Money Diary #113

Morning: Wake up around 7 and see he is not in bed. He has moved to one of the guest bedrooms, he tells me, since he has been coughing all night. I migrate to the sofa, text my friend that we'll probably not be able to meet up tomorrow, and fall asleep until 10. He wakes up as well and takes a COVID test. Welp, it's positive. He plays on the computer and goes back to bed. I warm up spaghetti for lunch. Read how "money is like blood, you need to keep it circulating. Money spent on family & friends makes me happy" & it immediately reminds me of SO and his generosity with everyone.

Afternoon: Fall asleep with a full belly and the US Open on TV. Wake up around 3 when I hear the garage open. Apparently, the battery he ordered just got delivered & he had been calling me, but I didn't hear b/c I was out, lol. Eat a pineapple choco roll and wash it down with some water. Brush my teeth & do the activated charcoal mouthwash. Watch Rick Steves in Lisbon and read for a while. Here is what I learn:

• Loving where you live: "The weather is so lovely that we meander to a café near to us which is situated inside a stately home. I absolutely love the town I live in and no matter how many times a day I get out, I always look around and truly appreciate the old buildings and cobbles."

• On being a morning person: "7.30am: Up early again. It's a good thing I'm such a morning person and I love having more of the day."

• Everyone deserves to enjoy life: "Does she need to reel in her spending habits? Probably. But low income individuals also deserve to enjoy their lives, just as much as someone making $100,000+ does."

• Focus on what you can control: "The pandemic is not her fault. Her spending choices are."

• You shouldn't need to be perfect & always disciplined to survive: "It is not OP's fault that service work is unstable, unpredictable, and low paying. It is not OP's fault that her industry was hit extremely hard by the GLOBAL PANDEMIC. It's not OP's fault that most students need to take out high amounts of student loans to attend college. OP didn't make perfect financial choices, but you should not NEED to be perfect and always disciplined to survive."

• "People really underestimate the risk of their primary residence": "With rates rising, fewer people can buy your house, or want to buy your house. So prices might come down. And you’ll be selling in a crowded market if people start to lose their jobs and thereby are forced to sell their own homes."

• "Which is more important to you?": "Avoiding the risk you see or avoiding the potential regret?"

• Work vs life: "I log off my computer and turn to the people I did choose and do love and everything with people and purpose is right there in front of me. Work shouldn’t be the source for these things. A decent workplace with good pay is all I need. Looking for more at work keeps me in a state of constant depression and unhappiness. Not everyone was born a hero. Most of us live quite average lives, and that’s ok."

• "Working is just like a simulation game I play": "Clocking in, doing my little tasks, meeting with people, using office jargon like 'circling back' over and over, and then signing off back to my real life. Don't get me wrong, I find a lot of purpose in what I do and I feel that I've found a niche where I contribute positive things to the world, but my mind is still in constant turmoil with the late-stage capitalist world forcing me to give my labor to eat, have healthcare, and survive."

Evening: Watch Selling Sunset and migrate to the sofa in the front living room. He warms up rice, Mom's spinach & her lamb curry for dinner. Brush my teeth and do the activated charcoal mouthwash. Watch the 1st Lord of the Rings and bed around 2.