Payday Mayday

Not me. But doesn't she look cheery?

 Ah, payday! At long last, you have arrived! Finally, I can stop watching my account like a hawk, and the tensions of 'man, I hope they don't pull that bill out of my account early, or it's going to BOOOOUUNNCE!' are gone...at least for another two weeks.

I never imagined that I'd be living paycheck to paycheck. I had a goal. A plan. I went to college under the illusion that having a degree would be my free ticket to a career, not just a job. Yeah, well. Life takes interesting turns, and here I am.

I'm not complaining, though. Hey, I HAVE a job and a steady paycheck. So what if every payday I run around like a madwoman, paying bills, and watching the newly-filled account rapidly shrink? Bills are paid. And when the bills are paid, it's time for a little bit of FUN!

Today's payday splurges:

1. Vegan on the Cheap, by Robin Robertson.
Yeah, yeah, I need a new vegan cookbook like I need a hole in my head. But just listen to this description from the back cover:

With the price of fresh vegetables, fruit, and meadtless and dairy foods on the rise, it's tougher than ever to eat great-tasting vegan meals without blowing your budget. In Vegan on the Cheap, Robin Robertson gives you a big bang for your buck with 150 exciting mouthwatering recipes - all for just .50 - $2 a serving.

I flipped through the book at the store and found such gems as to how to make your own 'mayonaise' (Hot damn! That's like $6 a jar! And I can make it for $1.65?!), a kick-ass guacamole using green peas (man, I love my avocados, but they're $1.50 each...), soups for all seasons, my own 'burger' (vegan bocas are about $5 a box here, and I can make more, cheaper with this recipe), crock pot dinners, oven bakes, EVEN DESSERTS. The author even breaks it all down to the cost of each recipe (on average) AND has a handy-dandy shopping list at the front of the book. I'm super excited to give this thing a whirl!

 

 2. Aloo Gobi.   

Going vegan has opened me up to an entire new world of delicious food! Did you know that it's super easy to get most Asian and Indian food in a healthy, vegan variation? People all over work have been telling me about this delicious Indian restaurant that is both kosher and vegetarian, and has vegan options on the menu. "Hey! It's payday!" says the roomie, "let's splurge!" So we pile into the car and make our way through the treacherous I-5 traffic and wind up having a super-delicious lunch spluge of delicious potatoes and cauliflower in a ginger sauce...sooooo delicious!

3. Red hair dye.

Because they don't call me Scarlett for nothing, and Mother Nature and I completely disagree on what my natural hair color should be. I'm definitely not a....y'know, I'm not entirely sure WHAT my natural hair color is anymore, I've been dyeing it so long. It's dark blond, I'm pretty sure....90%, anyway...In any case, I don't have the personality for BLAH hair. I change my hair color to something much more fun every couple of months. Currently, it's red. And about the red on the box, too. 

So, there you have it, my payday splurges! I know you have yours, too. What are they? What's your weakness, how do you treat yourself after a long couple of weeks of work?