Champage tastes on a Bud Light budget

I had lots of little things I wanted to do this weekend, and with the exception of dinner out with friends, my overarching goal was to NOT SPEND MONEY. I've done pretty well, but it is really hard. I'm trying to channel my thrifty college self, when I lived off of $20 a week for groceries (frozen burritos, baby carrots, sour cream, pretzels, instant oatmeal, and bananas). Or even my post-college self, when I made a pittance (but my friend Ben joked that my NYC rent was so cheap, all I had to do was toss my pocket change into a bucket for my landlord).

Over our eerily spring-like weekend, I went on a run, took a walk, watched the Olympics, did pre-natal yoga ($15), cleaned our condo (free! and necessary), cleaned the car ($8), bought some groceries ($40- unheard of these days), called some friends, finished my book and got a new one from the library (free, and awesome), got a decaf Americano from Lighthouse ($2 and totally worth it), drank a couple fake beers at Prost (Dave paid), caught a few episodes of Friday Night Lights, made lasagna in my slow cooker, and set up my studio (finally, because the rent is definitely not free). I kept thinking of stuff to do or things to buy, then remembered to NOT SPEND MONEY and quickly diverted my attention.

So my taste for Herman Miller furniture, Apple computers, cross country travel and homemade brownies that call for two brands of fancy chocolate is finally catching up. Time to reel it back in and kick savings into high gear. This week we will live off of the contents of our cabinets and freezer. Who wants a fake chicken patty on a waffle?

Oh the glory of it all!

How can I summarize another whirlwind wedding weekend? Wonderful. My sister married her longtime beau, Jeff. They had a pretty short engagement (even shorter than ours, if possible) and Ashley was a fearless task master with all the planning details. She crossed every T and dotted every lower-case J. Meanwhile, Jeff managed all music related duties, a job he took quite seriously. KEXP would be jealous of his setlists. The result was a thoroughly fun and beautiful wintery affair.

There were so many awesome moments over our short trip to New York. I'll try to capture some highlights (since I didn't capture anything with my camera).

Ashley's Disney princess-worthy dress (handmade!), gloves, and hairdo.


My toast. Okay that is sort of bragging but I did it well, and without the aid of my friend white wine! I thank Dave, who is so supportive and reassuring, for boosting my ego. Afterwards, I celebrated with a Shirley Temple, a drink I used to down at my aunts' weddings. They tasted waaay better in 1989.

Dad's pitch-perfect toast, nearly thwarted by emotions, concluded with a well-played toss of his speech notes into the crowd, and a roar of applause.


Like I mentioned, Jeff's hand picked soundtrack, which was tailored to each stage of the evening. I especially loved walking out of the ceremony to the closing song from True Romance. And there is no way people can sit still if Billie Jean is playing. Dave requested a copy of the setlist so we can listen to something besides our own wedding mix.


Hanging with my fellow pregini Michelle. We miraculously fit into our bridesmaid dresses and what we passed up at the bar we compensated for at the fondue table. Fruit dipped in chocolate? That shit is bananas.

And last but not least, spending time with my peeps. Never a dull moment with those family and friends. With no foreseeable family weddings in sight Dave and I are actually a little blue...

Are you gonna eat that?

Gone are the days of 6th grade when my lady friends and I congregated in Marge's bright yellow kitchen and ate turkey sandwiches with American cheese on bagels, Doritos, Guzzlers, and Coke for an after school snack (you know, just a little sometime to tide us over before dinner). These days there seem to be a lot of food rules. They're not new, but the all this food philosophy floats around my head and makes it damn complicated to eat an innocent snack.

The Paleo diet, which I know little about, is endorsed by Crossfit. And we all know I have a crush on Crossfit, but their food philosophy seems ridiculously restrictive (and probably downright unhealthy for a pregnant lady, although I know some preginis follow it). The foundation of the Paleo lifestyle is: Eat Like a Cave(wo)man. Eat meat, and lots of it. Consider investing in a meat freezer to store your large quantities of organic, free range beef, pork, duck, chicken, veal, venison, and rooster. Take out a second mortgage on your home to fund your meat consumption. Eat fish, vegetables, eggs, and some fruits. Avoid sugar, dairy, and wheat at all costs. And don't eat the bun. Don't even think about eating the bun. While you're at it, reduce caffeine and alcohol.

Okay, so there's one diet that I'm not even gonna attempt. Where does my nightly Skinny Cow fit into that regimen? Maybe the food rules that Michael Pollan lays out for the obese American population are a little more lenient. The much-hyped author's philosophy is: If it grows on a plant, eat it. If it was made in a plant, don't. I like some of his advice, such as: Cook. I can do that. I even enjoy it...especially in my slow cooker! Also, shop the perimeter of the food aisle and don't eat foods that are advertised. Again, avoid sugar like the Dickens. But I can't get down with his "S rule": no snacks, seconds, or sweets unless it's on a day beginning with S. Skinny Cow consumption does not happen twice a week!

Here's a food rule grey area: nuts. Nuts are good (Paleo). Except when they're bad (Weight Watchers). Juice (tastes delicious!) but its sugar content is on par with candy. Lunch meat is high in protein, low in fat, but is full of nitrates, nitrites, and sodium.

These days I'm subject to the pregnant lady food rules as well: no uncooked sushi (whassup eel rolls), no soft cheese (goodbye brie), nuked lunch meats (sort of negates the concept of "cold cuts"), limited caffeine and no booze (except on days that begin with F and are after your first tri-mester).

Okay so the last one is my own rule, but so what. My philosophy is: Avoid Doritos whenever possible (curse you, Super Bowl!). Eat fruit, vegetables, eggs, and lean meat often. The fewer ingredients, the better. Cook. Eat a bagel, but only in NYC.

picking up the tab

My personal deficit may not be near the U.S. bajillion dollar hole, but I still feel that I've been burning through money at an alarming rate. A friend recently noted that since we're not going out (i.e. drinking) as much, we're probably saving money. One would think. But instead of sitting at home learning how to knit, I'm buying a new Mac desktop and Herman Miller dining chairs and clothes that fit.

There is a word for hunkering down and investing in your home when you're pregnant, and it's called "nesting". But from what I've read, most people clean out cabinets and fold extraordinary amounts of laundry during this phase (which tends to occur right before the baby arrives). This period of buying high-priced home goods seems more like "indulging". My excuse for the Herman Miller chairs, which have a lifespan longer than my own, is that Dave and I sit on mismatched IKEA crap. And we only have three chairs. When we have guests over, the rotten egg has to sit on our exersize ball or a patio chair. I plan to graduate from my 20s with better furniture than I entered with, and IKEA items are the first to go. And my sis works for Herman Miller and can get me a sweet discount. Sisters are the best.

And my excuse for the refurbished iMac? I need it for Good Press! I've graduated to my new studio (which I also bought Herman Miller furniture for- oops!). And my MacBook, which is love, just doesn't cut it for graphic design projects. It just doesn't have the mega-hertz...or whatever. This puppy overheats when I download more than 14 photos! It's a great computer...for internet, iTunes, and Skyping (my other new, and free, hobby).

As far as going out- we still are. We went to happy hour at Oliver's Twist last week to drink up for Haiti (the bar donated the night's proceeds to relief efforts). I ordered a "Bartender's Fancy" and some bacon and bleu cheese-stuffed dates. Dave had his usual old-fashioned (which is maybe the handsomest drink ever, topped with a cherry and orange zest). Like I mentioned before, we have to stock up on social events while we can! At least we got happy hour prices...