30 best online games to play right now with your friends

best games to play online with friends on laptop

best games to play online with friends on laptop - win

What is the best cheap online casual game to play with friends on a crappy laptop during lockdown?

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What is the best cheap online casual game to play with friends on a crappy laptop during lockdown?

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35 life lessons I wish I learned years earlier

My name is Jared A. Brock. Having just turned 35, I sat down to reflect on everything I’ve learned so far and made a list of the things I wish I learned far sooner. None of these are rules or commands for you to follow, just personal reflections from a decade of journaling. I hope they save you a lot of time, energy, and struggle:

1. “Save the best for last” is terrible advice.

A French monk taught me this one. Every morning, I put on the newest pair of socks in my drawer. Why wear the rattiest pair? When I sit down to eat, I eat the tastiest bits first. Why let them get cold? After every shower, I put on my favorite clean t-shirt. I have a great bottle of 10-year-old Laphroaig scotch in my cupboard, but I probably won’t drink it for months because I received two bottles of reactor-aged Lost Spirits single malt for Christmas.
Why? Because life is hard enough and we aren’t promised tomorrow. This doesn’t mean we should throw caution to the wind and “live in the moment” at all times, but it does mean we should try to find the golden middle and glean a little bit of pleasure from every day we’re blessed to live. “Save the best for last” is poverty-mentality thinking. It expects worse in the future. Enjoy the best right now — in your marriage, parenting, work, travel, faith, friendship, contribution. Keep all the chips on the table. Be ready at all times to leave without regret.

2. Tools use us.

A hammer literally cannot hit a nail without using a human. A saw cannot cut through a board without using a human. A phone cannot deliver ads without using a human.

3. Avoid false dichotomies.

When given two great options, choose both. When given two horrible options, choose neither.

4. Failure is overcome by one word.

“Next.”

5. Ambition is ruinous for your happiness.

Most goal-setters (myself included) live much of life in anticipation of tomorrow, and when that day arrives, they’re either disappointed by their failures or underwhelmed by their successes.
Instead: trust the process. Whiskey, pasta, bread, beer, and cereal all require just two ingredients — wheat and water — but the outcome is completely different based on the process. Identity precedes action. Determine what you want to be, then find the process that will get you there every single time.

6. Forget what the market wants.

Listen to your gut. Your body knows the difference between good and great. Someone said you should never record a song or code an app or write an article unless it makes you laugh, cry, or orgasm. If an idea doesn’t move you, it won’t move an audience, no matter how “commercial” you think it is.

7. Give yourself a shove.

The best way to eat more candy, drink more vodka, and smoke more cigarettes is to leave them in the middle of the kitchen counter.
You get it. Willpower is useless. Instead, line up a series of little nudges to automatically get you through your day. If you want to work out, leave your shorts by the door or your cleats in your fridge. My blue diode glasses rest on top of my laptop so I have to protect my eyes before logging online. I can’t not see my vitamins when I brush my teeth, or chia seeds when I reach for the Brita. There’s a book beside my bed, toilet, desk, and car’s gear shifter.
Line up enough nudges and you can shove yourself in the right direction.

8. Grandma didn’t use toilet paper.

She used pages from the Sears catalog. Splinter-free wasn’t available until 1935. The Romans used sponges. The Greeks used clay. Francois Rabelais recommended using “the neck of a goose.” Arabians used their left hand.
Never assume our extremely unique cultural moment is “normal.”

9. Ninety-nine isn’t enough.

Water boils at 100 degrees Celcius. The difference between 99 and 100 is the difference between zero and one. Not-boiling, boiling.
Corollary: 101 doesn’t make it any more boiling.

10. Old people know better.

Honoring our elders is one of the most underrated practices in our newness-obsessed society. Sure, there are a ton of old crazy far-right conspiracy theorists, but there are also good people who have survived four wars, six recessions, and twelve presidents and are somehow still smiling. Get to know them.
Also: meet your old-person self. I try to invent a new word every week — one of them is preflection. To ponder the present through the eyes of your future self. Take an hour in silence to listen to your eighty-year-old self. They might know something you don’t.

11. Fire all your employees.

The employer-employee relationship creates an unhealthy power dynamic between humans that simply didn’t exist when we worked cooperatively to feed our clan or village. I love my work life so much more now that I only work with independent entrepreneurs who are my equals. For me, it’s either a one-man show (my writing business), an equal partnership (my film company), or a co-operative endeavor. Life’s too short to be a boss or be bossed around.

12. Accept that you are a voracious locust of doom.

Nail a roll of paper to the wall and write down everything you consume for a year — food, toilet paper, electricity, car fuel, movies, music, social media content, other people’s time, everything. See what I mean?
Saint Augustine said that the human heart can only fully be satisfied by one thing aside from God himself: everything. All the sex, all the money, all the power, all the possessions, all the glory. All of it. Nothing short of everything could ever fully satiate the human heart. We are wired for more.
Understanding this truth is the first step toward real contentment.

13. Awkward is awesome.

My best friend says that The Office gave society a beautiful gift: the ability to embrace cringe. When you meet someone new and it’s slightly weird, pretend you’re Michael Scott. Just glory and bask in the discomfort.
You can awkward-proof your life by being bold: Ask for discounts. Ask for refunds. Ask for phone numbers. Ask for pay raises. Ask inappropriate questions at inappropriate times. Lather yourself in awkward and pretty soon nothing sticks.

14. Happiness isn’t the purpose of life.

Hitler really was following his bliss by offing millions of Jews. I’m sure Jeffrey Dahmer genuinely enjoyed the taste of human flesh. Bernie Madoff seemed content to bilk charities for decades.
Happiness isn’t the purpose of life. It’s not even in the top ten. Happiness is a seasonal fruit, not a foundational root. Find firm and fertile ground.

15. There is no ugly.

My grandpa re-proposed to my grandma on their fiftieth wedding anniversary and called her the most beautiful woman he’s ever known. Old wrinkly grandma? Yes. Because we choose our definition of beauty through our thoughts, disciplines, habits, and patterns, be they conscious or otherwise.

16. We are what we consume.

The statistical average American is a walking bodybag of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, porn, pills, and digital stimulus. Imagine how different life would be if our only inputs were nature, sleep, sunlight, organic food, and embodied human interaction?
Guard your inputs carefully.

17. We’re going to die quite soon.

Make sure you live first. Practicing memento mori will help.

18. Fame is poison.

One in four Gen Zers thinks they’ll be famous by age 25. One in 3.9999999 Gen Zers are going to have a miserably disappointing life.
Why do people desire the attention of strangers? Because we all need to love and be loved, to know and be known, but are too afraid to risk personal heartbreak to seek it out. Attention is not affection. Influence is not intimacy.

19. Boomers are to blame for half our troubles.

The Me Generation took a free ride at the planet’s expense and are hellbent on taking the rest of it with them. They’re statistically low on empathy — blame the lead, asbestos, and hairspray if you must — but at least acknowledge the reality that life is hard for everyone, and no one has it easier.

20. Children are dope.

Kids are the blood transfusion in our sick system. We need to stop manipulating, brainwashing, colonizing, and propagandizing them, and learn from them instead.

21. It doesn’t have to hurt.

Joy is a choice.

22. Watch comedy before calls and meetings.

Five minutes of gut-busting laughter will prime you for even the most tedious conference call. Your co-workers and customers all have tough lives like everybody else, so brighten their day by pre-brightening your own.

23. No ragrets.

Tattoo it on your neck. Most people play it far too safe. Instead: optimize your life for the least number of regrets and the most amount of selfless contribution.

24. There are better ways to vote.

I’ve manned several local voting stations, and I’ve also hob-nobbed with politicians in Canada, America, and the UK. The reality is that they don’t work for us. They work for their corporate sponsors and private interests.
Democracy isn’t dead. It just hasn’t happened yet, with all attempts to date being stillborn or aborted. Democracy = one voice one vote. Athens wasn’t a democracy — women, slaves, and tenants had zero say. America isn’t a democracy either — no representative system is, because it’s far too easy for private interests to buy politicians. The charade of voting is illusory. All elections are sham elections.
So what to do? Vote with your money and time and attention. One sham vote every four years versus tens of thousands of dollar-votes each year? It’s a no-brainer. My wife and I haven’t stepped foot in a Walmart in more than a decade because thousands of its suppliers are based in China, the billionaire heirs are anti-democratic tax-avoiders, and they treat their employees like indentured servants. Vote for pro-democracy third-party candidates if you must — just understand the game, and vote in the ways that actually matter.

25. Everything easy has already been done.

So run a little further.
And if it hasn’t been done, it won’t be as easy as it appears. The question to ask is: what’s been standing in the way this whole time? Achievement is all about knocking down obstacles. Just make sure what’s on the other side is rightly worth the effort.

26. Broccoli still tastes terrible.

But you’re not a child anymore. Adults do hard things.

27. Fixed-order scheduling > fixed-hour scheduling.

Discipline is great, but it’s also subject to the law of diminishing returns. Life is just too dynamic to schedule with military precision. Free yourself from the tyranny of “only people who wake up at 5 AM are successful.”
All hours are not created equal. It depends on your sleep drive and chronotype. Know yourself. Unapologetically get more sleep, then do your best work at your best time in your best state.

28. “Freedom” isn’t freedom.

America wasn’t founded on freedom. America was founded on violent autonomy.
The ancient Greeks had an entirely different definition of freedom: it was the ability to choose the right regardless of circumstance.
“We talk about freedom all the time, but we’ve stopped talking about freedom a long time ago. Now we’re talking about autonomy. Freedom is different than autonomy. Freedom has boundaries. Truth is one of those boundaries. And morality is one of those boundaries. Autonomy is the ability to do whatever you want whenever you want in whatever way you want. The problem is this: If I’m autonomous and another person is autonomous, and I have preferences and those matter more than the truth, and that person has preferences and their preferences matter more than the truth, when two autonomous preference-seeking beings come together and their preferences don’t match, who is going to win? If truth is on the bottom shelf, truth won’t decide. What will decide will be power. And isn’t it ironic that in our quest for “freedom”, someone gets enslaved?” — Abdu Murray

29. The Marines were right: slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

As teenagers, my friend Tyler and I were in a hurry to get somewhere quickly so we drove 120+ miles per hour for forty-five straight minutes before nearly crashing when the speed burned a footlong gash through the tire. By the time we replaced it with a spare, we were late to our destination by more than an hour.
But nevermind driving. Pump the life-brakes sometimes, or at least, let off the gas. You might get there faster, with less wear-and-tear on the engine.

30. The quest for wealth is destroying life.

We’ve commodified land, water, shelter, clothing, art, time, and nearly everything else. Very little remains, and it’s amassing into fewer hands.
We need a shared global vision. My invented word for it is benevitae: the sustainable flourishing of all creation. Our collective goal should be socioenviroeconomic sustainability. Where to start? We’d do well to let biology determine ecological sustainability and real democracy to determine economic fairness. Our current trajectory is worse than the Space Shuttle Challenger.

31. Most “leaders” aren’t leaders.

Celebrities, politicians, and book-hocking business gurus all call themselves leaders. They’re not.
Real leadership is influence that serves. True leaders are selfless and servant-hearted. They put the best interests of others ahead of their own. Politics and media, by comparison, attracts sociopaths like flies to firelight. Never give power to those who seek it. Nearly everyone worth following is dead.

32. Divide-and-conquer is a business model.

Near the end of high school, dozen friends and I binge-watched multiple seasons of LOST in our friend Mike’s basement. It was one of the most hilarious, riotous, enjoyable experiences we had as a group.
And it was the last show we ever watched together.
People used to go to restaurants in large numbers, to the movies by the dozen, climbing over each other for one of the limited video game controllers, packing out our churches, cheering on our sports teams by the busload. We were almost never alone, and we were far happier. Now we order in, watch Netflix, stream Minecraft, catch the highlights, watch porn, and go to bed. It’s killing us.
Resist the urge to be alone. It’s too easy, and it’s the exact opposite of what we really need. The #1 thing that’s correlated to human happiness is human togetherness.

33. Self-improvement won’t save us.

The great lie of individualist-consumerist culture is that we can improve our way to personal perfection and communal utopia. But it’s incrementalism at best.
It’s just chasing infinity.

34. We know nothing +/-.

On the scale of all that is known, and all that is knowable, our individual understanding is essentially mathematically zero. The entirety of human knowledge is a rounding error.
This is the beginning of humility.

35. The sun is not on fire

I was at an observatory in the Davis Mountains in Texas, and it was the first time I’d paid attention to astronomy since grade school. For three decades, I’d wrongly assumed the sun was a giant ball of flames.
But there’s no fire in space because there’s no oxygen in space. (It just looks like fire because of how our eyes perceive light through the atmosphere and prism.) As I stared at the real-time image of the sun on the observatory wall, I nearly wept. The sun actually looks like a giant, boiling, grey brain.
And then it hit me: I have so many assumptions to set aside and so much left to learn. So pay attention. Don’t worship the “question everything” mantra, but instead spend your life seeking truth, and wisdom, and understanding.
You know what you need to do to get where you want to be.
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[Uni] Doing something in our free time other than gaming & netflix

Welcome!

I decided to write this after reflecting on my 2.5 years in university and 23 years in life. University has been a blast and taught me many things - I hustled & played hard, failed and succeeded.
However, I wished I learnt earlier that my time and youth would be my most important resource. I have some reservations (not regrets per se) about how I spent my time when I was younger, especially during holidays or extended breaks. In a nutshell, I mostly did two things during my holidays - gaming and reading manga. It was no doubt fun - but I think I could have done more.
Hence, I hope that my reflection and advice will be able to help someone out!
Target Audience:
Following this, I want to share three pillars that have helped me lead a better life.

1. Physicality

You need to sweat. Like seriously, as much as possible, try to sweat hard at least once a week. It could be any of the following:
From my experience, with the advent of laptops (and with COVID right now), it is incredibly possible to go one month without sweating. Please, get the heck out of your house.
Beyond the more tangible benefits, I believe that "physical activities" are helpful in two ways

Considerations

2. Doing something productive

Don't worry, I'm not one of those "LEARNING CODING!! UPSKILL YOURSELF OR DIE! JOIN THE RAT RACE" fanatics.
What I mean is - don't let your mind go to shit. Read something, read everything. Percy Jackson. Non-Fiction. Doesn't matter, just exercise your knowledge muscle a little. Start writing a diary. Volunteer at least once in a month. Catch up on your schoolwork (Or at least beg seniors for the practice papers, notes and answers). Start doing an online course (C'mon, it's 14 hours. You can't spare 14 hours in a month?)
Just make sure that after some time, you've something to say other than "Just Netflix and game lor".

For my rat race wannabes:

First off, absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to grind. Singapore is a f**king competition. If you're from an average family like me, 0 connections, 0 special skills, the need to earn well to support my family, sure, go for it. This are the things I would recommend, in no particular order:
  • Online courses — seriously, Udemy has 35 effing million students. That's 0.4% of the entire world. It's a great way to explore potential interests and SHOW people you are interested in a particular topic. For example, everyone mfker around me is interested in "investing". My friends and I have been talking about it since secondary school. How many people actually put in the hours and learn about it properly?
  • Getting a headstart — It's increasingly common for university students to "study in advance" for next year. Based on the /sgexams posts I'm seeing, it seems like that is the case for JC/secondary school kids as well. If you think life is a damn race, then go for it.
  • Starting something — listen, there's simply not enough resources for everyone to be earning $10,000 a month within 5 years of employment. You need to STAND OUT if you want to win the race. Write a blog, start a personal finance portfolio, do freelance marketing, do a podcast. Just. Do. Something. If it somehow works out, gong xi fa cai bro. If it doesn't, it's a great story to talk about in an interview.
Just a quick note
I am by no means recommending for a JC1 kid to spend their Chinese New Year holidays mugging for A's to get the 90RP + Full scholarship. The section "For my rat race wannabes" is simply for people who WANT to be a part of the rat race. Once again, I would like to stress that it is not necessary - there are many different ways of playing the game of life - you can try to min-max your character stats, you can enjoy the process itself. The list goes on - there is no right or wrong.
The key takeaway for this: Don't freaking read manga/watch Netflix for hours upon hours. Consume something else to expand your mind a little.

3. Have some goddamn fun

Now, at the end of the day, we all need a break. I'm not saying to spend your entire life studying or working or hitting the gym. Everything in moderation. Make sure to have some fun and indulge in certain things as well. My recommendations:
  • Binge something on Netflix (For me, it's B99, Prison Playbook, Kingdom and today, Snowpiercer)
  • Spend an entire day just gaming (Y'know those days where you have gamed till your eyes hurt and you feel like shit, but one more game doesn't hurt amiright?).
The bottom line is, feel free to indulge, you deserve it.

Thanks for coming this far

Ok, I know the vibes from the first two pillars is that "you need to hustle away" your life. No, please. I want to emphasise that it is perfectly fine to "Do nothing" and just "recharge". Just don't overdo having fun. Don't overdo hustling either or you're going to burn out.
Frankly, I love that feeling when I spend an entire day eating chips and climbing the ladder on CSGO - but one day is enough. What I most regret is doing it for weeks upon weeks.
If you've come this far, you deserve a summary:
  • Physicality - working up a sweat helps tremendously. A jawline is great as well. Lastly, it gives you something to do for a bit.
  • Productivity - don't waste entire weekends. It's easy to fall into some fog. Make sure to do something, however minor.
  • Have some effing fun - don't forget to take a break. Don't over hustle.

Misc - Useful resources + concepts that drove the article

The End

Why am I doing this

Ok, this section is rather pointless, so feel free to skip it. Just gonna be me rambling for a little.
I've always dreamt of writing about self-improvement. It got me out of many ruts in life, to push myself to do a little more. Today, I decided to say F IT and sit the heck down to write this article. If you notice, I've been commenting a fair bit in /sgexams. I want to do a little more for everyone.
Also, I want to start writing more - I want to make it a hobby of mine.

Snack for those who have came this far

Aight, congrats if you have read this far. I'm trying this out - I'm going to facilitate a/multiple "accountability groups". We do a group call every week for 20 minutes - say what you're going to do for the week, and do it. Also, you get to bounce ideas and potentially develop a network over time. (I hope!)
If there's interest, I will set up a proper system. leave a comment below that you're interested!
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I bought a PS4 at the start of 2020 and played video games a bit too much this crazy year! Here are my rankings and brief reviews of the 32 excellent games I finished this year, as well as my thoughts on patient gaming.

Introduction:

It's basically trite at this point to say this year has been challenging, but one positive out of everything is that I've been fortunate enough to have the time and funds to play a huge number of games that I've heard so much about, yet never was able to before now. I grew up on almost exclusively Nintendo games and then branched out to indie games in college I could play on my laptop, so I was more than excited when I bought the base PS4 that came bundled with God of War, Last of Us, and Horizon Zero Dawn for $200 (and I snagged Bloodborne for $15 while I was at it).
What ensued was a year of frenzied gaming-- never in any year of my life have I played games as much as I did this year. I enjoyed it, but there were also some surprising drawbacks to placing such an emphasis on gaming as a primary hobby, and I'll discuss those towards the conclusion. But man, there were some absolutely fantastic games that I played this year and I want to share my thoughts on them! Not every game I played this year was PS4, but most were.
Since literally every game I played this year was a good game, I have stratified my rankings into three overarching tiers: Best, Great, and Good. I was lucky enough to not even need a Meh tier this year. Lots of games within the same tier could probably have their orders switched, but I did my best. And all but two of these games I was patient™ on, which is a fun side note.
Disclaimer*:* These rankings reflect my personal opinions on the experience I had after finishing the game, rather than my thoughts on its overall quality as a product for everyone. There are a few rankings that are sure to ruffle some feathers-- I know that God of War, RDR2, Journey, Undertale, and Nier: Automata for example are great games, but they didn't resonate with me nearly as much as some others. So know that I appreciate them and those who hold these games so dear.
Without further ado, let's get going!

The BEST:

1. Bloodborne (PS4): Quite simply, I'm still chasing the feeling I had after playing this game for the first time. So much so you could say, that I played it 7 times this year. Never has a game enraptured me with its shocking world, brutal combat, and the best DLC I've ever played. I want to talk about Bloodborne (and all the souls games, really) constantly, learn everything about them, and play them forever.
  1. Last of Us Part II (PS4): One of two games I broke being patient™ on, I waited a couple months before diving in just to stop working to avoid spoilers. I enjoyed the first game but this absolutely blew me out of the water. On a gameplay level I couldn't believe how fluid and visceral the combat was, how immense the encounters were with countless approaches to every situation, and how fun it was to play. The narrative was challenging and forced me to grapple with the same emotions as the protagonist initially, then brilliantly the player and character on divergent emotional tracks as you become more shocked and uncomfortable with what happens. I encourage anyone who hasn't yet to play with an open mind and avoid trying to reduce the story to a single theme or message. It may not be your cup of tea, but it was mine.
3. Outer Wilds (PS4): This game feels like it was made just for me. I love space and rocket physics, I love discovery, and I love it when a game makes me feel clever. The level of wonder and curiosity I felt while playing can only be compared to what I experienced with Breath of the Wild. This game is difficult to talk about without spoilers, but if discovery and outer space get you excited, there is nothing like Outer Wilds.
  1. Dark Souls III (PS4): Yeah, I like souls games. While certainly less groundbreaking than DS1 and perhaps less atmospheric than Bloodborne, DS3 is a grand experience with, in my opinion, the best bosses in all the souls games. It's also the best souls game for experimenting with different playstyles without needing to watch 6 hours of VaatiVidya to figure out how to be a pyromancer.
  2. Control (PS4): Objectively speaking, this game might not have the same merits as the others in the "Best" category. But it sucked me in with it's completely unique visual style. It felt like a strange acid trip and I was always excited to see what was next. The powers and combat were fun even if not terribly original (and even though the gunplay wasn't too strong) but I was completely enthralled by the nonchalance of the cast amid mind blowing supernatural activity. Far from a perfect game, but give it a chance if the style seems intriguing to you!

The Great:

  1. The Last of Us Remastered (PS4): One of my most anticipated games when I picked up a PS4, having watched my friends play some of it. Though it didn't blow me away as much in 2020 as it might have in 2013, I thought it had decent gameplay, a great story, and a stunning world. The cities and post-apocalyptic environments were a pleasure to soak in, packed with detail, and well paced. Definitely a deserved classic.
  2. Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4): In a lot of ways, this game isn't good as an open world game. It doesn't do a great job of compelling you to explore and engage with all the cool stuff it has. The sidequests are kind of bad, many characters forgettable and oddly animated. But this game is this high on the list because it's just so much fun taking down machine dinosaurs. They nailed gameplay in a technically beautiful world, and actually surprised me with the quality of the main story line. Not groundbreaking, but solid and a joy to play.
  3. Death Stranding (PS4): For being one of the best games I have ever played, Death Stranding kinda sucks. I absolutely adored the premise and the world Kojima crafted, and delivering packages was really enjoyable. I loved figuring out traversal and just soaking in the graphics. I'm not one that normally cares about technical graphical showcases, but this game has made me reconsider how important graphics can be to an experience. Unfortunately, the dreadful gun mechanics, broken driving, constant NPC interjections, and the game's refusal to just end already kinda bogged it down. There's a lot here though that won me over and is an experience unlike anything I've ever played.
  4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo Switch): The other game on this list I was not patient™ for, since I bought it for my wife... and then got sucked in. Truth is, as a non-creative type, I just loved this game as an outlet for my creativity and expression. I loved having projects like my zen garden, my Domino's Pizza restaurant, and then getting to share them with my friends. I've heard it said something along the lines of "It wasn't the best game of 2020, but it was the game for 2020".
  5. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4): Once I adjusted my expectations of what this game was and was not, it was great. While it doesn't reward open exploration as much as BoTW and Skyrim did, it simply has the best quests of any open world game I've played. Very rich environments and stories, and I even thought the gameplay was more than serviceable. It did kind of drag on by the end though. Also, disclaimer, I haven't played the DLC (sorry).
  6. Return of the Obra Dinn (Nintendo Switch): I had hoped it would blow me away in a way similar to Outer Wilds, and while it didn't quite reach the same heights for me it was great nonetheless. I loved the nautical setting, the critical thinking and deduction required, and the way it was balanced perfectly between leaving you totally on your own and confirming bits at a time. My only real complaint is that I felt the true ending didn't really reveal anything about the story I didn't already know, I guess I expected some grand reveal.
  7. Doom Eternal (PS4): White-knuckle, heart pounding, insane. The game forces you to engage with every mechanic it throws at you and is brutally challenging, but all in the best way. Though the gameplay was better than DOOM 2016, I actually preferred the latter since Eternal's levels felt more like a silly mario level than a tense demon-infested place. I get what they were going for and they executed well, I just prefer the more serious tone.
  8. Hades (Nintendo Switch): Biggest surprise of the year for me, I didn't actually expect to like it. Hades is perfectly polished and a big step forward for integrating its excellent narrative with its roguelike structure. It's very easy to play without investing too much, making it great for unwinding. It deserves all the praise it's getting.
  9. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Remastered) (PS4): All the mainline Uncharted games are on this list but I enjoyed 2 the most. The set pieces were the most memorable, and I enjoyed almost every second. These games aren't as high on the list because, no matter how you dress it up, it's a pretty simple affair ultimately in terms of gameplay but it nails the style of game that it is.
  10. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PS4): An amazing game in its own right, but was ultimately disappointing for me as a From Software fan. I found that what I appreciated most about Souls games was the tension of not knowing if you could make it to the next checkpoint, the terror of encountering something surprising and having to deal with it. Sekiro litters checkpoints left and right, which is of course great for its more boss-focused design, but left me far less immersed in the environments personally. I also wished I had more options for playing aggressively rather than just memorizing the parry patterns. In any case, these gripes are my personal preferences coming through and any hardcore gamer owes it to themselves to conquer this behemoth of a challenge.
  11. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 (PS4): Pure, unadulterated fun. I was absolutely addicted to the core gameplay and the levels, especially in the first game, were so cool to explore. For me the core loop started to get stale by the time I finished all the challenges on the levels, but for those that wanted more there is almost an endless amount of bonus challenges to tackle.
  12. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4): There's definitely a strong argument that this is the ultimate uncharted game to play-- best gunplay and options in encounters, by far the best puzzles, and the delivery of the story is leagues above the rest of the series. I simply think that Uncharted 2 had the highest highs, so 4 is a tad lower. That, and the beautiful story set up was not brought together in a satisfying way; it in no way felt like Drake had earned Elena's forgiveness, but they kind just glossed over it. Still, a must play and Naughty Dog games at their best.
  13. Subnautica (PS4): I wanted to love it more than I did. I was hooked on exploring and discovering the mysteries of the alien underwater, but I think I do better with games with less of a survival focus. I got really far into the game, but didn't actually finish since eventually the slow drip of clues started to get a bit too slow for my tastes, and the survival and basebuilding began to get tedious. Minor PS4 technical issues aside though, This is a dang good survival game, and immense in a terrifying and wonderful way.
  14. Monster Train (PC): Slay the Spire is one of my all-time favorites, so I was pretty excited to be gifted this. It's a blast as a deckbuilder, and I think it was smartly designed in how it throws significant and strong rewards at you at every phase of a run, whereas StS often forces you to make the best of an iffy situation. Had a great time, but I lost interest after 15 or so hours since most runs tend to feel fairly similar. Still would absolutely recommend for StS and deckbuilding fans.
  15. Spelunky (PC): Not the hardest game I've ever played, but definitely the most unforgiving. The controls took a while to get used to but once I was engaged, the game is a tight, slick, and enthralling adventure and test of skills. Full of secrets (I've only scratched the surface) and deeply satisfying to conquer. But boy, is it unforgiving.
  16. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Remastered) (PS4): Another strong entry in the Uncharted series, just a tad weaker than 2 I think. I will credit it though with having the most memorable environments and locales in any Uncharted though!

The Good:

  1. Read Dead Redemption II (PS4): *Full disclosure, I'm still playing through act 5 at the time of this post.* This one is really tough for me to fully form an opinion on. On the one hand, I think this is the most stunning and immersive open world I've ever seen. Deeply authentic towns, regions, unparalleled attention to detail, and great characters and a decent story. But the way the missions force you to do things explicitly one way with terrible hand-holding just isn't fun to me, and makes Uncharted games feel like open-world sandboxes by comparison. There's a lot of quality here and I've enjoyed many elements, but have been disillusioned by others. NakeyJakey explains what I felt far better than I can (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvJPKOLDSos&t=392s). Still a good time though.
  2. God of War (PS4): Like RDR2, an incredible technical achievement, for me hands down the best looking PS4 game, best voice acting, and for most people this should be towards the top of your must-play list. At its best, the characters are great, the combat is crunchy and satisfying, and the world beautiful. I just felt that for far too often the game was far from its best-- too many combat encounters didn't feel like I was a God of War but rather smacking a giant meat sack of health, so many secrets and puzzles that I just stopped caring about because finding treasure chests isn't fun when the rpg/loot elements feel so tacked on and pointless, endlessly recycled bosses... for me it was just pretty good, nothing like the game of the generation in my eyes. That said, most people don't seem too bothered by the things I found mediocre, so the sheer spectacle (looking at you world serpent!) and great moments make this well worth the price of admission!
  3. Undertale (PC): I did not play this game the way it was meant to be played, let's say that up front. It was a gift, and I played about a half an hour every month for a year and just finally finished it. I loved the music, it was charming, and I see why people love this game so much. I think it just didn't hit those highs for me and I was left with a fairly silly little 8-bit game. Which was good. I'm glad I experienced what it had to offer but didn't leave a huge mark on me.
  4. Superhot (Google Stadia): I had wanted to play this game forever but couldn't justify spending $20 on it, so I was pleased when I got a free Google Stadia kit and got to play it free! Really neat blend of stylized retro computer flavor and a fabulous central time-stop mechanic. A great 2 hour experience but tough to recommend as more than a novelty.
  5. NieR: Automata (PS4): I have made it through 1.5 playthroughs so I know I haven't gotten the full experience, but I wasn't enjoying it enough to continue. I think every game developer though should learn from the brilliance of this game-- constantly keeping the player on its toes by not confining itself by a genre and by focusing on what's fun and cool, rather than convention. Excellent music. I get the hype, and the healthy dose of existential musings was interesting... it just didn't ultimately click for me. I can't unequivocally recommend this game to everyone, but if the premise and style stand out to you, this could be your next all-time favorite game.
  6. Star Wars Battlefront II (PS4): Picked this up for free with PS Plus, and while there's not a lot here that's that special it was honestly super nice comfort food gaming. I just enjoyed shooting stuff in really cool Star Wars settings, a franchise I love. For what it was, I had a blast, minus the fact that I personally feel Jedi/heroes really kinda ruin the game for me. Unfortunately, it also is nothing more than a basic mass multiplayer battlefield game, so don't expect anything crazy.
  7. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (Remastered) (PS4): Definitely weaker than its successors, but still a really fun romp with trope-y but effective narrative and characters, and totally serviceable gunplay. This would be much higher on the list, and I honestly had a great time with it, but man the final third of the game was really painful to play. The switch to zombies was bad, and just wasn't fun to play through.
  8. Until Dawn (PS4): I did not think I would like this game at all, I don't care for cheesy horror and definitely am not interested in interactive movies. But if you have a significant other or group of friends to play this with, it can be a great time! I played with my wife and we were honestly pretty engaged with the characters and the story was well told and had plenty of nice jump scares. There's not much game here, but for what it is it was a neat experience.
  9. Shadow of the Colossus (Remake) (PS4): There were some incredible highlights to this game like the flying colossus and the sand worm, and the scale of the encounters with the epic music has earned this game a place as a masterpiece and classic to so many gamers. The remake looks stunning and it was exciting to see what type of colossus was up next. Unfortunately, every great moment I had was accompanied by an equally frustrating moment with mediocre controls and a couple of colossus that were so bad (looking at you, little bull/lion Celosia) that made me have to put down the game for a few days. A great game let down by some dated and poor elements.
  10. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (PS4): Souls games are my favorites, so it pains me to put this game so low. The best areas in the game (Heide's tower, Drangleic Castle, etc) are up there with the best in the series and most of the excellent combat found in the other games is more or less present here. But I think 2/3 of the game is bogged down by drab areas that feel more like a mario level designed to kill the player more than an area that could really exist. The Iron keep was the worst offender, the area was absolutely nonsensical and like so many other areas, enemies were placed in a way designed to frustrate the player with difficulty rather than engage them with challenge. Bosses were also mostly forgettable, but I did love the Looking Glass knight and the Pursuer!
  11. Journey (PS4): Look, I'm as surprised as you that this game is on the bottom of the list. I honestly expected to love it. An artistic, beautiful marriage of environmental storytelling and unforgettable online interaction? A smooth and cathartic movement system? It has all these things, and no doubt deserves the acclaim and love it has from so many gamers. It just didn't resonate with me. Especially the ending, I felt for sure that there would be some great climax that contrasted with the struggle of the icy segment, but instead it fell a bit flat. Maybe I'll give it another try someday.

Conclusion, Gaming Patiently, and a Warning:

There you have it! I'd love to hear what surprised you in my rankings, where I'm horribly wrong, and what games you recommend I play next! Personally, I'm considering Persona 5 (though I'm not super into JRPGs), Dishonored 2 (am curious about immersive sims), and Jedi Fallen Order.
Gaming patiently is a strategy I absolutely endorse. Not only has it allowed me to form my own opinions of games independent of hype, but has allowed me to play a huge quantity of incredible games for honestly pennies. The average cost per game of everything I played this year was under $20. Now, more than ever, is an amazing time to get a PS4 and be a patient gamer, due to both the relative inexpensiveness and the sheer volume of outstanding games. I still will probably buy the big nintendo titles at launch and occasionally buy into hype, but most of the time it just isn't worth it anymore.
Finally, a friendly warning as a personal story for those of us who deeply love games and devote a lot of time to them. Like many kids, I was pretty limited by my parents growing up on what and how much I was allowed to play. I loved gaming but it was somewhat of a forbidden fruit. In college, I loved gaming and definitely played more, but still was very busy with social activities, studies, and other hobbies. Now, as a working adult with a comfortable job, I suddenly have more time and money than I have ever had in my life, and thus this giant list of games I played was created. For the first few months it was enthralling; all I wanted to do was play. Over the course of the year, however, it has become clear to me that requiring so much of my happiness and fun coming from having a game to be excited about can have some drawbacks. In the middle of a pandemic, if I'm sitting on the couch waiting for video games to make me happy and they just aren't giving me the same enjoyment that Bloodborne did when I played it for the first time, I'm just gonna be stuck there on the couch, slowly getting a bit depressed when my main source of fun isn't cutting it. So what's the point? Well, enjoy your games! Don't let anyone stop you from loving what you love. But if you start to burn out, please take care of yourself and engage in other hobbies, get outside, and keep things balanced. For me, doing so has made gaming all the sweeter.
Thanks for reading and indulging this long post!
submitted by DJ_FryTime to patientgamers [link] [comments]

Year 2 FIRE Update - Corona/2020 Edition : 35, $1.1M - Luck, Stumbles, Dedication, and Thrift - An 11 Year Journey to FI

2020 has certainly not been the year I had planned. How did my second year of RE go amidst COVID-19 and everything else that happened in 2020? Read on to find out! :-)
As usual, I've provided the TL/DR up front, but encourage you to read the qualitative details in the body of the post as I think that a story is so much more than just some numbers and bullet points.
For those who aren't familiar with my story, here are links to the Original Post from early 2019 and 1 Year Update in early 2020.
TL/DR:
Next parts I'll break into sub-headings if you want to go to specific parts:

Life in a Time of Covid

2020 will almost certainly be remembered and defined by COVID and the changes that came from it. I have a friend who was already ringing alarm bells by mid-January about its possible impact, so I had some time to process and mentally prepare for things once the shelter-in-place orders actually hit in March.
Despite being a fairly low risk to severe impacts of COVID (relatively young and no conditions that pre-dispose myself to severe complications), I chose to take what most would consider to be low risk approach for reasons including, but not limited to, wanting to minimize my potential risk to others and that the long-haul effects of the virus are still very unknown. I have the privilege of not needing to work and put myself at risk and I want to ensure that I'm not contributing to the risk of those who don't have a choice and/or are vulnerable.
Note: Everyone has their own situation and I'm not attemtping to shame anyone for their personal choices. As someone who is part of the queer community, I think the AIDS crisis is a good, but imperfect, analogy and lesson at how shaming does not work and discussion of harm reduction is the most effective tactic. The limitation of that analogy is that you are effectively only putting yourself and your sexual partners at risk, whereas with COVID, you could really be harming a lot more people who haven't opted in to your risk profile. In short, there are personal decisions that people need to make like seeing their family or having some companionship, but I will in no way condone egregious actions like large unmasked gatherings.
As an extroverted person who would host regular board game nights, go rock climbing with my climbing partner at the gym, see theater productions, go to board game conventions with thousands of people, and travel to multiple international destinations each year, this year has certainly been difficult. It isn't the year I planned, but I have tried to make the best of it as possible.
How have I adapted to varying shelter in place orders and tried to salvage a pretty bad year?
Basically - Discord and online video/board games have been keeping me sane.

Major Life Events

Content/Trigger warning - Death and suicide mentioned in the next set of bullet points

Finances

Net Worth: Increased from $1.40M to $1.61M
Income: Dividends + Capital Gains: $18,100 (The Capital Gains were via distributions, not sale of investments)
Spending: $30,600 out of $33,500 budget. My budget at my current net worth would represent a 2.1% withdrawal rate
The linked image provides my 2020 Budget, 2020 Actual Spend, and Differences.
You'll note that there are some big differenes in planned versus actual, namely my travel spend was virtually non-existant and I decided that I wanted to donate more to charity this year given that I have more than enough and there were many people and organizations that didn't have enough. Below lists out my notable notable big ticket expenditures for the year.
My food budget shrank significantly as I didn't eat out and rarely did take out - it was only $3500 out of a $6000 budget. I still ate well, but did a lot more home-cooking and simpler food - a lot of stuff that my mom would make for me as a kid. I fully expect that my food budget will go up once COVID restrictions lift, but I imagine that they won't go back to pre-COVID spending levels.
For 2021 I will keep my budget the same at $33,500 but will likely come in way under it with my non-charity expenses, but I will probably end up covering the difference by contributing more to charities.
FIRE Actions:
Lean FIRE "Trial-Run"
If there was one silver lining 2020 with respect to FIRE, 2020 showed me that a realistic lean FIRE number for me would be around $23,000, which were my expenses this year excluding my charitable contributions and my two big ticket purchases. At my current net worth, this would represent a 1.43% withdrawal rate. I don't plan to spending less money than my FIRE budget of $33,500 - but it shows me that I have a lot of flexibility to adapt IF I absolutely needed to.

Notable experiences since my last update:

Despite 2020 being a pretty awful year in general, there were a few notable things non-financial experienices/accomplishments that are worth mentioning:

Reflection of 2020 Goals and Forecasting 2021 Goals

2020 Goals
As you can see I didn't meet any of my goals for year 2, but that's COVID for ya. I would still like to do the first three goals at some point (probably not 2021 at this rate) but realized that I no longer would like to do NOLS/Outward bound. So what are my new goals for the upcoming year? I have to temper it given that I am pretty low on the list to get vaccinated and the world is probably going to still be uncertain. The basis of these goals is based on if they can be done solo and/or with people without specific skillsets (hard to find people with the right skills to pod with and have similar risk profiles) and don't require me to be vaccinated (assuming that for the in-person interaction, it will still be masked/socially distanced).
Hope you found the post enjoyable/informative/interesting and please leave any questions/comments below!
submitted by hungn3 to financialindependence [link] [comments]

I think my friend might be tracking my internet usage

Hi reddit.
I'm coming to this sub for some advice. Using a throwaway account just in case.
I've been friends with my best friend, let's call her A, for years. We met in highschool and we've been through thick and thin, she knows all my secrets (nothing worth blackmail lol) and I know hers. I trust her a lot and I care about her wellbeing.
She's always been into computers, much more than I have. She's currently working on getting her IT diploma and she often tells me stories regarding her classes (which I just smile and nod at).
Now, onto the reason you clicked on this post. I think she's been tracking me (or at least tracking my internet usage). See, when I first became friends with her and we started hanging out, we would always be connected to her apartment buildings wifi network. It was free to use with anybody who lived there and it was one of the many reasons she was living in the building. Of course sometimes it would lag when watching Netflix or something like that, but other than the odd moment it would work fine.
Until a year ago. Last March, A got her own wifi provider and a Raspberry Pi and she set it up, making her own wifi with it. She became very insistent that I use her wifi. Like. Really insistent.
It started small, like giving me the password the first few times I entered the apartment. Then it got worse, asking if I was connected to it on my phone, even going as far as to swipe down on its screen to see what network I was connected to (I have an Android).
It got REALLY BAD one time when we were trying to play a game on our nintendo switches and A asked what wifi network I was connected to. I asked her why it mattered so much and she got really passive aggressive. I've asked her about the Pi and the only reason she's been on my back about using it is because of its "ad-blocking" properties (I'm gonna be a little bit naughty and admit I use adblock but I also use youtube premium so ads arent a problem for me on both my phone or my laptop).
After doing some research online I've found that some parents/employers have bought a Pi in order to track what their kids/employees/whatever have been searching up on their devices. I'm not worried about A seeing my google searches (in fact, I don't really care) but her continuous actions have started to freak me out. Does anyone know anything about computers enough to help me figure out what's going on?
submitted by trackedthrowaway66 to RBI [link] [comments]

I NEED SOME SERIOUS ADVICE. MY PARENTS WENT THROUGH MY PHONE AND I AM IN DEEP TROUBLE FOR BAD STUFF I DIDN'T EVEN POST. NOW I AM PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO SEE A PSYCHOLOGIST AND DO THERAPY. MY PARENTS DON'T BELIEVE A SINGLE WORD I TRY TO TELL THEM. WHAT DO I DO? (SERIOUS)

TW// mention of NSFW content
I need some serious fucking advice, I'm in a pretty serious situation and I don't know what to do.
About a week ago finals week started for me during school.
Basically a couple nights ago my parents took my phone after finding out I didn't study for my Spanish final and chose to play video games instead. It was so unexpected, because they told me i could play video games beforehand but after finding out i chose to play instead of studying for my test, they took my phone. my mom told me i could have it back if i passed my final.
My mom dug through quite literally everything on my phone after taking it. Camera roll, search history, social media accounts, messages, etc. I was prepared for this mentally as pretty much every time my parents take my phone they always end up digging through it. It sucks, its a total invasion of privacy, and I think it's wrong but at the end of the day I am still my parents' kid so there is nothing I can do about it. Upon digging through my phone, my mom found old shitposts and videos/memes from MONTHS back (pre-quarantine) in my camera roll that contained inappropriate and offensive humor. I used to find stuff like that hilarious because of how edgy and offensive and shocking it all was. I didn't even realize I still had those videos saved to my phone as it had been so long since I last remember viewing them.
My parents also found a group shitpost/meme account that I was logged into on Twitter. Pretty much everything on the account was supposed to be a joke, but to concerned overprotective parents, the irony goes right over their heads so they took pretty much everything on it as serious.
What my parents dont belive is that I am not the original owner of the account, I did not create it. The account is ran and owned by like 7-8 people, all of which were and still are completely anonymous. After who i would assume to be the account's original creator posted the login info publicly to try and get more people to contribute to the account, I logged on and posted a few memes, and then logged out like 3 days later.
I had not been caught up on the account since I left it. So I didn't know what people were posting on there after I left. However when my parents went on Twitter on my phone to check and see what I have been up to, they were somehow able to log in. My best assumption as to how they logged in was the autofill password feature on my iPhone. My phone remembers pretty much all passwords so for Twitter, so when I want to log in to something my phone logs in using the remembered password for me.
So what did my parents find on the account? Well, there was a lot of let's just say... NSFW content on that account. This includes uncensored gay pornographic art, sexual and dirty jokes, racial and homophobic slurs, etc.
And they saw all of it. Literally ALL of it. All of the offensive jokes. all of the memes and shitposts. And all of the gay porn that was posted to the account after i left it. I didn't know how to react to all of this. My parents are fully convinced that all of the content on the account was posted by me, and me alone. They think I posted gay porn to twitter. They think I said slurs and made edgy and offensive remarks.
I've tried telling my parents that the account is ran by multiple people and that I never created it or posted any of the porn or slurs or any of that. But they refuse to believe me. They think that I am trying to take blame off of myself and that I made up this "story" to prevent myself from getting in trouble. That's not the case. I am 100% telling the truth. And my parents are fully convinced that I am lying.
My parents do not know that i still have a means of access to social media. Otherwise I wouldn't be on Reddit talking to whoever is reading this right now. They dont know that i still have other social media accounts because I changed the passwords to my personal Twitter account, Discord account, and Reddit.
My parents took my gaming PC out of my room to prevent me from accessing the internet. HOWEVER, i still have access to my laptop, which i am only allowed to use for school from now on. (My school is still doing things 100% at home and online because of COVID-19) This means for the time being, i have to sneak discord and twitter during school to continue to communicate with my friends. Which means, yes. I am posting this in the middle of school.
Although I still have my personal Twitter account, I still dont plan on tweeting like i normally would as i still dont feel safe doing so just yet. I privated the account so that my parents wont be able to namesearch me if they tried. Even if i wont be allowed on twitter AT ALL after this and i wont be able to tweet again (which is what is most likely to happen), I refuse to let my personal account die.
With that being said its very likely that as a result of this situation i will likely not be allowed to return to social media ever again by my parents. I am in deep trouble with them and as of right now at least, I'm in a position where I can't really say or do anything because they refuse to believe what I am trying to tell them. I'm being wrongfully punished for something I didn't do, but trying to talk to my parents about it only makes it worse. it's so hard to believe that not even a week ago everything was fine for me. Unfortunately, i can't change the past so i have to deal with and live with what is going on to me right now. It sucks but until my parents decide to believe me, I am just going to have to take the fall for the whole thing and accept whatever punishments my parents have in store for me.
My parents do plan on getting therapy/psychological counseling for me in the near future because of the awful things they saw on the Twitter account. They are extremely concerned for me and don't know what to do. I don't know what to do either.
Like i said earlier, the only electronic device that i have access to is my laptop, which i am only allowed to use for school. I have been sneaking Twitter and discord for the past couple of days to maintain communication with my friends during these tough times but if I am still grounded by the time summer vacation comes around, I won't be able to use my laptop. Or if they find out I have been sneaking, IT'S OVER. I will quite literally have NOTHING. I can't allow my parents to continue believing a lie. I can't allow my parents to tell a FUCKING PSYCHOLOGIST that i posted gay porn and said all sorts of vile and disgusting things on social media. But at the same time I can't just stop communicating with other people. I need to sneak. I NEED HELP.
I am in a really bad mental state now. I am in a constant state of stress and anxiety, with little to no communication with anyone outside of Twitter and Discord. I don't know what to do. I don't know what's going to happen. I am fucking scared. GENUINELY fucking scared for MY future. My worst fears have quite literally came true and now I am having to live through it. I don't know how I am going to get through this.
If anybody has SOME sort of advice to help me get through this, that would be great. Thanks.
submitted by multimariosonic to teenagers [link] [comments]

I am a 33 years old, live in Baltimore MD, work as a Systems Engineer and make $101K (196K Combined) a year.

I am 33 years old make $101,975, live in Baltimore, MD and work as a Systems Engineer. My husband is an Electronics Engineer, he earns $94,200 a year. Combined salary - $196,175
Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance: ~85K combined for me. My employer contributes 10%, I contribute 8%. I also put 50$ in a Roth IRA every paycheck. Husband (P) has ~75K total. His employer ended their 8% contribution thanks to COVID Edit - He just received an email this week that it will be resuming in March, yaaaay! He also contributes $100 a month to an IRA. So ~160K Total.
Equity: We have ~45K in home equity. We bought our house about 4 years ago, and thanks to grants we were able to afford the down payment of the house (we got about $17K in grants)
Savings account balance: We have $40K saved. We are saving up for our next house, so we are trying to build our cash savings.
Checking account balance: I try to keep at least $500 in my account just in case
Credit card debt: None:. I use a CC for most of my purchases but pay off the balance every month. P does the same.
Student loan debt: I graduated with about 33K in student debt. I paid this off somewhat aggressively, then was able to pay off the final lump sum with money I received when my grandmother passed away. P also graduated with around 30K in loans, and paid it off before we were dating.
Section Two: Income
Income Progression: Both my husband and I both only very recently started making as much as we do now. My first salary out of college was 30K as a software tester, and P's salary was $29K. We changed jobs and even moved across the country twice growing our career. When we moved to Baltimore a little over 5 years ago, I was making 49K and P was an hourly employee with no benefits, but earned around 52K a year. I was able to switch from a software tester to a systems engineer a couple of years ago, and that is when my salary began to really increase. I received a 10% raise this year and a promotion, which bumped me over the 100K mark. P's salary increased a bit when he became a full time employee with benefits. His job here in Baltimore was a really challenging transition for him, but he really stepped up and his hard work definitely payed off.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: I get paid biweekly, each paycheck is 2257.20, my monthly is usually 4514,40, except for the two months where I get an extra paycheck. P's monthly take home is 5400. Our combined monthly take home is usually 9,914
Section Three: Expenses
Mortgage: $2240 P pays this.
Daycare: $2200 I pay this!
Donations: Monthly $10 to local NPR. We donate randomly to other organizations throughout the year.
Electric: Usually ~200 in winter, closer to 100 in summer. I pay this.
Wifi/Cable: $120 P pays this.
Cellphone: $128 P Pays this.
Subscriptions Netflix - 12 Hulu - 12 Baltimore Sun - 14 Neighborhood association - 23 (P and I split these)
Pet expenses: We just had to put down one of our cats, who did have considerable expenses at the end of her life, including medication that cost $50 a month, and special medicated food. We still have two cats, but they are all healthy and have no extra expenses for now.
Car insurance: $250
workout classes: I take aerial silks and trapeze, the cost works out to be ~120 a month. It's an expensive hobby but it gives me so much joy.
Section 4: Money Diary
Day 1 - Tuesday
5:30 am - I have a 16 month old (T) who wakes me up at 5:30am. We got a bit of snow on Sunday, and expect his daycare to have a late start today, but T has a runny nose so I have a sneaking suspicion he will be home with us all day today. I give him milk and play with him until it's time to wake up my husband (P). We take turns waking up with T because we both hate mornings.
7 am - P is up, and we give T some sort of food
8:30 am - we agree T cannot go to daycare, so we decide to split the day watching T so we can both work some. I work in the morning, so I bring my laptop downstairs so I can check my email while we get the real breakfast ready. P makes pancakes for himself and T, and he also makes tea for me and coffee for himself. I have a piece of toast with my tea.
9 am - I go upstairs to our spare bedroom which we have converted to be an office thanks to COVID. I try my best to focus on work in the morning. I work on some reports and get some files organized and ready for analysis. At some point in the middle of this I get dressed, wash my face and brush my teeth. Days with T home can get chaotic and my self care often gets dropped.
12:30 pm - P and T ran out and picked up lunch while I was working - we all feast on tacos (T eats an entire chicken taco). $28.14 We normally cook lunch but thanks to the snow and having T home we are mostly out of food.
1 pm - P leaves for work (he cannot do most of his work remotely so he has to go in). T goes down for a nap, and I try to make the house less chaotic, also get a little more work down. T wakes up around 3 and we play for the rest of the afternoon.
5 pm - P is home, we make flatbread pizza with red peppers for T. T has gotten super picky and pizza is one of the few ways he eats any veggies these days, so it's a common offering. P and I have instant ramen for ourselves, with lots of veggies added in from the fridge (we really need groceries).
8 pm - T is asleep, P and I clean up a little, then I video chat some friends of mine for an hour. I remember to order bread, which is delivered on Fridays to the liquor store a couple of blocks from my house. Suddenly it's 10pm and bedtime. $9
Daily Total: 31.14
Day 2 - Wednesday
7:10 am - I am woken up by T running into the bedroom. It was my turn to sleep in a little, never thought how much I would appreciate an after 7am wakeup. P and I discuss T's runny nose. T has no fever or other symptoms, but we play it safe and decide to keep him home one more day. Ugh. T gets as breakfast bar for his first breakfast today.
8:30 am - I make T eggs for 2nd breakfast, get ready for another half day of work (I am working in the morning again).
10 am - I am trying to pay attention to meetings but it is hard. T is clearly fussy and tired of being stuck in the house. He has been cold and miserable when he is brought outside though. Everyone is frustrated and grumpy.
12 pm - I give up on work early, heat up Trader Joe's chicken tikka for lunch. P also heats up a frozen Trader Joe's meal. We heat up some leftover flatbread pizza for T, but he refuses it. He eats yogurt and all of the chicken from my meal. Thanks kid. I start putting together an order from the grocery store (we only do curbside pickup because of COVID). It's going to be a larger order because it's been longer than usual since we have gotten groceries.
5 pm - P gets home with takeout. P gets a veggie burger, I get meatballs, we get spaghetti for T. We offer T some of our meals, he refuses everything except the spaghetti. $47.53
7:45 pm - T is in bed, I log back into work. A coworker send me some documentation to review, I do that and also start going through files and gathering data. While I work P makes pumpkin bread!!
9:15 pm - I log off for the night. I play Just Dance on the switch and dance around alone in my living room for a half hour to get some sort of exercise in.
Daily Total: 47.53
Day 3 - Thursday
6:10 am - Woken up by T. It's after 6 - yay! I watch T closely, we are hoping to take him to daycare today. His runny nose is still around but seems better.
7 am - T gets some of P's pumpkin bread for breakfast. P is up and we decide to take T to daycare today. We run around throwing everting T needs in a bag, de-ice our 2nd car as P has a dentist appointment at 8 and we haven't used that car since the snow storm.
7:45 am- the whole family somehow makes it out the door. T gets very excited to see he is going back to daycare. He was definitely tired of staying home too. I drop off T and and head back home for an actual full day of work
8:15 am - check email from my kitchen while I make tea. P stops back home after the dentist, makes coffee to bring to work and feeds the cats.
11:45 am - I make the last hello fresh meal I have that has been sitting in the back of the fridge getting sad. It's grilling cheese with veggies and couscous. P shows up around 12:15 and we eat together (he eats the other portion). I started getting hello fresh irregularly in November, to help with my sanity thanks to COVID. [Note - P works just a few minutes from our house, so he has been coming home for lunch every day during COVID times]
1 pm - P heads back to work, I go back upstairs to my "office". The rest of my work day is filled with meetings, screensharing covid life, and writing some code.
4:45 pm - I wrap up work and head out to pick up T. His face lights up when he sees me.
5:15 pm - P makes bean and cheese quesadillas for T and himself. I have half of a Trader Joe's frozen beef and broccoli. T gives up on the quesadillas after a few bites, but accepts some applesauce.
7:45 - T is in bed. P runs out to pick up some beer and tonic for me. I prepare a grilled cheese with some pesto and spinach snuck in for T's lunch tomorrow while P is out. $16.53
8 pm - P is back, I make a gin and tonic and hop on a virtual game night with some of my coworkers. P watches hockey and has some beer.
10pm - go upstairs for bed. Brush teeth, wash face, moisturize, bedtime!
Daily Total: 16.53
Day 4 - Friday
7:10 am - Woken up by T who is trying to climb in the bed to wake me up. P takes him down to have breakfast (pumpkin bread and some oatmeal), while I wake up and brush my teeth. I help get T out the door, then I take a much needed long shower. My showers are either 2 minutes or 20 minutes these days, there is no in between.
8:10 am - P asks if I want anything from the bakery by the daycare. I decline, as we need to finish up the bread we have. He gets himself a raspberry danish and a coffee $7.16
8:20 am- P makes me toast and tea as I empty the dishwasher. Then we eat breakfast together and answer our morning work emails. P is out the door by 9 to go into work, I head upstairs.
12:10 pm - P stopped by the grocery to pick up our order $89.30, and also picked up Chipotle for lunch $13.77. He gets a burrito, I get a bowl. We both add queso to our meals for the first time, because fuck it. The queso makes the meal so decadent and I only want to sleep now. After we finish eating we put away the groceries - they were out of a lot of things we requested. Blah. I can't make much of what I was planning to cook, and continue to feel frustrated with COVID.
1 pm - P heads back to work, I go back upstairs despite the meows from my cat who wants me to stay downstairs on the couch. I wish cat. I eat 2 squares of chocolate to get me through the Friday afternoon (yes, I am the person who eats dark chocolate one square at a time. It can take me a month to get through a bar sometimes. I am a monster)
4 pm- I stop working a little early and jump on a zoom call with a couple of friends. We catch up for a little as I start making veggie fritters in hopes to get T to eat any vegetable.
5 pm - P arrives home with T. I offer T the fritters I made and he eats a few bites. I'll take it. I also quickly cook some pasta and steam some broccoli. I mix in some pesto and call that dinner for P and I. P gets T to eat some applesauce as well.
6:15 pm - I go to my aerial silks class. I have been doing aerial since I moved to Baltimore and I love it! Class is an hour long, after it I stop by the liquor store where the bread I ordered earlier in the week is dropped off. I also pick up a bottle of wine while I am there. $16.34
8 pm - I get home and T is asleep. P and I have a couple of drinks (beer for him, wine for me) and we watch RuPaul's Drag Race. We have watched this show for years and had kinda stopped watching it, but picked it back up in the pandemic times and it's exactly the energy we need.
10:30pm - Head up to bed a little later than we should. Lazy face washing and teeth brushing, then sweet sweet bedtime.
Daily Total: 112.80
Day 5 - Saturday
6:45 am - I wake on my own and T is still asleep!!!! I actually get to wake up for a few minutes on my own before I see that T is up. This is the latest he has ever slept and I am overjoyed. I give T milk and we play and look at every book he owns. At 7:45 we wake up P and we both marvel at how well T slept.
8 am - P starts making breakfast for T and himself. I just have toast and tea as usual.
10 am - Another aerial class for me this morning - this time dance trapeze, my favorite! This class is so challenging but I love it. I come home bruised and worn out. It's not ideal for me to take the two classes so close together, but that is just how the schedule worked out. While I am at class, P takes T to the playground to get some energy out.
12 pm - I try to get T to eat more veggie fritters for lunch, but no luck. He "eats" an apple for awhile, and has his trusty yogurt. I honestly don't remember what P and I eat for lunch.
1pm - T naps. P and I chill on the couch and do as little as possible. I order a pair of leggings off of amazon, as I have only worn leggings this winter and it shows. $25.44
3:30 pm - T is up, and we all get dressed to go to the bookstore near our house, which allows you to shop by appointment only - we have one for 4pm. I am just so excited to go somewhere. We browse for a bit and get 3 books for T, P gets a random book, and I randomly buy an expensive but beautiful cookbook - it's all about lunch bowls, and everything in it looks delicious. We spend a lot, but we never go shopping these days and are glad to support a local business. $70.98
5 pm - Dinner time! I heat up some chicken, which T eats most of. I am able to add a few pieces to some instant ramen I made. I also add spinach, green onion, and corn to my ramen. P makes a burrito for himself (P is vegetarian, which is why we eat completely different meals sometimes. He had no interest in any chicken). After dinner we video chat the grandparents, then it's T's bedtime routine.
7:45 pm - T is asleep. I decide it is time for me to make a chocolate torte. I haven't had a true dessert in awhile and I am craving something, and this is what we have the ingredients for. While I am baking, P runs to a grocery near our house. We don't like going inside a grocery these days, but we really need some of the items that were missing in our last pickup. He comes home with way more than what was on our initial list, but we will use everything $71.71 The cake is out the oven, I make a ganache for the first time ever to top the cake and P is in love. He has a much bigger sweet tooth than me, so he is very supportive of my random baking. We end the night eating cake, having some wine, and just chatting and catching up until we head to bed at too late of an hour.
Daily Total: 161.13
Day 6 - Sunday
7 am - Woken up by P & T. I take T and we play downstairs while P gets as little extra rest. It's snowing/raining outside and it just looks awful. Around 8 P comes downstairs and we agree to order breakfast for delivery since no one wants to do breakfast or anything at all in this weather. I ordered homefries and turkey sausage (something other than toast!!) and P gets an egg and cheese sandwich, and also orders pancakes to share with T. We put something on the TV, which we rarely do with T around, but if there was a day to be lazy this is it. Our food comes quickly and we eat it up! $19.51
10 am - we put T in his high chair and let him go wild with paint. This is fav indoor activity for rainy days. Once he is sufficiently messy, P takes T upstairs to wash off, and I pick up downstairs.
12 pm - P makes mac and cheese for T, which he eats up! Both P and I eat some of the boxed mac and cheese, and never get around to eating anymore.
1 pm - T is down for his nap. I play stardew valley on my PS4, while P plays something on his Switch until T is up. We eat some of the chocolate torte.
3:30 pm - It stopped raining and the sun is out! Once T is up, we all get dressed and walk to the park near our house. T finds lots of good sticks and watches lots of good dogs.
5 pm - I make a chicken noodle soup, P makes a flatbread with pesto and red bell peppers. T eats some chicken from my soup and some of the flatbread.
8 pm - T is down, P runs by walgreens to get diaper cream for daycare, since both groceries were out of it. $15.49 We watch another episode of RuPaul and go to bed around 10pm.
Daily Total: $35
Day 7 - Monday
6:15 am - wakeup by T. Play with all the cars until we wake up P at 7. T gets the last piece of pumpkin bread for breakfast.
7:45 am - Drop of T at daycare. Head back home, P makes me tea and makes himself coffee. We both have toast. As usual, we check email and have breakfast together, then he heads into work at 9.
9 am - I start working on some very exciting reports. Yay Monday. Daycare calls and says T hasn't been eating lunch and asks for advice. They commiserate with me on how tricky he is with food and we come up with a few ideas.
12 pm - I heat up some leftover soup for lunch, P comes home and heats up a burrito. We are both busy with work so todays lunch is a quick one and we don't talk much.
1 pm - I am back to work, back to reports.
4:30 pm - I stop working and get some food ready for T. I make some spaghetti and also some bread with peanut butter on it. P arrives home with T, and T runs into the kitchen asking for food. I give him the plate and he throws everything on the ground. I try not to let his eating (or lack thereof) get to me but it's been hard yall. P can tell I am frustrated and takes T upstairs so I can chill out. I say fuck it and heat up this frozen flatbread thing from trader joe's that we have had in the freezer for awhile for P and I. T decides he will eat that. Whatever kid.
8 pm - T is asleep, P runs out and gets a taco for from the place near our house. I had told daycare how T always eats tacos for us when we get them, so we are going to see if he will eat them at daycare. P also gets a taco for himself, since the flatbread wasn't much food. $7.86
9:30 pm - I eat my feelings in chocolate torte. I also decide I need to do something productive to feel better and that we are going to finally order the next size up carseat for T instead of looking online and getting overwhelmed and never buying something. We decide on using the same brand his current carseat is (Britax) and get a midrange model $201.39. This devolves into watching dumb videos on the internet until it's time for bed.
Daily Total: $209.25
Section 5: TOTALS
Total Expenses - $640.15
Food + Drink - $326.85
Home + Health - $15.49
Clothes + Beauty - $25.44
Transport - $0
Other - $272.37
Section 6: REFLECTION
This was honestly a stressful week for me. The snow days hit a bad time with work for P and I, so we spent more on takeout because of that. We also spend more on groceries than normal, but that was because we had spent much less the previous week and were out of many staples. The carseat was as bigger purchase, but I feel like there is always a bigger purchase around the corner these days, which has been making it harder for us to save as much as we would like.
submitted by mdthrwawayy to MoneyDiariesACTIVE [link] [comments]

I am 23 years old, making $6,993/year in Manila as a Social Media Analyst.

NOTE: All currency has been converted to USD (1 PHP = 0.021 USD)
Intro: I hope this gives people an idea of what life is like on the other side of the world, in the Philippines. I’ve also included Ref29’s questions at the beginning to give you more insight into my background. Please know that writing this turned out to be much harder than I had originally anticipated since it forced me to confront several things about me, particularly about my mental health and my privilege. I’m aware that I’m incredibly privileged and have lived a very comfortable, sheltered life, when compared to most Filipinos, especially amid this global pandemic when practically half the country is starving. I’m really nervous to share this with all of you, but please be easy on me as this was not easy for me to do.
Ref29 questions:
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes, education is held in high regard here in the Philippines, to the point that landing a well-paying job without a bachelor’s is extremely hard, if not downright possible. Parents are also expected to pay for the entirety of college, although, of course, this isn’t true for all. Coming from an upper-middle-class family, I was even more pressured to land a spot in one of the Big 4 universities, which is sort of like the equivalent of the Ivy League here. In the Philippines, college admission involves taking an entrance exam at each college that you’re applying to, so my senior year of high school was spent in after-class prep centers to prepare for this. Fortunately, I was able to major in a pre-law course in a Big 4 university, which my parents fully paid for.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
My parents had the mindset of “work hard, play hard,” which meant that they worked seven days a week, but compensated for it with week-long family vacations abroad between twice to thrice a year. As I mentioned, this was a very privileged upbringing. They weren’t extremely thrifty, but they definitely instilled in us values like delayed gratification and spending money only if you worked hard for it. They also insisted that my brother and I save at least 20% of our allowances, so upon reaching first grade, we were taken to the bank to open a junior savings account.
Unfortunately, our business has taken a huge hit, due to policies that the current government has, so we’ve had to significantly tighten our belts. We don’t worry about putting food on the table or of being unable to afford basic necessities; however, we’ve had to do away with things like weekend shopping trips, impulse purchases, eating out every week, and international vacations for the past two or three years now.
Did you worry about money growing up?
It’s extremely privileged of me to say this, but no. I didn’t. I come from generational wealth on my mom’s side while my paternal grandfather owns several properties. I was always secure in the fact that if we were ever struggling financially, one of my grandparents would end up bailing us out.
Do you worry about money now?
Yes, I’m currently saving up to go to law school abroad. This will mean repeating my bachelor’s, but this program will open up so many opportunities for me. However, it also means having to save up at least $20,000 to make it work, and I’m still pretty far from my goal.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I’m not yet financially responsible for myself. My 22-year-old brother, E, and I are still living with our parents, and they’ve refused our offer to pitch in with the bills. They both believe that as long as they’re still working, then it’s their duty to provide for their children. However, this also means that their kids are their retirement plans, which is a very common mentality in the Philippines.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
No, I haven’t.
SECTION ONE: ASSETS AND DEBT
Retirement Balance: All my money right now is being poured to fund my future studies, so I don’t have a retirement balance yet. I don’t know if this is wise or not, and this has been a great cause for my anxiety these past few months.
Savings Account Balance: I have approximately $16,000 spread out across three different bank accounts right now.
Miscellaneous Debt: I bought AirPods from my friend last year, and she asked me to pay her back in installments, so she wouldn’t be tempted to spend all the money in one go. I have approximately $56 left on this, which I’ll be paying next month.
SECTION TWO: INCOME
Income Progression:
This is my first job ever. As I previously mentioned, school is extremely important here in the Philippines. In my case, throughout my elementary and high school years, I was in school from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and this was supplemented by after-class tutoring sessions and weekend advanced classes. College was basically the same since I decided to take up two minor degrees, in addition to my major, which meant that I took 8-10 classes every semester. So, I didn’t have time at all for a part-time job, which was okay, given the fact that my parents funded my education 100%.
2019-2020: I graduated from university in June 2019 and my parents asked me to start working in the family business. This didn’t turn out so good, though, since they refused to pay me a salary and would guilt-trip me whenever I’d take money from the day’s sales to pay for my expenses. When talks of a lockdown began in February 2020, I began looking for a job that would allow me to work remote since I had an inkling that our business would be shut down. Fortunately, my friend recommended me for an open position in the company that she was working at, and that’s where I’ve been since then.
In addition to my full-time job as a Social Media Analyst, I also started doing freelance work early last year.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: This varies. I’m considered a freelancer in my job, despite the fact that I’ve been with them since early 2020. I think they mostly do this to avoid paying me benefits, which is morally questionable but sort-of legal in the Philippines. So, I get paid a daily rate and am on a no-work-no-pay basis. If I don’t take any leaves for the month, then my take-home pay will be $582.79.
Side Gig Monthly Take Home: Again, this varies. In 2020, I believe I averaged approximately $1,200 per month. I don’t know if I’ll be able to hit these same numbers this year, though.
SECTION THREE: EXPENSES
All expenses below are monthly unless otherwise specified.
Phone Bill: This varies, depending on my data usage. Our WiFi doesn’t reach the second floor, so I’m forced to use my data if I’m working or staying in my bedroom. Our phone bills during lockdown were also suspended and have been amortized over six months since then, so I’m still paying this off. Currently, my phone bill can be anywhere from $52 to $83.
Subscriptions: Spotify Premium ($3) – but this is added to my phone bill, thanks to my service provider. I also pay for Babbel ($13) because language learning is my hobby, and I’m currently learning Brazilian Portuguese.
Pet Expenses: I average about $10 for my dog’s food and treats. A trip to the vet for a regular check-up is $8. My local government unit provides certain pet vaccines for free, so we get our shots from them.
Other: My brother, E, and I have privately agreed to answer for the expenses that our 10-year-old brother, L, incurs. So, we pay for his food, school supplies, etc. I budget $15 for him, but I’m not upset if I have to go over this amount. Right now, though, I’m paying for most of L’s expenses since E’s business isn’t doing too hot, due to the post-holiday slump.
DISCLAIMER: Face masks are mandatory, if you’re outside. People also aren’t allowed to go into establishments if they don’t have a face mask + face shield on. Both of these were worn at all times outside my home.
DAY ONE - SUNDAY, JANUARY 10
10:00 a.m. – My cousin and her husband are heading to the shopping mall to run a few errands. I go with them to have my eyes checked as my last prescription was from 2019. The doctor tells me that astigmatism in my right eye has been corrected (thank god) but that my left eye has gotten worse (noooo). I buy contact lenses and have them put in new lenses in my specs. $93
1:30 p.m. – My cousin is a few weeks pregnant and is craving mushroom soup from a particular chain restaurant, so we head over there. I get a burger and offer to pay for my share, but she and her husband refuse.
5:00 p.m. – My parents are very religious and require us to attend Sunday Mass every week as a family. Our church has the recommended COVID-19 measures in place (2-3 people to a pew, contact tracing, etc.), but I’m still annoyed that the Catholic Church here is trying to claim that mass is an essential service that should be allowed to continue, even when it clearly isn’t.
6:00 p.m. – Before heading home, we drop off take-out dinner for my Grandma. She lives alone, so we try to visit her at least once a week. We talk through the gate, though, to keep her safe.
11:00 p.m. – As a social media analyst, my shift is from 12 a.m. to 9 a.m. because I have to take note of all the online traction from the day before. This has worked rather well for me, mainly because I have insomnia.
Daily Total: $93
DAY TWO - MONDAY, JANUARY 11
5:30 a.m. – On Mondays, I have to analyze all social media traction from the weekend, and this has definitely cemented my deep hatred for this day of the week. Fortunately, it wasn’t too terrible this time. I chill for a bit by catching an episode of Friend Zone, a TV series from Thailand that’s sort of like Gossip Girl, except they’re middle-class and have actual jobs.
7:00 a.m. – I wake up L for his classes and begin working on my freelance job. Breakfast is leftovers from Sunday night dinner, so I have Truffle Mac and Cheese, and Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings. My parents and E usually leave very early in the morning for their respective businesses, so it’s usually just me and L.
10:00 a.m. – I send off my social media reports and watch an episode of Fairy Tail.
1:00 p.m. – My brain is out of creative juices, so I take a nap. Before doing so, I place an order to replenish my toner ($5) and AHA serum ($5). I’m also running low on my fish oil capsules, so I order that too ($6.87). My total comes out to $19.25, due to shipping. $19.25
3:00 p.m. – L wakes up from my nap and I work some more before heading out to walk my dog. It’s cold outside – 28ºC or 82.4ºF. This is how winters in Manila look like!
6:45 p.m. – Dinner is white rice, Steamed Tilapia, and Ginataang Sigarilyas. According to Google, this translates to “Winged Beans in Coconut Milk.” I don’t know if this translation is 100% legit but it’s probably one of my favorite vegetable dishes ever.
Daily Total: $19.25
DAY THREE - TUESDAY, JANUARY 12
2:30 a.m. – One of my accounts is in crisis mode, so their reports are much more finicky than usual. When I feel that my brain is about to explode from reading social media posts, I work on my freelance deliverables.
7:00 a.m. – Again, I wake up L. Tuesdays are hard for him because he has back-to-back classes, and it isn’t long before I notice that he seems a bit overwhelmed. This year has been tough for him because we moved him to a new school and this, plus online learning, meant that he’s had to adjust like crazy. It’s too much for a 10-year-old, I think. I buy him his favorite Iced Cacao milk tea (I think it’s called boba in the States) to cheer him up and order an Iced Matcha for myself ($7.89). We drink our milk teas while having a very healthy breakfast of hotdogs and rice. $7.89
11:00 a.m. – The rest of the morning goes by quickly. I send off my reports, work on my deliverables, pitch to new clients, answer e-mails, and so on. Unfortunately, two of my clients have declined to work with me again since I was a bit late with a few of my deliverables, due to the holiday season. I try to take it as a sign from the universe that I need to slow down, but I’m still pretty sad about it.
5:30 p.m. – I wake up from a nap and notice that my phone bill is due, so I pay ($53.49). I Dinner tonight is Fried Milkfish, Rice cooked with Crab Fat, and Sayote sa Sotanghon, which is basically chayote mixed with vermicelli. $53.49
Daily Total: $61.38
DAY FOUR - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13
2:00 a.m. – Thank God, my account has ended its crisis mode, so work is a bit more chill. Again, social media traction and freelance work. When I was 15, I thought I’d be spending my early twenties in a high-paying corporate job, wearing cute clothes and going to parties afterward. Instead, I’m spending it in teddy bear pajamas. I blame Gossip Girl and Korean dramas for my unrealistic expectations.
7:00 a.m. – After waking up L and sending off my reports, I spend the rest of the day working on my freelance jobs.
11:30 a.m. – Our live-in helper, J, prepares fried chicken for lunch and I eat it with L. He still has some time left before his next class, so I play a few rounds of Among Us with him. I honestly don’t enjoy the game as much as I make it seem I do, but it’s his absolute favorite and I like having these small bonding moments with my little brother.
1:45 p.m. – My brain can’t take it anymore, and I pass out from exhaustion.
3:30 p.m. – L wakes me up from my nap and I try my best to get a few more things done. Thankfully, my next deadline involves a podcast script on a certain historical event. These are pretty easy to write, although researching them can be a pain in the ass sometimes.
4:00 p.m. – I take a break from work by checking out apartment listings because it’s fun, even though I have no plans to move out. I honestly want to, mainly because my relationship with my parents isn’t that great, and living back home has highlighted that even more. E has it worse, though, and his relationship with our dad has deteriorated so much that they got into a few physical fights during lockdown. While I can afford to move out, E can’t and of course, L is underage, so I can’t take him with me. Right now, I’m bearing the brunt of my parents’ stress and frustration, and if I leave, then it’s likely that they’ll start taking it out on my brothers. So, I don’t because I’m their eldest sister and a huge part of me feels like it’s my duty to protect them. But if worse comes to worst, then I’m ready to shoulder E and his expenses. He only started his business last year, so it isn’t super profitable yet. The post-holiday slump hasn’t been kind to him either.
5:30 p.m. – Dinner is Tinolang Manok, which is a dish that consists of chicken and papaya slices cooked in ginger-flavored broth. For me, it’s a must-eat during “wintertime.” While eating, my parents ask me what my plans are for my upcoming birthday. They’re trying to pressure me to treat the entire family to dinner, but I decline because a) I’m trying to save money, and b) COVID-19.
8:45 p.m. – I take a shower and catch a few episodes of a Chinese drama called “A Love So Beautiful.” Then, it’s back to work.
Daily Total: $0
DAY FIVE – THURSDAY, JANUARY 14
3:45 a.m. – I finish my main job early, so I go and work on some deliverables, but I keep getting distracted by “A Love So Beautiful” that I barely get anything done. Before I know it, it’s nearly time to wake my brother up, and I haven’t accomplished anything at all.
5:00 a.m. – My mom brought home fried chicken from McDonalds last night for L’s breakfast, but I’m so hungry that I steal it. I order the same thing ($5.50) and schedule a 6:30 a.m. delivery to hide my crime. $5.50
7:00 a.m. – I wake up L, shower, and settle in to watch the final episode in the series. I’ve accepted the fact that I won’t get anything done until I find out what happens to Chen Xiaoxi and Jiang Chen.
12:00 p.m. – I must be more torn up about losing two clients than I initially thought I was because I end up crying while working on a deliverable. I lock myself in my room and plan to have a good 10-minute crying session, but this quickly into a full-on breakdown. I never really recognized the impact that my home situation and lack of proper sleep have left on me, but it looks like the emotional toll is too much. I’m also feeling really anxious about one of my long-time clients, who I feel is a bit disappointed with my work lately, and this sends me spiraling even more. I end up crying for a good hour or so. It would have gone on longer, had it not been for L, who knocks on my door and cuddles me for a bit. He can tell that I’m upset, thanks to my swollen eyes, so he offers to treat me to milk tea using his Christmas money. It’s sweet, but I decline.
4:00 p.m. – After working and a quick nap, I put on a Korean eye mask to hide how swollen they are. My dad gets annoyed whenever we cry since he perceives it to be a sign of weakness. I know that he’s completely wrong about this, but I’m too exhausted to argue with him tonight.
5:00 p.m. – Dinner is white rice and Pork Bistek. I don’t know if that has a proper English translation, but it’s basically pork chops and onions cooked in soy sauce and calamansi juice. I’m still feeling pretty lethargic from my breakdown earlier, so I take a cold shower to feel refreshed.
10:00 p.m. – I guess breaking down uses up a lot of energy because I’m starving, even though dinner was only a few hours ago. L is also hungry, so we ask J to buy us Puto Bumbong, which is a steamed purple rice cake topped with margarine, coconut flakes, and brown sugar. This particular stall also puts cheese and condensed milk on theirs. I personally find it too sweet, but L is in love, as only 10-year-old boys who can eat a whole jar of Nutella can be. J uses the leftover money from today’s dinner to pay.
11:30 p.m. – Work is pretty chill today, so I watch an anime called “The Promised Neverland” in-between monitoring social media traction.
Daily Total: $5.50
DAY SIX – FRIDAY, JANUARY 15
12:00 a.m. – Happy 23rd birthday to me! I initially wanted to go to treat myself to a spa to celebrate my birthday, but I canceled my booking because of COVID-19. Hopefully, the Philippine government will finally get its shit together by March, which is when I had my appointment rebooked. I’m doubtful, but hopeful.
7:00 a.m. – I log off for the week and settle in to finally enjoy some no-work bliss. Kidding! I wake up L, take a shower, and work on my freelancing deliverables. Since it’s my birthday, J allows me to decide what breakfast will be and I pick chicken nuggets because I know that it’s something that L will enjoy too.
11:00 a.m. – My lack of sleep this week has caught up to me, and I pass out from exhaustion. Thankfully, I don’t have any deadlines today.
4:30 p.m. – L wakes me up, and we dress for Mass. My parents require us to attend Mass together as a family whenever it’s someone’s birthday. L isn’t allowed inside the church because of my area’s COVID-19 restrictions, so he and E sit outside. I’m jealous because the air is so stuffy inside the church that breathing through a mask and a face shield is a struggle.
6:00 p.m. – We come home and a few of my other family members are there for a...surprise birthday dinner. I’m trying not to feel annoyed at the fact that my parents went against my wishes because I know they mean well, but still. I had planned a quiet night with anime and a face mask to celebrate my birthday, but of course, this won’t be feasible any longer. I’m trying not to let my irritation show because everyone made an effort to be here, but still. Oh well, at least they kept the number of guests below 10, in line with restrictions.
6:30 p.m. – My mom ordered food from a caterer, and we settle in for a dinner of Baked Salmon in Cheese with Green Beans, Braised Chicken with Rosemary and Potatoes, and Ox Tongue with Mushrooms. They’re all pretty good, but I can’t help but dream of the face mask that I had prepared in anticipation of tonight.
11:00 p.m. – I nurse a glass of white wine, and it isn’t long before my aunt and I have managed to polish off the entire bottle. I can’t help but feel a bit sad because only two of my friends greeted me today. I know that I shouldn’t put a lot of stock into birthday greetings because they’re just words, and I know that all my friends are busy with work, and I also know that they’re going through their own mental battles right now because of COVID-19, but still. It sucks.
11:30 p.m. – A friend from Germany asks me if he calculated the timezone correctly, and he wishes me a happy birthday. As a gift, he sends me a video of snow falling out his window. I don’t know if I’m crying because I’m wine-drunk, or if I’m crying out of envy because SNOW or because I’m a teeny bit sad. Maybe it’s all of the above, idk.
Daily Total: $0
DAY SEVEN - SATURDAY, JANUARY 16
2:00 a.m. – Party’s over and all my relatives have gone home. I set an alarm for 4 a.m. because I have an early-morning deadline to meet.
9:00 a.m. – I must be drunker and more tired than I thought because I completely slept through my alarm. I apologize to my client and ask for an extension. I’m hoping that he’s kind to me because it was my birthday the day before; fortunately, he grants the extension.
12:30 p.m. – E is craving Chinese food, so I hop onto Grab (Southeast Asian version of Uber) and place an order from Panda Express. They were only brought to the Philippines in 2019, and lines have been pretty long, so it was only this year that I was able to taste their non-Chinese Chinese food. I pay for our food as a late birthday treat for my brothers and also because I know that E has been denying himself a lot of things lately to have more cash to inject into his business. With delivery, the total comes out to $13. He offers to wash the dishes afterward, which I’m really thankful for. $13
3:00 p.m. – The rest of the day passes by quickly. It’s J’s day off today, so L and I do household chores. While doing them, I catch up with some of my favorite podcasts, including Military Murder and The Asian Madness Podcast. Highly recommend the two of them. And, let me know if you have any recommendations!
4:00 p.m. – I’m trying to work out whether I should buy the new Macbook Air M1 or not. I’ve been using my 2014 Macbook Air 11 since high school, but while this has been great for school, it’s a huge challenge now that I’m spending more than eight hours a day on it. The screen is too small, so my back and shoulders hurt the entire time I’m on it, and the resolution is also too low. A few people from this sub have recommended that I get an external monitor, but I don’t have a home office or a desk. I work on our dining room table because my vanity’s too small. Since we don’t have Apple Store here in the Philippines, I have to make do with a re-seller. Right now, the lowest that a Macbook Air M1 goes for is $1,102. This is something that I can definitely afford, especially since a junk shop has offered to give me $249 in exchange for my old one. But I’m having trouble being okay with buying a new laptop when my current one is working just fine. I know I deserve it after all my hard work and I know that it’ll make working much easier, but still.
6:00 p.m. – For dinner, my parents bring home take-out from a local restaurant. We eat Breaded Tofu, Butter Buffalo Chicken Wings, and Mixed Vegetables. I do the dishes afterward, which takes a long time, because dishwashers aren’t common in the Philippines, and it’s hard to manually scrub oily food.
8:00 p.m. – I work and watch anime in-between.
Daily Total: $13
WEEKLY TOTAL: $192.13
REFLECTION
This week’s spending was unusually high, mainly because of my phone bill and rare expenses, like eyeglasses and contact lenses. I also had way too much food delivered this week, but I felt like treating my brothers since it was my birthday, so I don’t mind that all. My usual weekly spending, however, is somewhere around $10.
But aside from spending, I think that writing this money diary really forced me to confront my privilege and mental health issues, as well as my workaholic tendencies. It’s tough to admit to yourself that you aren’t happy at all, but maybe it’s time to finally face it. I feel like I also have a problem with making big splurges that will ultimately benefit me, so moving forward, I’d like to remember that while treating my brothers is totally okay, I should be kinder to myself too. There’s still a lot of issues that I need to unpack and work through, but hopefully, being 23 will give me the strength to do so.
I hope you enjoyed this money diary from the other side of the world :-) And sorry for any typos. I’d edit, but it’s 2 a.m. right now, and I’m exhausted.
submitted by schade_marmelade to MoneyDiariesACTIVE [link] [comments]

My girlfriend and I tried playing offline multiplayer against bots again, and it reminds how fun this game can be when you can get rid of a lot of the crap and bloat that online MP has become.

TLDR: If you miss having a better gaming EXPERIENCE try playing offline! Especially now that all my XP is going to the trash--I mean, unlocks for a game I don't own-- there's little motivation left for me to grind in a SBMM lobby, other than to unlock a cosmetic.
You can play any game mode, any map, with any rules, while having SIGNIFICANTLY less wait times between games. You can get a flow going.
We love playing drinking games that we used to be able to play online, but it's all just such a mess now. Gunfight and gun game against a bunch of bots in a rotation between shoot house, gulag, and shipment make for great continuous fun that also gets us drunk.
Offline bots are better than you think. We're not the best players, but we're not TERRIBLE, while they're more predictable, set them to Veteran and you will get killed if you blindly run out into the open, and they work together to achieve the objective. Sometimes it's frustrating when your "teammates" suck or be stupid, but it's SO much better than the problems I have playing regular multiplayer.
It's discouraging that it takes so long for my Xbox to load into an online MP game, that the game has already started, and most of the time I have to watch my gf play (she's on a Acer Nitro V laptop PC) a whole round of cyber attack or for several minutes before I can pick a loadout. By the time I spawn in, SOMEONE'S got VTOL or throws a bunch of grenades right in my spawn point.
But just get rid of that, and you realize the mechanics you love do still exist, the sounds of your favorite guns ARE still pretty cool. I AM FINALLY ABLE TO USE KILLSTREAKS HIGHER THAN 5-6 KILLS!
If you're playing with friends, convince them to just add 3 rounds of playing with bots to your session on your favorite map and mode. The trash talking is better (in a way only your friends and family can get you), the excitement is more intense, heck you might even have a fantastic time.
submitted by itsnotmicha to modernwarfare [link] [comments]

I'm in my late twenties and make $60,000 working as an architect in the northwestern US. Join me for a week in quarantine!

I am in my late twenties and make $60,000 working as an architect in the northwestern US. Not sharing exact details since the industry is a small world and I’d like to share candidly! I should also add that I mention my budgeting software a few times in this post - I’m not sponsored by them, I’m just a little obsessed with budgeting.
INTRO QUESTIONS
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Absolutely. My parents both had to be on their own at a very young age, so they were focused on making sure I had solid footing for financial independence. College was a big part of that plan. (You can absolutely build a great career without a college education - this was just my parents' perspective.) Obviously you can no longer pay tuition by scooping ice cream during the summer like they did, but they were very against the idea of loans (to put it lightly) so I wouldn’t have been able to afford 90% of the schools I was accepted to. As a teenager that really bummed me out since I wanted to move away! I ended up going to an in-state university where my tuition was funded via a combo of scholarships from the school, my parents' college savings and state government scholarships. My parents paid my rent for the years I had to live off campus (I remember thinking $400 a month rent was so expensive.....lol) and I funded my spending money with a few different part time jobs, working two or three at any given time. Some of those jobs were at the university and related to my degree so it was good practical experience too!
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
My parents told me things but didn't necessarily explain in detail how everything worked. In hindsight I wish I'd started using something like YNAB much younger so I could understand the impact and potential of my money (whether I saved it or spent it). My parents talked a lot about avoiding consumer debt and warned me about interest as well as depreciation when it came to buying a car brand new or something like that. When I was a young adult they got me Bogle's book which was a good foundation for my knowledge about investing.
Did you worry about money growing up?
I wasn’t worried as much as I was confused. My parents’ advice and influence seemed so opposite of what I saw happening around me. For instance, they are generally against debt of any kind, whereas excessive spending and living on credit seemed to be the status quo for everyone else I knew. They invest money into their hobbies but don't buy flashy cars or new phones or anything like that, even now that they are empty nesters making good money.
There was also a gradual shift where I realized that when I grew up I wasn't going to be making as much money as my parents did, and that was an adjustment. In hindsight, perhaps I should have chosen a career where I would be better compensated, but you'd be hard pressed to convince my eighteen year old self of that. I find my job fulfilling and I think our work has a positive impact on our community, which is worth a lot to me, but good will doesn't pay the rent. If you know anyone planning to become an architect advise them to take any route that doesn’t end in crippling loans. Compensation in this industry is not proportional to the education and experience it takes to get here (more on this later).
Do you worry about money now?
Yes and no. Money is definitely much more of a concern because I don't have a lot of excess, but I do feel I have a good handle on my financial situation and am making progress toward my goals. In the big picture affecting myself and others, I really worry about wage stagnation and income inequality.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I became financially independent when I moved out of state after graduation. I definitely have a safety net in my parents, in the sense that I know I wouldn't end up on the street if things really went south - they've loaned me money when I've had to pay for expensive procedures and that sort of thing. I drive an old car that they transferred to me in exchange for doing all the work on their home renovation - perks of having an architect for a child! I marked the categories below where I had a leg up from my family with an asterisk and included those details. I like to be transparent because I feel like shit when I see people my age who own homes, go on vacation, and eat out at restaurants regularly while those things are not possible for me. It's all relative, so someone is probably looking at me the same way. I'm not living an extravagant lifestyle, but having a degree and a car debt-free is a big deal and I can confidently say I wouldn't be where I am today without my family's help.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Yes. A few years ago I inherited money following the loss of a family member. The majority of it went into my retirement accounts. I used $300 of it to buy a locket in their memory - I wondered if I would regret that purchase since I've never owned nice jewelry before, but I love it and wear it all the time!
______________________________________________________
ASSETS AND DEBT
*Retirement balance: ~$12,000 split between 401k and Roth IRA. I started contributing as soon as I could, and some of this was the money I inherited. My employer doesn't do a 401k match and that plan has a higher expense ratio, so I put most of my retirement savings in the Roth IRA. Right now I have $100 deducted pretax for the 401k just so I have a mix of tax deferred savings.
Checking account balance: $3,029. Money I will use to pay rent, bills, utilities, and pay off my credit card balance each month. I use YNAB to figure out if I have enough money to make a purchase, so I don't pay a lot of attention to the actual bank balance or let it fool me into thinking "Of course you can 'afford' to spend $200 at Sephora!" (Narrator: She could not.)
Savings account balance: $3,235 spread across several accounts. Here are the specifics, if anyone is interested:
FSA account balance: $1,200. This covers copays and prescriptions.
Credit card debt: $0. I'm proud of this! Before I started using YNAB I struggled with credit card float but I have a better handle on my expenses now. I am actually living within my means and auto-pay my card in full each month.
*Student loan debt: $0. See the question above about higher education.
Equity: $0, renting. Home ownership? In this economy?
______________________________________________________
INCOME
Income progression: I'm skipping over all my minimum wage service industry jobs for the sake of brevity. TL;DR They all sucked. During college I had a few part time jobs during the school year and worked full time during the summer. These jobs ranged from $8-12/hr.
My starting salary after graduation was $43,000. This job was a mess and I got "laid off" AKA taken off the projects I was specifically hired for, replaced by a man, and then told they didn't have enough work to keep me. The boss apparently wanted someone who could be his "right hand man" and I "wasn't the right fit." That was definitely true! This job did a number on my self esteem, since I didn’t have enough experience to know that the things I experienced were very inappropriate (even before the layoff) and that the “problems” with my performance were actually just blatant mismanagement and poor communication. Anyway, onward and upwards....
I was hired by my second job at $48,000 with paid overtime (yay!) but the next year I got promoted to $51,000 WITHOUT overtime, so I actually made less money than the year before. I call that my Demotion Promotion. The next year I went up to $55,000, which basically broke even with the paid overtime year. Then a multiyear shit storm of cancelled projects, pandemic, and economic instability happened. Thankfully I stayed employed and at the end of 2020 I was bumped up to $60,000. This is the first time my take-home pay has changed significantly in at least three years. I wish the raise were more, but obviously I'm lucky to even have kept my job during the pandemic, much less gotten a raise. I also asked to be promoted to a role that I am already doing the work for, and I didn't get that promotion, which made me have second thoughts about my prospects at my current firm. I am also in the process of getting my architectural license, and although it doesn't necessarily mean a pay increase, it will theoretically help give me leverage for promotions and an increase in responsibility. Architects are underpaid in general, especially considering the amount of education and experience required to legally call yourself an architect. Historically it's been a "gentleman's profession" for white men who were already wealthy and wanted to be seen as great artists. The whole foundation of the industry is toxic, although it seems to be changing slowly.. Right now I'm focusing on developing skills and getting experience while also advocating for better and more equitable compensation as much as I can. I am definitely concerned about my long term earning potential, but that might just be a result of my limited experience and stifled opportunities for growth.
Monthly take home: ~$3,700
Gross pay is $5,000. Deductions:
This is my only income. I have thought about pursuing a second income source, but for now I am spending my time studying for licensure exams and focusing on learning and maximizing my earning potential in my industry.
______________________________________________________
EXPENSES
Regular monthly expenses:
Savings:
I have various other categories in my budget that I put money toward each month like donations, gifts, clothing, dining at restaurants. I'm not listing them here since I don't necessarily spend in those areas each month.
______________________________________________________
WEEKLY DIARY
FRIDAY Daily Total: $340.36 (starting off with a bang, apparently!) 
7 am: I recently arrived home from traveling, so today is day 1 of the return quarantine. (Before you judge, I was helping a relative who had a big procedure.) I made an effort to use up everything in the fridge before I left, so it's nearly empty. I wake up ravenous and order a breakfast burrito, potatoes and coffee to be delivered: $18.22. I wore my mask door to door, and after a whole day of plane travel without food or water I'm essentially a raisin in human form. I chug water as fast as it'll come out of the tap, inhale my food and log on remotely for work. I have several meetings today. I'm thankful I only need to look presentable from the shoulders up.
11 am: I scheduled a grocery order with Instacart, which came to $202.90. While I'm waiting for the order to arrive and sorting through my inbox, I catch up on my podcasts and hear news of Instacart's recent union busting layoffs. Yikes. Not renewing this year! I hop back on the app and give the delivery person an even more generous tip than usual, and make sure the auto-renewal for Instacart Express is disabled.
1 pm: During lunch I do some online shopping. To thank my friend who house-sat (apartment-sat?) for me, I order a ceramic vase and I'm filling it with little presents and treats: $50. Another friend's birthday is coming up, so I order a few things from another local shop. Her gift comes to $40.46. Finally, I order some pillow inserts for my apartment: $28.78.
2 pm: After attending my meetings and responding to all time sensitive messages, I review consultant drawings and make some notes for what I need to tackle over the course of next week. I snack pretty much continuously. One of my favorite things about working from home is that I can eat freely without dealing with stupid commentary or diet talk. No, Sharon, I don't want to hear about how you're "so bad" for eating an entire cookie or how you're attempting keto for the millionth time. When we were in the office, some of my coworkers would make comments on how the lunch I packed was so healthy, as if it were some moral achievement. Bitch, I'm getting coffee and eating a piece of cake when I'm done with this salad! I have endocrine issues and have struggled with weight fluctuations my entire life. At this point I've done a lot of work to address my relationship with food and dieting, and I know that sort of talk is really not helpful for me. I'm sure my coworkers don't have bad intentions but I'm just over it.
6 pm: After work I sort through the mail and packages that arrived while I was away. I'm so tired. I stretch, do a face mask and eat half a THC gummy before bed. I sleep like the dead.
SATURDAY Daily total: $33.24 
10 am: Nothing on my calendar this weekend! I devote the day to cleaning and doing projects around the apartment. I struggle with renting because I want to fix things up and make changes, especially since I do this sort of thing for a living! Even though I'm a really good tenant and have been here for years, my crappy landlord won't allow improvements even if I paid for the materials and/or labor myself. One of my windows has a crack in the glass that the property manager said isn't a problem because "it's not a hole." These windows are like ninety years old, so I'm pretty sure it's gonna become a hole any day now - I'm just hoping it's not winter when that happens. For my next apartment I'd really like to find an individual who owns and manages the property themselves so I have more flexibility and someone will actually appreciate my efforts to keep the place in good shape! Those landlords are few and far between these days.
12 pm: Even though it's cold AF, I open the windows to get some fresh air inside. Spring cleaning can be in January right? To complement my organizing efforts, I order some bins and refill tape for my label maker: $33.24.
3 pm: I lay on the floor, hoping to bask in the silence and lack of responsibilities. However, my neighbors are loud af. I wonder how much you have to spend on rent to get an apartment with any semblance of sound isolation?
7 pm: I mostly forget to eat today and end up feeling like crap as a result. This is not good for anyone but especially people with hormone issues. I end up eating a bunch of beef jerky and Starbursts for dinner instead of an actual meal (do as I say, not as I do, I guess.....)
SUNDAY Daily total: $0 
9:30 am: Slept in late again. I had crazy night terrors the entire night - they get a lot worse for me during periods of stress and anxiety, and I’m sure my beef & candy dinner didn’t help. Weed helps, hence the gummies. I wear an Apple Watch and when I look at my sleep patterns it's really obvious which nights I used THC. Thank you, drugs!
I eat a big bowl of fruit and yogurt for breakfast - I splurged on berries when I got groceries! I left coffee grounds steeping overnight for cold brew, so I prep that too. I don't mind drinking iced coffee in the winter and it's so much easier than doing pour-over every day.
1 pm: I schedule a drive-through COVID test for later in the week. The weather is pretty godawful - it was supposed to snow but that quickly became freezing rain instead. I manage to sneak in a few short walks with my dog but otherwise we spend the day snuggled under a blanket eating snacks and watching Schitt's Creek.
MONDAY Daily total: $95 
8 am: Very few meetings today, so I dig through the rest of the emails and messages I missed while traveling last week.
12 pm: During lunch I lay in my bed - one of the luxuries of remote work, second only to elastic waistbands. On the other hand, I have pandemic fatigue and it's being exacerbated by the shitty weather. Returning to isolation in my apartment is jarring. The space is small. My loud neighbors suck. I wish I could go on a long walk. I miss my family. I want a hug. I am tired of hearing people complain about how hard "isolation" is when they have a house, partner, backyard, cable, and a ten person "pod" to socialize with. The only human contact I had for nearly a year was with my dentist drilling out an old filling. When I traveled to see my family I quarantined upon arrival and got tested, but I still didn't feel comfortable snuggling and hugging them since we would need to be in and out of hospitals for the procedure and appointments. It was still wonderful to see them in person, despite the circumstances. My stress and loneliness is fuel for the fire of my rage at people who still don't take this shit seriously. I cope by snuggling my dog, who I am always thankful for but especially now. I'm really glad that we are able to spend so much time together.
1:30 pm: I spend the rest of the day cleaning up drawings and prepping for a meeting tomorrow.
7 pm: I got a surprise bill in the mail for one of the COVID tests I took when I was traveling. I have to pay $95 on top of the copay at the visit - this is the price WITH insurance. Our healthcare system is garbage.
12 am: I can’t sleep. I get a tickle in my throat. I think it’s a result of having the radiator on for several days straight - my nose, mouth and eyes are all very dry - but I get up and check my temperature (normal) and make sure I can still smell the detergent scent on my pajamas (I can). I put in some eye drops before going back to bed.
TUESDAY Daily total: $0 and some sanity 
8:57 am: I stay in bed until the very last minute.
\a frenzy of anxiety that lasts the entire day**
5 pm: The focus of my anxiety runs the gamut from work to COVID to earthquakes to my dog’s health to increasing cost of living. I make it through work despite my rapidly crumbling mental state. I try to give myself a break and remind myself that it’s okay if I’m not doing my absolute best in the midst of all this. In any case, the meeting I prepared for yesterday got pushed to next week and nobody informed me. 🙄 I check my temperature. While I’m at it, I take my blood pressure and note that too.
P.S. Regarding anxiety disorders, I am prescribed medication and go to therapy. I highly recommend seeking therapy if you’re having trouble dealing with things on your own - you don't need to have a diagnosed disorder to benefit from it. Many providers do sliding scale.
6 pm: The weather is absolutely disgusting. I have very few opportunities for exercise between bad weather, no gyms, and living in an apartment above someone else. Even if I suit up in all my rain gear, my dog refuses to walk very far when it's wet. Maybe I should move my coffee table tomorrow so I can do some weights or yoga.
7 pm: I catch up on the WSB/GME mayhem and memes, then I play around with the forecasting tool on my 401k website. After my upcoming paycheck I might experiment with bumping my 401k contribution up. If my living expenses don't increase, I might be able to get closer to 10% over the course of this year without too much pain.
9 pm: I snuggle my dog and play games on my phone until bedtime.
WEDNESDAY Daily total: $37.50 
7 am: My farm share box arrives today. Thank god - I dropped the ball and got very few veggies in my grocery order, plus I've been rationing the berries I spent so much money on.
9:30 am: I get my COVID swab. I had to drive half an hour to get there. I wonder what the bill will be for this one. Results could take up to a week. Why isn't this easier? On the way home I get gas: $37.50.
10 am: Since I got back earlier than expected and it's not raining (!!!!) I take the opportunity to go on a walk with my dog. It's really nice to sweat and get my heart rate up a bit.
11:30 am: My dog was snoring so loudly that I had to mute myself during a call. I guess the walk wore him out!
8 pm: I finish up work and join a zoom happy hour with some friends. I bust out a bottle of wine that I got for Christmas. The call is pretty fun, although by the end I definitely have screen fatigue. I go to bed pretty much immediately.
THURSDAY Daily total: $7.89 
6 am: After about 5 am I couldn't get back to sleep, so I get up and take the dog for a walk. Until I get a negative test I've been wearing my mask even outdoors, and it leads to condensation from my breath forming droplets on my eyelashes. When it's cold enough, they freeze. Facial icicles - just another thrilling pandemic experience. After I get home I towel off my dog's muddy paws, rinse my face and get to work, since I have six hours straight of meetings today. (Ugh)
~a million years later~
6 pm: I order a new digital thermometer because mine consistently tells me my temperature is just above 96 degrees and that can't be true? Anyway, it's $7.89. I detach my butt from my desk chair and go make some pasta with pesto for dinner.
8 pm: I start getting my shit together to study for my next licensure exam. They've been looming over me. I got derailed by COVID - maybe I can pass the rest in 2021? If there were a guaranteed raise or promotion I'd probably be a lot more motivated to shell out $1400+ for these tests....
9 pm: I figure preparing to study is enough for today. I download a few library books on my kindle, take half a THC gummy and snuggle in bed to read.
12 am: Before I go to sleep I check my phone and see that I tested negative for COVID! I'm glad the results came back so fast, and it's a huge relief - I'm very thankful for all the measures I took to travel safely even though it was not at all fun or comfortable. Stoned and sleepy, I dream sweet dreams of the paycheck hitting my account tomorrow morning, and I can't fucking wait to budget it.
______________________________________________________
WEEKLY EXPENSES
GRAND TOTAL: $513.99
______________________________________________________
REFLECTION
This was definitely a higher spending week than usual, primarily due to the fact that I was just returning from out of town and had to put gas in the car, which doesn't happen often since I work from home right now and walk most places. I think my spending is typically pretty responsible. My main financial priority in 2020 was creating a realistic budget - I had been using YNAB for a while but kept underestimating how much money I needed in each category. I dialed that in, and now in 2021 I'd like to focus on minimizing expenses where possible (especially things that aren't important to me) as well as saving (both in my emergency fund and retirement) so I can get that sweet, sweet compound interest. In 2021 I'd also really like to improve my wardrobe and look a bit more professional, but I'm obviously not motivated to spend money on work clothes while we are still 100% remote. Long term I would really like to increase my income, especially since the cost of living is only going up. That means getting my license is high on the list of priorities.
Hope you enjoyed the diary, and let me know if there is anything unclear that I can elaborate on further!
(edited to fix a few grammar and math issues!)
submitted by fuckhowardroark to MoneyDiariesACTIVE [link] [comments]

best games to play online with friends on laptop video

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The 25 best online games to play right now with your friends (or foes) By Samuel Horti , Diego Arguello 19 January 2021 We rank the best online games you can play right now, so prepare to get friendly Here are some of the best online games to play with friends that are guaranteed to bring you and your clan together for some fun during this time of social distancing:. Best Online Games. 1. Words RELATED: 10 Best Apps & Games To Play With Friends On Your Phone 1. Joking Hazard. If you and your friends whip out a deck of Cards Against Humanity at every house party, you’ll love this online 10 free online games to play with your friends Feel Good. Study International Staff 01 May 2020 One of the best games to settle scores with was Mario Kart. Now, with this app on your phone, you get to challenge seven other players to beat you on this race down memory lane. Houseparty is a group chat platform of its own, where you won't even need to leave the app to play games. Choose the ever-popular Heads Up!, or other games such as Trivia, Chips and Guac, and Quick Draw. The app can hold group chats of up to eight people. Get it on the App Store or Google Play. Houseparty is a video chat app owned by Fortnite developer Epic Games that lets you play popular games like trivia, Heads Up and Uno with friends online. The app is free to use. On consoles, Diablo III is playable with friends both online and offline, whereas the PC version is online only (a sore spot with many PC gamers). Oh, and you can kill armed, sentient cows in the... Well, if you have been scouting for the best online games for PC, then this article will help you. In this article, we have listed some of the best paid and free games for PC. So in no particular order, these are the best online multiplayer games for PC that you should play right now. ALSO READ: 10 Best Free Android Games I analyzed some of the most popular quarantine games one can play with friends, and Krunker, Shell Shockers, Skribbl and Bonk all proved to be the crowning champions of providing exhilarating Video games aren’t just entertaining and a fun way to connect with friends. Playing online multiplayer games with friends is good for the brain too. Studies have revealed how video games improve our hand-eye coordination, quickens our reaction time, sharpen our mental capacity and “improved performance in perception, attention, and

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Top 10 CO-OP Games to Play With Your Wife, GF and SO - YouTube

Best games for 1GB Ram PCThanks For Clicking on this video-----My Youtube Channel:-https://go... What are some great free or affordable online multiplayer co-op games to play with friends? These are the best ones to play on Xbox, Steam, and PS4.Support u... Thanks so much for watching, hope we can do this more often!Suggest ideas for list videos in the comments below.😍Top Ten "Online Browser Games" Free To Pl... These are merely suggestions of games that you might enjoy playing with your group of mates. Each of these games have their own pros and cons, and I am not s... Bored? Want to hang out with your friends? In this video, I give you guys ideas of online games to play with friends that are (for the most part) free!GAMES ... Taking a look at some of the best co-op games that are playable now.. and best to play with a girlfriend, wife or significant other. This video shows my top... TOP 15 BEST ONLINE/MULTIPLAYER GAMES FOR LOW OLD PC OR LAPTOP (GMA950) Please like, comment and subscribe if you want more videos !Low spec games ! Low Spec ...

best games to play online with friends on laptop

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