Selling Yourself

Perhaps it’s time to admit it–neither of the Forever22-er’s are writing from our beloved Brooklyn any longer. We’ve both taken advantage of the post-college, pre-everything else’s sense of freedom and set off on our own adventures. I’ve been wanting to write here for a while now, but moving to a different country, finding an apartment, and starting a new job, all in the French I haven’t used since graduation, has been stressful and hectic to say the least.

But now that I’m feeling more settled and in the midst of one of my seven weeks of paid vacation (yay France), I thought I would finally get out an entry. Even though I’m so far away from where I wrote before, I think some of the challenges I’m facing here (tiny apartment, tiny salary) are still applicable to the blog. I may be working with Euros, but we’ve still got a lot in common.

Me vs. The Grocery Store (part 1)

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but examining the fast food wrappers in the back of my car has made me rethink my lifestyle. I’m living alone and eating on the run. And lately that means that i’m eating really badly. I think I’ve actually become afraid to shop for real food. It seems like everything I buy either expires before I can use it or becomes the only thing I eat for the next 9 meals. And then when I go to cook, there’s nothing in the fridge so it’s more frozen fish sticks or the burger place du jour.

The Big Mac cartons stop here! I’m going to the grocery store in a few minutes and I’m going to buy real food! This plan initially inspired panic, but after a night of reflection, I’ve come up with a plan.

Here’s my approach:

1. Omelet’s are your friends: I borrowed this one from the food network’s feature on tables for one, but I think it’s good advice. Everything is good in an omelet. I’ve recently found an omelet base I really like (the trick is to make them thin and over high heat almost like a crepe) so everything I buy must pass the “can it be in an omelet?” test.

2. Pay more to buy less- I’m paying more to get the small containers. I’m going for a bag of pre-washed lettuce instead of a whole head because there is no way I’ll ever eat a whole head of lettuce by myself- unless there’s a dare involved and a you tube video in the works. I suspect this will increase my bill today, but hopefully lead to less being thrown out tomorrow.

3. Shop gourmet- In general, I like old school, family style cooking- casseroles, pasta, soups etc. But a pot of home made soup would last 8.2 years at my current rate of left-over consumption. Today, I’m going to the store looking for the gourmet tapenades and sauces I usually pass up. I’m hoping that a little sun dried tomato, roasted red pepper, goat cheese, mango vinaigrette something-or-other will 1) keep well and 2) make a lot of otherwise boring food enticing. I’m hoping that whatever I find goes with grilled chicken one night, on a salad the next and on a sandwich on day three. I’m most suspicious of this part of the plan, but I’m hoping the grocery store (which in my neighborhood is huge!) can inspire me.

One more confession- I’ve become dependent on meal in a box style kits–usually with pasta or rice. I’m skipping those too tonight. When I say I’m going to cook, I don’t mean I’m going to stir a mysterious powder into a half cup of milk.

I’ll post an update on how this ends up in a few days. But in the mean time, does anyone else have other suggestions? Can I eat in and still avoid a life of ramen and peanut butter and jelly?

Tax Time Tips

April 15th is fast approaching, and that means the hassle of tax forms is here. For many of us in the post-college set, filing taxes is still a new and confusing endeavor. Last year was the first time I filed without the help of my parents. In addition to being unfamiliar with the process, I had worked in both California and New York and had had addresses in four different states!

This year I’m still intimidated, but a little more prepared. I spoke with Brooklyn resident Ari Schuster, an IRS-certified, volunteer tax preparation specialist, to get some advice.