So, I've got to shopping today because my fridge is literally empty. And I googled cheap meals to kind of inspire me and try not to buy the same five things every single week.
But whenever I do this I'm reminded how the word "cheap" is not always the same. And how often times cheap also means extremely high effort which isn't compatible with many lifestyles as well as people struggling with mental illness or physical illness...
So here are the meals that got me through some really difficult times (these meals aren't all healthy, they are simply healthier than skipping meals constantly which is what I did for a long time):
1.- Popcorn, where I live three bags cost one euro, that's 33 cents a meal that is hot, has flavour and just needs throwing in the microwave. Perfect to stop yourself from skipping a meal.
2.- Humus. A cheap blender, preferably the type uses for making juice is honestly the best thing ever. For humus you just throw chickpeas (I always use jarred) into said blender with whatever spices you like (I usually do salt, pepper, comino and curry powder), you blend and done! It can be eaten with nachos, on toast, or just on it's own. Takes five minutes is super cheap.
3.- Eggy bread, (basically French toast without the cinnamon) you just throw some egs in a bowl, mix them, add spices, dip the bread in and throw onto the pan. Takes barely any time, good hot meal, cheapest thing ever.
4.- Toast, obviously, having just some jam at home that can be spread onto some toast is another good way to avoid skipping a meal.
5.- Porridge, oats are super cheap, you just mix them with some milk, throw in the microwave and ta-dah! I add honey because honey is super cheap here but I know some areas it's more expensive, I've also added bananas when they're in season.
6.- Roasted vegetables, the other day pumpkins were cheap so I grabbed one, cut it in half threw it in the oven and that's that. Three meals ready to go. You can do a bunch of different vegetables, add spices or don't, do whatever works for you. Fried vegetables is also good but that requires a tiny bit more attention.
7.- Salad. People underestimate salad, at home you have full control, the other day I had glass noodles with cucumber and soy sauce. It was easier to make than pot-ramen and super healthy and tasted great. Sometimes I do pasta salad by making the pasta the day before and leaving it in the fridge (usually I make a pasta meal and just set some aside), russian salad is also amazing and super cheap.
8.- Vegetarian wraps, I just buy the frozen already chopped peppers form my supermarket, I fry them with a seasoner for burritos and then throw them into some wraps, cheap quick and delicious.
9.- Cereal, this is within the toast and popcorn area, just worth having around for when depression is high.
10.- Ramen but not ramen? Obviously, the pots of ramen are really expensive if you are dirt poor, but most supermarket sell noodles and chicken broth wich is the same thing. You just boil the noodle in the broth, I usually do this until their is no broth so it's not really ramen but to each their own. Make it extra amazing by adding a few more spices and an egg. Cheap, five minutes, delicious.
11.- Carbonara or bolognaise: just spaghetti (or any other pasta it doesn't really matter), for bolognaise I do tinned tomato, some onion, some garlic (depended on the season it'll be fresh or frozen), and if I have a bit of extra cash I add meat, but mostly my meals are vegetarian. For carbonara (this isn't proper carbonara but it works) I just do cooking cream, mushrooms, sometimes onion and again, if I have the money, bacon.
12.- Pizza bread, or pizza really. Just throw some tomato, cheese and ham on a piece of bread and put it in the oven. You can add or remove ingredients. If you have the time, flour and water makes dough to do proper pizza but you need to leave it to raise and I know I rarely think that far ahead.
13.- Toad in the whole, basically you mix water, flower and egg to make a pancake like batter, add some salt, put it in an oven friendly bowl or whatever, throw in some sausages (though I've done this without the sausages plenty of times), you get a bread, pancake, kinda thing and if you added sausages the juices make it taste extra good.
BONUS DESSERT: Cartwheels, basically you buy a pack of digestive biscuits and a bad of marshmallows, you put one marshmallow on one biscuit, put in the microwave for literally 10 seconds or less, when the marshmallow expands you place the other biscuit on top and voila! Super fast, cheap because you get lots of them out of those packs, warm.
Also, if you's feeling a bit depressed hot beverages are the cheapest treat I consistently get myself, like nice teas if you count the price per cup is super cheap but makes me happy. I also have like a pot of instant caramel cappuccino and some nice hot cholate powder.
Anyway, if you're struggling right now, good luck, the world is a mess right now and we just kind of have to trudge through that mess. Feel free to add anything that helped you through hard times because everybody has their own experience.
And again, most of these are not healthy, but sometimes you're just surviving and trust me, this is so much better than fainting because you haven't eaten in too long.
This is @thebigpapilio 's own fic! It is a crossover of Miraculous + Persona 5 as well! This is another submission from them! I read their first as well and this one really caught my eye. Once again, I don't know Persona 5, but the idea of Akira leaving his universe to go help the Miraculous Universe is really cool!! It also gives me a few ideas for AUs of my own! 😉😉
Even after returning to Tokyo once he came of age to move out on his own, Akira hadn’t been too eager to stop his activities as the Phantom Thieves’ leader. It felt like he’d had more purpose doing that business than he ever thought he’d have. If it hadn’t been for the government & the cost of stopping Yaldabaoth, he would have gladly continued to work in the Metaverse. Don’t get him wrong, he knew and accepted that it was a worthy cost, but he did miss being Joker and changing hearts…
He learned to be careful what he asked for when he dreamed one night of a woman calling out to him.
Chapter 1: A Dream Of New Beginnings!
Even after returning to Tokyo once he came of age to move out on his own, Akira hadn’t been too eager to stop his activities as the Phantom Thieves’ leader. It felt like he’d had more purpose doing that business than he ever thought he’d have. If it hadn’t been for the government & the cost of stopping Yaldabaoth, he would have gladly continued to work in the Metaverse. Don’t get him wrong, he knew and accepted that it was a worthy cost, but he did miss being Joker and changing hearts…
He learned to be careful what he asked for when he dreamed one night of a woman calling out to him.
“Akira Kurusu, also known as Joker,” she caught his attention immediately with that, “I am Geretas, and my world is in dire need of your help.”
“What…?”
“I know you hold the desire to become Joker again, a desire I can grant at little cost,” Geretas’ voice echoed throughout the dream world, “the Metaverse will be moderated by me - I promise to use it wisely.”
“And how do I know I can trust you?” Akira inquired.
“I beg you to do so - my universe is plagued by a supernatural threat, and if the heroes rising against himare not given any aid, they will fall soon.”
“Another universe, hm?” Akira said quietly, “...fine. Let me talk with the Thieves about it.”
“I can grant you enough time to inform them of your absence, but I’m afraid I only have the power to send one person to my world…”
“Very well. Please give me that time - I should be ready in less than a week.”
“My world will be in your debt. Now then, here are the specifics…”
And so, Akira was given a crash course in the situation of Geretas’ world, as well as being told about how the Miraculouses in play worked. He was also told about the changes in his transformation abilities. The first new thing was that he could easily transform at will into Joker (and back into Akira). He would be able to summon Personas outside the Metaverse to fight akumas. Furthermore, his dagger & handgun would not be hidden as model versions in his bag like before - instead, they would appear in his trenchcoat’s pockets once transformed; plus, his weapons were unable to so much as draw blood, kill or dismember (bullets would dissipate into thin air upon contact) for as long as Akira did not desire them to do so. He would be teleported out of any Palaces he infiltrated if he ran out of stamina (meaning he would be saved from death) and not be able to infiltrate a Palace again until the next day. He would also know French for the duration of his time in Paris in order to communicate with the locals without arousing suspicion.
“Thank you, Geretas, for giving me this chance. Keep your end of the deal and do not interfere other than saving me, understood?”
“You have my word. I do not intend to become the next Yaldabaoth.”
Akira could already feel Arsène’s power - reverted to the beginning as it was - returning to him, causing him to grin almost creepily.
“So you were asked to save another universe?” Futaba asked, “Lucky you, getting to go.”
“And what would you be able to do alone?” Akira teased.
“Still, if that Geretas chick gets the power or whatever it was to bring us over, don’t hesitate to call us over!” Ryuji exclaimed.
“Good luck, Akira.” Makoto nodded. Ann flashed him a thumbs up and winked cutely. Haru smiled a serene smile, as did Yusuke.
“It really is a shame we don’t get to come along, especially me…” Morgana frowned slightly. He’d be staying with “his Lady Ann” for the duration of Akira’s vacation, and now that Akira had let all his Confidants have a decent idea at least of what would be going on (which meant for his other allies such as Yuuki, Yoshida & Iwai that he was ‘taking time to explore something new,’ and ‘would be out for an undecided period of time’), he was prepared to enter the alternate universe.
That night, Geretas visited him again - this time, however, Arsène was waiting with her. Arsène transformed into his Joker mask, then floated towards his face, latching on and fitting as perfectly as it always had. Light trickled from the top of Akira to the bottom of him, his pajamas reforming into his Joker costume.
From behind the mask, Joker smirked.
It’s showtime.
Chapter 2: A New Worls & An Old Beginning
Groggily, Akira opened his eyes. He quickly realized that he was not in his usual bed back in Tokyo. I’m in Paris already?!
The sun was shining, at least. How fitting for a new beginning… yawning, Akira hopped out of bed, and on a desk he found a note and a large trash bag filled with enough cash to pay for him for a few months. The note stated:
Dear Joker,
This apartment is fully paid for, and you will never have to worry about rent or anything like it for the duration of your stay here. You have all the supplies for house upkeep that you’ll need, but the fridge is empty - you will have to buy food for yourself, as I don’t know what you like.
Taking his wallet and stuffing it with a chunk of the euros, Akira went to some markets nearby and bought enough groceries to last him a while. He also got some bread from a fantastic patisserie he found while walking around. The woman manning the register was quite kind, and when she learned he was new to Paris, she halved the cost of his purchases from her as a welcoming gift. Smiling, he soon returned to the apartment, and after putting up the groceries, he suddenly felt the need to go on a rooftop stroll.
Willing his transformation into Joker, he covertly hopped out of a window and parkoured around Paris. He stopped however, when he heard the sound of conflict from an alleyway below him.
“Please, stop! Leave me alone! I’ll call the cops!” Priscilla sobbed.
“The fuzz are my bitches. Now stop fighting me and start taking it!”
“And what do you think you’re doing?” a voice purred. The voice was decidedly that of a young man, but it was deeper and more dramatic than Chat Noir’s, so this man didn’t think too much of him.
Regardless, both him and Priscilla were shocked to see a figure swoop down and land in the shadows of the alleyway. He’d moved too fast for them to get a good idea of what he looked like, and he was mostly covered by the darkness of the alley, so as far as they were concerned, he was just a voice and a silhouette for now.
“W-who are you?” the man asked, more caught off-guard than afraid.
Priscilla could sense an eerie grin appearing on this newcomer.
“My codename is Joker,” he smiled, “Phantom Thief, Changer of Hearts, & Savior of the Oppressed & Downtrodden.”
Although he was confused, the man regained his composure and snarled, “And what business do you got with me? This is none of your business!”
“From what I’ve picked up, you’re hurting an innocent woman and attempting to force her to do… unpleasant things to you,” ‘Joker’ snapped back, “When you try to hurt innocents, it becomes my business. Here is what you will do - you will leave this woman alone, or I can assure you that you will regret ever having looked in her direction.”
The attacker paled, only to grow even paler when the local officer Roger’s voice called out, “What’s going on here?”
Before Joker or her assailant could speak up, Priscilla cried out, “He was trying to rape me!” in desperation.
Roger entered the scene, his eyes narrowed with fury. Rapists had a high rank on his shitlist.
Looking at the attacker, Roger said, “Alright, stranger, you’re coming with me.” and dragged him off, presumably to face punishment for his attempts. Looks like he wasn’t buddy-buddy with the police after all!
Turning towards Joker, Priscilla was about to thank him when she realized something about the murky figure.
He was already gone.
Now a few rooftops away, Joker smiled as he watched the cop cruiser carrying the man drive out of sight. This was a second success against scumbags like Shido - he didn’t even get arrested initially this time!
Now then, he thought to himself, let us return ho-
The sound of something whizzing through the air caught his attention. Side-eyeing the direction the sound came from, he quickly caught something small, red and round thrown in his direction with one hand. Upon further examination, it seemed to be a red yo-yo with black spots.
Wait a minute…
Following the string, Joker laid his eyes upon Ladybug & Chat Noir for the first time. They couldn’t be a day older than 18. What the hell?
“What’s your name, akuma?” the girl in scarlet said, her tone confident.
“Easy now, miss. I’m no akuma. In fact…”
Chat Noir & Ladybug paused. Akumas always swore their allegiance to Hawkmoth with misled pride, and he would have attacked them or someone else by now if he was an akuma. However, that brought up a new question in such a case:
Who was he?
As if reading their minds, the debonair stranger smiled. It was genuine, but a bit unnerving in some way.
“My name is Joker. And now that I think about it… there is a deal I would like to make with the two of you.”
Two days ago our neighbour drove the combine harvester up the road and broke my donkey fence. Today I talked with him about it.
He is a scorpio. Arrogant,macho, knows he is someone, taciturn, alot of warm charm, can be patronising, and we have had several conversations over the years which have been unsatisfactory, and have often been heated. He takes things without asking, and when you ask him he admits it and plays the charm card, or brings up extraneous stuff.
I am old and have many years experience with this type of psychology. When you cannot avoid such people you have to call a true note, over and over until you get good enough to hit the nail on the head so well there is awareness as the product, and in a way that the other person is not belittled. When you are dealing with a man who responds to beauty and uses charm, and you are not beautiful or young or charming it takes several goes. I have learned alot from watching the liberty training videos, and the mustang challenge. My sympathy is with the horse - better they are free. But not free, liberty training is the way to go imo. When you get a movement towards what you want you release pressure immediately. You encourage, you show, you use distance (the string of the whip) to make contact in ways that aren’t too much. You approach, you befriend, you are fair in the circumstances. You encourage forward movement rather than perfection though are moving that way, flexibility, awareness, finding out what the horse doesn’t know and showing him skills so he can work in any environment and think for himself, and calm himself down. It works equally for me.
Today I stopped his car - I was changing the fence.
‘Oh!’ I said. ‘About the fence the other day....’
We beat around many bushes in conversation. I followed him to the centre. Sometimes I was exasperated, sometimes I said you can’t argue both sides of an argument. I met him, we parried, we clashed. He said he had said he was sorry. i said I didn’t want his apology, though I was grateful and accepted it, what I wanted was not to have this happen again and that he took enough care to see whether in fact he had broken the fence clean through and that if he had he made sure he told me about it and I didn’t find out any other way. He offered to buy me off/buy me another fence - unfortunately that wouldn’t solve anything - I wanted us to speak before we have a problem. I want his consideration rather than his money. I did not feel that I could take his money and gain his consideration.
I said to him that as a scorpio I felt if you weren’t close to him you don’t get the consideration. He conceded that. I said that for more than 20 years I have dropped charm altogether because I don’t want to influence or sweeten people, just stick to what is honest and net. He agreed with that. I said I thought some men can only hear women if they are beautiful or young or charming and I am none of these. He said he was listening and hearing. I said I am also a flower with the petals ripped off, what would you do? He smiled with real warmth. He agreed that we will talk things through well before to find solutions so that we never come up with problems like this.
His wife always told me how soft he is. I try to remember that, I try to think of her. I am irritated when I feel people are trying to charm me. It wastes so much time. Being charming is different from charm that is not manoeuvring, though even that I have eliminated in myself, when people get an idea into their heads which isn’t true it can be very difficult to bring them back to reality and if you aren’t paying attention you may not even notice they have gone off on some unreal idea about you. And for myself too: at what point is charm a false emphasis, no longer a true note, misleading. It has seemed more important to work at being 'true’.
We will see.
And it really is about unravelling things isn’t it - my conversation with him is part of a wider conversation with the others we live with. Learning, clarifying, speaking your truth, hearing others. Listening and hearing. Going forward rather than perfection, though ‘effortless perfection’ is the aim and we all know how much work that takes!
Every year he trashes the combine harvester, says how worthless it is. Every year he is glad to use it. Every year he offers to buy it. She is from 1962. Today he told me he knew I had a sentimental attachment to her. I said it suited him to use the machine, if it didn’t suit him he would make other arrangements. That we try to have everything so that everyone can benefit, we are glad that he uses the combine, but we have fields ourselves and a combine is useful. Several times he said, he couldn’t bring a commercial combiner because the scale is too small, that he couldn’t share with the couple in the village 4 km away who have a small combine and anyway they would be using it, that the combine is alot of work and he does the mechanics on it. For the moment I said, and you are glad to use it. (We don’t charge him, just ask he puts diesel in it. My husband doesn’t want to do the mechanics on it: he has maintained it for 25 years and is retired.). A young woman is growing cereals to make bread. If a combine was easy to buy second hand he would have done so. Over the years we have bought several (all around the same age) and it costs 1000 euros or so for transport - 10 years further on you may not find one within a hundred km.
The group wanted to get rid of it and I refused. We have fields. We need it. If he wants to use it he can but we need it. Even if there are years when no one is doing cereals you have to think of the long term. When I said to him today that we have fields and we need it, I got the impression it was the first time he was aware of us rather than just his preferences over the combine harvester.
What I have learned is that you always have to be ready to take in new material and modify your pov but that alot of people are real shockers and if that is the case you cannot assume their decisions include your needs because they don’t. In any case clarification is very important to make sure you are on the same page.
To any youngsters who witness these types of conversations I ask - did you follow that? did you see what I/we saw? Do you agree with my/any/either assessment? Is there anything I/we missed? Do you have anything else to add? Would you have handled that any differently. Would something else be better? Obviously I stop at the point where they haven’t followed or don’t know or ... It is a good training ground, hopefully their reflexes will be clear to modify situations in real time because for me it is a big (painstaking) effort. And if they chip in in real time it tends to be up to scratch.
I’m not that good with youngsters but this kind of awareness acuity seems important. For the animals too. With our donkeys, the jennies were in awe of the stallion who lost it and we had such a problem with him. One of his daughters became the peace holder when she was big enough. She kicks him still if he forgets himself and goes for another donkey. She spent a whole day between her parents (we kept an eye on her to make sure she didn’t need help) and every 15 minutes or so when her father would think of another grievance and went for her mother she would kick him in the ribs really hard, and in the end he let it go (hours and hours later, we had had problems day and night for 2 years, 1 year constantly and less after he was castrated until his daughter took our role effectively enabling them all to stay together rather than be separated in 2 groups. That was 15 years ago, and from time to time he still gets an idea into his head and she boots him in the ribs and he lets it go before it really takes hold. Her father trusts her. And she keeps him in line at need).
There was another donkey in the last couple of years she couldn’t deal with and I sent him to a horse whisperer who liberty trained him, and now he is fine and doesn’t try to bully her. Of course he was put in a field with a prima donna donkey who made him mind his ps and qs - really decided what he could and couldn’t do, where he could eat etc so that probably had a big effect - he may even be so grateful to be home with donkeys who don’t give him hell.
2 Rue Henry Berger, 21610 Fontaine-Française, France
Saturday 15th September 2018
Lovely morning today and when we got up at about 0800 some of our Aire neighbours were already on the move. We were the closest van to the service point so could see each van going through the usual routines of emptying waste and refilling with water. This lifestyle really does bring things back down to basics. It is common in some of the villages for the local baker to visit the Aire first thing with fresh bread. This is typically around 0700 and he makes his presence known by sounding his horn. To date we haven’t yet felt the inclination to get out of the van quite this early but who knows, maybe one day !
Set off about 1000hrs and I had decided that it would be a good idea to try and top up with gas (LPG) we have a refillable cylinder in our van and we have been out for a week thus far without topping up so I thought we should check on our LPG consumption by topping up , but where ?
Use of a good website gave a few likely locations on our proposed route but unfortunately they were situated on large filling stations on the autoroutes ( pay to use motorways) . Not wanting to run out of gas , the bitter pill was swallowed and we ended up on an autoroute to Dijon and I was pleased to learn that a LPG filling station would be coming up in about 20km. Refill was completed and only seven litres of LPG had been used , working out at about one litre of LPG per day providing heating is not being used . Our cylinder would therefore allow about two weeks use between refills on current usage. Cost of refill 7 euros , not bad but when we exited the autoroute outside Dijon , cost of motorway 10 euros , so the cost of going on the road to get the gas was more than the cost of the gas AAGGHHH ! crazy. Wont make that mistake again, every day is a school day , Until today have not use a single pay to use motorway so far this trip and next time if we have to , will exit the motorway as soon as we have completed the LPG refill mission. Lesson well and truly and expensively learned !
Whilst filling up the water tank at the filling station, what should drive in but a motorcycle sidecar combination , the sidecar containing a female and a black labrador wearing goggles. I’m so sorry that I didn’t manage to get a photo of said dog but it caused quite a stir in the aire services car park which I think was probably the intention.
Although on the face of it , it looked very cool and a bit of a laugh , I couldn’t help but think that it was all a bit of a waste of a motorbike. They had all the disadvantages of a motorbike but none of the advantages i.e. they would all get wet if it rained , would not be able to filter through traffic, same size as a car etc etc
Arrived at todays Aire at a very respectable 1230hrs and just in time for lunch by the riverside. On arrival it was nice to see that out neighbours van was bearing UK number plates so some communication and pleasantries would be in order . WRONG …I have often heard it said that the French are ignorant and arrogant toward the British but in our experience this is very far from the truth and we have generally experienced nothing but warmth and kindness on our French adventures over the past few years. Our UK ‘neighbours’ however were completely ignorant and completely blanked us , even though we were literally only a few feet away from them. I could go on with much worse descriptions but I am under pain of death from Rhian if I express my true thoughts.
There is quite a grand chateau in the village and we stumbled across a free guided tour which Rhian took advantage of whilst I walked Annie back to the van and took advantage of a beer and some sunshine. I would liked to have said that the afternoon was peaceful and relaxing but unfortunately someone in the locality in possession of some kind of metal cutting equipment decided that we would all prefer to hear four hours of relentless grinding of metal. There was some competition in the form of the local church bell ringers but on this occasion even their awful racket was drowned out by the grinder man and for that I suppose I should be thankful .
Roman Catholic sign of the cross is upside down, done with five fingers instead of three, is done from left to right instead of right to left, etc. (basically inviting demons). Antichrist's Third Temple will have 8 chambers: a chamber per main religion; antichrist will be crowned in this temple; during crowning, he won't read the "belief prayer" correctly (rejecting Christ and acknowledging himself); when he will take his gloves off to make sign of the cross incorrectly (just for show), many people will see his big nails and will reject him; Patriarch (who will be crowning him) will say that this is the antichrist; antichrist will kill him. Also, antichrist will kill those priests who disagree with him at the 8th "wolf" Council; others will worship him when a bird dies at his feet. Roman Catholics, Satanists, and Buddhists use the same mudras; if you see these mudras on an icon, then it's not Orthodox icon; Orthodox icon has IC XC symbol (Jesus Christ). Roman Catholics pay drunks and prostitutes to pose for icons; passions of drunks and prostitutes transfer to those who pray to these images. Normal Orthodox icons are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Gaad in Ruski = Satan; hence, Americans = blasphemers because they always say: "Oh, my god!". Santa (word for Saint in Satanic languages) = Satan; hence, Spanish + Italian + Portuguese = blasphemers. Anathema to Satanic languages; triple anathema. Learn Church Slavonic; no curses in it; curses = prayer to Satan. All religions except Orthodoxy worship Satan. On bread for communion: IC XC NIKA (Jesus Christ Conquers) plus cross = Orthodox; hexagram plus Dusha Maya = antichrist. Jews and Muslims pray head down (either standing, bowing, or kneeling); this is Satanic prayer. Orthodox look into the eyes of icon; energy goes their way; they get healed; head and shoulders come together to reject Satan slowly and then fast to normal showing allegiance to Christ and not the devil. Hands cannot be on groin or behind back; either put them crossing each other on chest (right over left) or just by your sides. Legs together so that a demon doesn't run underneath your legs. Clergy who will not "put Buddhist icons and serve antichrist's blood" will be killed; only 7 churches will be left as Pelageya of Ryazan predicted. In 2006 and at other meetings, fake patriarchs and bishops signed a bunch of documents betraying Orthodoxy by saying that all religions worship the same Supreme Being; triple anathema; don't let heretics tell you what to do. America will be last country to switch to Euro. Three big earthquakes will shake the three superpowers; 1st big earthquake in Russia; 2nd (bigger one) in China; 3rd (biggest of the three) will be in America. NATO will nuke Ukraine to blame Russia for it; then NATO will nuke Russia from Scandinavia. China will attack Russia; but will not get past Ural Mountains; bio-genetic weapon will be used against Chinese soldiers (they will run back to China and hide in closets in fear) and weather weapon will freeze Siberia to - 200 Celcius; stadium-size chunks of unmeltable ice will fall from the lower sky (because when rockets go into higher sky they bring this ice down to lower sky). Russia will destroy Turkey and America. China will have a hole across the whole country to the abyss (because of another super weapon used to stop Chinese aggression); radiation from this hole will be massive; Chinese will try to keep quiet about it; a lot of people will fall into this hole.
Scientists don't see dinosaurs because of radiation. Only Eurasia and Alaska (both without coasts) will remain after demons blow up Antarctica (which surrounds the flat earth) and Greenland melts. Move to Ural Mountains or inland Alaska. Sionists wanted war between Russia and Germany from June 11th to October 11th on their holidays because (666 times 3)+(6 times 3) = 2016 (in their twisted logic).
Tube people = demons. Clones = demons. Human costumes that demons wear = demons. Dinosaurs and 666ed people have triple stranded DNA; normal person can't swallow 666ed food (designed for 666ed people). Demons live inside clones. Bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin (who discovered Bubonic plague) is depicted on the Shroud of Turin. There is another shroud (Shroud of Milan) on which blasphemer Yosef (who was crucified on a pole in 1066 AD) is depicted. Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Lenin (el=deity in Hebrew, nine = no in German; so, when chanted repeatedly is blasphemy against the Creator), and Yosef were possessed by Azazel; now, Rico Cortes is possessed by Azazel.
WW3 happens; 7% of people will be left; after people are tired of war, they will elect the antichrist as one world leader; don't vote. ISIS stands for Israeli Secret Intelligence Service. Next false flag: Statue of Liberty in order to attack Iran; one big shake, one giant step forward, one giant collapse. Move away from coasts as nukes will go off in the ocean (at where tectonic plates meet; result: megatsunamis 1km high).
Wear natural clothing so that if a bomb goes off it won't stick to the body as fast as synthetic clothes. All metal will be burned for fuel; so, save knives, crowbars, shovels, wood-burning stoves, etc. Also, save cloth/fabric/textile to cover the wounds and diseases.
Eat natural food because nanochips, cells of aborted fetuses, bug DNA, and other poisons are in food that is commonly sold; reject vaccines, medical care, medicine, etc. because nanochips are administered thru IVs, implants, fillings, etc. If 1000-1500 nanochips are in your right hand, then you can't make proper Orthodox sign of the cross with the right hand; last mercy for you then will be to cut the hand off.
Seraphim of Sarov and Sergiy of Radonezh will be resurrected after WW3 for a short time; Seraphim of Sarov will show the new Ruski Tsar who will fight the antichrist for about 2 years and 8 months. Those who go see Seraphim of Sarov will be healed of their infirmities/illnesses/sicknesses/ diseases; if you want to see him then, hurry because he won't stay longer than a few weeks.
Earth is flat; stands on 3 pillars (the Most Holy Trinity); pillars stand on water at zero Kelvin. Zodiac is planetary prison of demons; don't believe in horoscopes or you'll exhibit the traits of the trapped demons. Most thoughts and dreams are from demons; demons never do good. Sleep fully clothed; pray the Jesus prayer. Pray to your guardian angel to have normal sleep.
Humans were created about 7525 years ago. Ruski Orthodox Christian Vyacheslav Krasheninnikov was the last prophet before Enoch and Elijah return to preach against the antichrist.
Birds participate in time creation. It's a sin to kill birds. Dinosaurs live under our level. They will get out through sinkholes and lakes. To kill them, go for their nerves. Save the birds; but kill the dinosaurs. First dinosaur will come out of Volga River in Russia.
Demons grow human skin (from a sample taken during abduction) and put it on so as to look like us. Demons will invite people to be healed inside their UFOs; those who go will be like zombies after. Gov't provides demons with diamonds and allows demons to abduct people. If you're being abducted, slowly pray the Jesus prayer.
Don't panic. Demons use diamonds and souls to power their UFO craft. The bigger the diamond, the more it lasts. Demons have 4 UFO bases: 1)Moon 2)Inside fake mountain Kailash in Tibet 3)In lake Baikal in Russia 4)In Atlantis which is underneath the Mariana Trench in Pacific Ocean. There are no aliens. Nobody lives on other planets.
Airplanes that go down are hit by demons because they need the airspace to fight Jesus. Antichrist is pale with red eyes. He's possessed by Satan since he's 12 years old. He flies very fast; deceived people will say that "Christ is here; Christ is there". Sometimes, he wears blue robe over left shoulder while red robe is underneath. He wears gloves to hide long nails. He's surrounded by demons who appear as angels of light. Antichrist will trick people to believe that he can do mountain moving and resurrection (using holograms); fire from the sky is easy (considering the gases from pollution in the atmosphere).
Don't go into a UFO to be healed by demons. Green 666 is given by isotope rays on wrist or forehead when people stretch hands to receive small plastic grey card with no name on it (World Passport). Police will microchip and isotope ray people on the highways. Microchipped people will be influenced by computers to take grey plastic card; but when they do, 666 is given. Food stores will isotope ray people too. Antichrist will also release prisoners to mark people. Reject 666 at all cost because it leads to permanent hell.
If you're about to be marked, pray the Jesus prayer. Hide with Orthodox Christians to escape 666; leave all electronics behind so that antichrist's minions can't track you. Burn documents because they're from Satan. Give to charity in the name of Archangel Michael; he rescues people from temporary hell twice a year (or brings them up a level, that is, to a level with less punishment; eventually, people are freed). Feed the pigeons; when pigeons bow down, people are saved from temporary hell. Forgive me.
I totally forgot I was going to do these.. so here you go, a little over three months since I took my decision of giving up meat. I know a few of you are interested, so here you go! :)
It has been three months since I decided to cut out meat cold turkey, and as someone who was only slightly obsessed with chicken and did not care about any other type of meat, I have to say that it has been fairly easy. I definitely do not recommend that for someone who eats meat more regularly (I only ate chicken and around 3 times a week) but turning vegetarian was the easiest choice I have ever made and I still stand by that.
I actually planned on being vegetarian for a few months, but less than a month after beginning my journey I had already cut out cow’s milk (another thing I wasn’t too much of a fan of, since it always made my stomach bloat even if it was lactose free) and was only eating egg very occasionally as I still tried to figure out how to eat - where and how to get the nutrients I needed for a healthy lifestyle. it took hours upon hours of research but I am proud to say that I have it somewhat figured it out now.
I went into it too scared, and I shouldn’t have! many people around me and online scared me about deficiencies that, honestly, can easily be taken care of, and you do not need to be a millionaire for that. what I have learned is that as long as you do your research and keep a somewhat regular check-up with your doctor (I was already used to this anyway, as someone who needs regular check-ups) you will be okay. of course, each body reacts differently, but personally speaking, I did not notice any crazy changes, nor I ever felt weak or like my body was lacking something. going into a healthy, fulfilling way of eating was absolutely essential for that.
for the longest time, before I ever considered it seriously, I thought about veganism and how would I eat were I to turn vegan. I only truly liked three foods: chicken, rice and pasta (yes, it was that bad), so that made me wonder: what the hell would I eat? would there be any options for me? would I have no other option but to starve? and since I could never figure it out, I always dropped the idea of veganism even though it has attracted me for more than a year, probably.
but I slowly started changing my eating habits, trained my taste buds and introduced more vegetables into my diet, and the idea of veganism stopped being so far-fetched. still, there was tons of research I needed to do, and months of studying basic nutrition, reading countless meal plans and learning recipes and watching insightful videos have finally led to a huge amount of variety and color in my meals, way more than before, and looking back I can say that it was my very generalized view of veganism (the one portrayed by the media) what made me think in the first place that they only ate salads and expensive, organic foods haha.
just out of curiosity, I actually decided to follow my carbs, proteins and fats for a week (last week, actually) and I find it unbelievable how easily I can reach a healthy amount of each without looking too much into it. all I did was insert what I’d eaten throughout the day in an app and I find it insane how easily I reached past the 60g mark of protein (that’s actually a bit more than I should.. lol) this might be obvious for some, but for me it certainly wasn’t, especially with the countless questions I get about my supposed lack of protein / vitamins / etc, which inevitably made me doubt my choices more than once. no, peeps. I believed the same, but it is possible to eat a balanced diet as long as you are well informed! :) it is all about making sure that you’re eating a good amount of veggies (I like to eat a lot, so it makes me happy that I can make myself giant meals with veggies. I always go for broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and zucchini and I tend to eat them with a nice, spicy homemade sauce), fats (healthy / unsaturated fats are sooo important, please never cut them out. nuts are an amazing snack full of healthy fats!), carbs (even though they’re not really essential, they do help you feel energized and they can easily fill you for the day. besides, they’re yummy haha. basically cereals, rice, bread, homemade pizza, stuff like that), and of course, protein (lentils, beans and tofu. the latter is my weakness to be honest. I love love love tofu and how versatile it is! there are so many amazing recipes out there to make it delicious).
there is no need to splurge into expensive foods, either. if you want to eat a bunch of replacements, then yes, veganism will be an expensive lifestyle, but if you keep your replacements down to a handful (the only replacement I buy is vegan mayonnaise, and vegan cheese very occasionally. to give you an idea, they do not cost me more than 3 euros each) you will spend just as much as you would in a ‘normal’ lifestyle, if not less.
anyway, moving on - the positive changes I have noticed since late march are only a handful, but still very impactful:
I have gotten slimmer, though I would say it’s more like my body is going back to its natural weight. because of medical reasons and a certain pill I have been taking since 2012 for my body to function properly, I started putting on weight very fast, and it was something that was out of my control. ever since I started taking this pill I gained an amount of 10kg (22 pounds) throughout my university journey, and that excess I gained through the pill is what I have been trying to get rid of, which has become significantly easier with a vegan lifestyle. even though it has only been three months, I already lost more than half of it - 7 kilos, 15 pounds!! and I promise you that I have not been starving myself or anything remotely close. sometimes I even have five meals a day. :) it’s such a drastic change to a few crazy diets I tried out a couple years ago, which only consisted of tuna and whole wheat sandwiches. I’m glad I finally figured out how to eat a fuckton (there’s no other way to put it ahaha) while still being healthy and keeping to the amounts my body needs. I mainly owe that to veganism, because it’s what made me start studying nutrition and healthy eating in the first place.
(quick disclaimer: I need to address that weight loss does not equal happiness / is not the only right way to live. besides becoming vegan, losing weight was also a personal goal of mine because of external factors I already explained - how more than losing a few pounds, I am just trying to go back to the natural weight I had before. and hey, even if you only want to lose a few pounds, that is also okay as long as you are doing it the healthy way. the choices I make are purely meant to look out for my body, not to damage it, and I would never ever encourage starving or restricting yourself too harshly (sometimes, a few moderate restrictions are needed, like I did with the crazy unhealthy snacking I had going on a few months ago). keeping your weight, wanting to lose some, striving to gain a few pounds - all of that is okay as long as you do it right and take care of yourself. the only thing that matters is that you are looking out for your body, whatever shape it is ^^)
another change - headaches, or should I say, the lack of. it is crazy to think that a few months ago I used to take two / three painkillers a week because my head was always killing me, with the occasional migraine that forced me to close all of the blinds and stay in the dark for a few hours, with no possibility of even checking my phone because all lights bothered me. I am so, so happy to say that that has changed, and it has probably been my favorite change of them all. so far I have only taken two painkillers in these three months. which, for me, is absolutely insane!! to know that those headaches that have been bothering me since I was 14 stemmed from an unhealthy diet is simply baffling. I had to go through so many brain scans trying to figure out why my head hurt so much all the time, when the solution was right in my face. I am just beyond relieved that I managed to figure it out. besides ethics, this is another big reason for me continuing with this lifestyle. I cannot go back to the crazy headaches, not now that I found the root of the problem, and especially not now that I figured out a way to eat that I enjoy and that helps me avoid migraines.
and lastly, I noticed I have way more energy than before. getting up early is not so much of a problem anymore. I have always been a night owl, but I am quickly becoming a morning person, which I never thought would ever happen ahaha. I do have my lazy days, and sometimes I go to the gym and I am unable to do more than twenty minutes of cardio, but for someone who is somewhat sedentary, I have to say that this change is huge, and I am really happy with it. I look forward to using this crazy energy I have much more, and hopefully develop more physical endurance, since I still have a bit of a hard time keeping up with exercise in general.
I am very proud of my choice overall, even though I’m still learning and adapting to this lifestyle (there are still many changes to be done, but that will come with time, no rush), and I still stand by the reasons I started doing this in the first place (basically all of them: ethics, the industry, the environment, and of course, health). as someone who has a hard time being consistent in general, the fact that I have kept this up taught me that I can be strong willed if I really want to be.
I also feel very passionate about showing people that veganism doesn’t have to be scary, and that not all vegans are like the ones that represent the lifestyle, who are sadly more toxic than anything. loud, obnoxious vegans will always be the ones heard above us quieter ones, and I just want people to know that not every vegan is self-entitled or arrogant or thinks they’re better than everyone else. at least in my case, I am just proud of my own journey and the choice I made for myself and for the animals. it has nothing to do with how I feel about other people or how they eat. hell, none of my friends are vegan and absolutely nothing has changed between us (well, except the places we go to eat haha). not gonna lie, I am always afraid of saying I’m into veganism because I fear it will make people see me in a bad light, when I have never had ill intentions. but I just hope this can change someday and that veganism stops being portrayed as extreme, as a ridiculous fad, as a cult - you get the point. I see it as something beautiful you’re doing for the Earth and for your body, nothing else. ^^
and if you are interested in the way I eat, I suggest checking out my instagram! I post the meals I make there (mainly to keep myself motivated to keep learning new recipes and such)
(^^^^ the fact that I actually made that is still unbelievable to me. last year I almost burnt the kitchen while making coffee)
to finish up, if anyone is interested in veganism in general, besides famous documentaries like cowspiracy and forks over knives, there were two videos that really turned around my mindset. of course, there are small details I don’t really agree on, but the overall message of these videos is very impactful and they did push me towards doing more research on how to start transitioning to veganism. those videos are why I’m a vegan and reasons to go vegan. what I loved the most about these two videos is how unbiased both are - they present facts, not opinions, and they are not painfully blunt or offensive in any way. it’s your choice what to do with these facts, and I think that’s the main core of veganism - it all depends on how you feel and react towards these facts presented to you. I simply reacted by wanting to become vegan, and no one pressured me or brainwashed me in any way. I was presented with facts, I researched on them, found myself convinced by some things more than others, and when I had all the information compiled I decided what to do about it myself - no one did it for me. :)
this got way too long, sorry guys. but I hope that whoever read until this point found it somewhat insightful, my aim is always to help and to clarify myths of healthy eating and veganism. to conclude, I still stand by this decision being the best one I have taken in a long, long time, probably all my life. <3
Chloe stood in the grocery store staring at the high quality organic honey she used to love. It was ten Euros for 147.87 ml of the sweet treat. It would take of a third of her new food budget of thirty Euros for the week. There was half jar of cheap honey in the Dupain-Cheng’s apartment anyway. She had to be smart or else her poor spending habits would bite her in the ass again.
Maybe next paycheck.
The first two weeks working at the bakery had to be the hardest weeks of her life. She burned herself making coffee more than once, she screwed up an order for Nadja Chamack and spilled an entire bag of flour in the kitchen. Marinette had to take some money out of her paycheck to pay for the damages. Now she had little money, two dozen cupcakes and flour in every nook and cranny.
Despite her mistakes, Marinette was patient. They barely spoke about the past, and didn’t even attempted to rebuild their friendship. She fucked up. Running away when things got tough. With her father in jail and her finding out her Ladybug the girl she tormented throughout her youth, she had to get out of Paris as fast as possible. Hawkmoth launched his final attack that night.
The news broke that Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste the next day. New spread fast to London. She couldn’t bring herself to call Adrien. She didn’t know what to say. Mr. Agreste’s tried to steal his son miraculous for years, almost killing him and others in the process. Her problems seemed so trivial.
Chloe turned on her heels and bumped into someone’s chest. “Ugh, watch where you’re going,” she snapped.
“You ran into me.” Nathaniel stood in front of her carrying an empty shopping basket. His hair was down today, nearly falling over his eyes.
“Are you following me?”
“Yes,” he shrugged.
She rolled her eyes. Nathaniel’s sat in the bakery every day for an espresso and chocolate croissant. Like clockwork, Chloe would set his treats on his usual table as he walks in. They barely spoke. He’d sit there on his tablet doodling God knows what while she struggled to get her job done. Why he came to the shop every day was beyond her.
“What do you want?”
“Nothing,” he smirked. “It’s just Chloe Bourgeois shopping at a grocery store. It’s unheard of.”
“Shh,” she pressed her fingers to her lips. “You’ll blow my cover.”
“I don’t understand why you have to hide,”
“Because, if my misfortune pleases you, the the people I’ve bullied in the past will get a kick out of this. Some aren’t as nice as you and Marinette.”
“Fair,” he frowned. “Did have other friends though.”
“Lila?” She scoffed. “That girl only clung to me because of my status. She was hardly a friend.”
“What about-”
“No,” she cut him off before he could say her name. “Drop it okay.”
“Okay,” he glanced into her nearly empty cart. “I see you got first paycheck?”
“Yeah, it’s smaller than I wanted it to be because of that flour incident. But I’m tired of eating bread. I found a budgeting website, and if I want to get my own place soon, I’ll need to save up now. I just didn’t think shopping on a budget would be this difficult.”
“What’s on your list?”
“List?”
“You didn’t create a shopping list before you left? How will you know what you need?”
Chloe shrugged. “The Dupain-Cheng’s empty out the fridge before they went to China. I’ve been eating leftovers from the bakery for two weeks.”
“So you need to stock up on the basics first. Come on,” he pulled her cart to the dairy section. “If you already have bread from the bakery. You need milk, eggs, cheese, meat and vegetables.”
He began throwing items into her cart. Chloe had to stop and check the prices. The numbers were racking up fast. By the time they got to the produce section, she was over budget.
“Nathaniel, stop.” she pulled the cart away from him. “This is too much. I can’t afford vegetables now. We got to get rid of something.”
“Forget your budget,” Nathaniel said. “You’re stocking up, you won’t need to buy some of these things you next shopping day. You can’t go on extreme budgeting if you have nothing to begin with.”
“I don’t know…”
Nathaniel picked up a ripe red tomato, and placed it next to his face. “Please, Chloe,” he said in a high pitched voice. “I’m packed full of vitamin C and other nutrients.”
“Stop before you embarrass yourself.” Chloe grabbed the tomato and put it in a bag along with two others. “Aren’t you supposed to be shy?”
“I am shy,” he said. “Just takes a while for me to get out of my shell.”
“And when did I crack yours?”
“Somewhere between you falling into a fountain and now,” he smiled.
Chloe turned as red as that tomato. She quickly turned her head to cover her face. Why was this man having an effect on her? She couldn’t let him get to her, she had enough on her plate as is.
She and Nathaniel finished shopping and checked out. The total cost of all the groceries was twice her budget. She reluctantly handed the cash over to the cashier. “I better not regret this Klutzberg.”
“You won’t trust me.” Nathaniel picked up some of her bags. “Do you need help walking this back to your apartment?”
Chloe sighed. She did buy more than she intended. “Fine, if you insist.” She flipped her hair back in typical Chloe Bourgeois fashion.
Nathaniel rolled his eyes. “Lead the way, your Majesty.”
Sometimes he was too kind for his own good. Nathaniel placed the grocery bags on the counter and slumped on the table. After accepting his offer to help, Chloe made him carry everything the six blocks to her apartment and up two flights of stairs.
Chloe locked the door behind her and placed her purse on the hook. “Coffee?”
“No,” he gasped for air. “Water...please.”
Chloe went to the cabinet. “Did I get too much?”
“No,” he took a deep breath. Chloe handed him a glass. He chugged it down quickly. “You did fine. You’ll save more money making everything in bulk and eating leftovers.
“Shit,” Chloe mumbled.
“What?”
“I got so focused on spending too much money. I have no idea what to make.”
Nathaniel sighed. “Do you know how to cook?”
“Following a recipe shouldn’t be hard. I think I can turned on a stove.”
The image of the bakery engulfed in flames flashed in Nathaniel's mind. “Let’s see what you have and we can whip something up.” He began digging through her the grocery bags.
Chloe took hold of his hands. “You’ve helped me enough. Please, just tell me whatever you’re after.”
“Can’t I help you without an ulterior motive?” Nathaniel said. She was helpless without him.
“No,” she muttered. “Everybody wants something from me...or wanted something, past tense I guess.”
“See, you’re poor now, what could I possibly want from you?”
Her lips twitched. “I guess, better tasting espresso.” She chuckled, but a hint of sadness flashed in her eyes.
Nathaniel squeezed her hands gently. He was in too deep. Helping her should have stopped after getting her a job. But everyday his sketchbook fills more and more with pictures of her smile. Despite her shortcomings, Nathaniel believed she could be happier in this life than her old one. Back then, only one person truly cared about her. Now she had two.
“Let’s see what you’ve got,” Nathaniel pulled away. Boundaries. He needed to establish boundaries. He’d help her cook, get a few things started, than it was back to admiring her from afar. He pulled a tomato out of the bag. “I can make a mean chicken parmesan.”
“Ohh, Italian cuisine,” Chloe walked over to the couch and sat down. “It pairs well with Merlot, I’m sure the Dupain-Cheng’s have alcohol stashed somewhere. Just a small glass with dinner should be fine.” Chloe picked up a magazine from the side table and began to read.
Nathaniel rolled his eyes. “Get up Your Majesty. I’m not a personal chef, you’re going to help me with this.”
“Fine,” Chloe dropped the magazine on the couch. “You can’t say I didn’t try.”
Nathaniel laughed. There was still a bit of the old Chloe in there, but new Chloe appeared when it really mattered. “Let’s clear the groceries we don’t need first.”
Over the next hour, Nathaniel and Chloe cooked her dinner. There was really no time for chatting, just step by step instructions on how to properly cook chicken and pasta sauce. When he tried to talk about school and the past, she would change the subject quickly, by making joke about burning the food. After an hour of cooking lessons, Chloe’s chicken didn’t come out half bad.
“This smells amazing,” Chloe dug her spatula into the dish and pulled
“Now you a a meal for three or four days.”
“When I was rich, we would just toss food after one day.”
“That’s wasteful.”
“Now I know.” Chloe blew on her fork before taking a bite. Nathaniel watched her eyes roll back in delight. “This is literally the best thing I’ve eaten in weeks.”
“And you did it yourself.”
“With your help,” she smiled. “Do you want some?”
Nathaniel stood up from his seat. Cooking with her was one thing, but dinner? A line had to be drawn. “It’s getting late, I shouldn’t have stayed this long anyway. I have a couple projects I need to finish.”
“Come on, just ten more minutes. Tell me about your projects.”
Nathaniel paused. This was the first time she genuinely showed interest in his work. “Fine, five more minutes, but not food.”
“You must be famished,” she made a plate for him and slid it across the counter.
“You need the leftovers.”
“You can’t possibly think I’ll eat all this in three days.,” she placed a fork next to him. Nathaniel politely pushed his plate aside. “Fine, but it’s there if you want a bite. Now what are you working on?”
“I have several commissions out for my designs and a couple paintings here and there. But my passion project is actually this new webcomic that I’m working on.”
“Can I see?”
“I don’t have my tablet on me, but maybe next time. It’s about a superhero who defeated the final boss and what he’s doing in his everyday life. It’s goofy, but I was inspired by what happened to Paris’ heroes. They spend years trying to defeat this psychopath, gaining new allies on the way. And now that the fight is over what are they doing now? I see Ladybug, Chat Noir and Volpina out on patrol now and then, but Queen Bee has disappeared off the face of the earth. I can’t help but wonder what she’s doing now...sorry I’m rambling.” Nathaniel looked over at Chloe. Her expression was blank. “You okay.”
“Fine,” she nodded. “You’re still really into superheroes?”
“Yeah, they’re the coolist. I’ve read hundreds of comics in my life, but witnessing the action happen on the streets or in my own classroom could never compare.”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “What a rush.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she paused. “Back in lycee, I wasn’t a nice person. Bringing up those akuma attacks just...I don’t know.”
“I guess you were targeted a lot early on.”
“Yeah, by you too.”
Nathaniel frowned. “Oh yeah.” He had no memory of the event. His classmates filled in bits and pieces of the story. He attacked Chloe several times, nearly killing her with a hair dryer. “Sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” she said. “A psychopath took advantage of your negative emotions and made you do terrible. Believe me, I’ve been there. Almost half of the city has been there.”
“You’re right,” he nodded.
“I know we haven't gotten along well in the past, but thank you for taking care of me. I know I’m a mess and I have no idea how to repay you.” She reached over and squeezed his hand gently. “Thank you for being my friend.”
Nathaniel’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He check the caller ID Red #1.
Shit.
Of all the times to call, it had to be now. His stomach dropped as the guilt finally set in. If Chloe finds out, whatever friendship and trust they’ve built would fall apart quickly. The buzzing stopped, but he knew he needed to call back right away. “I’m sorry, I have make a phone call. I’ll see you soon.” He headed for the door.
Chloe stood up and walked him to the door. “I’m sure you’ll be at the bakery again tomorrow.”
“You know me, I’m still waiting for that perfect cup of espresso.”
“You’ll get it...eventually. Good luck with your project.”
“Thank you, if you need anything, you know where to find me.” Without thinking Nathaniel pulled her into an embrace. She smelled like flowers and honey, the scent soothed him. Chloe squeezed him tighter, this was probably the closest thing she had to human contact in months, he thought.
He slowly peeled away. “Goodbye.” Chloe closed the door behind him.
“What was that?” Nathaniel turned around, pressing his head against the door. His heart pounded in his chest. What was happening to him.
His phone buzzed again, pulling him out of his train of thought. He answered on the second ring. “What do you want Sabrina?”
That sounds counter-intuitive, but part of saving money is shopping with intention. I’m not talking about just intending to go shopping and then spending money; I mean thinking purchases through, evaluating if the short term cost would have long term benefits.
To make it on this list, the items had A) be used for something I would have spent money on anyway and B) had to see somewhat regular use. No one-time only products here.
I saved up for every one of these, but they were worth it.
1) A mini-washing machine. This is sometimes known as a camping washing machine or countertop washing machine. It’s as small as the name implies. They cost anywhere from 20 to 50+. Ebay has a ton of them with different functions and sizes.
Why I bought it when I’m broke af: I live in an apartment with no washer/dryer hookups. There is a laundromat across the street and a few units in my apartment building, but to wash and dry one load of laundry I paid 3.50 (I often had more than one) and had to compete with a lot of other people for space.
How it worked out: The thing paid for itself within two months. I had it for two years before it finally conked out and I had to buy another.
2) A clothes drying rack. Mine cost 7 euro. Your cost may vary.
Why: Goes along with the mini washing machine. I hang up the wash in front of the radiator in the winter (it’s going anyway) or outside in the summer. Saves a ton in a very short period of time, and will last you for years.
3) A ton of baking soda/vinegar
Why: Baking soda/vinegar are great for lot of reasons. Have a clogged drain? These work. Need to scrub your counters? These work. Accidentally left your clothes wet too long? Vinegar. Want shiny hair? Vinegar. Want to make a mug cake? Well, of course you’ll need baking soda. You can also find instructions online toward turning baking soda into washing soda and making your own laundry detergent, but that’s another post.
4) A hot water bottle. You don’t actually have to buy one. Filling up a two liter with hot (not boiling, just hot) water works just as well.
Turn down the heat to save costs, night or day. Before you get in bed, heat up the water, put it in the bottle, and be toasty. During the day I have an old blanket I sewed in half that I toss the bottle into the bottom of.
5) A bike. Obviously this depends on where you live, but having to commute every day without a car was hard. A bike fixed that and is extremely low-maintenance. Buy used.
6) The cheapest yoga mat I could find. I think it was 7 Euro three years ago. I’ll admit I got very lucky with that. There are a lot of videos online these days. I highly recommend anything from FitnessBlender, which is high quality and no cost to you. Working out at home (yoga for me was a game-changer in this chaotic budget life) even for five minutes a day reduces stress and saves gym fees. You don’t need a mat if you have a carpet, but the core message is the same: work out at home, not the gym.
7) A Neti pot. This thing isn’t actually called neti, but it’s the same principle: you wash out your sinuses to prevent infections. I’m prone to that kind of thing seasonally, and being pretty regular with it has saved me money, misery, and time by eliminating doctor’s visits. Make you own saline solution with very simple recipes online. Nothing complicated about it.
8) Gardening supplies. This can get very costly if you don’t keep an eye on it. However, a simple balcony garden in the spring, summer, and fall can supplement your food budget for months. Add a few flowers for fun and herbs for taste if you can afford it. Starting from seeds is the cheapest route. Using seeds from fruits and veggies you’ve already purchased and sorted is the cheapest. Gardening as also been proven to lower stress levels significantly. No room? A couple of plants on a window or in a tiny patch of earth you find is equally good.
9) Good scissors. Watch youtube and go on pinterest to find out how to cut your own hair. Man or woman, a good hair cutting utensil will pay for itself within one or two uses. Just keep the cuts relatively basic. If you aren’t able to do your own or don’t trust your hands to be steady, enlist somebody’s help. It just takes a few minutes.
10) A mini-oven. Ignore this if you have a full-sized one, but I didn’t. I was also eating out a lot, which doesn’t work well when you’re on a budget. By learning how to bake my own bread, cake with few ingredients, lasagna, and other recipes, that 40 Euro investment ended up saving me hundreds last year, and in fact varied my diet greatly. Roast chicken. Yum.
