Costs of the Single Life

Some people think that we single people have it easy. For some reason we have "more time" than others. Hmmm. I'm on the 24 hour schedule, how about you?

After a few of these types of these conversations, thought I'd clear a few things up in case there is any confusion. I realize that I'm a little snippy about this, but sometimes it is ok to be, right?

Here's the clear up:

• Time - I have 24 hours. In that 24 hours I have to clean, work, do errands, sleep, deal with "issues," pay bills, finish more work, update to do list (consisting of 2-3 lists on the computer, iPhone, scrap paper, or notebook depending upon where and when I get the to do), and oh ....eat, exercise, and take care of myself when I am sick. This is fairly typical of all people regardless of marital status.


• Mortgage - I pay a mortgage. It doesn't matter if there is one person or five people in this house, the mortgage costs the same. Oh, and let's not forget condo fee, homeowners association fees, property taxes, and homeowners insurance.


• Utilities - I still have to use the appliances and all kinds of washer machines.


• Car - insurance, maintenance, gas.


• Phone - I don't have a home phone, but I do have a cell phone that has to have a data plan and plenty of minutes for self (ok, not much for me), but for a lot for work conference calls.


• Cable and Internet connections - cost the same regardless of how many people are in the house. Gadget girl must be connected.


• Food - I'm on the road early and so I often buy food at work. It's actually healthier that way. Plus, if I buy too much fresh food, it goes to waste. If I buy too small, it's actually more expensive. I use about the same as a family. I've seen my nieces and nephews - kids under eight years old eat as much as little birds.


• Travel and Money - People seem to think that we single people have more money (and time) to travel. See "mortgage" and other expenses above. Seriously, I do like to travel, but have had to seriously curb the desire the last few years. Looking back, I should have taken the trips and bagged the 401k. I've lost enough to travel the world twice and do so while taking six months off work. I wanted to go on a trip to Europe last year with some friends. But, my heat pump broke down and took $5,000 to replace. $5,000 for an object that keeps you warm or cold, but is hidden and has no aesthetic value.
• Travel and Time - I have 500 vacation and sick hours saved up at work. That means I haven't taken them. It stresses me out even thinking of trying to catch up after taking a long vacation. I took a 10 day trip to France a couple of years ago and I had to prepare information for all the teams for three weeks in advanced and inform everyone who to contact in my absence. Luckily, I've been in the job longer now and have set up a blog, wiki, content management area, and electronic contact sheet so it would have far less impact if I'm out (which is the ultimate goal - not needing me much at all).


• Cleaning - my house gets dirty too. Sitting in traffic to and from work (and of course work in between all of that) gets a little tiring. I've become slothful in the dish washing department. My job now is to create the least mess possible so I don't have to expend energy cleaning up later. Plus, I've gained a few pounds these past few years - walking takes precedence over cleaning.


• Saturday - A primary song from church goes something like "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday." Sometimes I feel like it should be "Saturday is a special day, it's the only day I don't have to show up or report to anyone." Saturday has officially become my favorite day of the week and I purposely keep my limited social life limited more on this day.
  
• Sleep - Up until a few years ago, I never wanted to sleep. I would burn both ends of the candle and would be fine. I'd pull all nighters regularly. Now, no can do. I get about 4-5 hours of sleep a night if I'm lucky and I want more. Stress, sinuses, and thinking about big ideas keep me up.

Ok, somehow this post strayed from "costs" to "time" issues or something. Either way, I wanted to document it for personal reference. Perhaps when I am married I will look back and laugh at this and think "how naive" and long for the good ole days where I could do whatever I wanted.

Time will tell. Now I'm burning the late end of the candle writing this entry which, as stated above, is no longer something I can pull off.

Good-night!

Memory Lane - Cheese Sandwiches

I have started making cheese sandwiches again. They may look gross to some, but my family made them this way instead of the Kraft singles/two pieces of bread approach.

The process must be followed to achieve the proper results:

1 - Toast two slices of whole wheat bread

2 - Butter the toast

3 - Turn oven on broil

4 - Add cheddar cheese to each piece of bread. Cut the cheese (or rip - ok, that doesn't sound good either - break the cheese up) into enough pieces on the bread to cover.

5 - Broil

6 - Eat

Yum. The butter and cheese melt and soak into the bread really well with this method. And when I say "soak" it's not bad because the bread has already been toasted. Plus, it's open faced and so it's not so much bread in relation to the cheese.

Perhaps this started out as a way for my parents to stick with less than one loaf of bread for a meal, but we loved it this way and it's really difficult to even take more than a bite of the traditional cheese sandwiches I see offered at restaurants. They actually make me want to gag. I think I better stop writing about it actually....

Secret Happiness - Taco Bell Bucks

We decided to go to Taco Bell after doing a few errands this evening. Part of me would have rather gone to the IHOP nearby, but I ended up taking a survey on a new product that Taco Bell might start to offer. It was something called the "1/2 pound burrito." If I filled out the survey after eating the free 1/2 pound burrito, I would also get $2 Taco Bell bucks. It tasted pretty good, but nothing earth shattering. Plus, it sounded so huge, but it was the size of a regular burrito. That was actually fine with me. I don't like big gloppy burritos. We'll see how it turns out.

As we ate, I saw multiple people turn down the option to complete the survey. It was a little long, but sometimes I do it just so the person can say they met the quota.

The cool thing about the evening - as we walked out there were four teenage boys that came in the store. They agreed to take the survey with the enthusiasm of someone who had just won the lottery. I mean, free dinner PLUS $2 Taco Bell Bucks? Jackpot!

This in turn generated giggles from the survey lady (she was in her 40s) and so there as an all around secret happiness going on in Taco Bell for a few moments as four teenage boys grinned ear to ear waiting for their free dinner and the survey lady was four more surveys closer to her quota.

I'm betting that they called a few more friends on the way out the door and generated some more visits to Taco Bell this evening.

A little secret happiness can go a long way...

$110 - groceries

This is what it gets you in August 2008.

Memory Lane - Macaroni and Fake Cheese

I just cooked up some macaroni and fake cheese from my food storage. I think I'm from the only family in the world that despises this stuff. Yuck!

Or, perhaps I still don't know how to cook it.

We never had it growing up. After my first year of college I had to babysit some kids for a day and they were supposed to have macaroni and cheese for lunch. So, I cooked the noodles and poured in the fake cheese powder and mixed it only to find that it was still runny. I guess the directions said that you should drain the water first! How was I supposed to know that! I'm not sure why it didn't click with me, except that I didn't correlate it with spaghetti or anything because the noodles and cheese were always mixed together before I ate them and it just looked like a big slushy cheese/noodle mess.

After a few more boxes the noodles finally reached the right consistency. But, then there was a huge bowl of macaroni and cheese left to eat. The kids ate about 3-4 tablespoons each, I was too grossed out to have more than a bite and the rest was left for the family leftovers.

I'm sure they threw it out after I left....like I just did a minute ago after the first bite.

Random Thoughts - from other people

Isn't it interesting how different people make a comment here and there and you end up having a certain emotion, insight action or feeling based on what they've said? This pretty much happens everyday, but I don't stop and think about it too much.

Like just today, someone I know said that they didn't know what they would do if they hadn't discovered "Google Reader" to organize their search of the internet. So I of course looked it up and am going to start using it.

Or, I was talking to my sister-in-law Jessica about ADD and eating and I thought maybe I'm not aware of how much I eat. For some reason the thought stayed in my mind and I came home and ordered some CDs that are supposed to hypnotize me into food consumption control. Ha. Well, I figured it was worth a try! I lived by a place in Fairfax (Harrison and Ann may remember) that had a sign offering hypnosis for smoking or food addiction and I was always tempted to go see if it was effective. Those places should have concealed entrances ...just as should weight loss centers, spas, laser treatment places and tanning salons. It seems they are all wide open with huge windows for everyone to see people going in and out.

A guy stopped in my office the other day and started to talk about "The Last Lecture" a professor gave after he found out he had a terminal illness. I came home and watched it and found that it , along with other feelings and experiences I've had over the last month, helped me get back into writing notes and taking more time for people.

My boyfriend planted the thought that I should go to graduate school when I was content to move along in jobs that were ok, but not in my real areas of interest. I applied, was accepted, and finished before I realized what I had gotten myself into. I even earned a 4.0 to my own surprised because I had been more concerned with finishing the projects properly than what grade I would receive.

Some of the kids I teach on Sunday pipe up with comments on how I should discipline them, what they think of the lesson, and with interesting ideas that I often incorporate in my next lesson with them.

It's amazing how our daily interactions, whether virtual or physical, have an impact on us in some way. Sometimes the littlest comment or observation can make pivotal changes in our lives. Hopefully the comments that come from my mouth help and don't hurt. Yes, I know that sometimes they hurt and later I always regret what I've said.

Perhaps this quote should always be above the desk, the tv, the fridge, and the door:

"Sticks an stones can break your bones, but words will break your heart." I might add that it should have another half that includes "but words will heal your heart" or "but words will inspire your heart" or "but words will change your heart."

Cookies Anonymous - clean for 14 days

Yep, I've made it 14 days without cookies. I've also lost a total of four pounds over the last couple of weeks which isn't really anything on my frame. The real trick is substituting with something better. Today I brought a big bag of pre-cut and pre-packaged carrots and celery to work along with yogurt and an orange. I ate some of all of them. However, I did take a break to go buy a big BLT for lunch so I could truly fill up.

The next item I have to omit from my intake would be peanut M&Ms. I bought a massive bag at Costco and ate it all in one week. So, the cookie thing was great, but I think I was able to do it only because I had another crutch.

Hopefully this week I'll be able to have celery and peanut butter as the crutch instead of all these tasty substitutes. And, I'm done walking Pepper and so this means more creative exercise options and obscure walks to fill that requirement.

Pressing forward!