Life - Changes

Okay. Going forward these are a few things that I hope to improve/change in my life in order to be more financially secure.

1) Open a business checking account.
I intend to do this so that I am forced to save more by actually cutting myself a "paycheck" twice a month. All of my money, besides monetary gifts of less than $100, will be deposited into this account. When it's time to pay bills (my rent at the first and other bills on the 15th), I will tally up exactly what I need and transfer that amount to my personal checking. Any business related expenses will come directly from this account. Quarterly, I will check how much I've saved and see what possible business related purchases I should make. If there are none, I plan on investing 50% of the saved amount. I don't want to invest it all and have no cash for a rainy day, and I don't want to have it all sitting in my checking gathering dust.

2) I need to be more mindful of my weekly expenditure.
A year or so ago, I was doing a great job at saving away a bit of money. At some point I needed to deplete that savings. Now my expenses equal my income. I'm sure that doesn't need to be the case. The boyfriend and I both need to take our lunches to work more often (aka all the time, for me at least) and rethink how many times a week we eat out. Last weekend (before the tax hammer fell) we were feeling flush and ate every meal on Sunday out. That isn't a normal occurrence, but we have been eating out almost every lunch and one or two dinners a week. That is a lot. Plus I have a tendency of thinking of each purchase as a "treat". "I worked so hard this morning. I deserve that $15 lunch." One that I won't even finish.

3) Stop comparing myself and my life to others around me.
This is a big deal, as I work in an industry full of well-dressed in-the-know people. And part of the week I work in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Just looking in a store window or at a restaurant menu can make a person go broke. I like my clothes, I like my life, apartment, boyfriend, etc. Why waste thoughts and energy on a lifestyle I can't afford? There are things I need to purchase as necessities, but I can afford them if I save. Which leads back to change #1.

4) Change is good.
The biggest change I hope to make is getting a new job. I don't necessarily need to get paid more, but my life would be easier if my job was more fulfilling and if I got those things called benefits. I'd spend less money on prescriptions. I wouldn't have to worry about getting sick, or what happens when I take vacation. There would be room for promotion and growth. I would have my taxes taken out for me and wouldn't have a giant tax bill every April. I might even be able to save for retirement, a house, or a new pair of high heels (not on the necessity list, yet). I've gotten comfortable where I'm at and have a hard time putting myself out there for interviews and job applications. But things need to change. And I'm hoping it starts now.

Life - taxes are death

So I finally mustered the energies last night to finalize my taxes.

Months go, I converted all of the IRS 2012 tax forms into excel, including the formulas. If you needed to put 50% of one cell into another cell, excel did it for me! I'm crazy, I know.

One month ago, I input all my numbers, income, business expenses (I'm self-employed), and deductibles. All in all, I was very proud of myself. I came out 1k+ under what I thought I'd owe. Sweet!

Last night, as I said, finally mustered the energy to fill out the forms with my previously arrived at data, write checks, and seal them to be mailed.

Well, when I looked back over them, I was suddenly struck by how low my taxes were. Tip: never rethink your taxes, especially the week before they are due. I looked through all the numbers when I realized that I never listed my actual tax, the kind you pay on your actual income. I put in my self-employment tax, my deductibles, and such, but I forgot the tax. Now it probably doesn't seem like that much money, but as a percentage of my income it is insane! The amount that I owe in addition to what I had originally thought and saved for is more than I make in one month!

After thinking about it, really thinking about it, 12% isn't bad. But that isn't even the full amount I have to pay. That's the astounding part.

Don't even get me started on what my taxes don't provide me with. Universal healthcare, anyone?

Life - Been one of those days!

You start out with good intentions and then you roll uncontrollably down the slope.

I was aiming to be at the office before 9am. I got there at 8:55am. Does that count? It does when the receptionist hasn't come on yet.

But I started off strong. Packed up some stuff to be donated. Then I needed to box up some binders to return them to the manufacturer. Couldn't find a box for the life of me. Finally got a box, after much searching and inconvenience. Eventually got the stuff off for donation. A messenger came and took the binders, though it might have been the wrong messenger. Ended up getting nothing done on my list.

Fast forward to now. Finally home, after an ill-fated attempt to find Q-Tonic at a local market. Pretending to relax, aka messing around with the iPad. Got generic tonic to help me further relax. And going to partake in some cheesy romantic comedy for further silly relaxing. I should almost take a bubble bath...

Life - Vacay here I come!

Tickets have been purchased and plans have been made. I am going to Germany for the end of May. May 17th to the 27th to be precise. The boyfriend got us direct flights from NYC to Dusseldorf, which will be super nice.

Last June, when I was there, we spent all of our time in the west and southwest parts of Germany. This time we are going to head north and visit Lubeck and surrounding areas and all parts between Dusseldorf and Lubeck.

Now to learn German. I spoke maybe two words of German while there last time. The boyfriend might break up with me if I don't get a few other words under my belt. I live in fear that if I say just a few words in German that people will assume I know the language and just talk on and on. What to do then? I'd better learn the phrase "I'm sorry. I only know a small bit of German."

Starting tomorrow.

Food - Mediterranean here I come

For a while now the boyfriend and I have been quite bored with our day to day ideas about food. Especially when it is only me planning, shopping, and making our dinners, I tend to go for the well-known and well-liked. But it has gotten super boring in the past month or so.

About a month ago I realized that we never have Mediterranean food. Never. Don't know why. Well I know why. It tends to rely on a lot of sauces to further the taste, which makes things more time consuming to make.

But I broke down. Yesterday, while looking for a seafood recipe, I came across a recipe for panko breaded tilapia with tzatziki. Perfect! It included fennel which I know the boyfriend doesn't like so I substituted in the more usual cucumber.

Well? The tzatziki was good. Better than the last time I made it. You definitely have to use Greek yogurt. So much better. The roasted vegetables served with a complicated vinegrette were amazing! But the vinegrette was so complicated I don't know when I'll make it again. There was a lot of soaking and steeping; too much for every day. All of it was served with couscous; the boyfriend loves couscous.

The fish? With all the complicated breading and frying, it was disappointingly bland. Tilapia doesn't have a strong enough flavor to stand up to the rest of the dish. If served with fennel, as the original recipe states, maybe it would perk up, but served with tarragon (a suggested replacement) it was too weak. Also I have now learned that I don't have enough counter space to make dishes that are so complicated. Panko breadcrumbs were falling all over my clean kitchen floor.

Maybe I'll make it next time with a thin cut pork chop. Lightly breaded with a dusting of flour, then fried. Much easier, heartier, and more robust.

Food - Another lonely Wednesday night

Tonight the boyfriend is at his local Rotary club meeting, so I am on my own for dinner. Totally clueless, I didn't even know where to start looking for ideas. Staring at this iPad, and flipping between the screens, I suddenly thought of opening pepper plate. Since it is a recipe collector, most people would start there; I am obviously lacking the mental function to make such obvious decisions.

Part of what has been hampering my thoughts about dinner is the idea of trying things I doubt my boyfriend would be willing to try. Aka eggplant, risotto, and so on.

Looking through the list I wasn't struck by anything. Clicking on this then that, I wasn't really motivated by any of it. Then I saw this recipe for a Thai curry served over egg noodles.

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-egg-noodles-with-rich-chicken-curry-sauce-khao-soi-179140

It was a lightbulb going off. Something new, something easy, I wouldn't have to buy much, AND I'm pretty sure my boyfriend would not pick it out.

Now I'm ready to start cooking!

But just so you know, I'm snacking on an Entenmann's chocolate doughnut as I write this. So much for my mother warning me to not ruin my appetite!

Life - spring is here

It is glorious outside today. Definitely feels like time to put away the winter coat. We'll see. We'll see.

Life - attempting to do nothing

At home alone. Been suffering with a smidgen of a headache all day, and should be lying in bed doing nothing. But what am doing?

Anything and everything I can to distract myself. Oy!

I'm going to attempt 15 minutes of nothing, then 15 minutes of reading... After I answer this email...

Food - Easter brunch

Here's an idea my boyfriend and I had for a brunch.

For Christmas I received from my mother a waffle maker. And guess what we've had every weekend since? WAFFLES!

At some point in the mean time, we were out and about and were joking around about fried chicken and waffles. He very seriously turned to me and said "You should do this." And when I looked at him like he was crazy, he replied, "With your buttermilk chicken." Since discovering this recipe on Smitten Kitchen over a year go, it has become a staple/signature dish. Buttermilk Roasted Chicken. If you haven't tried it, you should. Right now.

Anyways, I've been thinking about having people over forever, and I've been wanting to do a brunch for almost as long, so I started to think about having an Easter brunch. It's too short of notice to do it this year, but maybe someone else can use the idea.

Easter Brunch
2 dozen hard-boiled eggs (for dyeing/eating)
2 waffles per person
2 chicken legs per person
Some eggs (for the vegetarians)
Key lime squares
OJ
Champagne
Coffee
Maple syrup
Fruit syrup (optional)

A few days before you can make the key lime squares, and maybe the fruit syrup(s).

The day before marinade the chicken, hard boil the eggs, and make the waffles. Waffles are difficult to make the day of for a moderate to large crowd. I'm thinking if you make them the day before, freeze them, then reheat in the oven at the last minute, they will be fresh, hot, and easy.

The day of roast the chicken. This seems like a massive undertaking, but totally worth it. The chicken only takes about a half hour so it isn't too burdensome. Lay out everything before guests arrive. When about half the party has shown up, place the waffles in the oven. Make sure you watch them, because they can quickly turn into crackers. Also since I don't own a coffee maker, I figured I could get one (or two) of those cartons of coffee from the local small batch roasting shop.

Food - meal planning

The boyfriend wants to start cutting down on the amount we eat out, including lunches, so he was gung-ho to meal plan this week.

Today, Sunday, we are having chili for dinner. This makes a lot and should be good for leftovers for a couple of lunches.

Monday, we're having chicken with roasted tomatoes and a pan sauce. We had this once before with moderate success. I'm going to make a few changes and hope it turns out well.

Tuesday, we're having Jamie Oliver's spicy Dan Dan noodles. This is on regular rotation and made it on the menu this week as the Asian dish. Makes a good portion of leftovers.

Wednesday, the boyfriend will be at a local rotary club meeting, so I will be on my own. Since my track record last week included Mac and cheese, I'm not too positive about this dinner.

Thursday is good ole meat day. I'm going to get pork chops from the local butcher and do them up right. Maybe potatoes sliced thin and pan roasted and a vegetable. Simple easy delicious, and slightly decadent.

Friday is up for grabs. We both aren't working that day so we'll have time to come up with something on the fly.

Life - what a week

Starting with my birthday on Tuesday, a lot has happened this week.

Birthday Tuesday with dinner out and an awesome surprise gift! A mannequin! Thanks to the boyfriend.

Wednesday saw a rep and made plans to attend the architectural digest home show together. Friday at 3:30pm.

Thursday made a late start and slowly got to the office. When I finally got there, that was the day that my power cord finally decided to go kaput. Major rush to the boyfriend's to work on his computer. Luckily most of the work that needed to get done could be done remotely.

Friday, I did the largest load of laundry ever. Minus the time after moving into my new place from Chicago. Not only did I do my normal biweekly loads, I also washed sheets and curtains! Unfortunately after drying them, they are now 2-3 inches too short. Then I had to clean myself up and head into the city. A messaged me at 3 o'clock to say she was on her way; I was in Macy's about to try on some clothes. I put them down and headed outside to the bus stop. I got to the javitz center and there was no one. I looked at my ticket. It said the address was pier 94, at 12th ave and 54th st. I was at 11th and 34th. What to do? Trekked over to 12th hoping there was a bus I could catch. Nope. There isn't a bus that travels the length of the west side highway. I ended up walking 22 blocks, plus the entire length of the show. Afterwards, a and I took a cab to penn station (thank god for reimbursable expenses). From there I took a train to 23 rd and hopped off to head to he boyfriend's office. Because we had no idea when my new power cord was going to be delivered, we had it sent to his office. Luckily his coworkers were still there, and I was able pick it up.

Today I did a major beauty session and am waiting for the boyfriend to be back from his trip.

Life - another year older

I'm officially 28. What?!?

Was grey and rainy in morning. ugh... Boss ordered in sushi for the office. The sun came out and was wonderfully bright. Went to dinner at walter's. plate was smaller than usual but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Started walking to the chocolate room for a birthday treat, but it started to rain, so we turned around. It stopped by the time we got home. The boyfriend got me a store mannequin! It isn't technically a sewing mannequin, but it is just about my size so I'm happy with it! So random and so awesome! I think we named her Betsy.

Food - Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

With the boyfriend out for drinks with a friend, my dinner plans were looking a little boring. Leftover curry... Snooze. Then I stumbled upon this recipe on thekitchn. Today this was listed under their delicious links. I had to try it.

http://www.thekitchn.com/coconut-milk-brownies-italian-sausage-tortellini-soup-delicious-links-186239

Work - the end of the road

Boring day as always.

I have become more and more hesitant about going into the office. When there's little of interest to do, it's hard to be motivated in the morning. Still trying to find a new job. Had a good talk with the boyfriend about what I should be looking for. Will be spending Friday looking around.

Life - still in a daze

I am still in a fog from the time change. Got up on time this morning, only because I've learned that unless the boyfriend gets up right away, or within 10 minutes of the alarm, he isn't going to get. I took advantage and showered first, although I was still practically sleeping. Made it to office early - the first time in a long time.

Still have spent the entire day sluggishly doing nothing.

Life - daylight savings

Made an appointment for my neighbor to stop by to drop off a key to his place. I'm cat sitting while him and his wife are vacation. 10am. Not the best time, post-dinner party and the morning of daylight savings. The boyfriend woke up at 7:45 and proclaimed to me that it. Was in fact 8:45. Ugh... I was not. Ready to face the day let alone my neighbor. Luckily he was late for the same exact reason.

I spent the entire rest of the day trying to wake up. Didn't get out of the house until 3pm.

Life - and/or food

Fancy dinner party tonight. Well, not fancy per se. An associate of the boyfriend's, from rotary. She lives just south of 14th street. From Bengal province of India. Tried Bengalis food for the first time. A-maze-ing!!! There was a shrimp curry that was magnificent. And the cauliflower dish was way better than any we've made. Out of adventurousness I also tried an olive chutney. Unfortunately it gave such a sour taste to everything it touched that I didn't try it. When we got there I was shocked by the number of people. There was no way that we'd fit around the hostess's dining table. She ended up serving everything buffet-style which was nice because you weren't stuck with a specific conversation. Lots more international people. Armenians, Germans, Indians, and Thai. A few American tag-alongers. It was definitely a good time.

Food - Pasta salad

Made a delicious pasta for dinner Thursday night. It didn't fly with the invalid (the boyfriend was still recovering from the 24-hr stomach bug), but I thought it was great. Especially cold the next day.

1/2 box shaped pasta
3 oz spinach
1 container mushrooms sliced (I used the brown ones. They look nicer.)
1/2 container cherry tomatoes
1 cup ricotta cheese

Boil pasta according to directions, making sure only cook the pasta al dente.

Sauté mushrooms in a little bit of oil. Coat tomatoes in oil and broil until burst. Add tomatoes (and juices) to mushrooms along with spinach. When spinach is wilted, add pasta and ricotta cheese. The heat should be at low at this point. Stir until combined.

This was okay that night. It was delicious the next day straight out of the fridge. This might be my go-to pasta salad this summer. Yummmm!

Life - TGIF

Beautiful snowy day. woke up to a white wonderland. Continued to softly snow until about one. Then all the snow began to quickly melt. Spring is on its way.

Life - Dream

I had an interesting dream last night.

I was busying myself inside, probably working or something, when the sun appeared to go out. It was obvious that something was blocking the sun, and it wasn't a cloud. We rushed out to see what it could be. When outside you barely had to look up to see what it was. It was a giant spaceship. Literally the Enterprise (from Star Trek) was in the sky. A giant version of it. So large that you knew it couldn't be landed on Earth. It was moving across the sky, following it was a smaller version of the spaceship.

The amazing thing was that no one was scared. It felt like "okay the future is here". Literally. They had come back in time to help society.