adulting - a journey

Day One: 4/1, Sunday

9 a.m. — I wake up and get dressed to go to the gym.

11:30 a.m. — Finally back from the gym! I make myself a cup of espresso and eat two cookies (to go with the espresso) and two hard boiled eggs for lunch. My dad makes himself dumplings.

3 p.m. — I didn’t go anywhere all day because I was waiting for my mom to get home from the airport. Finally she gets home and I ask my parents if they wanted to go out today at all - they say no. I decide to go out to study for a little bit just to get out of the house and since Allen asked to study.

3:30 p.m. — I get to Philz and manage to snag a table since someone was leaving right when I came in. I don’t order anything. I don’t have that much studying to do so I just try to organize my life.

6 p.m. — I decide to head home since my parents wanted to go out for dinner. We decide to get Szechuan food.

7:45 p.m. — We head home from the restaurant. My parents want to walk for a little bit, so we drive half way home, and they get out of the car to walk the rest of the way back. I drive the car back myself.

9 p.m. — I do a little last minute interview prep for my video interview tomorrow - but I’m not that nervous or worried about it since I don’t really want it that bad.

Daily Total: $0

Day Two: 4/2, Monday

8:30 a.m. — I wake up early so I have time to prepare for my interview today. I make myself a cup of espresso and heat up two buns for breakfast.

10 a.m. — I didn’t really end up doing any prep at all, so I just go into my room to put on my make up and change for the interview.

11:45 a.m. — Interview over! It was a lot faster than I thought it would be. I heat up the left overs from dinner yesterday for lunch today and watch some TV before I have to go into work.

2:15 p.m. — I head out for work for the day.

6 p.m. — I go on a “lunch break”. I was supposed to get off at 6:30, but they asked me to stay an hour longer since the store looks like a mess. I am terrible at turning people down face-to-face so I agreed - and they let me go on a legally mandated 30 min lunch. I don’t eat anything though.

7:30 p.m. — I finally head home! I eat dinner with my parents since they cooked. My mom bought me milk tea after she got home since I asked - so good!

9 p.m. — My dad asks me to buy a new Garmin watch strap for him, so I order him one off of Amazon. I tell him he doesn’t need to pay me back, but he insists and gives me $10. The strap was a little more than $9, so I technically made a few cents through this transaction.

10 p.m. — I’m being so unproductive lately - but I can’t help it. I’ve been feeling really burnt out for a while and can’t find any motivation to do anything productive - even though I am stressed out af about a million different things. Instead of trying to detangle my life, I watch Friends for a little bit before going to sleep.

Daily Total: $0

Day Three: 4/3, Tuesday

8:30 a.m. — I wake up and lay in bed for a little bit before finally getting up. I have to go back into the city today for lunch so I get ready for the day.

9 a.m. — I drink a cup of espresso and eat dry cereal while watching Friends - then decide to go change right before my dad comes back to pick me up.

10 a.m. — My dad comes back to pick me up and drop me off at the Caltrain. I buy a ticket and get internally frustrated at companies that make you commute and don’t pay for the trip (we all know you can afford to)!! $16.50

12 p.m. — Finally get to SF! The train was pretty packed since there’s a Giants game today. I call an Uber from the station to a coffee shop near the office. $12.89

12:30 p.m. — I go into the bathroom to change for the interview. I brought heels too, but I decide to wear my flats since it is an “informal lunch discussion”. I head over to the office to wait in the lobby.

1:30 p.m. — The conversation went well I think, but I’m still not sure where I stand. The “lunch” ended up being a coffee for her and a plain croissant for me - that I couldn’t even eat during the “lunch”. I quickly finish it and go into the bathroom to change back into pants. I message two of my friends who are in the city to see if they want to meet up for boba - and they do!

2 p.m. — I walk to my friend’s office and wait for her in the lobby - then we walk to the boba shop to wait for my other friend. We look around for a froyo shop for a while and can’t find anything, so my friend and I get boba and sit outside and chat while my other friend goes to work. $5.50

3:30 p.m. — My friend has to go back to work, so I start walking to the Caltrain.

4 p.m.  — Manage to snag a seat on the crowded Caltrain and zone out for the duration of the ride.

5 p.m.  — My mom picks me up at the station. We head to the Indian grocery market where she buys me two samosas - then we head home.

6:30 p.m.  — My mom makes more food for dinner, so I eat a little more on top of the samosas - I am stuffed.

Daily Total: $34.89

Day Four: 4/4, Wednesday

7:20 a.m. — My alarm wakes me up. I hate my life for having to wake up so early every day. I get dressed, put on my make-up, and head to work.

12:30 p.m. — Literally RIGHT when I was supposed to get off for the day, my manager comes begging me to stay an extra two hours. I get pressured into agreeing cause I’m terrible at saying no and lying on the spot.

2:30 p.m. — Finally get off of work. I was planning on saving money today, but I am tired and hungry. I order myself a pizza on the way home, and stop by my house to pick up things I was planning on mailing to the bf. Sadly, there are no hot cheeto puffs left in the store, so I decide to ship it to him another day. $17.50

5 p.m. — After eating and watching endless episodes of Friends, I passed out on the couch for a few hours and finally woke up when my mom came home.

7 p.m. — I ate lunch so late that I’m not really hungry. My parents eat without me and I do some last minute interview prep and job search.

8:30 p.m. — I’m done prepping for the day and decide to eat my left over samosa.

9 p.m. — I decide to watch Hulu and Netflix until I go to sleep.

Daily Total: $17.50

Day Five: 4/5, Thursday

8 a.m. — My alarm goes off. I have an interview at 10:30 today, and I wanted to go to the gym beforehand. I get up, do my daily morning deed, and get dressed for the gym.

9:30 a.m. — Done at the gym! I head out and stop by CVS to pick up my birth control. No fee or charge - thanks for the health insurance dad!

10 a.m. — After showering, I make myself a cup of coffee and eat two madeline cookies while watching B99 before my interview.

12 p.m. — Interview done! It was incredibly boring and I am not excited about this job at all, so I’m happy that it’s over. I heat up my left over pizza and watch B99.

1:45 p.m. — I finally manage to get myself off the sofa and put on my make up and get dressed for a pre-recorded video interview (only the top half though).

2:30 p.m. — I grab the package I’ve been meaning to mail out to Justin and stop by USPS. The first location I stopped at ended up being just a bunch of mail boxes, so I head to a second location. I ship it in a medium sized flat rate box. $13.65

3 p.m. — After mailing the package out, I head to Santana Row to see a shirt I put on reserve. I end up not liking it very much, but contemplate buying a pair of earrings I’ve been eyeing. I decide it’s not worth it to spend $20 on a pair of earrings, and leave empty handed.  

4 p.m. — My treat for myself is a small cup of jasmine tea ice cream from a local ice creamery. So good! $5

6 p.m. — My parents come home and cook dinner. Perk of living at home - I rarely have to cook. 

9 p.m. — I meet up with my friends for froyo. I wasn’t going to get anything initially, but I am weak minded and caved. $4.66

Daily Total: $23.31

Day Six: 4/6, Friday

8:30 a.m. — I wake up early again so I can squeeze in some gym time before work.

10:15 a.m. — I finally get home! I rush in a shower, then put on my make up and eat half of a bun for breakfast/lunch.

10:44 a.m. — I head out for work. I am not dreading this shift as much since I don’t have to open or close.

3:30 p.m. — I finally get off of work! I head to Nordstrom Rack to return something for my mom and look at shoes. I leave without buying anything and head home.

6 p.m. — My mom makes bok choy noodles - so yum!

8 p.m. — I spend the rest of the night watching Netflix and Hulu, and finally cancel a hair appointment that I booked (I booked two and was trying to decide on one).

Daily Total: $0

Day Seven: 4/7, Saturday

10 a.m. — I wake up later than usual today and roll around in bed for a little bit before getting up. My mom bought food from an Asian grocery market, so I eat sticky rice and you tiao for breakfast while watching Netflix.

1 p.m. — My parents decide to go out for lunch, so we go to a Taiwanese cafe. It’s sub par, but at least my parents paid.

2:30 p.m. — I get changed and go shopping with my mom. I don’t buy anything, but it’s fun to window shop. I was going to exchange my hair curler but decided not to at the last minute.

4 p.m. — My mom and I decide to do a little bit of grocery shopping on the way home. She buys me ramen and some snacks, and gives me cash so I can buy milk tea!

6 p.m.  — We get home and start making dumplings for dinner. So yum!

Daily Total: $0

Day Eight: 4/8 (BONUS), Sunday

9 a.m. — I wake up and force myself to get changed for the gym.

11 a.m. — I finally get back from the gym. My dad’s home from SF, so we make hand pulled noodles for lunch.

3:15 p.m. — I head out for work.

8:15 p.m. — I get off work almost an hour late. I head home, and eat some vegetables my parents made for dinner.

9:30 p.m.  — I spend the rest of the night watching Netflix and munching on sunflower seeds.

Daily Total: $0

The Breakdown:

Weekly Total $$ Spent: $75.70

Day One: 3/25

9 a.m. — I “wake up” - in reality it means I stare at my phone with one eye shut and lay in bed for another hour browsing Reddit and FB

10 a.m. — Finally decide to get out of bed, brush my teeth, and go to the kitchen. My mom bought me cheesecake from an Asian bakery! She’s leaving for China today, so I make myself 2 cups of espresso with soy milk and sit in the kitchen at chat with her until she leaves for her flight at noon.

11 a.m. — My friends and I were planning a trip to Seattle for my friend’s going away trip, and we finally booked the flight back (even though we haven’t bought our flight there yet)!!! My dad tells me to use his card cause he gets points. It was $118, but I give him $100 in cash cause I don’t have loose bills. He says its fine. $100

12 p.m. — My dad brings my mom to the airport, and I decide to try to get some interview prep done. I start by reading an article about Dropbox from the NYT since I’m trying to get into the habit of reading the news every day.

2:30 p.m. — I have work at 3:30, and it takes me a while to do my make-up and hair, so I retreat to my room to get ready.

3:45 p.m. — Finally head out for work! Another exciting day in retail.

6 p.m. — The store was crazy with terrible customers. I finally go on my 15 minute break and stop by Smashburger for a Neapolitan shake and rosemary fries. I manage to finish all the fries within 10 minutes, and I’m proud but disgusted with myself. $7.96

7:45 p.m. — I get off work 15 min late because the store was trashed. I’m exhausted and finally head home.

8 p.m. — My dad was waiting at home for me to eat dinner. We head out to a noodle place nearby our house. He pays.

9:50 p.m. — I notice a similarly priced flight that flies a little earlier than the flight we booked previously, and its to a better/more convenient airport. We all cancel our previous flight and book this one instead. It’s still charged on my dad’s card, thanks dad! 

Daily Total: $107.96

Day Two: 3/26

9 a.m. — I wake up early so I can go to the library and prep for my 2 interviews. But first, I roll around in bed for a little bit.

10 a.m. — Got to the library right when it opened. I check for flights again to see if they’ve dropped - they haven’t. I start replying to emails that I received this morning, and commit to studying until at least 1.

11 a.m. — The girl sitting across from me is disgusting, so I switch seats to across the aisle.

1:30 p.m. — I didn’t get that much work done (ended up replying to a bunch of emails), but I decide to roll out so I can make lunch and take a quick nap before I Skype the BF.

1:45 p.m. — There’s not really any food at home, so I make a bowl of cereal and call it a day. I fall asleep on the couch while watching B99.

3 p.m. — I Skype the BF before work so I can get some interview prep in.

4:45 p.m. — I head out to work!! Yay.

9:30 p.m. —  Work ends and I rush home. I take a quick shower and eat left over noodles for dinner. My friends and I saw that flights to Seattle from SFO have dropped by about 50 bucks, so we buy! They buy the direct flight and I buy the only indirect flight at the same time because it’s $15 bucks cheaper. I put it on my dad’s card and give him $150 in cash, but he only takes $100. $100

10:30 p.m. — I’m feeling really tired, so I decide not to do anymore interview prep and to just call it a night so I can be well rested. I lay in bed on my phone for an hour before I finally go to sleep.

Daily Total: $100

Day Three: 3/27

6:15 a.m. — My first alarm rings - I hate myself. I hit snooze on the next few alarms.

6:30 a.m. — I finally drag myself out of bed and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth, wash my face, and put in my contacts. Then I head to my room and play some B99 as I put on my make-up and do my hair.

7:30 a.m. — I was going to get coffee on the way to the Caltrain but decided not to. My dad drops me off at the Mountain View stop right as a train is approaching. I quickly buy a ticket and get on the train and manage to snag a seat. I’ll be expensing this ticket.

9 a.m. — Finally get to SF a few minutes later than expected. I call an Uber to the office I’m interviewing at. I’ll be expensing this ride.

9:30 a.m. — There’s way more traffic than expected. I tried to prep a little more on the Uber, but I was so stressed I can’t concentrate. I finally get to the office and use the lobby bathroom so I can change into my skirt and heels, then head up.

12 p.m. — So far, I’ve said some things I probably shouldn’t have said - but I hope for the best. 3 analysts take me and another interviewee to lunch at a really fancy restaurant downstairs. There are literally no vegetarian options so I order a chicken Caesar salad without the chicken. They order 4 apps that I cant eat, and then 2 desserts that we all split.

2 p.m. — We all head back up to the office so the interviewee and I can finish up our last 2 rounds of interviews.

3 p.m. — My interviews are finally over. I don’t think I did great, but I’m trying not to dwell. I change back into my pants and flats, chat with my friend in the lobby for a little bit, and decide to walk to Boba Guys for a treat.

3:30 p.m.  — Boba Guys has a crazy long line, so I decide just to go home. I call an Uber to the Caltrain and tell my dad when I expect to be at the Mountain View station. I’ll be expensing this ride.

5 p.m.  — I get to the Mountain View station and my dad picks me up. We head home, and he cooks up a few veg dishes for us.

9 p.m.  — After napping, eating, and de-stressing on the sofa for a little bit, I decide to get to work. I review my notes about the company and a few frameworks for case studies.

10:30 p.m. — I’m tired and unmotivated. I brush my teeth and head to bed. I lay in bed on my phone for a little bit before finally falling asleep.

Daily Total: $0

Day Four: 3/28

8:15 a.m. — My alarm wakes me up and I get up to get ready for another day of interviewing.

9:15 a.m. — After finishing my hair and make-up, I head out to buy myself a cup of matcha so I can be caffeinated (but not jittery) for my interview. $4.90

9:45 a.m. — After getting back home, I eat a bowl of cereal while watching B99. Then I get to work and try to squeeze in a little more studying before I have to head out.

11 a.m. — My dad comes home to pick me up for my interview. We drive to the Caltrain and I buy a ticket (not re-imburse-able). $16.50

1 p.m. — We should’ve been in the city by now, but the train breaks down because of a problem with the power. I wait for 10 minutes before getting off the train with the bulk of everyone else, and call an Uber to the city. All the Ubers and Lyfts are super far away so it takes a while for them to reach me. $12.87

1:30 p.m. — I finally get to Blue Bottle! I go inside and snag a seat. I sit and study for about 30 minutes before I head into the bathroom to change into my skirt.

2 p.m. — I head over to the office site. I get there a little early so I sit and study for a little bit more. When the clock hits 15, I head upstairs to wait for my interview.

3:30 p.m. — The interview went terribly, and I come out of the office on the verge of tears. I call my friend to vent and cry a little bit, and she reassures me that everything will be okay and that it isn’t my fault. I’m constantly on edge with recruiting, and I’m just ready for the whole thing to be over.

4 p.m. — My friend who works in the city is able to take a quick (not-so-quick) break, so we head to Boba Guys and wait in the long line. We chat about my interview yesterday and today, and our future trip to Seattle. After we grab our drinks , we head back to her office. $4.50

5:30 p.m. — I try to call an Uber from her office, but there’s so much traffic that all the Uber’s take too long to get to me. I decide to walk to the Caltrain since it would take about the same amount of time.

6 p.m. — I finally get to the Caltrain and snag a seat. I text my dad to let him know when I would reach Mountain View.

7:30 p.m. — I finally get home! I feel disgusting and exhausted. I take a quick shower, and call the nearby pizza place for take out. I offer to share with my dad but he wants to eat left overs. $17.50

9 p.m. — Dinner and snacking time is over. I am trying to destress by watching B99 and Youtube, but it isn’t working.

Daily Total: $56.27

Day Five: 3/29

7:25 a.m. — My alarm goes off. At first, I wake up thinking that it’s so early, I can definitely go back to sleep! And then I remember I have work at 8 AM, so I get up and get ready for the day.

9 a.m. — My manager and I had to make a run to the bank, and I literally spend the entire time on my phone trying to stake out Fenway Park tickets for senior week. I feel bad, but I finally get them! $14

12:30 p.m. — Today was a crazy day at work. I swear at one point there were literally 10 strollers in the store, with babies crying left and right and the store getting trashed. I thank my lucky stars that I don’t have to clean up tonight, and head out of work for the day.

1 p.m. — After having a mental breakdown about my abilities and job searching, I heat up my left over pizza and eat it for lunch as I watch B99. I snack on some sunflower seeds, and then pass out on the couch for a few hours.

4 p.m. — I finally wake up and feel disgusting. I wash my face and put in some eye drops (since my contacts dried up in my eyes). I go to my computer and update my budget and cringe in pain as I see how much money I spent on food this month. I vow to myself to really rein it in so I can actually save some money for Europe.

7 p.m. — My dad comes home and brings Chipotle for dinner! I’m only able to finish half of mine, so I save the other half for lunch tomorrow. 

Daily Total: $14

Day Six: 3/30

9:30 a.m. — I wake up, roll around in bed for a little bit, and then get up to head to the gym.

11:30 a.m. — My workout is finally done! I head home so I can shower.

12 p.m. — I heat up my left over Chipotle for lunch, and respond to a few emails. I got invited back by one of the companies I interviewed at for lunch, and I am super confused as to why because I was 100% sure that I bombed the interview and that the director did not like me. I respond saying that I am interested anyways and we schedule a time.

1 p.m. — I eat my Chipotle on the couch while watching B99. I pass out for like 3 hours.

3:30 p.m. — I finally get up off the couch. I remix my slime to make it less sticky and accidentally get some on the kitchen rug. I can’t get it off so I leave it, hoping that it’ll get less sticky with time. 

4 p.m. — I retreat into my room to get ready for work. I only do my make-up since I’m feeling lazy.

4:45 p.m. — I head out to work. 

9:30 p.m. — I love closing with one manager in particular cause she’s always in a rush to get out early, just like me. We leave about 15 minutes early and I get home. My dad’s not home, so I make myself a bowl of cereal and eat it in a rush since I have to head out soon. My dad gets home just as I start eating and I let him know what my plans for the night are.

10 p.m. — My friend calls me telling me that she and her boyfriend just broke up. She is not upset about it at all, which is good, and we use the time to catch up on each other’s lives. I chat with her as I drive to my other friends house. One of my friends recently got into her first choice med school, so we are celebrating! They were planning on going clubbing, but we decided to stay in and have a chill night instead.

2 a.m. — We ended up spending the night just chatting and watching tv/movies. We finally head home at 2 am, and I take off my make-up, wash my face, change, and get into bed. 

Daily Total: $0

Day Seven: 3/31

10 a.m. — I wake up suuper late today because of how late I slept last night. I muster what little motivation I have to get up and get changed for the gym.

12 p.m. — I finally finish at the gym! I take a shower and heat up two Asian buns and eat two hard boiled eggs for lunch. Then I snack on some sunflower seeds before passing out on the couch for another 3 hours.

4 p.m. — I finally wake up and hate myself for sleeping for so long. This is one of the few weekends I have off and I wasted one by napping! I am still stressed out about job search, but I decide not to do anything about it today since I still need more me time.

6 p.m. — My dad gets home from biking, and after he showers and changes, we head out to a shabu shabu place for dinner. He pays - thanks dad!

9:30 p.m.  — I do a little bit of job search since I’m bored and it’ll take some of the tension I’m feeling off. 

10 p.m.  — I finish up totaling my money diaries!

Daily Total: $0

The Breakdown:

Weekly Total $$ Spent: $278.23

I’ve been tempted to try to commit to this lifestyle for a while, and I’ve decided no better time than the present!!!! Obviously it’ll be hard since I’m still living at home and I can’t control what my parents do or buy, but I can control what I do and buy. This blog will now be tracking my progress in #zerotrash too. Here are my first few commitments:

Buy a reusable coffee cup - bring it when I go to coffee shops!! Unless they use their own mugs and etc.

Bring my own reusable straw!! I’m super lazy and I love using straws when I’m drinking things cause its easier/less messy when I’m wearing lipstick, so it’s time to commit to a reusable straw. And utensils but that isn’t as big of a thing in my life.

No paper or plastic bags!! Reusable totes only!

Bring my own containers when I go grocery shopping!! Obviously not everything I buy comes with the option of zero trash, but when I can, fill up my own container with cereal/rice/honey/etc.