A Week In Atlanta, GA, On A $84,000 Budget

Occupation: Data Analyst
Industry: Software
Age: 23
Location: Atlanta, GA
Salary: $84,000
Paycheck (Once Per Month): $4,773

Monthly Expenses
Housing Costs: $1,150 for rent, plus ~$200 for my half of internet, power, gas, water, renter's insurance, and miscellaneous monthly apartment fees. My brother pays $850 per month for rent and splits the other costs with me evenly. I live in a three-bedroom apartment with my younger brother, who is an undergraduate student. Our sister (also an undergrad) comes in from Athens, GA, to visit almost every weekend, and my mom also comes to stay with us from Louisiana quite a bit. Because of this, my parents offered to pay the difference in cost between a two- and three-bedroom apartment. My mom transferred the money to me in one lump sum earlier this year, so although I pay more monthly than my brother does, we will have effectively paid the same amount over the course of our lease.
Car Loan: $404.
Student Loans: I don't have any student loans thanks to scholarships in undergrad and parents in grad school.

All Other Monthly Expenses
Car Insurance: $119.07
Health Insurance: $0. I'm still on my parents' plan.
Cell Phone: $40. I pay my parents for my share of the family plan.
Gym Membership: $31. I am on a family membership to the Y with my brother and my fiancé.
Stitch Fix: $20 every other month.
Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime: None. I mooch off my parents.
HBOGo: $0. I mooch off my cousin.
Evernote Plus Subscription: $35/year. I use the paid version so that I can access it on my phone, personal computer, and work computer.
Savings: ~$700-$1,300. At the beginning of each month, I pay rent and then transfer anything I have left over out of my checking account and into savings.

7 a.m. — I wake up and check my phone. I was on a panel last night, and there's a LinkedIn request from one of my fellow panelists. I recently graduated from a master's program, and the career counselor of the program invited me to sit on a panel of alumni to talk about our careers. I was by far the youngest and least experienced person on the panel, and I think I offered a unique perspective to the current students as someone who was very recently in their shoes.

7:50 a.m. — After sending a few photos of our cat to my fiancé who is currently out of town, I eat a breakfast of cereal and milk. I usually pack a lunch for work in the mornings, but my brother and I finished off the last of our leftovers last night, and we're running low on groceries. I plan to buy Subway for lunch; Subway texts me coupons every week, and more often than not, I end up using them.

8:20 a.m. — I always listen to Audible on my morning commute, and David Sedaris' Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is so funny that I don't want to get out of my car when I get to work. I eventually do go into the office and make myself coffee from the free Starbucks coffee machine in the break room. It's been really nice not having to spend so much money on K-Cups for my Keurig ever since I started working here.

9:30 a.m. — I catch up with a coworker who is getting married in three weeks. We both started at this company around the same time, and we both got engaged earlier this year. She's stressed about all the final preparations she needs to make for the wedding, but she's also getting really excited for the big day. Ever since I got engaged in June, I've been trying to extract advice from everyone I know who either recently got married or is getting married sometime soon.

11 a.m. — A vendor brings Waffle House catering to our office. This was a great day not to pack a lunch! The very friendly caterer makes me hash browns with cheese, ham, jalapeños, onions, and tomatoes. I also grab a waffle with butter and chocolate chips and a cup of Greek yogurt. I end up eating the yogurt and half of the waffle and hash browns during a meeting with two of my managers.

12:45 p.m. — Fiancé is a fourth-year med student with almost $200,000 of student debt. When I got this job, we decided that I would take the money that I would have otherwise put towards retirement savings and instead use it to start paying off his loans. As a couple, we effectively combine our finances, and we decided it was better to pay off his loans sooner and start saving for retirement a little bit later. We decide to start paying off the highest-interest loans first, and I make the first payment at my desk between sips of orange juice that I got from the Waffle House catering. I meant to start these payments a while ago, but a combination of lack of information, wanting to build up my personal savings, and laziness meant that I'm just now making the first payment almost five months into my job. $700

2 p.m. — Fiancé texts me that a recent episode of John Oliver's show freaked him out about credit card security, and he wants to put a security freeze on my personal credit card information so no one else can use it. Basically, I have to pay money so that Equifax won't sell my information to anyone, and thus, hackers can't access it, or something like that. I tell him to go for it, and Venmo him the money. I make a mental note to watch that John Oliver segment later so I can actually understand what he's talking about, but in the meantime, I trust his judgment. $13

3 p.m. — I get bored and hungry waiting on code to run, so I grab some snacks from the break room. We have a great selection of free snacks at my company, as well as a Coke Freestyle machine. Today, there's even a bowl of fruit sitting out. I get a small bowl of Chex Mix, a cup of Diet Coke, and an apple and head back to my desk.

6:45 p.m. — I had planned to go to the gym today, but I end up staying late at work and decide to just go straight home.

7:15 p.m. — I make a chicken and pasta dish from Blue Apron. I'm the chef of the household and usually cook for me and my brother (and whoever else is around), but my brother has to stay late at school for a student government meeting, so tonight it's just me. When fiancé is here, he pays for all groceries for our household, including the Blue Apron meals. He is essentially living with my brother and me part-time this year, since he has to go back and forth between Atlanta and New Orleans for his fourth-year med school rotations. Given his lack of income, the fact that he shares a room with me, and his part-time status, my brother and I agreed that we didn't need him to pitch in for rent or utilities, and that buying groceries would be an acceptable contribution. Even though he isn't in Atlanta this month, he still bought us Blue Apron meals that we could cook while he's away.

8:45 p.m. — I clean the kitchen, then watch the new episode of The Mindy Project. My brother texts me about potentially canceling our gym membership. He doesn't go often enough for it to be worth it, and I am perfectly content working out in our apartment building's fitness center. Fiancé does really like going when he's here, though, so I suggest we discuss the matter when he gets to Atlanta later this week.

11 p.m. — I watch a few episodes of Schitt's Creek (such a good show), snuggle with my cat, and go to bed.

6:20 a.m. — My brother's kitten scratches at my door, so I let her in. She immediately starts play-fighting with my cat, so I kick them both out and close the door. I'm able to get a little more sleep before my alarm goes off.

7 a.m. — Get up, get dressed, and have cereal and milk for breakfast again. I pack leftover chicken and pasta from last night for lunch, along with an apple.

8:20 a.m. — Get to work and make myself a coffee. A new guy just started working here this week, so I spend a few minutes chatting with him. He seems to like working here so far.

12 p.m. — I have a busy and productive morning at work, and one of my coworkers invites me to join a group going out to lunch. Although I packed a lunch today, I accept the invite. Since I'm still relatively new here, I take every opportunity to socialize with and get to know my coworkers, both during and outside of work. I'll just leave my packed lunch in the office fridge and eat it tomorrow. We go to an authentic Italian deli, and I get a prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich, a lemon anginetti, and a cup of water. $9.36

1:10 p.m. — Oh no! When I agreed to go out to lunch, I completely forgot I had a 1:00 meeting, and I don't realize my mistake until after the meeting has already started. I rush back to the office and sneak in about 10 minutes late.

5:45 p.m. — Tomorrow is my coworker's last day at the company, so a bunch of us leave work a little early to go to a pub for a going-away party. I end up having a really nice time, and I'm one of the last people to leave around 8:45 p.m. I get a glass of cider, a bourbon-based mixed drink, a grilled cheese, and a cup of tomato soup. I box up half the grilled cheese to take home for a lunch this week. One of our managers sneakily pays for the first round of drinks before he leaves, so I don't have to pay for the cider. I tip 20%, as always. $21.42

9:15 p.m. — I get home and straighten up my apartment a bit in preparation for my mom coming to visit tomorrow. I notice my brother has done the dishes, and I tell him that I appreciate it. In our household, I do all the cooking, and he does all the dishes. When fiancé is here, he does all the other kitchen cleaning (mostly wiping down counter tops and cleaning the floor). When he's not here, my brother and I split those tasks.

10 p.m. — Two of my friends separately text me inviting me to a Shabbat picnic-in-the-park event they're going to on Friday. The three of us are basically the only young Jews we know in Atlanta (besides my brother), so we try to do the occasional Jewish event together. Fiancé is coming back to Atlanta Friday afternoon, and even though he isn't Jewish, he says he'd be interested in the event as well. I get us both tickets, which include a meal and a drink each. $10

11:15 p.m. — I watch an episode of Schitt's Creek and an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, then I hit the hay.

5:45 a.m. — My cat wakes up and starts meowing, scratching himself, eating from his food bowl, and generally making a racket. I try to block out the sounds, but I get barely any sleep before my alarm is supposed to go off.

7:15 a.m. — My alarm did not go off for some reason, but thanks to my cat, I'm awake anyway. Of course, now that it's time for me to get up, he's sitting sweetly and peacefully on the bed, not making a sound. Where was this behavior an hour ago?

8 a.m. — Cereal and milk again for breakfast.

8:40 a.m. — Get to work and make myself some coffee.

11 a.m. — Get a Snapchat from my brother showing that my mom has arrived safely. They are apparently at my mom's favorite brunch spot to visit when she's in town. Feeling a little FOMO.

11:30 a.m. — Had another busy morning and decide to eat an early lunch, so I heat up the chicken and pasta that I left in the fridge yesterday. I also rinse the apple I brought and get some ice water from the water machine in the break room. While eating, I call my insurance company to cancel a claim I filed last week. I was rear-ended on my way home from work, and I heard from the other lady's insurance company that they are (rightfully) accepting full liability for the accident. It's such a pain to deal with this, and such a bummer it happened to my new car. But no one was hurt, and the damage wasn't too bad — it could have been much worse. Plus, my amazingly helpful mother has agreed to take my car in to the shop to get an estimate for the damages tomorrow while I'm at work. One of my coworkers has agreed to drive me, so it all works out really well.

12:15 p.m. — Back to work. My to-do list just keeps growing.

4 p.m. — I finally come up for air after staring at my computer for basically four hours straight. While I wait for some code to run, I check my phone, grab some Cheez-It's and Peanut M&M's from the break room, and refill my cup of water. I really should remember to bring a thermos to work; I use one disposable cup each on coffee and water or soda every day. They're free, but I know it's wasteful.

4:40 p.m. — My manager schedules a meeting that's supposed to end at 6:30 p.m. I have plans tonight with a friend downtown, which can be an hour-and-a-half drive or longer to get to from my work during rush hour. (My office is in a small city just outside of Atlanta.) I text her saying I'm not sure what to do; we're supposed to see a show, and they say they will lock the doors promptly at 8. It's not a huge deal if I miss the show (it only cost $5), but I don't want to let her down. She says it's not a big deal, and she can find someone else to go with her. She Venmos me back the $5 she used to buy my ticket. We're seeing each other tomorrow at the Shabbat event anyway, so I don't worry too much about it.

6:45 p.m. — I'm finally leaving work, and my mom texts to say she'll pay for take-out if I'll pick it up on the way home. My brother and I each get a fried chicken sandwich with a side of grits and green beans; my mom gets a salmon salad. She also wants me to pick up some Coke Zeros on the way home. I use the credit card I have that's linked to my parents' account to pay for everything. I've had this credit card probably since middle school, and I only ever use it if my parents want me to buy something on their behalf.

9:15 p.m. — I work on some crosswords from a book of New York Times crossword puzzles in my living room while my brother studies for an exam and my mom works on her computer. The cats chase each other around the apartment.

11 p.m. — I watch the new Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat, text my friends to confirm plans for tomorrow, snuggle with my cat, and go to sleep.

6:35 a.m. — I wake up early. Instead of going to the office today, a group of around 20 women from my company are attending a conference about women in leadership. I do my hair and makeup and pick out a business formal outfit. My office has a semi-casual dress code, so it's kinda fun to get dressed up every once in a while (but I'm definitely glad it's not every day). I wear a dress, a black blazer, black tights, and Spanx underneath. The founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely, will actually be speaking at the conference today!

7:25 a.m. — My coworker picks me up since my mom is taking my car into the shop today. On the way, she suggests we stop by Dunkin' Donuts. I agree and insist I pay for both of us to thank her for driving me. We each get a small coffee, and we share a bagel with cream cheese. $6.17

8 a.m. — We get to the hotel where the conference is hosted, and it turns out there is breakfast provided. We probably shouldn't have stopped at Dunkin' after all; oh well. I drop my business card in the raffle bowl and head to my seat right as the conference begins. There is a swag bag at every seat, which contains some freebies including a lip balm, a key chain, and a notebook.

10 a.m. — Fiancé texts that he's leaving New Orleans; he'll arrive in Atlanta around 6 p.m. tonight!

10:45 a.m. — My mom texts from the collision center where she took my car. Apparently, the damage is worse than I thought, and the mechanic has deemed my car "not fit to drive." The repairs will take about two weeks, and in the meantime, I'll drive a rental car. So frustrating! Thank god the other lady's insurance is covering all this, and thank god I have such an amazing mother who is willing to take several hours out of her day to help me with this problem.

12 p.m. — We have a 15-minute break before lunch is served. I chat with my coworkers and grab a free Diet Coke.

12:15 p.m. — Lunch is delicious. I have a salad with goat cheese and candied pecans, a pretzel roll with butter, roasted chicken with butternut squash risotto, a pumpkin spice macaron, and a vanilla cake pop.

1:15 p.m. — It's the moment we've all been waiting for: Sara Blakely's keynote speech. She is interviewed fireside-chat style by her childhood friend Chevy Arnold. Her story is really interesting: She actually founded Spanx in Virginia Highlands, a neighborhood here in Atlanta, with $5,000 that she saved selling fax machines door-to-door in Florida for seven years. Now, 17 years later, she was just named one of Forbes' 100 Greatest Living Business Minds and is the sole owner of the billion-dollar company. Near the end of her speech, she announces that she is giving each conference attendee a free pair of Spanx's newest product, Arm Tights! Honestly, they seem a little silly, but I'm definitely excited to give them a try.

2:30 p.m. — To wrap up the conference, they announce the raffle winners. Some of the prizes include a Kendra Scott bracelet, a $50 meal delivery gift card, a one-night stay in a luxury hotel, and $100 Spanx gift card. I win one of the raffle drawings, but my prize is a book about leadership by a local author. It's cool that I won something, but I honestly don't really read hard copies of books these days — it's all about Audible for me. I can't help but envy the other raffle winners a little.

2:45 p.m. — The conference ends, and the group of women from my company go to the hotel bar for a company-sponsored happy hour. I order a $17 vodka-and-sparkling-rosé cocktail (it's so good). One of the managers pays for everyone; she'll expense it later.

3:45 p.m. — People start getting up to leave. The coworker who drove me pays $17 for valet parking; she'll expense it later. I get home, catch up with my mom, shower, blow dry my hair, put on some makeup, and get dressed. I have the Shabbat event tonight, and afterwards I'm going out to a bar with some friends from my master's program.

6:15 p.m. — Fiancé gets here from New Orleans! I'm so excited to see him. He quickly changes clothes. He's happy to go out with me tonight, but I can tell he's kind of tired from the drive. I have a feeling tonight might be an early night.

6:45 p.m. — We get to the MARTA station, and I realize I forgot my Breeze card. Instead of buying another one, I just sneak in right behind Fiancé. I know it's illegal, and I don't like sneaking in, but we're already running pretty late for the Shabbat event, so I do it.

7:15 p.m. — We arrive at the park and collect our food and drink tickets. The food ticket includes an entree and two sides from the food truck, and the drink ticket includes a beer or wine from the bar. Fiancé gets a waffle cone filled with curry chicken and sides of vegan sausage with sweet potatoes and a flatbread with goat cheese and mint spread. I get a Parmesan waffle cone filled with lentils and two sides of the flatbread. He gets a beer from the bar, and I get a glass of white wine. One of my friends is already here; the other one is still at work, and probably won't be able to make it.

8:45 p.m. — The event is really lovely. When it's wrapping up, we say goodbye to my friend and walk over to another friend's apartment to meet up with the group that's going to the bar. The six of us take a Lyft Plus to the bar; I pay and tip $1. $16

9:30 p.m. — Fiancé and I play a game of darts against two of my friends. One of the guys from my master's program gets the first round of drinks; I have a sangria.

10:15 p.m. — The friend who didn't make it to the Shabbat event earlier buys the second round of drinks; I have another sangria. Fiancé and I win the darts game!

11 p.m. — Another guy friend gets the third round; I have a cider. Several more of our friends show up.

11:30 p.m. — The group decides to go to another bar to go dancing. Fiancé is worn out and wants to leave. I do want to stay and dance with my friends, but I haven't seen fiancé in a few weeks. Plus, I definitely know what it's like to want to leave a social situation, especially when the people aren't your own friend group. I call a Lyft Line; we don't pick up any other passengers, and we get a cheaper ride home! I pay. Once we get home, we go straight to bed. $10

8:45 a.m. — Wake up, and fiancé is still asleep. This is pretty unusual — I almost always sleep later than he does. I lie in bed and scroll through my phone until he wakes up. Once he does, we stay in bed to talk and snuggle for a while.

10:20 a.m. — We finally get out of bed. While he goes down to the package center to pick up a package, I make us each a mug of coffee and an English muffin with cheese and a fried egg. Today, I'm meeting with five of my grad school friends to work on a project that we started during school. Even though we're done with our master's degree, we've decided to keep working on one of our class projects with the goal of turning it into a real business. This is the first time all six of us will be meeting together in person since school ended. Fiancé and I scarf down our breakfast and leave to pick up one of my friends on the way to meeting the rest of the group.

11:30 a.m. — We arrive at a coffee shop, and I buy a coffee for fiancé and tea for me. I pay and tip. One of the other group members arrives. $7

12:30 p.m. — The three remaining members of the group finally show up an hour late. This is pretty typical — none of us are really known for being on time to social or school-related events. Two of them are extremely hungover from last night. I guess it's good fiancé and I left early!

1:15 p.m. — The friend who didn't make it to the Shabbat event last night throws up outside the restroom. I ask an employee if I can borrow a mop, but he says he'll clean it up. Sick Friend is feeling too nauseous to eat the bagel and cream cheese she bought, so she gives it to me.

2 p.m. — The wifi at the coffee shop keeps going out, so we decide to go Sick Friend's apartment and work in her building's study lounge. Fiancé drives me, the friend we picked up earlier, and Sick Friend in my car. She gets sick again on the drive, and I quickly hand her an empty tissue box to throw up in. Luckily, it's her apartment that we're going to, so she can shower when we get there. We park in a metered spot on a nearby street; I pay $8 for four hours of parking, but the friend we picked up earlier slips me a $10 bill.

4 p.m. — We make good progress on our project. I work on designing a logo. Sick Friend orders pizza for everyone, and I Venmo her $5. Fiancé and I each eat one slice. Fiancé goes to work out in the apartment's fitness center. $5

6 p.m. — We leave and drop my friend back off. On the way back to my apartment, we take the car through a car wash ($5). I borrowed my brother's car today, and I spilled some coffee on the car when I tried to dump it out the window earlier. We also stop for groceries and get lettuce, yogurt, eggs, champagne (for making French 75s with the gin I brought fiancé from London a few months ago), lemons, VitaminWater, angel hair pasta, two black and white cookies and some sliced Italian bread from the bakery, chicken breasts, arugula, a rotisserie chicken, apples, bananas, cream, milk, Caesar dressing, cereal, and some cases of Coke (Sprite Zero, Diet Coke, and Coke Zero Sugar). The total comes out to $127. Fiancé pays. $5

7:30 p.m. — My mom and brother help us get the groceries in from the car. I make chicken pasta and an arugula salad with lemon, olive oil, and Parmesan. Fiancé tries arugula for the first time tonight and is not a fan.

9 p.m. — Fiancé and I do a New York Times crossword puzzle, watch an episode of Desus & Mero and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

11:50 p.m. — I notice the cat is almost out of food, so I order some more on Amazon ($18). I'll Venmo request fiancé for half the cost. Although we rarely pay each other back for things we spend money on, we always split pet expenses evenly for some reason. I also get a Spider-Man costume for fiancé as a gift ($39). It says the costume might not arrive in time for Halloween weekend, but expedited shipping is $40, so I decide to cross my fingers and risk it. $57

5:30 a.m. — Cat meows all morning. We finally have to lock him out of the room. Let us sleep in, kitty!

9:30 a.m. — Wake up. Fiancé has already been up for a little while. He went back to the store to pick up bacon and paper towels, and he is now studying for his big exam tomorrow.

10:15 a.m. — I put away some clean dishes from the dishwasher, and my mom starts doing the dishes. She says we're down to our last dishwasher detergent pod. Dang it! I wish we had known that before we went to the store. I make myself some coffee and put away some laundry.

10:45 a.m. — Fiancé's exam tomorrow is an eight-hour test of his skills interviewing patients. He'll have to do 12 mock interviews with actors pretending to be sick patients. Today, I help him practice for the exam by acting like a patient. In the first case we do, I'm a 25-year-old man who was recently in a car accident. In the second case, I'm a 28-year-old woman who has an unplanned pregnancy. He is pretty nervous and stressed, but I actually have a lot of fun acting sick and pregnant.

1 p.m. — Fiancé unwinds by watching some football. My mom and I make what my family has always called "big breakfast," which is basically just any breakfast-type meal that includes eggs and either bacon or sausage. We make fried eggs, bacon, arugula salad, and toast and English muffins with melted cheese. I drink a glass of the iced tea my brother made a few days ago and have a small bite of a black and white cookie. My brother is currently out for a school event, so he misses big breakfast.

1:45 p.m. — I watch This Is Us while Fiancé watches football and my mom watches Mindhunter. My friend texts me and asks to stay at my place tonight and ride with me to work in the morning; he's in town from Orlando for several interviews this weekend, including one at my company. I agree but warn him he'll be on the futon in the living room tonight, since my mom is visiting and occupying the guest room.

2:30 p.m. — I do another practice case with fiancé during halftime. Then I watch another episode of This Is Us and the newest episode of The Good Place.

6:30 p.m. — Fiancé heats up leftover chicken pasta, and I make a salad with romaine and an olive oil-based dressing. My brother gets home from his school thing, but he's already had dinner. My mom, fiancé, and I eat dinner and each have a glass of the rosé that I picked up from Fresh Market when they were having a wine sale last week.

7:30 p.m. — My coworker has a friend who is a fashion designer and a seamstress, and I reached out to her a while ago asking if she'd be interested in collaborating with me on a custom wedding dress for my upcoming wedding. I finally hear back from her, and she is really excited to work with me. I hope to use just the bodice of my mom's wedding dress (with her enthusiastic blessing) and create a custom skirt to go with it. I'm so excited to get started!

8:30 p.m. — Do a couple more practice cases with fiancé. This time I'm a depressed young man and a forgetful old woman.

10:30 p.m. — The friend who's staying with me tonight texts that he's finally on his way.

6 a.m. — Cat is meowing again. Come onnnn.

7 a.m. — Alarm goes off. It's so much harder to get out of bed when fiancé is here to snuggle with.

7:45 a.m. — I make a bowl of cereal with milk for myself and one for the friend who stayed with me last night. We leave for work; I'm in the rental car today, it's raining, and I have trouble finding the windshield wipers. I chat with my friend about his upcoming interview on the drive instead of my usual Audible. I hope he starts working at my company!

8:45 a.m. — Show my friend to where he needs to go for his interview, then make myself a cup of coffee.

12 p.m. — I join the new hire and two other coworkers for lunch. We go to a cute little café where I order a turkey wrap, a side of marinated olives, and a cup of water, and I split a brownie with a coworker. One coworker pays for all four of us; she'll expense it later. I save half the wrap and olives for lunch tomorrow.

1:30 p.m. — A few male coworkers, including a manager, gang up on me to argue that we don't need feminism because women in America already have it way better than other places. I did not bring up this topic, nor do I engage in the conversation, but they say things like "Look, we're making her mad," and "You should tell her that joke about feminism that you told me earlier." I feel extremely uncomfortable and pretty upset. In most spheres of my life, I have no problem getting into a passionate debate about feminism, but I'm not sure how to handle this sort of thing in the workplace.

6 p.m. — Still feeling pretty bummed about earlier when I leave work. Fiancé's exam won't be over for another few hours. I wish I could talk to and snuggle with him. At least my mom and brother are around and are totally validating my feelings.

6:30 p.m. — I pick up a package from the package center, and it turns out to be the cat food I just ordered a couple days ago. Gotta love Amazon.

7 p.m. — Lie on the couch and try to unwind by scrolling through Facebook, but everything I see is heartbreaking and depressing. A famous New Orleans chef has been accused of sexual harassment. NYPD officers allegedly raped a teenager. A foster care company is under investigation for the unexpected deaths of almost 100 children in its care. There is just so much pain and suffering in the world.

8 p.m. — I'm still feeling down in the dumps, so my mom orders some pizza, my ultimate comfort food. We get pepperoni pizza with mushrooms (on her half) and onions (on my half), cheesy bread, garlic knots, and chicken tenders. She pays. With my pizza, I have a Sprite Zero and another glass of the rosé. Neither my brother nor Fiancé are home yet, but they'll definitely enjoy the pizza leftovers tonight or tomorrow. I text my friends about Halloweekend plans and watch the newest episode of Outlander.

10:45 p.m. — Fiancé finally gets home from his exam. He thinks he did well, but he's clearly anxious to get his score back. We talk a little about what upset me today at work, and he's very supportive. He eats some leftovers, and I go to bed.

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