August was my 2nd full month back in the US since the end of my 9 months of nomadic life in June. Actually, September 7th, 2018 was the day I left London and boarded a flight to Thailand. TIME FLIES. I hate it. Now, I sorta try to duplicate my Bangkok life — high rise living, gym and pool and plenty of malls –in South Florida. Just without the Thai food. (Not by choice. I’d be totally cool with more Thai food in my life today. It’s just…Florida…)
South Florida is weird. I haven’t quite figured out what I think about it all. But it’s good to be close to my mom because she’s fallen not once but TWICE since I’ve been back. (Parkinson’s Disease mobility issues. Broke her hand the first time, scared the shit out of everyone the second time.) I was trying to put off buying a car and uh convince Florida to build more trains to help me get around but it’s looking like a car will be a necessity here. Dang.
The other day, I had lunch with my cousin who was visiting from New Jersey and she was like, “Do you have any friends in West Palm Beach?” And I had to say “Nope. I know no one except the people who run the front desk in my apartment building and maybe the real estate agent down the road.” Making new friends in a new city in your 40s is weird.
So to the internet I go! As I’ve done before. It will take a few months. Let’s see. Wish me luck, and in the meantime, here’s what I liked in August…
Scott’s Cheap Flights
I’m grounded domestically until my trip to Guatemala next month but that doesn’t mean I can’t dream! I love my alers from Scott’s Cheap Flights. Mumbai from Florida for $600! Aruba for $400! Chile for $600! Vienna for $500! Nearly every day, I start dreaming again of that moment I can hop on a plane and escape. If you like to travel, it’s worth paying for premium in my opinion.
I’m so late to this party but I love Reddit! I’m doing keto these days so the Reddit keto board is super helpful. (Got back into my old winter jacket but oh well WINTER. I live in Florida now.) Also helpful is Reddit’s main financial independence board. After moving to West Palm Beach, I also got a lot of advice from the South Florida Reddit. I can honestly spend hours on Reddit. It’s an addiction.
You Need a Budget (YNAB)
I started using YNAB last year just to track my expenses while I was traveling but now I am trying to use it for everything. I want to know what I’m spending my money on! Not surprisingly, it’s food. Surprisingly, my grocery bill is a bit higher than my dining out bill! What am I buying?? I haven’t figured that out yet but I’m trying to only buy what I need now. (To be fair, I’ve had to buy a lot of basic “new house” stuff.) I’m hoping to get this down to $300 USD a month. (If that sounds like a lot to you, it’s not. An average food budget for a singleton is $250 a month. Maybe you too should start tracking!) I’ve figured out that YNAB is a bit of a cult so hit me up if you’re a member. NOTE — it’s a bit fiddly and I think I am figuring out that it works best when you give it ALL the data. When I wasn’t on top of my credit card payments, everything got a bit messy. (That is, I might have entered that I made a payment but it wasn’t clear where that money came from. I’ve just now fully submitted to the YNAB gods and am entering and tracking everything.)
Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel
So so obsessed. I put it on everything. It’s amazing. You should buy some. Sesame and poppy seeds, garlic, salt, onion. Delicious.
Keyboard Protector
I lost my last two laptops to spills so this time around, I bought a fun purple keyboard protector. I’ve already taken the purple off of most of the space bar and the letter O (who knew) but I’m hoping this will prolong the life of my latest laptop.
Pura d’Or Argan Oil
Argan Oil isn’t new to me — I’ve loved Argan oil for a long time — but I bought a new brand from Amazon and I am totally digging it. It’s very lightweight and absorbs quickly.
Le Creuset Frying Pans
I haven’t bought new frying pans in over a decade so while I was at the Palm Beach Outlets, I checked out Le Creuset’s frying pans and they seemed really really really nice. They are non-stick and heavy suckers. I LOVE them. They clean so easily. I am frying all the things now. Mine aren’t exactly like the ones in the photo — mine have rubber protectors over the handles — but they’ve made me a huge Le Creuset fan and now I want to buy all the Le Creuset. Forever and ever.
Anthracite Birkenstocks
I picked these up in Berlin earlier this summer — you can get Birkenstocks for about $30 cheaper than you can in the US — and I am totally obsessed. I also want to get them in silver now too.
This Boden Dress
The dress I get the most compliments on. Period. There are lips on the dress. Yes lips. Buy it here. Yes, I f*cking love Boden. Don’t care what you think. Their dresses fit me perfectly. Some of their patterns are crazy but overall, their product quality is high and their dresses are true to size if you know your measurements. In the UK, they deliver like next day if you want it. I find that US delivery is a lot slower, which is unfortunate. But I still love them.
Avalon Organics Vitamin C Cleansing Milk
So uh from hanging out on Reddit, I’ve learned a lot about the HOLY TRINITY of face care…Vitamin C, Retinol, and SPF. So when I’m not slathering myself in Argan oil, I’m layering on the Vitamin C. I love the creamy texture and citrus-y smell of this facial cleanser. Whole Foods stocks this, just FYI.
The Obama Summer Playlist
Obsessed. Totally.
That’s it for me for August. How’s things by you?
