Veggie Dinners

I've run into a bit of a dilemma. M likes to get takeout every night (of course I like it too, but it doesn't feel right!). And I'm not talking cheapie takeout - we get Cheesecake Factory (and CPK, BJ's, etc) takeout. It's costing anywhere from $40-100/night, and it's fatty. (Especially fatty because somehow a cheesecake always ends up in the order) M pays for it. Yes, he can easily afford it. But still... it's too much to spend on food!!

Neither of us is much of a cook, so we can't come near the "deliciousness" (his words) of these restaurants. I'd like to try though. He or I could at least cook a yummy side, and then pick up a pre-cooked meal at Whole Foods to go with it... right? I don't routinely shop at Whole Foods, so I'll need someone to enlighten me as to whether they have pre-cooked meals and if they're tasty. We also have a Trader Joe's close by, and a Co-op, and the Farmer's Market a couple times a week.

The second part of the dilemma is that M has decided he doesn't want to eat meat during the week. I'm fine with that. But can anyone offer suggestions as to filling, healthy, easy to make delicious dinners that don't involve meat (or tofu, because he hates it)? We discussed it and decided that fish once or twice during the week was ok.

Which brings me to the last part of my dilemma. ;) I want to lose weight, and he needs to gain it. He's still within normal range, but on the VERY low side. How can I fatten him up while slimming down myself? Just put more on his plate?

Any help is much appreciated! :)

July Goals

1. Continue organizing my closet. I put a bag together of lots of tops, but I still need to look through my jeans, skirts, and shoes.
   
2. Continue posting on my new fashion blog and my old fitness blog. It's been fun so far. :)
   
3. Stay on top of bar study. I didn't stay on top of studying in June. I'm really behind. I feel apathetic about it, and I know I shouldn't. But after 4 years of studying... I just want to be free! Anyway, enough with the excuses!! I need to be a study hermit!
   
4. Go to the gym & do yoga and/or tennis daily! I've been going to the gym daily for the past week... need to keep that up! Also, I need to go to yoga on the days that M doesn't want to play tennis. I've been eating better, and exercising, but I feel like I'm still gaining weight. :( Could be the hypothyroidism... or I just need to exercise more.
5. Update side bars. I need to stop putting this off!! I don't want to see the numbers though. :p
   

Short list this month... because I really need to spend nearly all of my time studying, and a little bit of time exercising. The bar is only a few weeks away!!

Budgeting

I have $1303 to last me through the end of August (though hopefully I'll find a job early in the month). I've already made my rent and credit card payments for July.

$80 gas (July-Aug)
$100 food (July-Aug)
$565 rent (Aug)
$650 credit cards (Aug)
= $1395

I'm still trying to sell my purses... but haven't yet posted them on ebay. I have Rebecca Minkoff and Botkier purses that I also want to sell. So hopefully that'll help me make up the deficit!

Selling My Purses, Part 1

I'm finally going to start listing my purses on ebay (but will first be posting them to the blog)... I'm starting with my two Tylie Malibus.

Both were bought new from ebay 2 years ago. The white leather one was $387 and the blue suede one was $199.

Email me at debtchronicles at hotmail.com if you want more pics or would like to make an offer. :)

Overwhelmed

Sorry for the absence. I've been overwhelmed by life lately and not much feeling up to posting. I have been posting on my other blog, but that's because it doesn't take much brainpower to upload outfit pics. ;)

I'm still terribly behind on bar study, and I'm feeling very anxious about it. I'm also anxious about my health problems, which currently include leg circulation issues and numbness in the tips of my toes. I don't know if it's because of the hypothyroidism, because I haven't been exercising and/or because of stress. Maybe I should go the doctor, but thinking about how much it's going to cost is stressing me out even more. My individual PPO is crap. It seems it hardly covers anything. I got at least 6 bills ($300+) from 2 doctor's visits and 2 blood tests I did over the past couple months!!

M tried to get me on his insurance at one point, but the company will only allow same-sex unmarried partners. (My dad put his girlfriend on his insurance, so I know that some companies will allow opposite-sex partners) I'm just going to have to hope that I find a job quickly after the bar and it comes with good health insurance.

I still haven't done a budget, but I know I can make it through at least the beginning of August. I hope I've lost some weight by then, because otherwise I'm going to have to scrape some money together to buy new work clothes... everything is so tight and uncomfortable. :(

M keeps telling me that he wants to take me on vacation after the bar... I don't know what destination he has in mind, but wherever we go, I can't WAIT! I just need to keep reminding myself that there's an end to bar study, and a reward, in sight.

We Bought a Car

I mentioned this in passing, but M and I bought a car. It cost $11,000. Technically, M bought it, and I owe him half somewhere down the line. The car was paid in cash, no loans involved. The thing is, it wasn't for us. It was for my mom.

It makes me feel a little uncomfortable to talk about it. Yes, he and I have been together a long time. He said he wanted to do it. I argued against it. Ultimately he convinced me that it would be the best thing to do for us and for her. But I suppose it makes me feel ashamed. And guilty. His parents are very well-off. My mom, who has been jobless for years, is not. She has never asked us for money, but she's expected other things. I mentioned at some point that a relative lived with us for a year - that was her.

My mom was just beginning a career in academia when she had me. She left her career behind to be a housewife. When my dad divorced her, after 20+ years together, she was left with nothing. She gets by with some alimony, but I fear anything could send her over the edge - medical bills, utility bills, whatever. M never wants her to live with us again (she's a very kind, happy person, but being around her makes me the opposite, and hey, privacy?), so he's very determined that we pay for whatever we can to make her stable. And by "we" I mean "he"... ever since I stopped working to concentrate on school, I haven't been able to contribute to anything other than our rent and our cell phone bill.

So... I feel guilty. He doesn't talk about it, he doesn't seem concerned, and I know he feels pleased to be able to help. He makes a lot of money; he has a lot of money saved. But whatever, it's not fair to him.

I should add that she's extremely grateful about the car, and I know it's made her life a lot easier. But I'm getting really tired of M and I bailing her out. Have I mentioned I've given her $15k over the years? Anyway...

June Goals

1. Call Sallie Mae. They denied one of my forbearances (all my undergrad loans were due today, but I pushed them into alignment with my grad school loans - 6 months from now) and I can't figure out why! - It was a private loan, so I had to pay $50 first! sigh.
   
2. Mail out bills. M's check to his periodontist and my check to one of the labs that did my TSH bloodwork. Dropping them off after I pick up M from work.
   
3. Organize my closet. I need to find things to sell/donate. I bought a few suits/tops for work (yes, I've been bad) and it's getting stuffed in there.
4. Start posting on my newest blog. I thought it'd be a good way to keep track of my outfits, and to remind myself that I really have a lot of nice things, and I don't need to buy anymore. :p
5. Organize the house in general. I have tons of papers that need to be filed, and I need to clean out the dining room area to make room for M's bday present (a bike! shh ;)).
6. Stay on top of bar study. I'm already behind because of being sick. I need to make up for that ASAP and never fall behind again.
7. Go to the gym & yoga daily! I have a voucher for 20 yoga classes (xmas present from M) that I have to use by the end of the month, plus I need to get off my ass and start moving again. I've been so lethargic and unmotivated lately... I need to get out of my funk!
8. Return shoes/clothes to Nordstrom. I bought a suit and work shoes online and then found them on sale a few days later! Everything's returned! Just waiting for the credit to show up on my acct.
   
9. Update side bars. I've been putting this off forever! I need to figure out exactly how much debt I have.
   
10. Do a budget. I need to figure what's the bare minimum I need to last me through August (in case I can't find a job immediately after the bar).