Monday Check-in

Good morning! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekends!

I had an amazing week off and will remember this the next time I’m wondering if I should take a week off even if I don’t have any major plans or trips because it gave me the time I needed to recharge. I got a chance to avoid thinking about work and all the daily tabs we encounter, like what everyone thought of Taylor Swift’s new single. At previous jobs, I was the kind of employee who accumulated lots of vacation days because I was bad at taking time off. Bad move — take your vacations! Prevent yourself from burning out!

Moving on: Let’s check in.

I spent most of my week waking up at a leisurely hour, eating a lot of great food, reading in parks and cafés and catching up with some friends.

• I’ve been watching Mind of a Chef on Netflix, and when April Bloomfield made her appearance, I was inspired to go to The Spotted Pig for lunch to have her burger and deviled eggs. $37.49

• An afternoon at Chelsea Market buying some good cheese and wine, which Elizabeth and I had before devouring tacos at a place in our neighborhood and catching up on episodes of Mad Men, and then eating some dessert I picked up from Amy’s Bread. $48

• For breakfast one morning, a friend met me at Russ and Daughters and I treated the two of us to bagels and smoked fish and iced coffees, and then had a doughnut from Doughnut Plant, which we ate in the park. $33.71

• I met some friends for a beer in the Lower East Side ($7), and then we had dinner at Ivan Ramen, which recently received a positive review in the Times. My friends insisted on paying for me, but I managed to slip them $20 to help with the tip.

• $20 for a book while browsing a bookstore.

• A lunch at Saiguette: lemongrass pork banh mi, spring rolls, and a Vietnamese iced coffee: $19.

• Ticket to a Yankees game ($23), and then $29 for two hot dog’s, crinkle fries and a large soda from Nathan’s.

• Logan and I bought groceries for dinner ($75), and then she showed me Taylor Swift’s new music video.

• $100 spent at Whole foods on steaks, veggies, and other fixins for dinner with four old friends I haven’t seen in a long time.

For my week off, I spent about $413, all money taken out of the $500 I had in my vacation savings account. I consider it money well-spent.

And how about you?

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