My plan to have a no-spend year got off to a non-start when my health insurance premiums only increased $200.00 for January and February*. Hopefully that remains the case for the months that remain until I go on Medicare later in the year. Although I had no reason (yet) to curtail my spending, I still watched every penny, and did not spend as I usually do. Aside from the $418.23 I spent on food and medications, books for research for my day job (didn't think about that) pet supplies (ditto), and Sunpass funds for our car's transponder ($50.00 which was reimbursed by my guy), I spent $90.31 on yarn and fabric (I should note that half of that was paid in cash with money I'd saved from last Christmas.) Compare that ninety bucks to the nearly $2K I paid out in December for gifts, yarn bargains and other non-necessities, and I'd say I did a fair job in reducing my spending. What I discovered is that it's really difficult not to spend money. Even though by using c...
I'm currently watching the Chinese office romance drama series Shine on Me , which may teach you more than you ever wanted to know about the photovoltaics industry, and has possibly the slowest of slow-burn romances with a side of worrisome complications and major misunderstandings, but weirdly I didn't mind. It's nice to see Song Wei Long acting as a modern romantic male lead again versus all the historical and SF stuff he's been doing, as I think the former is where he shines best. Disclaimer: he's one of my favorite Chinese actors. Zhao Jin Mai plays one of the most realistic and grounded of rich-girl female leads I've seen in a while, and unlike most she's not super scrubbed clean or annoyingly wonderful. Both lead characters have emotional problems and (admittedly minor) character flaws, and the series isn't hesitant about showing that at all. I'm about two-thirds of the way through the 36 episodes, and I'll have more to talk ab...