mapiki

Remember to support systems/organizations working to make changes that allow for challengers from outside the main two parties to succeed. (Like ranked choice voting where not voting democratic doesn’t mean giving power to Republican or vice versa!)

I like everyone’s answers here.

1a. Definitely take at least some consideration of what your mental health looks like over those periods. It could be a symptom. (Not that you won’t sadly still need coping strategies regardless. Mental health issues just suck.)

1b. Do you have a career where there are seasonal variations in workload? Are coworkers or family or friends potentially influencing your spending behavior?

2. You’ve already heard of YNAB. (And it’s like only 10% a cult? 😂) I think it could be a useful tool for you. Since you seem to hate the minutia keep your categories dirt simple. Debt payments, short term fun, fixed expenses. Break them down only so far as they are useful for YOU. YNAB will get pretty good at guessing categories for you these days.

3. Consider what you are working towards when you are in a working hard phase. What makes those savings worthwhile? Afterall - money is only a means to an end. I find it easier to save and consider giving up buying that $800 pair of new powder skis I really don’t need if I know it’s to go on an epic honeymoon in a year. Personally and maybe not as easily applicable, I’ve had an issue of saving too much… so I also gave myself the list of goals I was saving for and what timeline I wanted for them and I avoid saving more than I need for those things over that time. (Retirement, wedding, down payment, honeymoon, student loans.) After that set amount… all the money is mine to do what I want with so I can spend it on what makes me happy without guilting over it.

Thank you for the write up! It looks great!

I have a question out of curiosity… Is it supportive in a good way or do the ab and back muscles start to weaken with time if you don’t make an effort to strengthen them?

If you say guns kill people one more time, I will shoot you with a gun, and you will, coincidentally, die.

<3 from the Welcome to Nightvale NRA

Every time you think it can’t get weirder.

So fun fact - the clothes were made to look like the proportions were wild and therefore historical corsets were not as crazy tight as we would assume.

… my phone is always dying so I think I’d like living in a desert otherworld where my phone mysteriously never dies

I can respect that. But also- set aside money on a regular basis (cash in an envelope for the physical reality or in a budgeting app) until you have enough to get one. And then splurge on that or something else you want more by then!

Agreed.

If anyone wants to further argue, note the issue is that we’ve built a country where cars are necessary. (And yet not so necessary that someone’s license can’t be suspended!) However, there is no reason why this can’t be changed. Saying it can’t is limiting our future to also think cars are necessary. They aren’t. They are useful in many places. But you could do without them if as a society we decided to do that. Dream bigger everyone! Have a world where you DON’T need to sit in traffic every day. Where you DON’T wait at red light after red light. Where you DON’T need to be a designated driver for your friends. Where you DON’T fear the day your vision gets so bad you lose your independence. Where you DON’T need to spend hundreds on insurance and car purchases and parking tickets and everything else. If we don’t dream it, we can’t ask for it. And if we don’t ask for it, what we have now will be what we’re stuck with.

(And if you want to have a car and have fun - sure! But then it’ll be extra fun when it’s not a requirement and fewer cars are on the road!)