Save. Spend. Splurge.

Week of Money: Time to Take A Break

DAY ONE

??:?? — I wake up. I slept but not enough. This has been a very stressful work week which I hope is behind me now, and just … so much to do. I feel like I am not in control.

7:10 a.m. — I log in and start working. I am trying not to work TOO early, but I can’t help myself, I’m a bit of a Type A Alpha Workaholic which I am sure is not a surprise for you at all.

8:23 a.m. — I make a cup of tea after trying to clear up a few emails.

11:48 a.m. — I head out to return this cashmere turtleneck to get $240 back. I need to be focused and this means sacrifices and being smart about what I keep, buy or don’t. I need to really take this seriously. -$241.57

12:23 p.m. — I buy those extra pyjamas on sale for Little Bun because I KNOW he will ruin the others, it is just a matter of time. I buy extras for until the end of this year, and another two sets on deep sale for when he gets bigger. $17.43

1:34 p.m. — I head home, log in and start working.

4:05 p.m. — I log off for the day.

6:28 p.m. — I coax Little Bun into eating his dinner (vegetable stew) and he needs to be told that vegetables give him good germs and the bad germs go away with vegetables, so I tell him how it works, and then it all goes down the hatch.

8:22 p.m. — Time for bed. I have to coax him to brush his teeth too. Ugh.. children.

Returned: $241.57

Spent: $17.43

DAY TWO

??:?? — This feels very early. OMFG. IT IS EARLY. He needs the bathroom.

??:?? — Now I can’t sleep. I am thinking about work.

??:?? — Little Bun is crying because his nose is bleeding. Doesn’t want me, wants Daddy. Go. Go to Daddy.

??:?? — Little Bun won’t sleep now without milk. I give him milk, force him back to sleep.

??:?? — He wakes up crying again (I think he is sick), and I get him back to sleep.

7:01 a.m. — We “slept” in , but it was all broken sleep.

7:25  a.m. — WTF. I cut my eyeball accidentally with my fingernail. Damn it. Now it is all turning red. I hope it isn’t going to get infected. I start to turn into a hypochondriac.

7:59 a.m. — I leave for work.

11:45 a.m. — Lunch. I only came in to go to lunch (just kidding)….  I go and grab my lunch date and we head off. We have DELICIOUS pork belly (I was dreaming about this), and I feel really satisfied. $20.70

1:00 p.m. — Back at the office, I am rushing to get things done.

3:28 p.m. — I head home. Traffic is horrendous, snow everywhere. WTF.

6:34 p.m. — Time for dinner. I make light noodles (that pork belly was filling!), and I feed Little Bun who wants to be a baby right now.

8:40 p.m. — Time for bed. My eye is really aching now, and I am getting a headache.

Spent: $20.70

DAY THREE

??:?? — Little Bun needs the bathroom (this is just a pretense to wake up so that he gets milk, I AM ON TO HIM)

??:?? — He bursts out crying he doesn’t want to sleep any more and he is awake and should get milk now, because he is UNSLEEPY.

??:?? — FML. I am not going to deal with this. I am tired. I give up and get him his milk.

??:?? — He falls back asleep in no time.

7:14 a.m. — I get up and start getting ready. Traffic is going to be hell today.

7:33 a.m. — I leave for work. Glasses on, no contacts, I feel like I look really stupid and ugly today. I know I don’t but this is my feeling. I am having an UGLY DAY today.

8:20 a.m. — At work, I tell my team lead I am leaving for my eye appointment before lunch. I think they are resigned to the fact that I am going to do whatever  I want and if they want to keep me, they have to let me have a lot of flexibility and leeway.

10:40 a.m. — I head off for my eye appointment and make another to come back the following day for a follow-up. This is not covered under Canadian healthcare — anything to do with teeth or eyes — so it comes out of pocket. $60

12:28 p.m. — At home, having lunch. My partner heads out to run errands.

1:25 p.m. — I crack open a bag of crispy M&M (with a puffed rice center) because I’m a stressed pig who feels ugly today. Waiting for Little Bun to wake up.

1:40 p.m. — I take Little Bun out for a playdate. It may be the last one for a while because we are all so busy and it is hard to get together.

3:10 p.m. — Back from the playdate. Little Bun asked to come home to be with Daddy… Go figure.

5:40 p.m. — I make food, and feed Little Bun his dinner.

6:37 p.m. — Must do laundry tomorrow, we are out of kitchen towels

6:59 p.m. — My head is throbbing like mad. I am SO dizzy right now, switching from contacts to glasses makes me so incredibly nauseous. I want this eye to heal so I can go back to contacts.

8:22 p.m. — Time for bed.

Spent: $60

DAY FOUR

7:00 a.m. — I wake up tired. Little Bun slept well but my headache and nausea from this contacts to glasses switch, and the slight ache in my left eyeball did not make for a solid night’s sleep.

7:10 a.m. — I start a matcha tea and log in to work.

8:08 a.m. — I answer a few questions.

8:45 a.m. — Hop on a call.

10:28 a.m. — Call over. It was more of a b*tchfest with a colleague LOL… but we need to vent and get it off our chests because it is stressful work and I cannot say this to anyone at work who is not a fellow consultant, they protect their own… if you know what I mean. I have to keep a tight lid on at work.

12:56 p.m. — Lunchtime, my partner heads out and I continue working.

3:56 p.m. — I take Little Bun out for another play date. This is the last one for a while, our schedules only matched up because of snow days and that I work from home so often now.

4:30 p.m. — My head is throbbing. I eat her delicious homemade focaccia and amaretti cookies. She’s the ultimate Pinterest mom and I benefit greatly….

5:32 p.m. — Back from the playdate (Little Bun asked to come back again to see Daddy), my partner goes out to get bread for dinner.

6:25 p.m. — Dinner over, we go through this paper coding book — it is like the app, but in book form and Little Bun BEGGED for it when he saw it in his app, so I caved and ordered the Kidlo Coding Book — I can see how advertising gets into your pockets through the eyes of kids… and we don’t even have TV or anything. Can you imagine if we did? Little Bun would beg for everything.

7:17 p.m. — I do the dishes.

8:30 p.m. — Time for bed.

Spent: $0

DAY FIVE

??:?? — Little Bun whimpering.

??:?? — Another nightmare .. for us both because HE IS STILL WHIMPERING!

??:?? — He is now trying to find a comfortable spot on my stomach by grinding his massively heavy little boy head into and onto my stomach and prodding my bladder. FML kids are heavy and annoying sometimes.

??:?? — Okay now his massive head is on my arm cutting off circulation. I love the cuddle but my arm is going numb.

??:?? — Bathroom run. For both of us…

6:03 a.m. — I wake up. It is early. He is grumpy but I’m grumpier.

6:12 a.m. — I make tea. And start getting dressed.

7:20 a.m. — I get into work and am in Boss Mode. I have a list of things to do today and I want to be sure I’m ready for when things hit the fan on Monday.

8:20 a.m. — I am currently OBSESSED with these songs from the soundtrack for Crazy Rich Asians (thoughts on the movie here) but I am loving Kina Grannis’ voice for “Can’t help falling in love with you” and the beat/melody in My New Swag. I want to find more songs by them to see if I can find other faves.

8:34 a.m. — I also like Yellow (but Katherine Ho’s voice isn’t as great as Kina’s for higher notes) and Money by Cheryl K.. just because I love the song as I know it in English.

9:56 a.m. — I finish half my tasks and 2 urgent issues come in … COME ON NOW.

10:12 a.m. — I take a break for tea and chat with a colleague to relieve stress by bitching together.

10:38 a.m. — My teeth feel disgusting. I was so tired and dizzy from my stupid eyeball that I had no energy to even brush or floss last night. I know, I’m a disgusting animal. This is what having a kid who takes up your free time does to you. I take my kit into the bathroom at work and brush and floss thoroughly.

11:54 a.m. — Time for lunch. Two consultants are leaving and it is Chinese food today. Hope I’ll find something I want to eat…

12:40 p.m. — Gross. The food is gross. Japanese food is my favourite, and I like Chinese food but this is Americanized Chinese food and it is all deep fried, ‘sweet and sour’ with sauces from a can. I gag down my food politely. Everyone else is raving about it, because they don’t really eat or like real Chinese food, and are used to high fat, deep-fried, high salt, high sugar versions of Chinese food. $27.54

1:40 p.m. — I need to find some of Rupi Kaur’s works that are starting to go viral. I think her work is very honest and profound it is simplicity. I don’t care if it is considered lowbrow poetry — GOOD IS GOOD. I feel the same way about songs people think are not intellectual like Britney Spears’ I’m A Slave 4 U which I unapologetically LOVE. The video is awesome as well because she is such a great dancer.

4:00 p.m. — WHO BOOKS MEETINGS AT FOUR O’CLOCK? I glare at my friend. GRR.

4:20 p.m. — Two directors book me for next week for a meeting to “discuss some points”. I am inwardly groaning because this is like a never ending bad dream. Why don’t you all leave me the f*ck alone and let me do my job? Don’t manage me. I am not an employee, I am a consultant. In fact, I BECAME a consultant to get away from this HR crap.

4:51 p.m. — I drop off returns at the post office, and then head home.

6:34 p.m. — Dinner time. I eat three oranges afterwards.

8:15 p.m. — Time for bed.

Spent: $27.54

DAY SIX

??:?? — I wake up before Little Bun

6:20 a.m. — I make tea, and accidentally use my partner’s milk which he spikes with coffee so that he can just heat it up and drink it as-is without having to brew the coffee every morning. I spit it out, I can’t drink caffeine like that. What a shame.

6:59 a.m. — I do yoga – light yoga, I am really out of shape.

8:08 a.m. — I do the dishes and two loads of laundry.

10:25 a.m. — I am re-organizing / revamping my Instagram strategy, as in trying out new techniques, throwing it at the wall and seeing what ‘sticks’ so to speak. What I love is just posting all my outfits (you don’t need an account to see my posts here)

11:58 a.m. — I get ready to go out, it’s snowing but I have a pedicure appointment, and I have some errands to run. I hope my partner is home on time.

1:50 p.m. — Pedi time! $57

2:36 p.m. — I end up at a kitchen store, ordering more plates and waiting forever because they’re all hiding and only one poor girl is working the cash. $92.90

4:47 p.m. — I head home.

5:37 p.m. — Nice, SUPER light dinner of fresh salad, avocado and bread. My body craves this salad now, a nice cleanse to all the other stuff eaten during the week.

6:50 p.m. — Little Bun starts running around chucking his toys around the bedroom, and while they are cardboard THEY STILL can make dents in things, so he bursts into tears when I scold him. UGGGHHHH CHILDREN. I already asked him nicely at least 5 times to NOT throw things around. He only listens when you scream at him, and then it is waterworks.

8:22 p.m. — Bedtime.

Spent: $149.90

DAY SEVEN

??:?? — Nosebleed. FML.

6:42 a.m. — Tired. I do a little yoga (I got him before Little Bun), and I feel everything creak and groan. I need to get back into yoga.

7:22 a.m. — Tea time. Little Bun is up and his milk is finished.

8:08 a.m. — I organize my wardrobe and start ruthlessly going through everything, pulling out everything I want to resell at consignment. I remove about 65 items, but it all depends on if they take them or not, they could reject them.

10:15 a.m. — Phew. Done. I need to clean up the boots I want to resell and package them nicely as well.

11:08 a.m. — Lunch time. Little Bun has been hassling me all morning to eat, even after breakfast, and the food is finally ready. He eats creamy pasta with bacon and vegetables and loves it.

12:28 p.m. — Little Bun is refusing to nap. I don’t force him. I spend the afternoon organizing my brain, my bedroom, my mind, and my Instagram using Tailwind – try it for free for one month here, you can cancel at any time.

5:25 p.m. — My partner is home after running errands and found a winter jacket for Little Bun for $20, marked down from $150. He is great at finding deals. I have also put him in charge of Little Bun clothes because I cannot handle fighting with my partner again and again about buying the RIGHT clothes, in colours that aren’t full of dye (black), good for the environment, etc etc. I just cannot. He fights with me all the time on this because he always thinks he is right and I am sick of wasting time and money on finding things that he doesn’t approve of as being “correct”. You do it then.

6:30 p.m. — Light dinner of homemade bread and cheese. My stomach can’t handle much any way but I am craving a salad — I plan on eating a big one tomorrow.

7:12 p.m. — Little Bun conks his head on a chair corner, and there is a huge bruise / goose egg forming. He is crying and screaming about how he wants to get rid of all the chairs in the world. I tell him he is clumsy like Mommy and explain how Mommy does the same thing (I totally do), and when I get a bruised hip, shoulder or forehead, I know it was because I wasn’t paying attention.

8:25 p.m. — Bedtime. This is after Little Bun has “2 gulps of water”, brushed his teeth after being coaxed into it with a story about his Cousin brushing his teeth, and after he has done AT LEAST “10 Rescue Team Missions” (with his cardboard firetruck and schoolbus, and I have to get down on my hands and knees to vroom vroom the Rescue Team around the room to help animals and race), and two books. <—- All of this? Takes at least 45 minutes, so I start around 7:15 and hope to be done by 9:00 …

8:30 p.m. — He conks out right away, he doesn’t need a nap as often any more. This is another thing I fight about with my partner. I have started dropping his naps when he is with me and alone, and my partner puts him down anyway because he says it is when their brain and body grows and recuperates the most. Who is right? I have no clue but I don’t force him to nap when we are together any more. I do notice that he is VERY grumpy around 6 p.m. at night and tends to lose motor skills around that time as well, as he seems very tired, but he conks out earlier so I don’t know who wins here.

Spent: $0

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Want more? Read all of my previous Week of Money Diaries.

4 Comments

  • Revanche @ A Gai Shan Life

    I’m impressed you still get any naps out of Little Bun, it’s normal for them to outgrow naps at 3 and 4. As the worst present ever, JB dropped zir naps starting from my birthday last year 😀 I’ve finally gotten used to it but we also get better sleep than you do, typically, overnight. With JB in zir own room, we only have a few wake ups a week or less when things are normal. JB still naps at school once in a while but almost never on the weekends. It’s not worth fighting with zir about it, I don’t need the frustration. 😀

    • Sherry of Save. Spend. Splurge.

      Little Bun has very firm parents. Maybe a little too firm, I am trying to get him to be a little more troublesome so that he is more independent, but he listens VERY WELL. Not all the time, but pretty dang well.

      I don’t fight with him often. If I do fight, I sometimes give in, and let him make the choice. Other times if I see he is yawning, HE GOES DOWN.

  • Mia

    It is normal for most children to drop their nap in their third or fourth year.

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