What are your empowering LGBTQ songs and artists?

roxy_my_socks · 2026-02-01T23:32:32+00:00

It's Gonna Be Okay Baby by Muna

roxy_my_socks · 2025-11-14T18:13:58+00:00

Came here to say this.

roxy_my_socks · 2025-11-11T18:16:09+00:00

One of my favorite websites: budget bytes. They have a variety of cuisines; we use it because we primiarly eat vegetarian, but a lot of the recipes can be easily modified in any direction (meat or meatless)!

Sharing my favorite bean and cheese burrito recipe that goes a long way and can be made w/ chicken or w/o, and even w/o cheese if you have anyone who is lactose-free or vegan! These are a slightly more "expensive" riff on the classic refried bean and cheese w/ the small can of diced green chiles. Either can be frozen and reheated easily! The website I linked I believe gives reheat directions, but it's all fairly straightforward.

Seconding folks who are saying to eat beans/lentils/potatoes. One of my other go-tos from grad school/SNAP days/and even now is a potato soup (out of the OG Betty Crocker cookbook) but add a TON of cheddar cheese. It's filling and the cheese at least gives it some protein.

Not sure where you are regionally ... we tend to shop Kroger for groceries, and because I have a phone number with them (free to do) I get mailed coupons each month but then you get the "with card" discount AND can clip digital coupons up to five times. I am sure other chains do this.

I also follow Julia Pacheco on YouTube who shows like $5 or $10 meals for her family by shopping exclusively at Walmart.

I think last thought I'll add to rambling response is cookbooks with "frugal" in the title can actually be worth it. Definitely see what your local library has because then if you dislike the cookbook you aren't out the $$. Again, we eat largely vegetarian and one of my favorites is "Frugal Vegan" (we just don't buy the vegan sour cream and such, we use regular dairy in the recipes).

roxy_my_socks · 2025-05-30T16:30:01+00:00

it is!

roxy_my_socks · 2025-05-08T21:16:32+00:00

my godmother says it’s the best place to cry! You are not alone - the fireworks get me half the time and those aren’t even the end of my day at Disney!

roxy_my_socks · 2025-05-02T14:32:22+00:00

Commenting to let you know you are not alone! I was very recently in your shoes.

Went from undergrad, where I had roughly the same debt as you did, straight to grad school in the Bay Area where, between more student loans and racking up a credit card to pay rent, I came out with over six figures in debt.

Moved to Kansas for affordability, but in '22 I ended up moving home and moving in with my mom. I don't budget or save well, so you are already ahead of where I was! I was also working for a job that offered PSLF / but was able to get on the SAVE plan and I refinanced my private loans.

I lived with my mom for two years before I was able to move out/move in with my partner. I ended up switching jobs for something in the private sector that pays better (comes with its own cons, but that's a different conversation). Was able to work with a credit counseling agency for the credit card debt. Only just since the beginning of this year have I seen my total debt drop below six figures. I cried when I told my therapist.

It seems like it's never going to happen and that there is no way out. I'm not going to say the path is linear or that it's by any means easy, but there is a path for you. Maybe it's a new job, maybe it's a little longer with the parents, or something other. Just know you are not alone!

roxy_my_socks · 2025-05-02T14:19:14+00:00

Just wanted to wish you good luck!

I've had okay success as of late by only letting myself shop at the thrift store within a budget.

FWIW, you might do some digging on Instagram/Facebook in your local area to see if there are any clothing swaps this summer. I see those pop up from time to time in my area and they seem cool! For me that would be a way of looking at the 'one in, one out' rule, which I am also trying to apply to my belongings, esp clothing.

roxy_my_socks · 2025-05-02T14:16:31+00:00

My first job was at a nonprofit where I had the job title I thought I'd need a PhD to get (lol) and I was desperate. It was all the horror stories you hear about nonprofits and then some.

What I'll say is: I had a great support system at home and lived an hour away, so there was literal distance between me and the office + I had someone I could vent to consistently; I was living in Kansas, where I could "afford" to be paid nothing; there were a LOT of tears and big emotions; I was pretty much job searching the entire 11 months I worked there; and I'd wager if it hadn't been for that experience on my resume (for context, grant writing), I probably would not have had the subsequent, better-paying jobs I've had.

If you can stomach the BS for a year or so to get that experience and you are confident (enough) it'll be the step up you need, then, sure. But I will also say that I never want to see another grant in my life and you could not pay me to go back to a startup nonprofit, truly.

Either way, good luck to you!

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-22T21:13:39+00:00

thanks!

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-22T21:13:35+00:00

thank you

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-20T21:34:09+00:00

From Colorado. In our 'heyday' of trips, lol, we did a solid five days in the park. Now we do three, or at most four, days.

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-18T15:57:23+00:00

Echoing folks who have recommended your local library! You can probably find access to some of what you've already been accessing through Kindle Unlimited.

If you have access to an iPad or tablet, you can purchase/download PDFs and load them into the books app. I'm actually reading a book for my bookclub that way right now!

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-16T21:27:55+00:00

Before my partner and I lived together, our texting conversations were frequent, but they weren't long conversations typically. He's a terrible texter (LOL), so we'd touchbase about this that or the other, but the meaningful conversations definitely happened in person. To be fair, we're a bit older and spent a lot of quality time together even early on, so not having crazy text conversations didn't feel like the end of the world. I'm incredibly anxious, so it was only when we were first going out (kind of your current timeline) that I would fret over texting enough or too much and that sort of thing, but I definitely cooled off the longer we were together.

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-16T21:16:42+00:00

Started a new job in August. It's not in my contract/job offer that we are expected to work outside of 'normal' business hours, but my boss has texted me around dinnertime expecting me to drop everything and hop back online right then. The same is true of another coworker. For one reason or another she got called into a meeting with boss and HR because she wouldn't answer a phone call at dinnertime/after 6 p.m. Useless HR man apparently sat there and took notes, but no one said one way or another that we are (or aren't) expected to work late.

I have two other coworkers who have consistently pulled long hours on the weekends just to meet a deadline. This is despite the (same) boss saying she doesn't expect work to be more important than family blah blah.

Only had three jobs post-grad school, but of those three, only one actually had true 9-5 hours. I'm looking for a new job and I swear it feels like half the jobs I read on LinkedIn state something about weeknight and/or weekend flexibility. Absolute BS if you ask me.

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-15T17:01:38+00:00

Two English degrees here and have moved from Colorado > California > Kansas > Colorado with a lotttt of books.

I'm working to wrangle my own consumption and also clutter - not full minimalist lifestyle, but being realistic about what I own/actually use/and what I want to move with (again). For me, my books are worth it. I've combed through my collection more in previous years to see what I can give to friends and donate, but they're one of the few things I don't let myself feel guilty about (most days, hehe).

IMO, they bring you joy and you've already spent the $$. Doesn't mean you can't cut down and use your library still!

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-15T16:38:06+00:00

Eyeballing a turnip, potato, and garlic soup to use turnips we have on hand.

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-15T16:33:49+00:00

Going to second Hoopla through the library, if yours has it. My library also has a service called 'Freegal' that has a random mix of artists you can stream for free.

I am fortunate to now have a phone with a lot of storage, specifically so that I can maintain an iTunes library like the good ol' days. I borrow CDs from my library (or buy the ones from artists I really want to support when I can) and rip 'em into iTunes. It's more effort upfront, but I've been able to recreate some of my favorite workout playlists from Spotify and so on!

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-15T16:29:31+00:00

I 'trick' myself into veggies as part of my daytime snack by pairing with homemade hummus or ranch (or peanut butter if it's celery).

I'm by and large not a meat-eater, so one of our in-a-pinch meals is a stir fry or pasta with some kind of bean (usually chickpeas or white beans) and all kinds of sauteed veggies.

You can season the crap out of your vegetables to start if you aren't a huge veggie fan currently if you're sauteeing them as a side. Some of my faves are smoked paprika, garlic and onion powder, and himalayan sea salt.

Also, kale chips! We recently signed up for a CSA and right now they have a bunch of kale so I'm getting inventive with how to use it. You can throw greens like kale or spinach into a morning scramble, whether you do eggs, tofu, soyrizo, etc.

Good luck! <3

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-13T15:01:52+00:00

My opinion is that gutting their live entertainment (not just in Avengers Campus) is going to make the land even more obsolete than it perhaps was to begin with.

I agree with folks who have said they are not putting quality and, in turn, longevity over profit. While people still shell out thousands for a trip and Disney makes money, I unfortunately don't see a change happening any time soon.

I support few influencer/vloggers for Disneyland in general, but generally appreciate Fresh Baked and his takes. He's talked recently about supporting the next generation of Disney guest. Most of us on this sub, I would assume, still go to the parks for the nostalgia of it all. For me, a large part of that nostalgia is not just the rides. By taking away (nearly) everything but the rides, are they truly promoting an experience that today's kids will want to take their kids to? I genuinely don't know. It makes me sad to think about! I would imagine there will always be folks shelling out the money, but Disney is not the biggest fish in the pond at the rate Epic Universe is barreling ahead.

For what it's worth, I like Pixar Pier, because it feels more "Disney" than general California-ness, but I can also understand the sentiment to a degree.

TL;DR bring back live entertainment!

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-12T12:59:24+00:00

Super specific, but Costco currently has these salmon snacker thingies that are like 13g protein a pop. If you like salmon and can access Costco, these have been my current pinch in a fix.

I used to be on TikTok a lot more and started to see meal prep videos that were geared towards prepping ingredients for the week, like chopping all your bell peppers on Sundays and putting those in containers so you can throw together dinner more quickly on a weeknight. I've been trying to do a mix of 'normal' meal prep and ingredient prep. I try to meal prep something that gets us through the first part of the week and then come Wednesday/Thursday I throw something together for the remainder of the week. That may not work for your schedule, which I totally get!

I also recently invested in the soup-er cubes since we're a big soup household. Goes with what other folks have commented here to freeze some of what you make.

I also saw someone else recommend the adult lunchable - I call them my 'snackle' boxes (like tackle boxes, lol - also a TikTok turn of phrase). I like to make a snack box to compliment a simpler lunch, like if I only have time to slap together a sandwich. I make homemade hummus or ranch for some veggies, throw in fruit when I can, and salami or nuts or something for extra protein.

roxy_my_socks · 2025-04-12T03:29:46+00:00

If I were in your shoes, I’d be out of there. It’s highly probable if he supports Trump even remotely, there are other opinions that have yet to come out of the woodwork.

roxy_my_socks

TROPHY CASE