It's been a while bloggies!
New York City is slowly recovering from Sandy and I thought I'd post my lunch from today just to have some sort of return to normalcy.
Ingredients:
Italian Bread (or any loaf that you enjoy - French, wheat, etc.)
Olive Oil (I use extra virgin)
2 Cloves of Garlic
Handful of Spinach
2 oz. Mushrooms
1 Tomato
Herbs de Provence
As I don't have a toaster oven, I had to use my oven's broil feature. I set that to "lo" as I prepped the rest.
It's important to prep everything before putting the sandwich together so the bread doesn't get soggy. Chop the garlic and slice the mushrooms and tomato. Cut bread into a 6" slice and cut it in half. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place the bread on top. Drizzle olive oil onto the bread. Be careful with this step! You don't want to put too much on or the bread will be soggy and the oil will spill out while you're eating. Immediately top the bread with garlic, herbs de provence, spinach, sliced mushrooms and tomatoes.
Pop into the oven for 3 minutes. The bread should be crisp, but not burnt.
Serve open face or as a sandwich. (I ate it open face, but folded each section like a pizza to stop the toppings from falling off.)
Enjoy! I did. :)
Feel free to add any other veggies that you want. Peppers, onion, olives -- whatever you like!
I bought everything for $13.77 and it should make about three sandwiches. That comes out to $4.59/meal.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
"Organic, Schmorganic"
Last Monday the Times posted an article about the findings of a new meta-analysis comparing 237 different studies of organic and conventional foods. The analysis found that there is no significant nutritional variance between the two groups. Basically, a tomato is a tomato no matter how you grow it. The article goes on to say that there are some nutritional benefits -- organic milk contains more Omega-3s, for example. Unfortunately, it seems, people stopped reading at the headline.
Among them is the Times' own Roger Cohen, a British-born journalist whose specialty is economics and international politics. I mention his background to emphasize the fact that his opinion on questions of nutrition is as valid as the homeless man I saw urinate on a croissant two years ago. Yet the Times saw fit to publish his opinion for millions to read: "organic, schmorganic."
His arguments are fraught with inaccuracies so laughable that one has to wonder if he actually read any of the information available, even an article written by his own peer. For one, he states:
"To feed a planet of 9 billion people, we are going to need high yields and not low yields; we are going to need genetically modified crops; we are going to need pesticides and fertilizers and other elements of the industrialized food processes that have led mankind to be better fed and live longer than at any time in history."
Where to start? Yes, we would need higher yields to feed a global population of 9 billion. That's why we need more organic farms than industrial. In a 2011 speech delivered by food activist and farmer HRH The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles states, "Yield increases for staple food crops are declining. They have dropped from 3% in the 1960s to 1% today." One percent, mind you, is less than the annual increase in population. What we're doing right now with industrial farms is not going to sustain us in the long run. For shame, Mr. Cohen, contradicting your own prince.
Then there's the oversight of stating that mankind is "better fed and [will] live longer". Twenty percent of the global adult population is obese. Fourteen percent is starving. Obesity is the fifth leading cause of death in the world and almost 5% of the entire world has diabetes. Bringing these numbers home, 64% of adults in the US are obese, but the incidence of diabetes in the UK is increasing at a faster rate than in the US. Your generation will live longer, Mr. Cohen. Mine will not.
Speaking of elitist, marginalizing a movement of people concerned with eating better as being "pseudoscientific" or indulgent seems myopic given the state of our waistlines. And if you think that wanting to limit the amount of pesticides pumped into your body is romantic then I feel sorry for your wife.
The fact is, if you had read the Times article written by Kenneth Chang-- or even Stanford's interview with Dena Bervata (the senior author of the meta-analysis) -- you'd know that there are various reasons people pick organic. Not merely for nutritional value, but for a reduction of chemical intake (which the study corroborates), better treatment of animals, as well as environmental factors. Given the choice between higher yields and environmental benefits or underproduction paired with the depletion of our environment, I can't see someone struggling with this question.
You do make one valid point, though your citation of Whole Foods as a go-to for organic foods is the equivalent of someone shopping for a cheap Mother's Day present at Cartier: organic food tends to be more expensive than its conventionally grown counterpart. But, as in my example of Cartier, there are cheaper places to shop: a farmer's market, a CSA, or your local food store. Buying fruits and vegetables in season is paramount in the search for a deal and any broke Organic knows that conventionally grown is okay as long as it's not part of the Dirty Dozen.
Behold the vanity of man, who holds an apple, grown by Nature, and says, "I can make this better."
Sources: World Health Organization
Among them is the Times' own Roger Cohen, a British-born journalist whose specialty is economics and international politics. I mention his background to emphasize the fact that his opinion on questions of nutrition is as valid as the homeless man I saw urinate on a croissant two years ago. Yet the Times saw fit to publish his opinion for millions to read: "organic, schmorganic."
His arguments are fraught with inaccuracies so laughable that one has to wonder if he actually read any of the information available, even an article written by his own peer. For one, he states:
"To feed a planet of 9 billion people, we are going to need high yields and not low yields; we are going to need genetically modified crops; we are going to need pesticides and fertilizers and other elements of the industrialized food processes that have led mankind to be better fed and live longer than at any time in history."
Where to start? Yes, we would need higher yields to feed a global population of 9 billion. That's why we need more organic farms than industrial. In a 2011 speech delivered by food activist and farmer HRH The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles states, "Yield increases for staple food crops are declining. They have dropped from 3% in the 1960s to 1% today." One percent, mind you, is less than the annual increase in population. What we're doing right now with industrial farms is not going to sustain us in the long run. For shame, Mr. Cohen, contradicting your own prince.
Then there's the oversight of stating that mankind is "better fed and [will] live longer". Twenty percent of the global adult population is obese. Fourteen percent is starving. Obesity is the fifth leading cause of death in the world and almost 5% of the entire world has diabetes. Bringing these numbers home, 64% of adults in the US are obese, but the incidence of diabetes in the UK is increasing at a faster rate than in the US. Your generation will live longer, Mr. Cohen. Mine will not.
Speaking of elitist, marginalizing a movement of people concerned with eating better as being "pseudoscientific" or indulgent seems myopic given the state of our waistlines. And if you think that wanting to limit the amount of pesticides pumped into your body is romantic then I feel sorry for your wife.
The fact is, if you had read the Times article written by Kenneth Chang-- or even Stanford's interview with Dena Bervata (the senior author of the meta-analysis) -- you'd know that there are various reasons people pick organic. Not merely for nutritional value, but for a reduction of chemical intake (which the study corroborates), better treatment of animals, as well as environmental factors. Given the choice between higher yields and environmental benefits or underproduction paired with the depletion of our environment, I can't see someone struggling with this question.
You do make one valid point, though your citation of Whole Foods as a go-to for organic foods is the equivalent of someone shopping for a cheap Mother's Day present at Cartier: organic food tends to be more expensive than its conventionally grown counterpart. But, as in my example of Cartier, there are cheaper places to shop: a farmer's market, a CSA, or your local food store. Buying fruits and vegetables in season is paramount in the search for a deal and any broke Organic knows that conventionally grown is okay as long as it's not part of the Dirty Dozen.
Behold the vanity of man, who holds an apple, grown by Nature, and says, "I can make this better."
Sources: World Health Organization
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Exercise Bitchslap
I've been bad.
My butt has been on the couch using a side project as an excuse to not go for my daily run. Too busy is not a very good excuse, but it's so easy to trick yourself, so I did. And I'm totally paying for it.
I decided I needed to reprimand myself for slacking. That meant waking up at 7AM and heading to Bikram (hot) yoga. I do yoga just about everyday just to stretch, but I haven't done hot yoga in almost two years. I totally paid for that too. About 30 minutes into the 90 minute class I thought I was going to be sick. I was overheated and I knew if I drank water it would "come back to haunt me". At one point I almost ran from the room, but my teacher told me to wait. I spent 20 minutes trying to not be sick. Then my inner drill sergeant shouted: "Stop being such a lazy [expletive] and start working you cry-baby!" I finished out the remaining half hour-ish doing every move and actually started feeling better toward the end. Though savasana (the pose where you just lay down) was the worst part. Just sitting in the heat was awful.
I've never been so happy to walk out into 80 degree weather. All I could think was "Ah, cool air."
On a side note: as a not-morning person, I didn't feel as good after my workout as I would have if it was in the afternoon. I'm glad I did it though, since I do have housework to do.
My butt has been on the couch using a side project as an excuse to not go for my daily run. Too busy is not a very good excuse, but it's so easy to trick yourself, so I did. And I'm totally paying for it.
I decided I needed to reprimand myself for slacking. That meant waking up at 7AM and heading to Bikram (hot) yoga. I do yoga just about everyday just to stretch, but I haven't done hot yoga in almost two years. I totally paid for that too. About 30 minutes into the 90 minute class I thought I was going to be sick. I was overheated and I knew if I drank water it would "come back to haunt me". At one point I almost ran from the room, but my teacher told me to wait. I spent 20 minutes trying to not be sick. Then my inner drill sergeant shouted: "Stop being such a lazy [expletive] and start working you cry-baby!" I finished out the remaining half hour-ish doing every move and actually started feeling better toward the end. Though savasana (the pose where you just lay down) was the worst part. Just sitting in the heat was awful.
I've never been so happy to walk out into 80 degree weather. All I could think was "Ah, cool air."
On a side note: as a not-morning person, I didn't feel as good after my workout as I would have if it was in the afternoon. I'm glad I did it though, since I do have housework to do.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
And Then It Hit Me...
Yesterday I was talking with a friend who has two young children about the state of nutrition in America. I told him that this generation is in danger of having a shorter life expectancy due to poor nutrition, childhood obesity, the increased rate of diabetes, and other health problems that arise as a result of poor eating and inactivity. "Well, I don't care what happens to other kids," he said, "but my kids are eating well, so they'll live good and long."
And then it hit me...
I've known him and his kids for years. I see them all the time. We have lunches and dinners together. I've never once seen those kids eat something green (besides cupcake frosting). I've never seen them eat any fruit. Not one vegetable. In fact the only thing I've ever seen the kids eat are hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, french fries, and mac and cheese. No, not homemade macaroni with cheese on it. That chemically enriched stuff that has neon yellow cheese. I've never seen them drink water. Only soda. When they go over someone else's house, they bring food for the kids because they only eat junk. Just junk.
How can he say his kids are eating well? There's nothing balanced about what they're eating. It's all just garbage. And the worst part is that he doesn't see that it's garbage. He sees it as good food. "At least he's eating" my friend said to me once, when his oldest was much younger.
Eating's good. Eating right is better.
The only reason I can pinpoint for why he thinks his children are in good health is because they're not putting on weight. They're really active kids and they don't eat very much, but what they do eat is bad for them. This behavior is definitely going to catch up with them and it's going to be at the child's expense.
So how do we break down the myth that skinny = healthy?
And then it hit me...
I've known him and his kids for years. I see them all the time. We have lunches and dinners together. I've never once seen those kids eat something green (besides cupcake frosting). I've never seen them eat any fruit. Not one vegetable. In fact the only thing I've ever seen the kids eat are hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, french fries, and mac and cheese. No, not homemade macaroni with cheese on it. That chemically enriched stuff that has neon yellow cheese. I've never seen them drink water. Only soda. When they go over someone else's house, they bring food for the kids because they only eat junk. Just junk.
How can he say his kids are eating well? There's nothing balanced about what they're eating. It's all just garbage. And the worst part is that he doesn't see that it's garbage. He sees it as good food. "At least he's eating" my friend said to me once, when his oldest was much younger.
Eating's good. Eating right is better.
The only reason I can pinpoint for why he thinks his children are in good health is because they're not putting on weight. They're really active kids and they don't eat very much, but what they do eat is bad for them. This behavior is definitely going to catch up with them and it's going to be at the child's expense.
So how do we break down the myth that skinny = healthy?
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Boomerang
I've been reading Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis during my "stay-cation". This book details the events leading up to the global financial crisis through interviews of experts in Iceland, Ireland, Greece, Germany, and the USA. In other words, this book is as far away from nutrition as you can possibly get.
BUT
In the chapter on the US, Michael Lewis interviews Dr. Peter Whybrow, a British neuroscientists at UCLA. Whybrow claims that the reasons behind our collective financial problems are the same as the reasons for the obesity epidemic. Evolutionarily, he postulates, we were not prepared to be American.
"The human brain evolved over hundres of thousands of years in an environment defined by scarcity. It was not designed, at least originally, for an environment of extreme abundance... '...our passions are still driven by the lizard core. We are set up to acquire as much as we can of things we perceive as scarce, particularly sex, safety, and food.' " (Page 203-204)
This same idea was brought up in the posts about HBO's show "The Weight of the Nation" where they explain the survival aspects of overeating and eating badly. Eating fat means storing fat, means storing energy. Our survival depended on having fat available to us. Of course, we've taken things to the extreme with ice cream sundaes equalling more than one's recommended daily caloric intake.
Excess.
That's our national driver. I know I'm guilty of the same wants. Here I am, typing on a perfectly functional computer, and all I can think about is the newest version.
New. New. New.
More. More. More.
I can spend my time scrounging and wishing and hoping or I can be content. Content with my apartment that honestly doesn't have space to fit anything else. Content with my wardrobe, which has recently had the hole-y vestments purged. Content that I can sit here and preach about nutrition while I munch on a bunch of M&Ms. Content that I'm not starving. I have clean water. I have a home. I have a job. I have family and friends. My body will not be sold to traffickers. I can choose who I want to marry. I will not be imprisoned for having a dissenting opinion.
That's what America was supposed to be: freedom. Not this slavery to excess.
BUT
In the chapter on the US, Michael Lewis interviews Dr. Peter Whybrow, a British neuroscientists at UCLA. Whybrow claims that the reasons behind our collective financial problems are the same as the reasons for the obesity epidemic. Evolutionarily, he postulates, we were not prepared to be American.
"The human brain evolved over hundres of thousands of years in an environment defined by scarcity. It was not designed, at least originally, for an environment of extreme abundance... '...our passions are still driven by the lizard core. We are set up to acquire as much as we can of things we perceive as scarce, particularly sex, safety, and food.' " (Page 203-204)
This same idea was brought up in the posts about HBO's show "The Weight of the Nation" where they explain the survival aspects of overeating and eating badly. Eating fat means storing fat, means storing energy. Our survival depended on having fat available to us. Of course, we've taken things to the extreme with ice cream sundaes equalling more than one's recommended daily caloric intake.
Excess.
That's our national driver. I know I'm guilty of the same wants. Here I am, typing on a perfectly functional computer, and all I can think about is the newest version.
New. New. New.
More. More. More.
I can spend my time scrounging and wishing and hoping or I can be content. Content with my apartment that honestly doesn't have space to fit anything else. Content with my wardrobe, which has recently had the hole-y vestments purged. Content that I can sit here and preach about nutrition while I munch on a bunch of M&Ms. Content that I'm not starving. I have clean water. I have a home. I have a job. I have family and friends. My body will not be sold to traffickers. I can choose who I want to marry. I will not be imprisoned for having a dissenting opinion.
That's what America was supposed to be: freedom. Not this slavery to excess.
Monday, July 30, 2012
CH-CH-CH-CHANGES!
Okay, I'll admit I've said I'm changing a lot on this blog and really haven't followed through. I'm still pretty lazy and have a Diet Coke addiction that I can't kick for the life of me. It's my crutch!*
Regardless, I have made some changes for the better. For one, I have cut my food budget in half! I make smarter decisions at the store, only buy what I know I'm going to want and not what I think I'll want, and the results are definitely welcome to my wallet. I've also begun working around my morning terribleness. Lunch made it to work with me! And I didn't eat it all at 10AM only to starve for the rest of the day.
Instead of the sandwich and one snack that I had been bringing (or forgetting as was usually the case) I brought snacks that I knew I'd want to eat, that would give me the protein and carbs to power through my day, and enough of them so that I didn't feel like I was starving. I replenished my snack drawer at work with oatmeal and granola bars so if I do get hungry, I'm not out of luck. Interestingly, having that much food around actually made me eat less! It wasn't a question of survival, but of what I actually wanted.
I also stopped yelling at myself. You would be surprised at how low my fat intake has been lately. I've been totally depriving myself of yummy things because they have ::gasp:: fat! That mentality only makes me want more and only makes me binge more on them when I do give in (which was more frequent than is probably acceptable). If they're around me, I don't need them. I took away the taboo and now I'm just happy with my choices.
Also an important lesson learned this week was multitasking. For instance, I'm writing this post as dinner is cooking in the oven. My job (and mentality) force me to focus so hard on one thing at a time that I honestly forget I can do two. No wonder there was no time in the day for me. If you have four tasks to complete in one hour that each take thirty minutes to finish, you won't succeed unless you find a way to do at least two tasks at a time. Right now I'm writing and cooking. When I finish eating and reading, I'll go for a run and plan out my next story or lesson. If you bury your head in one thing, you miss everything going on around you, silly ostrich.
Enough of the preaching. In upcoming news, next week I'll explore bagels! I realized I live in New York and haven't talked about bagels at all. And they're probably the best thing that ever happened to carbs after the chocolate chip cookie.
Spoiler alert: there will be a pizza bagel day.
*I have significantly cut down my intake of the soda. Just not cut it out entirely yet.
Regardless, I have made some changes for the better. For one, I have cut my food budget in half! I make smarter decisions at the store, only buy what I know I'm going to want and not what I think I'll want, and the results are definitely welcome to my wallet. I've also begun working around my morning terribleness. Lunch made it to work with me! And I didn't eat it all at 10AM only to starve for the rest of the day.Instead of the sandwich and one snack that I had been bringing (or forgetting as was usually the case) I brought snacks that I knew I'd want to eat, that would give me the protein and carbs to power through my day, and enough of them so that I didn't feel like I was starving. I replenished my snack drawer at work with oatmeal and granola bars so if I do get hungry, I'm not out of luck. Interestingly, having that much food around actually made me eat less! It wasn't a question of survival, but of what I actually wanted.
I also stopped yelling at myself. You would be surprised at how low my fat intake has been lately. I've been totally depriving myself of yummy things because they have ::gasp:: fat! That mentality only makes me want more and only makes me binge more on them when I do give in (which was more frequent than is probably acceptable). If they're around me, I don't need them. I took away the taboo and now I'm just happy with my choices.
Also an important lesson learned this week was multitasking. For instance, I'm writing this post as dinner is cooking in the oven. My job (and mentality) force me to focus so hard on one thing at a time that I honestly forget I can do two. No wonder there was no time in the day for me. If you have four tasks to complete in one hour that each take thirty minutes to finish, you won't succeed unless you find a way to do at least two tasks at a time. Right now I'm writing and cooking. When I finish eating and reading, I'll go for a run and plan out my next story or lesson. If you bury your head in one thing, you miss everything going on around you, silly ostrich.
Enough of the preaching. In upcoming news, next week I'll explore bagels! I realized I live in New York and haven't talked about bagels at all. And they're probably the best thing that ever happened to carbs after the chocolate chip cookie.
Spoiler alert: there will be a pizza bagel day.
*I have significantly cut down my intake of the soda. Just not cut it out entirely yet.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Tissue? I Don't Even Know You!
Since I moved into my apartment, I've been buying Puffs plus lotion cubes. They're great tissues and the boxes are adorable. The sale price is usually 98 cents and one box will last me a while (unless it's the winter). Today while wandering through Rite Aid, I saw Kleenex tissues (with lotion) on sale for 5/$5. More than I'd spend on the Puffs, but then I looked at the contents. 70 3-ply tissues for $1. I looked at the Puffs that I usually buy. 56 2-ply tissues for 98 cents. The Kleenex offers 20% more tissues with a thicker ply for 2 cents more. That means the Kleenex are about 1.4 cents a tissue and Puffs are 1.8 cents per tissue.On an aesthetic note, the Puffs box is much cuter than the Kleenex, but it's just not worth the added expense.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
My Two Cents
When I first thought about starting this blog, my intention was for it to be a supplement to a book I wanted to write. "My 'Growing Up' book," I called it. See, I had entered into the adult world (not the porn industry, in case you're wondering) a bit too naive. I went from working a full-time job, living with my parents, and not having many bills to contend with to living on my own.
I wouldn't change 99% of the decisions I made. There were just some things that I wish I had known prior to my grand exodus from the island (which I still technically live on). I thought that my tough lessons would benefit other people, so they wouldn't have to make the same mistakes, but I've sort of given up on the concept of a "growing up" book. Too many people met me with too many confused stares. I still want the message out there though. So for any of you poor schlubs who actually read what I write, here are my two cents on my two cents.
1. Budgeting is the devil.
Before I moved out, I worked out the math. I made a list of every bill I would have: rent, food, phone, cable & internet, gas, electric, and student loan. I made sure that this list, subtracted from my monthly earnings, still produced a positive number. Savings, I thought naively.
Before I begin on what was wrong with this list, I'd like to just note that insurance and transportation are automatically deducted from my paycheck so that never had to be taken into consideration. Also, water and heat are provided by my landlord.
Now, problem #1 with this budget, as I quickly learned, was that I didn't budget for cleaning supplies. And I clean my apartment a lot. Fueled by nightmares about cockroaches, I keep my apartment pretty darn spotless. (Organization is a totally different beast.) Dish soap, Brillo pads, Tilex, Pledge, Windex -- I didn't plan for any of that. I bought a vacuum, but that was pretty much it. Obviously, you don't have to buy Windex every month, but a minimal allocation to a miscellaneous budget would have been better. Maybe $5 to replenish cleaning supplies. Not a huge mistake, but a mistake nonetheless.
Problem #2: I didn't budget for fun. Here's a little tidbit for you: if you are single, you're going to spend more money than if you are dating someone. Just a fun little fact for you. When I moved out, I was dating someone. We rarely went out, so I thought things would pretty much stay the way they were. Shortly after moving out, I was single and was now going out and doing things and, unfortunately, spending money I didn't have. Not a lot, mind you, but still money that I shouldn't have spent. When making a budget, it is so absolutely important to be honest with yourself. If you drink 2 beers every night, budget for that. Don't move out thinking you're suddenly going to be healthy and cut back on drinking. That's not what we do, so put a little bit away for the rainy, drunken nights to follow.
Problem #3: Things wear out. Before I moved out, I made sure I had everything: plenty of clothes for work, clothes for hanging around, shoes, things I needed to be a person. A year later, my entire wardrobe has been worn down to mostly rags. I've walked holes into my shoes (and pants) and worn a hole into pretty much everything I own. While this speaks volumes about the quality of products produced in our modern society, I'm still left with the dilemma of what to replace first? Around the house I don't really care what I wear, but my work wardrobe is unprofessional at best. But is it more important to wear nicer clothes to work or shoes that don't have holes? Quelle énigme. Still trying to figure that one out, but add about $100 to your miscellaneous budget just to be safe.
Problem #4: Sadness. With such a tight budget, I've gotten very good at saying no to myself. No, you can't have new shoes. No, you can't go out tonight. It's tiring to hear no so much. When you constantly walk past stores and remind yourself that you can't possibly buy anything or get anything new, it's pretty depressing. You do need a treat every once in a while. Not every day or every week -- maybe not even every month-- but once in a while you need to say yes. Tight budgets don't let you say yes though. So add $30 to your antidepressant miscellaneous budget.
Problem #5: I need a freaking haircut. Ugh!
2. Your credit card is not your friend.
Before I got my credit card, I saved money with every paycheck. Why? Because I had to have money in the bank to pay for whatever I wanted to buy. Anything equal to or greater than my weekly check wasn't doable. With a credit card in my pocket, I suddenly had the freedom to lay out money as I saw fit. Want new shoes? Buy them! Want that new dress? Buy it! Want to go to Brazil? BOOK IT! My credit card made me a consumer whore. I loved him and he loved me, but our love was not to be. (::cringe::)
It seems innocent enough. You put your groceries on your credit card. Then your bills all go through (because you thought it was a good idea to put all your utilities on there). Next, I promise you, something will break. Either your deadbolt, or your tv, or your leg. Something always breaks when there's a balance on your credit card. Next thing you know, you can't pay it off and you're stuck with a balance for months.
Sometimes you just forget you bought something with your credit card and since it's not directly taking money out of your bank account, you spend the same amount twice. I've definitely fallen into this trap more times than I care to admit.
My two cents: pay with cash as much as possible. Hook your bills up to your checking account. It will force you to be more careful about how much you spend since getting spanked with overdraft charges is worse than late fees nowadays. Use your credit card only in dire straits or when you already have the money in your other accounts to pay it off immediately. (Y'know, for the points.)
3. Pay your student loans back, then move out.
Smooth move, Ferguson.
I'll try to mock up a little table to make budgeting easier in a little bit. Hope this helps someone.
I wouldn't change 99% of the decisions I made. There were just some things that I wish I had known prior to my grand exodus from the island (which I still technically live on). I thought that my tough lessons would benefit other people, so they wouldn't have to make the same mistakes, but I've sort of given up on the concept of a "growing up" book. Too many people met me with too many confused stares. I still want the message out there though. So for any of you poor schlubs who actually read what I write, here are my two cents on my two cents.1. Budgeting is the devil.
Before I moved out, I worked out the math. I made a list of every bill I would have: rent, food, phone, cable & internet, gas, electric, and student loan. I made sure that this list, subtracted from my monthly earnings, still produced a positive number. Savings, I thought naively.
Before I begin on what was wrong with this list, I'd like to just note that insurance and transportation are automatically deducted from my paycheck so that never had to be taken into consideration. Also, water and heat are provided by my landlord.
Now, problem #1 with this budget, as I quickly learned, was that I didn't budget for cleaning supplies. And I clean my apartment a lot. Fueled by nightmares about cockroaches, I keep my apartment pretty darn spotless. (Organization is a totally different beast.) Dish soap, Brillo pads, Tilex, Pledge, Windex -- I didn't plan for any of that. I bought a vacuum, but that was pretty much it. Obviously, you don't have to buy Windex every month, but a minimal allocation to a miscellaneous budget would have been better. Maybe $5 to replenish cleaning supplies. Not a huge mistake, but a mistake nonetheless.
Problem #2: I didn't budget for fun. Here's a little tidbit for you: if you are single, you're going to spend more money than if you are dating someone. Just a fun little fact for you. When I moved out, I was dating someone. We rarely went out, so I thought things would pretty much stay the way they were. Shortly after moving out, I was single and was now going out and doing things and, unfortunately, spending money I didn't have. Not a lot, mind you, but still money that I shouldn't have spent. When making a budget, it is so absolutely important to be honest with yourself. If you drink 2 beers every night, budget for that. Don't move out thinking you're suddenly going to be healthy and cut back on drinking. That's not what we do, so put a little bit away for the rainy, drunken nights to follow.
Problem #3: Things wear out. Before I moved out, I made sure I had everything: plenty of clothes for work, clothes for hanging around, shoes, things I needed to be a person. A year later, my entire wardrobe has been worn down to mostly rags. I've walked holes into my shoes (and pants) and worn a hole into pretty much everything I own. While this speaks volumes about the quality of products produced in our modern society, I'm still left with the dilemma of what to replace first? Around the house I don't really care what I wear, but my work wardrobe is unprofessional at best. But is it more important to wear nicer clothes to work or shoes that don't have holes? Quelle énigme. Still trying to figure that one out, but add about $100 to your miscellaneous budget just to be safe.
Problem #4: Sadness. With such a tight budget, I've gotten very good at saying no to myself. No, you can't have new shoes. No, you can't go out tonight. It's tiring to hear no so much. When you constantly walk past stores and remind yourself that you can't possibly buy anything or get anything new, it's pretty depressing. You do need a treat every once in a while. Not every day or every week -- maybe not even every month-- but once in a while you need to say yes. Tight budgets don't let you say yes though. So add $30 to your antidepressant miscellaneous budget.
Problem #5: I need a freaking haircut. Ugh!
2. Your credit card is not your friend.
Before I got my credit card, I saved money with every paycheck. Why? Because I had to have money in the bank to pay for whatever I wanted to buy. Anything equal to or greater than my weekly check wasn't doable. With a credit card in my pocket, I suddenly had the freedom to lay out money as I saw fit. Want new shoes? Buy them! Want that new dress? Buy it! Want to go to Brazil? BOOK IT! My credit card made me a consumer whore. I loved him and he loved me, but our love was not to be. (::cringe::)
It seems innocent enough. You put your groceries on your credit card. Then your bills all go through (because you thought it was a good idea to put all your utilities on there). Next, I promise you, something will break. Either your deadbolt, or your tv, or your leg. Something always breaks when there's a balance on your credit card. Next thing you know, you can't pay it off and you're stuck with a balance for months.
Sometimes you just forget you bought something with your credit card and since it's not directly taking money out of your bank account, you spend the same amount twice. I've definitely fallen into this trap more times than I care to admit.
My two cents: pay with cash as much as possible. Hook your bills up to your checking account. It will force you to be more careful about how much you spend since getting spanked with overdraft charges is worse than late fees nowadays. Use your credit card only in dire straits or when you already have the money in your other accounts to pay it off immediately. (Y'know, for the points.)
3. Pay your student loans back, then move out.
Smooth move, Ferguson.
I'll try to mock up a little table to make budgeting easier in a little bit. Hope this helps someone.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Exercising and I Didn't Even Know It
Well, that's not entirely true. My muscles were very aware of what I was doing all weekend, but the fun outweighed the pain.I spent this past weekend in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. Every Fourth of July my family heads over for some rest and adventure. Saturday we went hiking at Bushkill Falls: one of my favorite places in the country! The trails are great, the views are beautiful, and you don't have to be in tip top shape to do it all, so it's great for a family of mixed adventurers. Two hours hiking in the 100 degree weather, was pretty difficult, but totally worth it. I'll have to post up my pictures once they're loaded on my computer.
On Sunday, my dad, brother, and I went kayaking down the Delaware River. My dad and I (while riding tandem) actually got stuck about half-way through our ride due to insufficient water levels, but we made it out and back on our way with minimal effort. We rowed 6 miles in about 2 hours.
Livestrong says: "According to the American Council on Exercise, a 125-lb. person burns 283 calories per hour of kayaking..." Burning 566 calories doing something I love is okay by me! That's my big exercise secret. I don't go to the gym. I play. I have fun. I roller blade with friends, go swimming with my dad, go for walks. It's not something I have to do. It's something I want to do and that makes all the difference.
I'm a dancer, a yogi, a swimmer, a kayaker, a hiker, a half-marathon hopeful, and, happily, healthy. What are you?
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/306460-calories-burned-per-hour-of-kayaking/#ixzz20BYs6Xsr
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Tips from the Gastro Gnome: Red, White, and Blueberry Cake
On my trip home to celebrate Independence Day with my family, I had an idea for a patriotic dessert: Red, White, and Blueberry Cake. The idea was to make a layer cake of angel food with a strawberry layer in between, icing on top, and blueberries lining the top like little pearls. Unfortunately, the recipe didn't quite pan out.
There was nothing wrong with the flavors, but the presentation. See, angel food cake is extremely bubbly and rises much more than other cake batters. I thought I had been skimpy enough in filling the tins, but it was still too much. The tins overfilled and the bottom of the top layer was bigger than the top of the bottom layer. Usually an easy problem to fix if you just cut away the excess cake, but I was without my usual tools and my mother's steak knife just wasn't cutting it in the cake-shaping department.
My cake was a (tasty) wash, but would have been fine if I just made a white or vanilla cake. This is what I get for trying to for e my family to make better dessert decisions!
There was nothing wrong with the flavors, but the presentation. See, angel food cake is extremely bubbly and rises much more than other cake batters. I thought I had been skimpy enough in filling the tins, but it was still too much. The tins overfilled and the bottom of the top layer was bigger than the top of the bottom layer. Usually an easy problem to fix if you just cut away the excess cake, but I was without my usual tools and my mother's steak knife just wasn't cutting it in the cake-shaping department.
My cake was a (tasty) wash, but would have been fine if I just made a white or vanilla cake. This is what I get for trying to for e my family to make better dessert decisions!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
First Couponing Adventure
This past Sunday I started clipping coupons! I'm clearly not ready for TLC's Extreme Couponing, but for all my NYC people, I thought I'd share a pretty sweet deal.
In the P&G brand saver, they have a coupon for $1 off two Charmin products. At Rite Aid, they have a sale going on where one 18 pack of Charmin Ultra Strong toilet paper is $10. If you buy 2 at $10, you get a $5 +Up coupon back. So I grabbed two for $20 and used my $1 off coupon (down to $19), giving me a $5 +Up reward. I used that +Up reward to buy a bottle of Herbal Essences Shampoo & Conditioner (on sale for 2/$6 - $1 off coupon from P&G brand saver as well) for just a few cents. Woot Woot!
Retail price on the Charmin packs is about $10.97/pack. Retail price for the Herbal essences is $3.99/bottle. Total retail for my purchase was $29.92. I paid $20.84. The $9 savings went into my food fund and now I have enough toilet paper to last me a year.
I wish I had taken a picture of me fumbling down the block with those giant packages in arm. Such is the single life.
In the P&G brand saver, they have a coupon for $1 off two Charmin products. At Rite Aid, they have a sale going on where one 18 pack of Charmin Ultra Strong toilet paper is $10. If you buy 2 at $10, you get a $5 +Up coupon back. So I grabbed two for $20 and used my $1 off coupon (down to $19), giving me a $5 +Up reward. I used that +Up reward to buy a bottle of Herbal Essences Shampoo & Conditioner (on sale for 2/$6 - $1 off coupon from P&G brand saver as well) for just a few cents. Woot Woot!
Retail price on the Charmin packs is about $10.97/pack. Retail price for the Herbal essences is $3.99/bottle. Total retail for my purchase was $29.92. I paid $20.84. The $9 savings went into my food fund and now I have enough toilet paper to last me a year.
I wish I had taken a picture of me fumbling down the block with those giant packages in arm. Such is the single life.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Warm Weather and Cold Treats
These hot temperatures mean enjoying cold treats to cool off, but how
many times have you been hit by the dreaded "brain freeze"? Scientific
American explains:
Video found via: Dropping the Science
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Waste Not, Want Not
I've been thinking about my Grandpa a lot lately. He died May 24th, 2010 and was my very first cooking buddy. It was the Extreme Couponing that brought on the nostalgia. Born in 1925, my grandfather soldiered through the Great Depression. He sold fruits and vegetables on the streets in Brooklyn as a little boy and, needless to say, was the first to tell me I couldn't leave the table until my plate was clean. He didn't waste anything. Everything was used until there was nothing left. That went for clothing, technology, or even sauce on your plate.
Now, as an adult, I look at my life and can't help but think he would be ashamed of me. I take everything I have for granted. I go grocery shopping and then decide I don't like anything I bought, so I buy more (and waste more). Reducing what I use is good for me, but doesn't help all the guilt-inducing thoughts: the have-nots that are all too prevalent in our country now. I'd really like to start a food donation box in my apartment building, but have no idea where to begin.
Any thoughts?
Now, as an adult, I look at my life and can't help but think he would be ashamed of me. I take everything I have for granted. I go grocery shopping and then decide I don't like anything I bought, so I buy more (and waste more). Reducing what I use is good for me, but doesn't help all the guilt-inducing thoughts: the have-nots that are all too prevalent in our country now. I'd really like to start a food donation box in my apartment building, but have no idea where to begin.
Any thoughts?
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Cookies and Rainbows
Sounds like everything awesome in the world, right? That's because it is. Yesterday Oreo posted this picture on their facebook wall:
Remember: "...love others as well as you love yourself." Spreading hate speaks volumes of your own feelings of inadequacy. And always "Judge not, lest ye be judged."
Nabisco is one of an all too small group of companies showing support for marriage equality. They're also one of the companies currently under fire for their political stance. Here I thought that cookies could only inspire anger in dieters and diabetics, but the number of hateful posts that Oreo received yesterday is truly shameful. I don't want to get preachy on my blog. That's not my goal. I was raised a staunch Catholic and every Sunday I remember hearing Jesus' word of love. And in Catechism class I remember learning not only the ever popular, "Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself" but the seemingly forgotten "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone."
Remember: "...love others as well as you love yourself." Spreading hate speaks volumes of your own feelings of inadequacy. And always "Judge not, lest ye be judged."
Monday, June 25, 2012
Extreme Couponing
I've been watching TLC's show "Extreme Couponing" and I can't help but feel that if the government would just employ these OCD people, we could feed the entire country. My mind boggles when I see their totals go from $1000+ to under $10. I have a hard enough time getting my lunch total under $12. Clearly I need to work on my savings.
SO
I will be fishing through my Sunday paper and trying to figure out a way to save money while simultaneously eating right. Oy, I might have just bit off more than I can chew.
Wish me luck!
SO
I will be fishing through my Sunday paper and trying to figure out a way to save money while simultaneously eating right. Oy, I might have just bit off more than I can chew.
Wish me luck!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
File This Under: Health
Ogilvy Thailand created this PSA to make smokers think about their choices.
I love how the tables turn on the smokers as they try to educate the children. As a little girl, I watched my grandfather die of lung cancer. I vowed, at three years old, to never smoke -- and I haven't! It's baffling that people privy to the inevitable painful demise of smokers should purchase their own death. I've never understood it, so I asked a smoker friend why they started when they knew what it would do. "Because my friends were doing it," he answered.
Pardon me while I explode.
To relate this to food, it is very important to take social aspects into consideration when pondering health issues. You cook (if you do cook) what your family made. You learn your eating habits from them. Then you go out with friends and choose food that will please your conditioned palate. Your friend orders a drink, so you order a drink. Your friend lights up a cigarette, so you light one up or take a drag or simply stand outside and suck up the secondhand smoke. But this isn't a tirade against smokers. Diets, for example, work much better when you're not the only one on them. (Misery loves company.) The same holds for exercise routines.
Pardon me while I explode.
To relate this to food, it is very important to take social aspects into consideration when pondering health issues. You cook (if you do cook) what your family made. You learn your eating habits from them. Then you go out with friends and choose food that will please your conditioned palate. Your friend orders a drink, so you order a drink. Your friend lights up a cigarette, so you light one up or take a drag or simply stand outside and suck up the secondhand smoke. But this isn't a tirade against smokers. Diets, for example, work much better when you're not the only one on them. (Misery loves company.) The same holds for exercise routines.
It is much easier to be motivated when you're not alone. We are such social creatures.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Mmm Mmm Monday: Milk Designs!
This is amazingly awesome. Anke Domaske, a German Fashion Design/Scientist, has created a new natural fiber cloth from milk. The process involves no pesticides, no chemicals, and takes only an hour to create. Environmentally friendly AND it's super soft. Plus it's cheaper to create than silk, though prices are still relatively high ($186-377).
Thursday, June 7, 2012
A litle bit of awesome for your day
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Food Where It's Needed
A few years ago I spent a bulk of my free time in Bed Stuy. While it wasn't the most glamorous of neighborhoods, we made do with what was available. I remember the first time I ever walked down Myrtle Avenue, I turned to my then-boyfriend and said, "I've never seen so many fried chicken restaurants." Literally every block had one. Every restaurant featured fried food. I don't remember ever seeing a sandwich shop or anything remotely fresh available. I do seem to remember an incident of the accidental purchase of rotten apples from the one grocery store in the neighborhood.This is why I was so excited when I came across the Bed Stuy Campaign Against Hunger (BSCAH). "In 2011 [the] SuperPantry served over 1.2 million meals to the hungry families of New York City. [They] serviced all Boroughs and neighborhoods, and currently over 11,000 unduplicated clients shop at [their] pantry each month, with more people joining [the] pantry every day."
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
BSCAH performs health screenings for high blood pressure, blood sugar, and HIV as those with poor diets who cannot afford to see a doctor are at the highest risk for unchecked obesity, diabetes, and other associated complications.
On top of all this, they have a farm where they produce 2500 lbs.of fresh produce. They really do it all.
They have entered "Twive and Receive" a fundraising fundraiser! The top 3 fundraisers get a bonus share of $30,000 on top of the money they raised. You might have noticed a new button on my sidebar.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Debate Abounds over Bloomberg Ban
Last week's announcement by Mayor Bloomberg about new soda restrictions in New York City has the entire country aflame. Having heard nothing but arguments against the proposed policy, I thought I'd take a stab at playing devil's advocate.First, the government should not get to choose what I put into my body.
Here's where we need to clarify. The bill put forth by Mayor Bloomberg does not ban soda. The bill limits the vessel in which soda can be sold by fast food companies, movie theaters, and restaurants. You can still go to the supermarket and buy 2 liters of Coca Cola. You can still run to 7-11 and buy a Big Gulp. You can still buy 2 or more drinks to get as much soda as you want. Heck, the bill doesn't even cover free refills. He's not taking away your right to drink as much sugary nonsense as you want. He's telling the companies that they have to be more responsible about what they sell consumers: just like how food sellers have to provide a list of ingredients, nutrition facts, or even, simply, safe products.
And food sellers feel the threat. Pepsico does not care about your health problems. In fact, the more people in the country who have diabetes, the higher their profits (since sugary drinks are the #1 contributor of calories to the American Diet.) Coca Cola went so far as to run this full pull page advertisement in the New York Times (pictured above) to smear the mayor's efforts. They don't want you drinking less soda, so they'll frame this as an attack on your personal liberties rather than their business.
Let's pause now for a brief anatomy lesson. The human adult stomach has a capacity of 32 ounces. That means if you don't eat anything else, you can fit one large McDonald's soda in your stomach (which will then take 2 hours to leave said organ). But people don't do that. The soda accompanies their food and if you're drinking a large beverage, chances are you have a large order of fries sitting next to you. Never mind the fat, never mind the sodium, the sheer amount of food and drink you are stuffing into your body is more than it can handle, causing the stomach to stretch beyond its capacity. Stretch your stomach often enough and you will no longer feel that you are overeating. Your stomach gets used to taking in massive amounts of food and you feel full later and later into a meal, making overeating par for the course and directly contributing to obesity.
Moreover, the decisions you make do not only affect yourself. For instance, this newest crop of adults is the first generation to grow up "without mothers". We are the first kids to grow up on Burger King diets because mom and dad both worked and there was no time or energy for anyone to cook. I was taught how to cook when I was 7, so there was always someone around to make dinner, but I was the only one of my friends with that sort of lifestyle. Every one else had parents who bought dinner every single night. We are the first generation who, as a whole, did not grow up eating right, who did not learn how to cook. Aside from a smattering of people here and there, my Facebook profile is inundated with friends who never cook. They don't know how and they have no desire to learn. My mom always said, after cooking a big dinner for the whole family, "Food tastes better when someone else has to make it."
We've created these lives that are unsustainable. It is just about inconceivable nowadays to have one partner out of work voluntarily. The days of the stay-at-home mom are over and replaced with a society of people who have to work their fingers to the bone just to get by. I don't blame them for coming home and wanting someone else to cook. I feel the same way, but I always (grudgingly) get it done. Businesses will never self-regulate and people don't make good decisions when they're so exhausted, so the only answer seems to be to force a healthier choice.
How, exactly, will this work? 57% of hamburger business (Burger King, McDonalds, etc.) is conducted at the drive thru. A whopping 12.4 billion fast food transactions occurred at the drive-thru window in 2011 alone. With this new policy, that means 12.4 billion meals with a downsized drink. Assuming people are not interested in buying more cups than they have cup holders, that would be at least a 180 calorie decrease per transaction or 2.232 billion calories cut (that is a very rough estimate though since not all transactions will have had a drink and some will have had multiple drinks while still more will have had diet drinks with no sugar in them).
The scary part is that I'm friends with people, with babies, who don't cook. What chance does that child have if it's eating garbage every day?
It's a slippery slope to a dictatorship.
In the realm of public health, there has to be restrictions. In 2002, reforms were put in place that banned smoking in public areas such as restaurants. Within 9 years, the number of smokers in New York City declined from 22% to 14%, a decrease of 450,000 adults. People fought that policy. They used the same argument then as they do with this issue. And that was even more of an "attack" on personal liberties since it did affect where you could use a product. Looking back, does anyone miss walking into smoke-filled restaurants, choking on the smell of tar and nicotine? The US also has one of the highest drinking ages in the entire world. But that's not the federal government being a nanny. All 50 states agreed individually to this drinking age because too many young people were dying. The drinking age was raised in 1984. The government did not go on a tear, stripping citizens of their rights. That's not what America is about-- and that's not how you get re-elected. We saw a problem and fixed it as best we could. That is what this new policy is.
Without government intervention, companies would still be able to sell us mystery meats and contaminated products while us work in unsafe conditions.
I'm not suggesting it is the company's duty to fix the nation's waistline. Business is business. You don't want to lose customers or profits. At the same time, people are not making healthy choices and it's costing the nation $147 billion annually to pay for obesity-related health care issues. We're already in a multi-trillion dollar debt. Let's "trim the fat" where we can. This is a public health crisis and something needs to be done.
Sources:
CDC
Stomach Wiki
The Gazette
Washington Post
Washington Square News
Photo Source:
ABC
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