I -RAN-. (this is a big deal). and one thing money can’t buy you.

December 9, 2010 at 10:06 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Have you ever had those days when you just had to get out of your house or else you were going to torch the place?

Yesterday, my friends, was that day.

It began, as most days do, applying for jobs, making breakfast for Miss L and myself, and making a mental grocery list for the weekend. And I know we’ve all been unemployed at some point, and we allll know that feeling you get after about 1 week of being home. Ants in your pants. Cabin fever. Pure insanity. Call it what you will, but I was feeling it.

One thing to let you know about– while I practice yoga, I am NOT the super active one in the house. Lani works out 12-15 hours a week swimming, running, spinning and doing yoga. She could be a marathon runner if she wanted, or a tri-athlete, or be teacher certified in yoga or spinning. She’ll probably do all of the above, actually. So needless to say, she’s in kickass, ideal, fitness model shape (yup. hot AND smart.) I’m a former high school sometimes-athlete (does softball and a couple of years on JV soccer count?), and a college dancer (musical theatre school will put you through the ringer in those jazz/ballet/tap classes), but since I graduated, all I’ve done is a non-rigid yoga practice and occasional spurts at a gym if I have a buddy . Which is a-ok by me. I am still fairly active, just not in that gym-rat kind of a way (I love you, honey….)

So it was getting to be around 3PM yesterday, and I just had to get out. So what did I do?

I went outside.

In the 35 degree weather.

And RAN.

Oh god it hurt. So cold, so painful, so out of shape. But I did it.  And here’s the crazy part. I’m going to do it AGAIN. If I want to have any hope of keeping my sanity during this time, I realized that I have GOT to be doing more. Lani and I usually do yoga on the weekends together, and when I was working I’d go to a yoga class (maybe two if I was feeling really fancy that week) at night. But we haven’t. and I’ve been sitting.

I should probably mention the small masochistic part.

I hate running.

Despise it. Makes me want to die. So awful. Every step is like high-impact-death on my whole body. Actually, that’s not true. I start out, and I’m like ‘Oh, Abigail. This is EASY! You should run all… the….’ and then I stop being able to breathe, b/c I’ve just sprinted for 2 minutes straight rather than just ran like a person. With no concept of pacing, I wipe myself out before I’ve even started. This is going to be a BIG lesson in pacing myself as well as teaching myself dedication to something because of the abundance that will come later. It is a not an immediate-gratification McDonald’s world out there, so I have found, and the things that have become most important to me are the things that I have put the most time into and could take pride in my progress in.

So running, while awful right now, is FREE, and will be so beneficial to me, and so I will be running 5x a week from now on. Not marathon running by any means. We’re talking slow-and-steady, jog-or-run-til-you-can’t-breathe, then walk for a few. Rinse. Repeat. And we’ll see how much I can do. But I’ve got a stunning free park 2 blocks from my apartment, and it would be REALLY short-sighted of me to just poo-poo that and not take advantage of all that it has. One of these days my runner’s hate will HAVE turn into a runner’s high, right?

Runners in Prospect Park

Oh, before I forget! Yesterday was a $4 day!

Key Foods    $3.99    Fro Yo

Which makes our spending average so far: $16.50/Day! WOO! We’re heading to Trader Joe’s on Saturday to spend BIG money on food staples to keep us going for another week. I know I’m feeling great about all of this so far– it’s making me so much more mindful about how I’m cooking, what I’m eating, and how much we spend on frivolous crap all day long because we feel like we -need- it. How foolish I’ve been. An evening in with my girl watching “Miracle on 34th St” while she begins what will undoubtedly be a gorgeous painting (yup. hot AND smart AND artistic. she sooo got the short end of the stick.)… You can’t pay for a night like that.

Question of the day:

Do you have any inexpensive ways to keep in shape? What keeps you motivated?

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i still hate broccoli.

December 8, 2010 at 9:25 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , ,

no matter how cheap it is.

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i like to eat, eat, eat, eeples and beneenees….

December 8, 2010 at 9:28 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Good morning, thrifty spenders!

!!!!!

guess what.

no really, go on.

guess.

oh fine, I’ll TELL you.

WE HAD OUR VERY FIRST ZERO SPENDING DAY YESTERDAY!

Clearly, I’m proud.
But today is not a day for gloating (but the $19/day spending average sho does speak for itself…).

Today I come to you with the beginnings of what will be an ongoing investigation. I want to find where the most inexpensive healthy food is (NOT Costco, NOT Sam’s Club- We’ve got to keep our wits about ourselves, ladies. Those places will just suck out your souls with their deep discounts and cheap vests).

Now before you go loading up my comment box with “Abby, you live in Park Slope! Go work at the Food Co-op and get the cheap produce there!”, I have newly found information that may open your eyes. For those of you who aren’t native Brooklyn-ites, one must work 1 (one) 2.75 hour shift per month at the Park Slope Food Co-op, as well as go through an interview process, to be accepted in. It’s a very high-end crunchy granola hippie club.

Check out this super-interesting article that shows why for Lani and I, the Co-Op may not be all it’s cracked up to be….

http://www.brokelyn.com/park-slope-food-coop-calculator-is-joining-really-worth-it/

Basically, the produce prices aren’t significantly priced down enough for it to be worth it.

So without using the Co-Op as one of our test stores, we’re going to start exploring our different food options– this Saturday, we’ll hit up Trader Joe’s. try the Manhattan Fruit Exchange at Chelsea Market (apparently the back room has MEGA deals… who knew?!), continue to do our little bits of shopping at the farmer’s market to support our local farms, and keep searching for the new cheap place to get your healthy food on the cheap.

Okay, New Yorkers, where do you find the cheapest healthy food deals in your neighborhood?

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How to eat like queens and spend like misers…

December 7, 2010 at 4:22 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Okay, y’all. This is just plain impressive. Stand back– because I am the master. (stop laughing, mom.)

Breakfast: Oatmeal (1 cup), blueberries (frozen, 2 handfuls), coffee (4 tblspoons, french pressed)– Total Cost of meal, approximately, per double-portion: 75cents

Snack: 2 clementines– Total Cost: 25cents

Lunch: Corn tortillas (6, quesadilla style to make 3 quesadillas), Chili (1 can- I know, we’re going to use this stuff up first, then learn to make it on our own), Cheese (1/3 small block, grated), Corn Chips (2 handfuls)– Total cost of meal, approximately, per double-portion: $4.25

Snack: apple & peanut butter– Total Cost: 50cents

Dinner: Ground beef (organic, farm-raised from a local farm- split to make 2 1/4lb burgers), English muffins (2, used as buns), tomatoes (2 slices, grilled), onions (2 slices, diced and mixed in the beef), Spinach (2 big handfuls, cooked)– Total Cost of meal, approximately, per double-portion: $6.25

TOTAL COST OF MEALS AND SNACKS FOR 2 PEOPLE ON 11/6/2010: about $12

I’ve got to tell you, guys, this whole ‘plan your meal, make your meal’ thing has something going for it. We are living heartily and not skimping anywhere- super healthy, normal portions. In the coming weeks, I’ll probably try a few schools of thought on how to save money, and probably implement a little of all of them– coupon clipping, crockpot cooking, sale shopping, etc. Today, though, was a big dose of meal planning.

It’s funny, before this blog started, I’d been trying my hand at cooking (I have no formal training, nor did my wonderful mother do any kind of teaching in the kitchen– sorry Mom, I totally just food-outed you…) and telling Lani how I’d just twirl with glee if I could just cook all day and learn how to make delicious meals. “Just think about how good of a cook I would be, if I could just IMMERSE myself in it?!”

Careful what you wish for, kiddies.

Are any of you self-taught cookers? What’s the best thing you’ve learned on your own?

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Monday’s expenses, and how I didn’t jump off a cliff when I opened the fridge

December 7, 2010 at 10:57 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Good morning, my little comrades in budgeting! Yesterday’s expenses were a little bittersweet… So close to a ZERO SPENDING DAY… It’s… riight.. there… But it’s okay, we needed to get our little Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. And he is just lovely (pictures to come). But no zero day.
TODAY’S GOAL: ZERO SPENDING DAY!
Monday’s Expenses:
Whole Foods $18.40 Christmas Tree 11/6: 18.40

Average for 11/3-11/6: 23.76

If we have a ZERO SPENDING DAY today, our average will go down to $19. And if we have ANOTHER, it’ll get even LOWER….
I’m getting ahead of myself. One day at a time.

Alright guys, gather round. It’s storytime with Abby.

So yesterday, it was around 11AM. Lady L had gone to work, and I was watching The View (as all self-respecting ladies should). I started to feel that rumbly in my tumbly, so I hit the fridge to see what I could graze on… Amidst all the clementines, spinach, hummus and spelt bread (hungry yet?), all I could think was ‘I don’t want to eat this bullshit.’
If I wasn’t doing this challenge, I would have hopped my butt right down to the corner store and picked myself up a little snack. (Cape Cod Potato Chips, anyone?). But I had a HUGE lesson in mindfulness yesterday, kids. I had to talk myself down from a health-food ledge, get resourceful, and frankly….

I had to deal with it.
In my personal experience in New York, I feel like the whole idea of ‘dealing with it’ is completely endangered. The whole feeling in this city is ACHIEVE, and so when something isn’t exactly as you’d like… you’re trained to fix it, or fight like hell. This has been a really incredible way for me to reverse my thinking, or at least amend it. I don’t love oatmeal. I never will. But it’s what we have for breakfast every morning, and we spice it up the best we can, and we deal. Because it’s cheap, and it’s what we have. And when I opened my fridge at 11AM yesterday morning, I just kind of sat with my impulses and listened to them all bounce off each other in my head. And then I pulled out some spelt bread, toasted it, and ate it with hummus. No, it wasn’t delicious Cape Cod Potato Chips. But it was what we had, it tasted good, and it cost nothing. Isn’t that lovely?
Now I know (or at least I hope) I’m not the only one with food impulses. Tell me about your stories!

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We’re on FACEBOOK! (can someone tell me how to post this on the page itself, not just in a post?)

December 6, 2010 at 12:19 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

More Than Enough In NYC

Promote Your Page Too

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yesterday’s expenses, and how are you supposed to pop popcorn anyway?

December 6, 2010 at 9:55 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

happy monday, y’all! i know, you’ve been so patient about waiting for yesterday’s expense report, bless your little hearts, so here it is:

Grocery Store    $4.74    Marshmallows, Popcorn kernels

Average for 11/3/10-11/5/10: $25.54

Not too shabby, if I don’t say so myself.  And now that we’re pretty stocked up for a few days, we’ll hopefully have the HOLY GRAIL of poor people days soon… TOTALLY FREE DAY. Ahhh, the clean, fresh smell of money staying in our pockets.

So, last night I thought it’d be cute if we popped popcorn, made hot chocolate, and watched a movie (noooow you all understand why we bought marshmallows and popcorn kernels). And it was cute. Except for the small matter of me never having popped popcorn the “Traditional” way before, and us not having a microwave. With a quick googling of “how to pop popcorn”, I found it was a fairly simple process in theory, but in practice… Ooh, in practice it is a VERY different beast.

So here’s my big question for all of you:

How do you pop popcorn the traditional way (on a stovetop) without burning the bottom layer of popcorn?
Tell me this, my lovelies, and you will make movie night so much more digestable.

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what the hell am i going to DO with my time?

December 5, 2010 at 3:07 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Madison Square Park Tree Lighting

that’s a good question. and something i’ve been thinking about a lot today. i know that i’ll find myself a part-time position somewhere, or volunteer as an intern in a new field to get me some learnin’, and apply for jobs all over the place.

but that’s only SOME of the time… how are we going to have fun on $20/day? Well, there is free stuff all over this city.  Take a peek at some of the great stuff the divine miss L and I will be doing.

Madison Square Park Tree Lighting- Tuesday December 7th @ 4:30PM

Lighting of the Peace Tree at the Cathedral of St John The Divine- Friday December 17th @ 11AM

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Museum of Natural History

Brooklyn Botanical Garden

Bronx Zoo on Wednesday

MoMA on Fridays from 4-8

Whitney Museum on Fridays from  6-9

Jewish Museum on Saturdays from 11-5:45

Guggenheim Museum on Saturdays from 5:15-7:45

And did I mention, ALL OF THOSE ARE FREE?!

Yup. All free.

Okay NYC beauties, what’s your favorite free thing you’ve found in the city?

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day two- grocery shopping and our first (of many) $2.50 meal for two!

December 4, 2010 at 9:59 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

the day began, as all saturdays should, with a trip to the brooklyn farmer’s market, and the natural food store to do our first grocery shopping since we began our challenge. yes, you read that correctly. we didn’t go to sam’s club, or costco, or even stop&shop. we are insisting on sticking with the food values that we have always had– go local if we can, go natural/organic if we can’t go local, and buy what we need without going hungry. we know that there IS a way to not compromise taste, quality, and nutrition when buying on a budget. here’s what we came home with:

Key Foods    $32.81    Spinach, Cheese, English Muffins, Egg Whites, Broccoli, Kale, Corn Tortillas, Salsa, Pasta, Clementines
Farmer’s Market    $14.54    Beef, Potatoes, Carrots, Squash, Tomatoes, Onions, Apples

So our total today was $47.35- and this is all of the food, give or take a meal or two that lani will buy while she’s at work, for the next week. We of course have brown rice, peanut butter, and a few other staples that were already in the kitchen to supplement what we just purchased. We’re not THAT crunchy granola, guys. Come on.

I know, y’all. You’re thinking ‘okay… but what’s the GOAL, here?’ Well, here it is:

LANI AND ABBY’S OFFICIAL BUDGET GOAL- LIVING ABUNDANTLY IN NYC ON NEXT TO NOTHING:

Monthly spending: $1600/month

Itemized:

Rent: $800 (combined, with utilities– this is the bomb-ass deal mentioned previously. Thank you, rent stabilized apartment and two hottie-patottie housemates)

Bills (Gym membership, cell phone bill): $79 Gym (student discount for smarty-pants Lani), $25 cell phone bill (Virgin Mobile kicks ASS, guys), and $96 for transportation for Lani and Abby— Abby’s cell phone bill is paid for by a gracious Christmas gift from her mommy, and would have been around $35/month.

From the approximately $600 remaining, our goal is to spend no more than $20 per day (averaged), and to see how far UNDER our $/20 day budget we can go.

Scared yet?

Yeah, me too.

With the first two days pretty much behind us, it looks a little sketchy, I know. $24.50 on day 1 and $47 on day 2 doesn’t bode well. BUT! since it’s averaged, I’m going to breathe a little easier and remember that I don’t intend on spending any of my big cash dollas this week. Phew.

Now onto the fun part. LUNCH. On TWO DOLLA FIDDY CENT.

Lani had this brilliant idea to make quesadillas with corn tortillas, canned tomatoes, kidney beans, and cheese. I finished off her thought by adding some chopped onions and pepper to the mix.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED (To serve 2- Yields 4 corn tortilla quesadillas)

2 small slices of red onion

2.5 ounces of cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 can of canned tomatoes

1/2 can of kidney beans

8 corn tortillas

On 1 corn tortilla, put down a small portion of your cheese and onions. Then toss on the tomato and kidney beans. Finish off w/some more cheese and onions so that the corn tortillas will stick together. A little pepper doesn’t hurt the mix either. Throw on the 2nd corn tortilla, and toss it on a non-stick pan (add a little PAM, sunflower oil, or olive oil for that little extra). Let it fry and then turn it over when it starts to really sizzle. Then just take it out, cut it with a pizza slicer, and TA DA!

Here’s where the $ comes in:

Onions: 1 onion at farmer’s market, 40 cents

Tomatoes: 1/2 can of diced tomatoes at trader joes: 75 cents

Kidney beans: 1/2 can of kidney beans at trader joes: 50 cents

Cheese: 2.5 ounces of cheese at Key Foods: 60 cents

Corn tortillas: 1/4 of 1 bag of corn tortillas: 40 cents.

TOTAL COST, PER MEAL FOR TWO: 2.65 (and that’s close enough for jazz, kids)

Do you have any super cheap meals that you love? Please, share!

Grand Army Plaza Green Market

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day one- it begins.

December 4, 2010 at 5:46 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Our friend, (left), and Miss Lani at a birthday celebration

living in new york city is to-ugh. and you know it. between the metrocards getting even MORE expensive, out-of-control rent prices, and even the smallest luxuries costing a small fortune, it’s easy to get caught up in the need for material things in order to feel like you belong in this town. so when i (that’s me, abby) got laid off this morning, i was soothed and consoled by my heavenly partner (that’s lani, who you’ll meet) with words of buddhism and minimalism, that with some smart budgeting, careful planning, clever resourcefulness and living with an ‘i don’t need that’ attitude, we can easily (and hopefully comfortably) live off of her meager part-time salary while i do some career soul-searching and she finishes up her ph.d. and with lani, it’s never just seeing if it works, it’s always seeing HOW FAR WE CAN GO with this, and how little we really can live (and thrive) on. always a competition with her.

enter wordpress. here is where we will document our experiment- how much we spend, what we spend it on, all of the amazing free/super-cheap things that we stumble upon in this little town, and how this will change us. we’ll post our unreasonably small budget, what we spend every day, and how we spend it- our ultimate goal is that we live off of $1600/month, which includes rent, utilities, food, bills, etc. admittedly, we have a slight advantage due to our sweet-ass living situation, which we will discuss in another post when we post our budget plans. however, $1600, for 2 people, in new york city, is fairly shocking and unheard of (at least in all of our circles). so clearly, we’re putting it to the test, and would love to see how far we can push this, and juuuuust how little we can live off of each month.

i’m so excited, and a little scared, to begin this journey, and am so looking forward to sharing what i learn with all of you- and to pick up your tips along the way. here goes nothin’, right?

Today’s spendings:

Trader Joe’s    $12.54    Hummus, Chips, Apple, Banana, Cliff Bar, Container of Coffee
DOC Wine Bar    $10    Birthday Dinner Donation
YogaWorks    $2    Yoga Mat Rental

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