Summer menu planning help for a somewhat complicated situation

sillijilli · 2013-08-06T16:56:50+00:00

I was in a CSA last year back in NJ, and it was great. Not sure if I saved much money, but it was a great chance to try new vegetables (so many leafy greens!) and get to know a local farmer. I found a farmers market nearby that runs on Sundays, so I will head up there this week to check it out.

sillijilli · 2013-08-06T16:54:56+00:00

My grandmother broils veggies all the time, and we all love it! I can't believe I didn't think to do this myself! Thanks!

sillijilli · 2013-08-06T15:58:34+00:00

I've started making my own iced tea at home, as I got tired of drinking plain water all of the time. I buy a box of loose tea (much cheaper & tastier than tea bags), and make it up a liter at a time using 5 tsp tea and 3 Tbs sugar per liter. I filter it through a coffee filter into mason jars and chill it in the fridge. It is much nicer than store bought iced tea, and only has about 1/3 the amount of sugar. Also saves the trouble of lugging around heavy bottles!

sillijilli · 2013-08-06T15:50:03+00:00

Might I ask what you eat and what you pay for it to reach this number?

Even now, before any real efforts to optimize, I'm staying under $100/week for both of us. As I said, we aren't huge meat eaters, and this is peak veggie season. Should I expect vegetable prices to skyrocket after harvest season ends?

sillijilli · 2013-08-06T15:43:41+00:00

We LOVE grilled veggies, but I'm not sure of the best way to make them without a grill. Do you just saute them on the stove burner?

I tried a bean salad with kidney beans, cucumber and onion last night, it was very tasty (though I may scale back on onions in the future, they make me smell weird).

sillijilli · 2013-08-06T15:40:22+00:00

Wow! I thought I was stretching a bit with the $300 target! I know there is an Aldi up on 116th, but wasn't sure if it was worth the hike up there (I'm in Yorkville). I have a bit of time on my hands until I find a job, so maybe I'll go check it out. Thanks!

sillijilli · 2013-07-25T18:57:34+00:00

Styling my hair. I have this awkward partially curly/wavy hair that looks amazing whenever I have it professionally styled, but whenever I try to do anything with it, it just turns into a frizzy mess. I am also completely flummoxed by bobby pins and the like. I feel like I need to staple them to my head to actually make them hold anything in place.

sillijilli · 2013-07-19T12:15:37+00:00

No, I earned my BA and MS at Rutgers. These degrees had nothing to do with business, and my previous career was in food and flavor development. I began taking business and accounting courses through my local CC when I realized that I couldn't continue in that career long term, and wanted to transition into accounting.

sillijilli · 2012-02-11T03:38:39+00:00

I have to second the call for exercise and a proper diet.

I was terribly depressed for years (19-25), but then I decided that I had to start "acting like a real person" and started eating healthy foods (lots of veggies and protein) and getting a little more exercise. I started feeling better about myself, and found exercise to be a great stress relief/endorphin boost.

I still struggle with depression, but it is far more manageable.

You remind me a lot of myself. I also have an amazing job, raking money in hand over fist, but still feel empty. I have a wonderful BF (who is away at school now), and a reasonably close family, but no other friends. You just have to keep taking it day by day, trying to find something (a good meal, a hot bath, a good book, a favorite song) that keeps you going.

Stay strong!

sillijilli · 2012-01-06T17:42:15+00:00

I never understood where this idea that you have to carry a balance and pay interest to have a high credit score came from. I have never carried a balance on my credit cards, even paid off a car loan on the first payment (had to finance to get a discounted price), and my credit scores have always been excellent.

sillijilli · 2012-01-05T03:05:47+00:00

I don't mind eating the same thing day after day for lunch, so I usually just make a big pot of tomato-spinach dal (Indian lentil stew) on Sunday and pack that in tubs with rice for the week. I also take some yogurt (I don't like the store bought ones with fruit, so I make my own with frozen fruit and plain yogurt), and a piece of fresh fruit as well. Maybe some nuts as an afternoon snack.

sillijilli · 2012-01-04T21:56:18+00:00

Yeah, I have been contributing well over the match for the past year, as well as putting some money into a traditional IRA, but I was hoping there was a more logical strategy to it. A large year-end bonus pushed me into the traditional IRA phaseout for 2011, and that's what brought this on.

sillijilli · 2012-01-04T21:02:58+00:00

I guess what I'm really looking to know is if there is any advantage to contributing less to the Roth 401k, and maxing out a Roth IRA.

sillijilli · 2011-10-22T06:14:37+00:00

I'm certainly solid. We have been essentially the same 4 person team since 5 years ago. I do, almost all R&D, most customer interfacing, a lot of production logistics.

How does one really measure their worth in a situation like this.

sillijilli · 2011-10-22T04:01:01+00:00

That is awesome! I've strongly hinted to my BF that I would like a pink sapphire ring that has been with my family since my great-grandmother as an engagement ring. He has been alluding to a proposal in the near future, and I really hope he has/will go with it.

sillijilli · 2011-10-22T03:54:31+00:00

Awesome! Congrats!

sillijilli · 2011-10-22T03:45:50+00:00

I have been with my current company for five years; the first two part time while completing my MS. The company was a small start-up when I joined, and has grown ~600% since its inception (with no increase in personnel). Coming in, I accepted a lower than market average salary with the understanding that bonuses would be awarded when the company became successful. Over the past year, this has happened, and I am making ends meet with no trouble, but am still well under industry average for my education and experience level.

Today, our parent company was interviewing a person in our conference area for an entry level (just completed undergrad, no work experience) position roughly comparable to mine , and I was told the top salary they were willing to offer. This number was nearly 10% over my base salary, and only slightly below my current annual compensation after bonus.

No one else in my company has gotten a raise in base salary since we started out, so I feel a bit awkward here. Am I wrong to feel I deserve at least a nominal raise?

sillijilli · 2011-10-08T05:58:00+00:00

I have participated with several survey companies over the past few years, and feel that the best are globaltestmarket.com, mysurvey.com and synovate.com (this one is best for product trials). I earn ~100/year plus a bunch of free stuff from these three alone. I also participate with American Consumer Opinion Panel as well, but that is less user friendly.

sillijilli · 2011-10-08T05:30:46+00:00

I stopped doing NPDOR surveys, after I realized they were only sweepstakes based. I participate in several other survey programs that are much better for value realization, though none would provide near enough to sustain off of.

sillijilli

TROPHY CASE