html
[CT, DE, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI] Santander Bank Business Checking ($320) Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.santanderbank.com/us/pages/business/bizcashbonus
[IL] St. Charles Bank Entrepreneur Business Checking ($300) Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.bankstcharles.com/lp/2020/business-working-capital.html
[AL, AR, FL, GA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV, DC] SunTrust Business Checking ($200) Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://www.suntrust.com/lp/open-small-business-checking-account
[AZ] Vantage West CU Business Checking ($200) Exp Dec. 31, 2020 https://vantagewest.org/bus-getrewarded/

I am 30 years old, make $135,000 a year, live outside NYC and work as a Senior Data Analyst.

Section One: Assets and Debt

Retirement Balance: $84,000 This is based on combined balances in my IRA accounts (Roth + Rollover). My current company, which I’ve been working at for 6 months, doesn't offer 401(k) matching until after the first year of work - so I’m waiting for that year mark to start contributing to one.
Equity: ~$550,000 This is the current market value estimate of my home, a small 2 BR condo just outside of Manhattan, from Zillow. I purchased my home in summer of 2015 at a closing price of $484K. I put down $284K for the down payment (from my savings and investments which I had slowly accumulated since I was 15. My dad helped me open my first brokerage account at the time and encouraged me to keep investing and diversifying my portfolio as I grew older; this proved invaluable when it came to having the funds for my down payment a decade later) and took on a 20 year mortgage for the remaining $200K. Just last summer (June of 2019), I paid off the remainder of the mortgage balance and am now debt-free. The timing of the payoff was mostly motivated by a city-wide property revaluation assessment last year which bumped up my property tax payment to almost 3X the previous amount.
Savings account balance: $139,000 I have this in cash in an online savings account with Ally. I normally would have invested some of this, but ever since March and with the ongoing uncertainty with the virus, the presidency, etc. I haven’t felt comfortable doing so. I am also considering buying a second condominium near where I am now that I could either rent out in the future, or move into myself and rent out my current place instead for rental income, so I want to keep funds liquid for the time being.
Checking account balance: $3,500 This amount is split across two banks - one with Ally and the other with Chase. I keep above the $1,500 minimum at Chase to avoid any fees to ensure I can withdraw cash at one of their ATMs if needed.
Credit card debt: $0 I place almost all of my purchases on one of two credit cards, but pay them off in full every month (and make sure to redeem the bonus points for cash back!) The total I’ll have charged across my two cards at any point in time usually ranges from $0 to $600 dollars.
Student loan debt (for what degree): $0 I have an undergraduate econ/business degree from an Ivy League that I’m so grateful my parents were able to help me achieve without having to worry about accumulating a huge student loan for. They started a 529 account for me a little later than ideal (when I was in middle school - I’ll go into more detail in the next paragraph) but saved aggressively leading up to when I graduated high school. They were able to cover the majority of my tuition + room and board this way, and I helped cover the rest through several scholarships and working on campus.
Mortgage: $0 Paid off last year! This was definitely one of my proudest recent accomplishments. I’ve always lived fairly frugally, due mostly to my childhood experiences and background. If there’s anything I could have done differently, it would have been to get a mortgage for a shorter term (versus the original 20 years) so that I could have gotten a lower rate and paid less in mortgage interest.

Section Two: Income

Income Progression: My first job was at McDonald’s when I was 15, and I started with the minimum wage rate of $5.25/hour. In high school, I switched to working retail at Kmart and then every summer of college, worked at various paid internships for the full summer in addition to working on campus at various jobs (from cashier to research assistant). My junior year summer internship was at a firm that I would eventually return to full time after I graduated. I've been working full time for 8 years now, and my starting salary was ~$60,000. I started off working in analytics for a financial service firm in NYC and have changed jobs every 2-3 years since then. I primarily stayed in finance up until last year, working my way through steady salary increases each year and with each job change. I had begun looking for a new job and industry right before the pandemic hit in March as I was getting bored and frustrated with my role at the time; I had actually interviewed for my current role right when interviews were all being changed to virtual and didn’t hear back until May as the company was dealing with the big shift to work from home and figuring out headcount for the future. Thankfully my role was kept and I officially started working at my current company in the media/tech space in mid-May. My current annual base salary is $110,000 with a 10% annual bonus ($121,000 all-in).
Main Job Monthly Take Home: $5,800 This is my final take home, which is paid out bi-weekly (my average paycheck amount is around $2,900). This is after deductions for health insurance (dental+vision), a healthcare HSA ($100 a month), and a pre-tax transit account ($100 a month). Retirement contributions are currently on pause until I hit my one year mark next May and qualify for matching contributions to a 401(k).
Side Gig Monthly Take Home: ~$890 I have a couple sources of income from Instagram, one of which is my dedicated food account (75K+ followers). For this account, I don’t have a steady stream of income but reap the benefits in various invitations to restaurants in NYC - I’m invited in for a meal (usually with a guest), and for posting photos and stories featuring the restaurants and dishes, have the cost of the meal covered. For sit down meals, however, my guest and I make sure to cover the tip for the service. I’m occasionally shipped food/drink items to share as well. If I do make any income, this is from infrequent brand or restaurant campaigns that I’m contacted for; depending on what’s required in deliverables, these can range anywhere from $300-$3,000. The pandemic definitely impacted this year, but for 2020, I’m on track to have earned ~$6,500 from these. I am also helping 2 friends of mine who started a small business in July with some photography and social media. I post on their social channels and do larger product shoots 1-2x a month, and get $350 a month for this work.
Any Other Monthly Income: $300 My property also has a gated parking spot included with the deed; so even though I don’t have a car, I’ve found a “tenant” for the spot since I bought my place five years ago. We sign an annual lease every October for $3,600 for the upcoming year, which comes to $300/month.

Section Three: Expenses

Property Tax: $767 (paid quarterly at ~$2,300, this amount changes quarter to quarter, so I’m using an average for the past year)
Homeowners Association (HOA) Fees: $434 (this covers water, garbage, and some building insurance)
Condominium Insurance: $54 (paid annually at $650, my HOA fees cover some initial property insurance, so this is specific to my unit).
Retirement Contribution: On pause for now as I wait to hit the year mark at my current job to get matching 401(k) contributions. I also want to keep some earnings liquid for a potential future real estate investment.
Debt payments: $0, aside from paying off my monthly CC balance
Electricity/Gas: ~$70 (depends on the season, spring and fall are in the low $40s while summer and winter can be in the high $90s)
WiFi: $40 (recently signed up for the introductory offer at Comcast)
Cellphone: $50 (I’m on the family plan still, but transfer this amount to my dad each month)
Credit Card Fee: $8.33 ($200 annual fees across the 2 cards I currently have. Next year I will cancel/downgrade from the Chase Sapphire Preferred as the benefits for Travel and Dining are pretty much moot.)
Subscriptions: Amazon Prime: $10 (annual subscription, I share with my family) Netflix: $0 (my parents cover this one) Hulu/Spotify: $11 Adobe Creative Cloud: $11 Apple Cloud: $1 OneDrive: $2 Causebox: $17 (quarterly subscription box that I pay the $200 annual cost for)
Donations: I don’t have a recurring donation organization or amount, but will donate where and when I see the need. So far this year, I’ve donated $500 to my local hospital, the NAACP, and City Harvest.
Savings Contribution: I will pretty much just transfer over money from my checking account to my savings account whenever it gets above the $1k or $1.5k threshold (I’ll keep more if it’s around the end of the month and monthly payments are coming up). I’m typically able to transfer over $2.5-3K each month, unless it happens to be one where quarterly property taxes are due.

Weekly Expenses:
Food + Drink: $78.70 (including tip)
Fun / Entertainment: $0
Home + Health: $72.33
Clothes + Beauty: $0
Transport: $0
Other: $189.24
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Day One (Monday)
8:45am: My alarm goes off and I hit snooze. One of the worst parts about the whole WFH situation has been how bad I’ve become with getting up on time, knowing that I can be at “work” in less than 15 steps. I scroll through social media a bit and catch up on some posts before getting out of bed.
9:15am: I’ve brushed my teeth, washed my face, and put on my skincare (toner, serums, and moisturizer) and am booting up my laptop. I changed jobs 6 months ago in the midst of the pandemic, leaving my previous role in financial services for a position in a large media/tech company, which has been a little crazy. It’s been tough doing everything remotely, and learning the new industry and programming/software has been especially difficult, but I feel like I’m getting my bearings. I start brewing some coffee.
9:30am: I hop on a Zoom for our weekly department huddle and listen as the different teams give updates on various initiatives as well as some background on company-wide kick offs and projects. Some of the projects I’m working on get brought up and it feels good to be doing what feels like actual work. After the call, I get to work on tackling work for some of the larger projects I have, which include scoping out source/logic details on a production report that we want to integrate in a new platform and QAing a table that I’m working on with data science.
12pm: I take a break to refill my coffee mug and make IG posts for my friends’ small business account and my own account (a food IG with 75K+ followers). I took on the first gig a few months ago when my friends, a couple in Brooklyn, launched their hand-crafted drinks business. I started the second, my personal account, over 3 years ago with a focus on restaurants in NYC. It stalled quite a bit over the last few months with the pandemic, but I’ve been dining out infrequently these days, and have limited myself to dining with only one friend at a time (out of a total of 3 friends since June, all of whom I know have tested negative and have been taking precautions since March).
3pm: I’ve wrapped up a touch base with a manager and a semi-stressful meeting where I had to present to some senior executives a dashboard we've been working on over the last few months. They have a few (mostly minor) tweaks that I note in a JIRA ticket before I grab my mask and take a quick break to stop by a local ice cream shop that’s invited me in to try their latest dessert special. There’s thankfully no one else there aside from one of the co-owners who recognizes me and gets my treats ready. I photograph them, thank her, and leave a $3 tip. $3
3:30pm: Back home, I get back to some Slack messages and try to prepare for another stressful call at 4:30pm that I have to lead. I finish eating the ice cream and call it lunch - but hey, that’s #adulting for you.
6pm: Wrap up some notes from the call and text my dad the address that I’m heading out to. I saw a 1BR condo listing pop up on Zillow over the weekend that looked promising, so I’m getting an in-person tour of it this evening. I get my mask on again and make the 5 minute walk to the building where the realtor is outside to meet me. We go inside to look at the condo for sale - the space definitely looks smaller in person than in the photos, and I note that a number of things need to be replaced or upgraded. I thank the realtor after the tour and give a call to my dad to let him know I’m okay and to give him my initial impressions of the space.
7pm: Back home! I wash my hands and change my clothes and get started on dinner; I’ve been craving soup these days so make a quick hot and sour soup on the stove with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tofu, and some corn I have in the fridge. While I eat, I edit the photos from my DSLR from this afternoon, and check my IG account email to reply to about 7 emails that came in today about campaigns and invitations to restaurants; one of these includes signing a contract with a new app that’s offering a generous sign on payment and potential future income. I catch up on IG posts and comments and text a few friends.
11pm: I spend the rest of the evening catching up on some news, watching the latest episode of the Korean drama Start Up, and finally take a shower. While my hair is still drying in a hair tower, I do a quick Chloe Ting workout; I started doing some of her workouts a few months ago and while I’m not doing them super seriously, I’ve definitely noticed a difference in my abs and feel stronger overall. My Google Home plays some news snippets for me afterwards, and I roll my eyes at the continued attempts of our current president to try and derail the election results. On the plus side - the initial vaccine results from 2 firms have been super promising!
1am: I remember to take my daily multivitamins and then read a bit on my Kindle (I just finished Sex and Vanity, and start on Me Before You - another thing I picked up during quarantine, and I’ve already read over 30 books since March!). I then proceed to spend too much time on Instagram and reddit before turning out the lights.
Day One Total: $3
Day Two (Tuesday)
8:45am: Alarm goes off on the dot and I, the perpetual sleep procrastinator, snooze one too many times. I barely manage to make it out of bed in time to brush my teeth, wash my face, and chug some water before a 9:15am call. It’s a quick check in on projects within my business area so I summarize the work that’s been done and am grateful I don’t have to have my webcam on for this.
12pm: Unfortunately I need my webcam on for the next two meetings, so try to make myself look semi-presentable by combing through my hair and putting on a sweater, instead of my default hoodie. I get a little more clarification on some metrics and data sources in this upcoming platform integration and discussing my upcoming sprint priorities with my manager. At noon, I make a new post on my food IG and go through my feed. I pour my second mug of coffee and drink more water in preparation for the next batch of afternoon meetings.
3pm: Talk through more Zoom calls to the point that my throat is starting to hurt. I’m especially frustrated after the team huddle that just ended where one of the managers tells me my approach to building out the proposed data architecture is too limited in scope, and I should be more imaginative and proactive. The entire work from home situation has made it difficult to understand how to work with and collaborate with different people, so I try not to get too frustrated. I spend the rest of the afternoon making some minor adjustments to existing production reports and updating JIRA tickets.
5pm: I email over my dad a few of the more promising Zillow listings that landed in my inbox this morning. He jokingly complains that there’s too much to read and the words are too small before I realize that he’s been doing a lot of work on his laptop lately as he’s been WFH more. I take a look at a few computer monitors and opt for a larger (24”) version of what I currently have as it’s been working well for me for the last 6 months. I make sure it includes a HDMI cable and have it shipped my dad. $179.24
5:50pm: I grab my mask, bag, and camera and text my friend to let her know I’m en route to dinner; she’s one of the few friends I’ve seen in person since March and is also a food blogger with a separate full time job. She’s been quarantining in Long Island since the start of everything, and texts me that she’s driving in from her home, I head out to the PATH station, swipe in using my prepaid Smartlink card, and hop onto the next train.
6:35pm: I’m a few minutes late but make sure my friend knows I’m walking over, and meet her outside the restaurant. We get checked in, fill out our contact information on our phones, and get our temperatures taken; thankfully there’s only 2 other groups seated and the windows are open. Tonight’s dinner was an invitation that I already confirmed with the PR team, so the staff are expecting us and understand we’ll both be taking photos. We order a few apps and two mains, and spend the rest of the evening doing some quick photos and catching up on our lives, her plans to move into Manhattan or JC, and complaining about the ongoing election drama.
8:30pm: Dinner is done, and I realize I forgot to stop at an ATM and only have a dollar bill on me so ask if I can Venmo my friend my part of the gratuity. Thankfully she has $20 on her so I quickly Venmo her $10, making sure to use the adorable fries sticker to represent the copious amount that we ate tonight. $10
8:45pm: My friend and I walk out with our masks on, and I bid her goodbye and a happy Thanksgiving before stopping at the ATM to take out some cash, making sure to sanitize my hands after, and then head to my train. As I wait, I make some quick edits to the photos I took on my iPhone and add them with a few captions and tags to my IG stories; I manage to get through them all by the time the next train pulls up and leaves.
9:20pm: It’s always so nice to get back home! I wash my hands, change my clothes, and get started with transferring over the photos from my DSLR to my computer. I spend the next 20 or so minutes editing and saving the final versions in Adobe Lightroom and make sure to chug a glass of water to help balance out all the sodium I had. I check my messages and see that a restaurant in NJ confirmed a lunch delivery for tomorrow and see another contract in my inbox; I read the deliverables and ask the account manager if she can take out the clause requiring a Tiktok post because I don’t have an account.
11:30pm: I shower and put on my evening skincare, take my multivitamins, and do a quick ab workout with Chloe Ting (it still hurts lol). I take a look at my work calendar tomorrow and see that my first meeting starts at 9am, so I update my alarm to 15 minutes earlier. I take my vitamins and spend the rest of the evening catching up on some news, reddit, and IG.
1:30am: I blame Youtube vlogs for this one. Finally turn out the lights.
Day Two Total: $189.24
Day Three (Wednesday)
8:30am: Alarm goes off and I manage to get myself out of bed in a semi-reasonable fashion. Do my typical routine (brushing teeth, washing face, getting water and coffee ready) and log into my work laptop so I’m on the Zoom right at 9am. This is a belated overview session for one of the larger projects that I started working on quite late in the process, so it’s a useful business and data update that gives me a better understanding of the end goals.
12pm: Sit through one other department meeting where I don’t fully pay attention because I look into some minor report and code checks (oops). Once those wrap up, I’m able to take a break to do a post and stories for my friends’ business account and then make a post on my food account. I notice an email come in from a PR company about a new location opening for one of my favorite restaurants, so I check with one of my friends if he’s able to make the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and reply back to the email requesting it.
1:30pm: While I listen in on a company-wide speaker event on the topic of gender sensitivity and awareness, I also click through a recently assigned digital training course on sexual harassment and discrimination. I understand that the latter is a legally mandated item, but find it a bit sad (especially in the current day and age) that these are things that have to be spelled out for people. After I finish, I get a call for my lunch delivery; I grab my mask, keys, and wallet and meet the deliveryperson downstairs. I give him a $6 tip and take some photos of the items, which include chicken wings and a chicken sandwich. After I’m done with photos, I scarf down the food so I can make my next call which requires me to talk and have my webcam on. $6
4:30pm: I have a 1 on 1 with my manager and then a call with a business partner to scope out requirements for a new report. So glad to be done with calls! I get started putting together a project plan/roadmap for one of my projects and Slack one of the recently hired data engineers, who I found out grew up near me in suburban Philadelphia!
6pm: Get the shipping notification email that my dad’s monitor has shipped! I call it a day and close my work laptop and get started on my weekly apartment clean. I call my dad while I do so and let him know that his monitor should arrive on Friday; he thanks me and we catch up on work, COVID, and my potential future real estate investment. While I talk, I notice an alert from Mint that a large charge from Amazon hit my credit card; I’m a little worried until I log into my account and see that the annual prime membership has been renewed. Also tell my dad this as he heard me flip out thinking that someone had been making fraudulent charges on my card, as he and my mom are part of my “Prime household”. ($127, noted in my monthly expenses)
7pm: I’m done vacuuming and taking out the trash and am officially hungry. I make a quick tomato and egg soup with orzo and eat an apple while I wait for the orzo to cook. I wrap up some IG emails while I eat, including signing the updated contract with the Tiktok clause removed and politely declining some invitations to places that I’m not able to physically go to.
10pm: Wash the dishes, take a shower, brush my teeth and put on a clay face mask; while it dries, I do a quick 15 min workout on the mat and then wash off the clay mask before doing my skincare. I make sure to drink some more water and take my vitamins, and spend the rest of the evening in bed on my phone and working my way through Me Before You - it’s a slow start, but I’m starting to warm up to the protagonist.
1am: Lights out!
Day Three Total: $6
Day Four (Thursday)
8:30am: Forgot to change my weekday alarm back; oh well, I’ll survive. Crawl out of bed, and get ready for the day (you know the drill), and make sure I have plenty of coffee on hand. My period also just started, which is never a good sign.
12pm: The morning has just felt like an onslaught of meetings; followed by some impromptu Zoom calls. I’m starting to feel frazzled as various timelines and deliverables seem to have been shifted up and try to work with one of the other data engineers to specify possible business user requirements. This unintentionally gets shared with one of the project managers who sends an email en masse to the business users asking for sign off on this initial list. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but...
12:30pm: Make the post and stories on the small business account and my own account, finish the remainder of today’s coffee while I go through emails and minor JIRA tasks. I hop onto a share screen with one of my coworkers to transition over a project I’d been working on; I had built out a new dashboard and now that it’s “QA” state has been approved, he will now take over the more formal production process and maintenance.
3:30pm: During our second team stand up, I give my manager project updates and he immediately tells me I shouldn’t have let my list be shared with business users and other involved teams. I don’t fully get why; but after our team call he asks me to hop onto an impromptu Zoom with him where he tries to explain some of the complexities of company and team politics and how I should be very careful to give my stamp of approval, however formal or informal, unless I fully stand behind it. The conversation is a bit long, but I get a better sense of what's going on between teams and managers, and try not to cry as my manager tries to tell me it's not anything I did, but I need to be careful of my actions.
6pm: I manage to collect myself in time to meet a friend for the first time in months at an outdoor dine a few blocks away. He (and his girlfriend) was just recently re-tested as negative, which is always reassuring. While I get my belongings and my mask, my coworker Slacks me asking if I’m okay, apologizing for not messing earlier as she was on an afternoon call. She reassures me the same thing has happened to everyone else on the team, that a lot of these nuances I’m not aware of because I’ve never been in the office, and suggests putting on a one hour venting session with the other engineers in the team next week. I happily do so, and tell her I’ll catch up with her next week as I have off tomorrow.
6:30pm: My friend and I are seated near one of the heat lamps, and it’s so good to catch up with him after so long! He gives me some life updates, including the fact that he and his girlfriend are moving into a house they are waiting to close on, and the fact that he just put down a deposit for an engagement ring!! I’m so excited and barrage him with questions on timing, his plans, etc. and almost forget that we need to order food.
8pm: We have a delicious meal that includes burgers and a lobster roll (all of which I photograph) and he gets a few cocktails (I don’t drink). I leave a $10 tip, and my friend puts down $15 for his share, factoring in the alcohol. We mask up before heading out, and I tell him I want updates on everything for the next month as he goes through all those major life events! $10
8:30pm: After my short trip home, I wash my hands, change, and get started on editing photos from tonight. I definitely feel much better after the work “event” and take a longer shower tonight to decompress.
11pm: Decide to skip the workout tonight because I feel like it, and sit in bed doing some more administrative/scheduling tasks on my iPad in bed. I see a few updates from some of the team in India (yay international time zones - not) and debate if I should handle these tonight. Since I’m out tomorrow, I know it’ll be better if I do, so hop back onto the work laptop to wrap up some last minute code edits and JIRA updates. Once I’m done, I make sure my OOO notice and status in Slack are updated and eat a yogurt cup with some grapes because, yes, I’m hungry-ish again.
1am: Hair is dry, vitamins are taken, and it’s time for bed... or not? I’m already past the halfway point of Me Before You and cannot stop reading - it’s at the point where I’m now seriously invested in the relationship between the female and male protagonist and have to know how it ends (even though I already have my guesses). I speed through the rest of the book and shed a couple tears when I finish, which is past 3am. Thankfully I’m not working the next day! I make sure to set my alarm for later and finally go to bed.
Day Four Total: $10
Day Five (Friday)
11am: My alarm goes off and I actually feel semi-decent upon waking up - I don’t think I will ever not be a night owl! I get dressed and get ready to head out to try and get a COVID test; I last took one in June so want to have a more up-to-date status, especially as I’m potentially going home the next week for Thanksgiving. I haven’t seen my parents for over a year at this point and my dad has offered to drive down from Boston to pick me and my sister (in college, who is tested every week) up, but I’m still not feeling great about it given the fact that my parents are in their 60s. At the very least, I want to get a test to have more information before making any final decisions. I drink some water so I’m at least hydrated.
11:30am: I grab my Kindle, mask, and sanitizer and head out to the nearby mobile testing center that was set up. The line is about 15 people long - not terrible, especially as everyone is spacing out 6+ feet between each other - so I head to the end and spend the 2 hours or so in between my phone (making my daily IG post) and my Kindle (next up: Olive, Again) While I wait, I get an email about one of the campaigns I’ve been ironing out, and confirm I’m planning on visiting this weekend to get photos so I can send the content draft over for approval afterwards.
1:30pm: The process is pretty seamless; I fill out my information through my phone, upload a photo of my insurance card, and get my temperature and blood pressure taken before the nasal swab. It’s not that bad, I guess, but having anything put uncomfortably deep into your nasal passages is not fun. The doctor tells me I should get my results by the following Tuesday through the online patient portal; I thank him and head back out with my mask on.
2pm: Home and officially hungry, so after washing my hands and changing, I bowl a pot of water and put in a block of Shin Ramyun. I make it a little less like what I ate back in college by adding in some frozen corn, spinach, and an egg. I also eat an apple and catch up on some emails and go through IG before taking a fat nap.
6pm: I’m woken up by a text from my dad; it’s a picture of his new computer set up at home, and I’m glad to see everything’s working and should hopefully help his eyes. I take a second look at the photo and see that he’s using a tiny USB wire mouse - which he probably got as a work freebie. I sigh and find a wireless mouse on Amazon to have delivered to him the next day; I send him a text to watch out for that delivery as well tomorrow. $10
7pm: Time to head to the grocery store! I have a few options within walking distance of me, but like going to the Asian grocery store just given how unique and sometimes hard-to-find their selection is. I’m doing a virtual dinner swap with a friend tomorrow so I need to get ingredients for that, as well as my weekly grocery shop. I make sure I have my mask and reusable bag, and stock up on tofu, zucchini, mushrooms, bok choy, more apples (Fuji, but Honeycrisp is also a fav, ground pork, and some snacks, noodles, and yogurt. I struggle a bit to carry it home. #smallpeopleproblems $33.31
8pm: Once home, I unpack everything and get started on a (very butchered) version of soondubu with Napa cabbage, zucchini, and mushrooms with a spicy soup base (dwenjaeng paste, gochujang, soy sauce, gochugaru). I cook some rice on the side. While I eat, I load up Netflix and decide to start on The Queen’s Gambit.
11pm: Shower, skincare, and vitamins - and I end the evening with another quick mat workout. After I blow dry by hair, I climb into bed and spend far too much time on the phone as my brain wanders and gets in knots about Thanksgiving next week; my parents and I agreed not to make any decisions until I got my results back, but even if it’s negative, I know there’s still a risk if I were to let my dad pick me up and take me home. I know he and my mom really want to see me though, which makes me feel even more conflicted. I tell myself to stop thinking about it until next week and double check my schedule for tomorrow before opening up my Kindle to read.
2am: Finally decide to sleep after getting distracted by Youtube, again. Oops.
Day Five Total: $43.31
Day Six (Saturday)
10:40am: My weekly Saturday alarm goes off; my friends behind the small business and I have our recurring call every Saturday morning and while I would like to sleep in, I force myself to get up, brush my teeth, and do a quick face wash.
11am: I drink some water as we catch up on today’s agendas and tasks; we’re finalizing a seasonal holiday drink to be rolled out after Thanksgiving, so we go over the ingredients and timing, and figure out when I’ll be able to visit them in Brooklyn next month to get the photos for future posts and website updates. They also tell me they’d like to grab some photos of their new house (that they’ll be closing on soon) while I’m there, and I’m happy to do so. My friend tries to tell me that they’ll pay me extra for this, but I laugh and tell her she can just feed me.
12pm: Grab my mask, keys, and camera - Time to head out today! I have two stops near me to get photos for upcoming posts; one is for a bakery chain releasing a seasonal cake flavor and the other is for a newly opened location of a pizza franchise. My pick up order for the bakery was made in advance, so I stop inside, give them my name for the order, and after a little confusion that leads to them calling a manager, I have my cake ready to go. I take it outside to photograph; this campaign is offering a small payment but thankfully doesn’t need to review the content before I post.
12:30pm: I load up the app for the pizza place on my phone and use the pre-loaded credits to place my order in advance so it’ll be ready for pick up once I arrive. It’s a 15 minute walk or so over, but the pies are ready for me when I get there. The staff is nice enough to put them in a bag for me (they’re personal pies, so thankfully small enough) and I walk over to the waterfront to take some photos out there. I add some photos to my stories and walk home with my goodies; I’ll need to write up and submit the content for approval before posting, but this campaign is also offering a small payment.
1:30pm: Finally home! I wash up, transfer my photos to my laptop, and get started editing. In between, I make a post to my food account and the small business account, catch up on comments and friends’ posts, and try not to make a mess while eating some pizza and a slice of cake.
3:00pm: After putting the leftovers in the fridge, I’m ready for a nap. I set an alarm for 5pm just in case I oversleep since I need to make dinner late for my dinner swap!
5:00pm: Alarm goes off, and I struggle to get out of bed. I know I want as much time as possible to cook though, especially as bad things happen when I rush. I prep the food in advance by washing the bok choy, slicing the mushrooms, and mincing garlic and ginger. I do a bok choy and mushroom stir fry, and make mapo tofu and rice. I barely finish in time to package half of the meal into to-go containers for my friend, and text him; he tells me not to rush and that it’s cold enough so that the dessert won’t melt (lol).
6:40pm: I meet my friend outside halfway between our apartments outside of City Hall; of course we’re both masked. We do our meal swap; I give him the savory items I made while he hands over 2 small containers - and we both head to our separate homes. When I get back, I find out one has tiramisu and the other has a matcha oreo ice cream! I log onto Zoom for our virtual dinner hangout. Even though my friend is so close, he sees his parents regularly as well, so has been doing his best to be extra cautious. We’ve come up with this set up where we’ll each swap items for dinner (usually I’ll cook the savory and he’ll order dessert) and exchange them before enjoying dinner over Zoom later.
8:30pm: Call is over, so now it’s time to clean the kitchen - and it’s definitely a mess, especially as I was a bit frazzled. I wash the many utensils and pans I went through and do my best to dry them; washing up is definitely the least fun part of cooking.
11pm: Spend the rest of the night killing time between my phone, Netflix, and emails. I ask one of my friends (whom I saw earlier in the week) about some potential dates and places over the next few weeks, and send over calendar blocks while I wait to get reservations confirmed.
1am: By this point, I’ve showered, taken my vitamins, and am ready for bed. Read a little, watch some more videos, and eventually fall asleep sometime later.
Day Six Total: $0
Day Seven (Sunday)
12:30pm: It’s the one day this week that I don’t have an alarm, so I let myself sleep in for as long as I want to - which means that yes, I will sleep through the morning and into the afternoon. I dawdle in bed, posting on my food account and catching up on my feed, and just scrolling through various news articles and reddit threads.
1:30pm: After finally washing up and drinking some coffee, I grab my mask and bag to round out a few more groceries for the week; even though the Asian grocery store is great, they don’t have some staples so I’m heading to one of the more traditional stores near me today. I pick up some pasta, tomato sauce, oatmeal, peanut butter, and some more produce. $16.39
2:30pm: Once I’m back home and put everything away, I make a late lunch of oatmeal and apples with some Annie’s Mac & Cheese. While I eat, I start putting together the post and story captions, tags, and links for the pizza campaign, and submit them to the account managers for approval.
5:00pm: After some more dawdling on my phone and getting through more of The Queen’s Gambit (so good!), I hop onto a weekly Zoom with two of my good friends. We’ve known each other for over 8 years and while I do see one of them semi-regularly, the other has some health complications. We’ve kept this weekly Zoom call since mid-March and it helped me get through the rougher months.
7pm: After the call is over, I check my Amazon cart and take a look at anything that’s accumulated over the prior week. For non-essentials, I’ll add them to my cart and take a few days to think through if it’s something I really want/need and I’m usually able to pare down that list when I get back to it later. I decide to keep a saucepan and bath towels and order them for next week. $72.33
8pm: For dinner, I default to my tomato & egg soup with rice, and add in some zucchini for some more vegetables. I eat an apple and finish off the ice cream from yesterday as well.
11pm: Shower, do my skincare, and plop myself into bed. I continue binge-watching The Queen’s Gambit until the end - such a satisfying ending!
1am: Make sure my alarm is set for work before turning out the light.
Day Seven Total: $88.72

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