Money. Environment. Travel.
About a year ago I wrote about how I had opened up a credit card with an annual fee of $495. I had all intentions of keeping the card open for a year and then closing it prior to when the second year's annual fee posted. However, when examining the pros and cons of keeping the card open I realized it made much more sense to keep using it.
Back in October of 2021 my partner and I visited my family for only the second time since March 2020. In order to pay for the trip's lodging we used credit card points to cover 100% of the cost. If we hadn't used points, this five-night hotel stay would have cost us $1,200.
The highlight of this quarter was a (short-lived) return to normalcy. We met up with my partner's family down south and stayed in an adorable Airbnb, visited my family, and shared an indoor meal with others (finally!).
I have been working in my current job for a few years now. For the majority of my time here, I have had little to no interest in moving up the "corporate" (non-profit) ladder due to a number of factors, one being that the job is stressful enough by itself, least adding on more responsibilities and stress. So, I had no urge to take on a leadership position. However, one such position opened up recently, and due to some changes in the organization I decided to apply for the position.
This quarter's pandemic finance diaries brought the summer, an exciting time during the pandemic! While my partner became fully vaccinated this quarter, cementing our position as a fully-vaccinated household, it didn't turn out to be quite the adventure and travel-filled era for which we were hoping due to the Delta variant's arrival.
In early July my partner and I boarded a plane for the first time in 16 months. We had hoped it would be the first trip of many in our return to regular air travel, a confirmation that everything was safe and well in the world. As it turns out, after about 15 minutes in the airport my partner and I agreed we would not be flying for the rest of 2021.
My partner and I have lived in Washington, DC with zero cars for the past five years. We've purposely designed our life to be car-free. Some people call us crazy, but we have our reasons.
Welcome to Part 5 of the Pandemic Finance Diaries! Part 5 will review my gig job income from March 1, 2021 to May 31, 2021. If you missed Parts 1-4 or are wondering why I’m tallying my gig economy income during the pandemic, I suggest starting at Part 1 of the series. This quarter's pandemic… Continue reading Pandemic Finance Diaries, Part 5: New Opportunities
Let's delve into my new favorite dumpster find, that being my 43-gallon compost tumbler. I've been composting in my apartment for about six years now, but finally received the seal of approval from the head of my building to obtain outdoor community compost bins.
To say that 2020 was a difficult year is an understatement. I have been more fortunate than some in that I didn't lose most of my income, I stayed healthy, I never worried about losing my housing, and, as far as I know, I never contracted the novel coronavirus. However, it has not been an easy year. My profession is prone to high turnover due to burn out - we tend to give too much without taking care of ourselves - and in the midst of a pandemic this rang all the truer. The constant go go go of helping others with their needs, combined with my anxiety and depression, made for some difficult days during the last 14 months.
Cheap Eco Wanderer 