I keep thinking, this will be the week that the reality of our situation – despite having several interviews, some of which seem promising, Brandin is still out of work – sets in and I spend less than $200, but there always seems to be something that comes up to get in the way of that goal.
This week, that something was, er, Girlfriend Collective’s discounted leggings. (?!?) But there was also a delayed part of Brandin’s Christmas gift, a hair appointment (funded very kindly by a Christmas gift of some much-appreciated cashola from a relative), a trip to Target where I spent approx 80% less than I usually do and the purchase – on 0% finance – of a new iPhone, which was selfless, really, as I want to give my old one to my Mum.
(My 2023 mantra? They’re not excuses, they’re reasons.)
Monday
I’m taking this week off work, so you can imagine that most days are a pretty standard combination of waking the baby up, putting the baby down, eating Terry’s Chocolate Oranges (I was lucky enough to have several sent to me by gorgeous followers, I must have been a saint in a past life) and reading through my new Christmas books, the boxed set of Sarah J Maas’ Throne of Glass series (I’m now on book four, Heir of Fire, and in the course of googling the order of the books have discovered she is younger than me and am horrified and most depressed).
My parents bought me, confusingly, a book about Chairman Mao and Nick Cave and Sean O’Hagan’s Faith, Hope and Carnage, both of which look interesting and which I absolutely will read, but having never expressed much of an interest in either Mao or Nick Cave, I’m not quite sure how we got here.
‘Tis the day after Christmas, anyway, and despite the fact that we have a fridge full of leftovers, the children want to go to McDonald’s for lunch.
Not only do they want to go to McDonald’s, but they want to go to the McDonald’s all the way across town because it has an open play area – quite a few of them closed down during Covid and never reopened – and we are too tired after the Christmas chaos to argue, so it’s off to McDonald’s we go.
When I was eight years old, two of my friends had their joint birthday in McDonald’s in Bray. We sat on toadstool chairs and stacked burger boxes right up to the ceiling and everything was painted in primary colours and honestly it was the best party I’ve ever been to.
This McDonald’s feels like a play place built in the subterranean maze of a bomb shelter. Everything is grey or beige; the lights are headache-inducingly fluorescent and there’s not a toadstool in sight. Still, the boys – knowing no different – seem to love it. ($43)
While we’re at sad beige McDonald’s, my final Pay in 4 payment for the Gathre advent calendar comes out, which feels fitting. ($21.73)
In the car on the way back, I see an Instagram Story from an Indianapolis-based writers’ group I follow, the Heartland Society of Women Writers, about a course they’re running throughout 2023, sharing writing prompts and offering group support and critique for writing, and it’s only $20, so I sign up for it.
It’s more geared towards short story type work but I would really like some way of being held accountable for writing more regularly and having some kind of assignment-type deadlines might help. So here’s hoping!
I also order creamer from Walmart for overnight delivery as it’s out of stock in our local supermarket – Brandin is going to do a grocery shop later today. ($14.94)
When we get home we just chill out for the afternoon / evening. Of course, no one is full after McDonald’s (what’s that about?!) so we have to make endless snacks and mac and cheese for dinner (the baby has leftover sweet potato casserole, broccoli and some turkey, which he gives to the dog).
Daily total: $99.67
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