Sunday 22 March 2015

Sunday Sundries: On Time and Money

Something I think about a lot is the relationship between time and money, mainly because I don't have much of either at the moment. It seems to me that there are three different scenarios you can find yourself in: two of them are fine, and one is kind of terrifying.

You can:

  • Be time rich and money poor- This state of being is fine because having all that times means that if you hear that you can get a good deal on, say, cereal, but you have to walk 40 minutes to get to that place, then you've got the time to do that and you've saved a bit of money. This is the position I've found myself in at most points of my life, and means that I have so so many hobbies that don't involve spending much money: sewing, running, yoga, reading, blogging, Netflix... and it's a pretty nice way to live, in that you don't feel like a disgusting consumer all the time.
  • Be money rich but time poor- This has never happened to me, but I imagine it's a good way to live since the extra money you have means that you can do all sorts of time saving actions like buying takeaways when you need to, and generally pay people to do the things you need done but don't have the time to do. One day, maybe, I'll know what this feels like, even though it seems like the first option is really what I'm destined for.
  • Be time poor and money poor- This is my life at the moment. It's the essential reason why I'm tired all the time, because I have all these THINGS that I need to do, and they eat up my time, and I don't have money to make it better or to be at all useful. For example, I kind of need to work a few extra hours at some point because ALL THE BILLS have come at once, but I don't have the time to do it if I want my essays to be written excellently and ARGH. Mostly I get by on free wine given to me by my family (one excellent way to combat having no money).
I suppose you can also be time rich AND money rich, and if you know how to reach this magical state of affairs then please let me know as soon as possible. Is it by marrying a millionaire? Please don't tell me that. 

Anyway. It's fine, and one day I will again have time/money, but all of this is really just a roundabout way of telling you about my oven. My oven broke a few days into my Masters (so, end of September, just before my first seminar) and finally, finally, we got a new one yesterday (days before my last seminar). It really just feels like I was destined to not have an oven for the whole of the time I had to go to lessons and be generally busier than I've ever been, and I've made my peace with that, but honestly? I'm so fucking happy to have an oven again.
See? And, if we're Facebook friends (and if not, why not?!) then you probably got a lot of oven cooked spam yesterday. Because OVEN CHIPS I CAN HAVE THOSE AGAIN!
And holy shit, I make a good lasagne. I'm basically the best to myself. Can you marry yourself/an oven?
The point, anyway, is that an oven is like the ultimate time saving gadget. You don't need to stand over it like pans on a hob, you can just put the food in it, go and do something else, and come back 20 minutes later and have your dinner. IT IS THE GREATEST INVENTION, and I don't think anyone properly realises that unless they've been without one for a while. So appreciate your ovens, kids. That's the moral of this story.

15 comments:

  1. You are the person I know who MOST DESERVES a new oven. Please do ALL OF THE BAKING.

    My family was without one for large periods of time during my adolescence because lightning struck it and my mom didn't like baking/cooking enough to replace it. So I can sympathize with your pain. It's a challenge to convert an oven-baked meal to a toaster-oven-baked meal.

    Sorry about your current time/money ratio, but things will look up once you're finished with your coursework, no? At least I hope so!!!

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    1. I really want to do all the baking, but I also have no time! But it will happen. I've been managing fine without one, but GOD it's comforting having one again.

      I should have more time when the coursework is done, yeah! YAY! But also that is in September sooooo... Yeah. Haha

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  2. Balancing time and money is TRICKY! I think unless you're super lucky and manage to find something that earns a lot with minimum time input then the best you can hope for is a happy medium! Earn enough so that you're not constantly worried about money, and so that you can indulge in nice things every now and then, and manage to do it without working so hard that you have no time to do whatever makes you happy. That's the dream!!! (For me anyway, I in no way ever want to be money rich but time poor, that would suck)

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    1. Oh and on the subject of ovens, I haven't had one for 6 years, haha. :D I'm not sure I'd know what to do with one now!

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    2. Ah, but Japanese food can so easily be cooked without an oven! Ramen FTW! and yeah, I mean, I would never really want to be money rich but time poor, I'd just take a liiiittle bit richer and a liiiittle bit time poorer than I was, say, this time last year. However, I don't mind being time poor at the moment, because GOD I love Shakespeare.

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  3. Hooray for the new oven and all of the oven things you can now have. I'm sorry about the lack of both time and money but hopefully once the classwork stuff is done, you'll at least have more time, yes?

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    1. I will have more time in that I won't have to go anywhere on Wednesdays and Thursdays, but for a little bit also less time cause I have to WRITE A MILLION WORDS (or, ok, 10,000. Eeeek.) But anyway, yes, it'll be all good, and it's all ok! I feel like I've come across more whiny than I intended to? Really I just wanted to go 'this is how my life goes at the moment' lol

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  4. I like actually don't know how you survived without an oven? Like at all? So I'm very happy that you have one again (I would have died). COOK ALL THE THINGS!

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    1. Kayleigh, I don't even know. It was a hard time and thankfully it's over now. All is well in South West London.

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  5. Being time rich and money poor is all good until you actually don't have an income. Then suddenly you'd give an awful lot for the financial peace of mind that comes with not being compelled to buy everything on the cheap and feel guilty about every purchase, even if you still CHOOSE to be careful with your cash. The time-rich part is still pretty good though. :)

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    1. I mean... I miss the time rich part quite a lot but I'm ok with the money poor thing because I have never had a lot of money? But being without an income would suuuuuuck so much

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  6. Yayyyy for that sparkly new oven! You deserve ALL the oven-baked goodness! Lack of time and money sucks, but hopefully you can find a decent balance.

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    1. OVENNNNNNNNNN! It's still pretty exciting, man.

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  7. My other half just has a microwave and a hob in his 'flat'. I can totally understand why you are so happy to have a new oven

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    1. Yeeeesh, that sucks! We at least have had a George Foreman, as well as hobs and a microwave and toaster, so we could alllllmost carry out all the oven functions, except no pizza or chips. SO NOW ALL IS WELL!

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