assorted miscellany

Hi all! It’s been a while since my last update and life has been throwing me for a loop. Most recently, my mom’s cat (favorite #1 son) had to be rushed to the emergency vet due to heart failure. She’s on a very limited income and my own recent upheavals have made this quite the challenge. I created a GoFundMe to help her pay down the ER bill (over $6k) while we work through the on-going costs of…

or, biting off more than I can chew. Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com This update is cross-posted from my Substack. If you would like to receive regular writing updates and future book news, consider subscribing to my newsletter. ✍🏻Writing Updates I made the brilliant (re: mad) decision to edit two manuscripts simultaneously, and it was sort of working. Is working. Sort of. I mean, I’m…

Disclaimer: The cake rating is my totally subjective, entirely arbitrary rating system. If I finished it, you can assume I enjoyed it regardless of rating. 5 🍰‘s generally mean that I absolutely loved it and will/have purchased a copy for my personal collection. Read The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson 🍰🍰🍰.5 My first foray into anything omega verse related, and I’m sure it’s on the lighter side of…

Join me for a sit-down as I reflect on February spending, challenges, struggles, and worries about the future of my finances. In this update: 💰$163 saved (in addition to my usual savings) Dining out is still a trouble area, but improving. Groceries are on point. Dentistry struck with a vengeance. Rethinking book purchasing and the value of having physical libraries (at 07:53) Rethinking my…

March has been interesting… I’ve been ill, which means everything has been slow and I feel dreadfully behind. Join me for a sit down ramble as I think out loud about life, writing, and the current state of my projects and editing goals. Plus, thoughts on the future of my self-publishing plan, the indie market, and reading as both joy and resistance in light of the current climate. 💜 For more,…

And we’re back! Apparently, my body likes to remind me to rest by going absolutely ballistic and making me crash. I may have caught a mild bout of norovirus or ingested something absolutely heinous… no official diagnosis, but it had me 🤢🤮 for three days and left me with an awful, pounding migraine attack for well over a week. It took me about a week and a half to fully recover (eg. get back to my…

I’ve been physically and mentally exhausted over the last few days. Life is lifeing and my body is going through it. I had too many tasks and chores to take care of this weekend and the Sunday post fell by the wayside, but I wanted to share this tiny bit of hope that filled me today. I have two orchids in my shower, they’ve been with me for years, and they usually bloom once a year. I hadn’t…

It’s time for the first budget review of my 2025 low/no buy… it’s been a good one.

It’s time for the first budget review of my 2025 low/no buy… it’s been a good one. 😁 Some small wins: 📱switched my phone plan to mint at 50% for the first year for $180 – I was paying $90 for 1080 a year 🍲 stuck to the dining out budget and fast food plan 🙌🏻 Total saved: $573 (after much recalculating) – a big win! Playlists 💵 My “Year of Less” Playlist 🎥Quiet Days in 2025 vlog…

all the books I read and listed to between Oct and Dec 2024... a reading recap #bookreviews #readingrecs #whatIread #bookblog

Disclaimer: The cake rating is my totally subjective, entirely arbitrary rating system. If I finished it, you can assume I enjoyed it regardless of the rating. 5 🍰‘s generally mean that I absolutely loved it and will/have purchased a copy for my personal collection. Read Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey 🍰🍰🍰 See Rebel Yule for my sudden desire for holiday reads. A sweet, Christmas-themed…

My year of less: One Nice Date in January #vlog #lowbuy2025 #nobuy2025

Come along for a Hot Pot dinner for two with appetizers and a boba for him 😊 As part of my “Year of Less” project, I am trying to stick to two planned dates per month as a way to enjoy dining out, and keep the cost within reason, while making it feel special. Total cost for this date (including tip): $59.59 What’s your favorite cheap date?

the view from Sunday (redux) 1.25 #blog

If you’ve been around these parts for a while, you might remember a series called “the view from Sunday.” These were weekly-ish musings on life, writing, books I was reading, activities I was enjoying, etc. It’s been a while since I’ve had a regular posting schedule and I’ve missed the opportunity to engage with you all through the blog. That’s not to say the vlogs are going away–not at all–but…

My Year Of Less 🛒 Two Low Spend Grocery Hauls (January 2025) #lowbuy #groceryhaul #budgetvlog

In an effort to spend less and be better prepared for migraine days, I’m back to my old ways and shopping with the intent to meal plan/prep. Join me for two, low spend, intentional grocery hauls as I re-evaluate my relationship with food spending. Plus, a few examples of the meals I prepped 😄 The big haul should last most of the month, allowing me to fill in the gaps with less. 🛒 January…

A chatty sit-down update on my 2024 budget/savings challenge.