I read a travel article today that contained a link to not eating out in ny, a great blog on dining in.
To me (and perhaps any other person of average to below average means), spending less and planning toward travel go hand in hand. While, as of late, I haven't been exactly frugal, I have many years experience on living on less. Something about spending a lot of money has always made me feel sick. I know that spending can be exhilarating to some...who hasn't read an article on shopping addicts at some point? ...but it's taken years (and seeing the pitfalls of overspending in others' lives) for me to feel comfortable with being more conservative with money.
Ever since I was a child, I leaned more toward saving than spending. At the end of each year, I had a wad of cash saved to spend on Christmas presents for my family, while my brother would have barely anything to spend. Since then, he's upgraded his income (and wised up on saving, and even taught me a bit about the stock market).
So back to the point...one of the ways we save money is by eating mostly at home. When people say they can't cook, I get the feeling that what they mean is that they really just consider it too much of a bother. Anyone who cooks dinner every night at home will "know how to cook" in just a few years (or less). And if you're determined enough to eat certain dishes while curbing your dining out habit, you're bound to learn how to make them.
For instance, once craving the Jamaican beef patties my father used to buy after church on Sundays throughout my childhood (but living in New Zealand where said patties were not available), I learned how to make them using a recipe online. Flaky, curried pastry and all! Cooking at home (at least for me) inspires creativity. Of course when you start off, some meals will be a disaster, but I encourage everyone (savers or not) to get more in touch with your food by making it yourself.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
earthquake - christchurch
It's amazing how much your heart can ache for a place. How you realize how much you love it when you hear news of it. This is the case for me and Christchurch, New Zealand.
Hearing about this earthquake has made me sick to my stomach, almost the same feeling I had when I heard about the Haiti earthquake... and knew that my best friend was there in Port-au-Prince.
I looked up images a few minute ago, and the first I found was of a building that used to be two-story, located not far from where we lived in our little shack. The second was of the block next to where I use to work! The whole front face of the second floor is in ruins. Bricks are strewn on the street, but remarkably, even the glass of the first floor is intact.
Once I realized what I was seeing and where it was, my eyes welled up. The nicest Korean couple owns the fruit shop, and I used to go there each morning to pick up vegetables for sandwiches and meals. I'd walk through their cold storage rooms and pick out spring onions, herbs, and cold, wet heads of lettuce. At lunch, I'd buy little bags of candy, fruit, or a magazine.
Christchurch is a place that will always be in my heart because of the year we spent there. I wish the best for everyone in the area.
Hearing about this earthquake has made me sick to my stomach, almost the same feeling I had when I heard about the Haiti earthquake... and knew that my best friend was there in Port-au-Prince.
I looked up images a few minute ago, and the first I found was of a building that used to be two-story, located not far from where we lived in our little shack. The second was of the block next to where I use to work! The whole front face of the second floor is in ruins. Bricks are strewn on the street, but remarkably, even the glass of the first floor is intact.
Once I realized what I was seeing and where it was, my eyes welled up. The nicest Korean couple owns the fruit shop, and I used to go there each morning to pick up vegetables for sandwiches and meals. I'd walk through their cold storage rooms and pick out spring onions, herbs, and cold, wet heads of lettuce. At lunch, I'd buy little bags of candy, fruit, or a magazine.
Christchurch is a place that will always be in my heart because of the year we spent there. I wish the best for everyone in the area.
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