Christmas Day - Review of Golden Nugget Casino, Lake

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.

I live with my boyfriend, W., but we do not combine finances. Additionally, I would like to put a content warning here at the top: I discuss tracking food and weight loss throughout this money diary.
Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance - $19,195 in two 401ks (current and former company) and $18,478 in a Roth IRA (my grandparents set this up and matched the money I made working in high school/college - I'm very grateful that they set this up for me!)
Equity - no equity currently, I rent and do not own a car
Checking account balance - currently ~$5,000 (I try to keep it around this amount)
Credit card debt - $0 (I pay it off every month)
Student loan debt - $9,500 remaining to pay off the loans for my BA in political science (here's hoping I finish it off this year!)
Stocks - $1,190 in stocks from my former company. I also have some miscellaneous other stocks that I was gifted when I was younger and I'm unclear on the value of them (my dad manages them for me)
Savings - $1,500 (it took a big hit while I was unemployed this past summer)
Section Two: Income
Income Progression:
High school (2012-2013) - I worked at a local office supply store making $7.50/hour. I did this for fun spending money a few days a week after school.
College (2014-2017) - I worked two on-campus jobs. The first was as a front desk person at the fitness center beginning at the end of my freshman year; I typically did ten hours a week at this job. The second was as an assistant in our career center, and I did this for the entirety of my senior year; I typically did five hours a week at this job. Both paid $8.50/hour.
Internship (2015-2017) - I studied abroad off-cycle from July to December in Australia, and was offered an internship doing recruitment and operations work at my mom's company after randomly meeting the COO in an elevator and impressing him in a brief conversation. What originally was going to be a five week internship went on to be part-time remote when I was at school, and full-time when I was home for the summer and on breaks. It paid $12/hour and introduced me to human resources and strategy & operations.
Company #1, Job #1 (2017-2018) - After graduating college, I moved to begin working in Washington DC as an associate at a healthcare firm making $40,000/year. I really enjoyed this work and my team, even though there were some times I had to work long hours. I was promoted to a senior associate role after my first six months, which came with a 10% raise.
Company #1, Job #2 (2018-2020) - I decided that, while I liked my role within the company, I wanted to gain client-facing experience. I applied for and moved into a analyst role in a different department at $52,000/year. I was excited about this role because I got to travel and train clients onsite one to three times a month and build up a lot of important business skills. About halfway through 2019, I was told that they wanted to pay me more because they felt my effort outpaced my seniority and was out of the blue bumped up to making $70,000/year. During this role, I was also eligible for up to a 10% bonus based on how my team did.
Unemployment (2020) - Due to COVID-19, my company took a big hit being in the healthcare space. The vast majority of my team was made redundant in June 2020. While a super stressful time, I did get some severance and used it as an opportunity to assess what I really wanted in my next role; I knew I liked being client-facing, but realized I wanted to get back to human resources in some way.
Company #2 (2020-present) - I took my current role as a senior advisory specialist in the fall. I was able to negotiate a $75,000/year salary and a 5% bonus. The work I do is very energizing and rewarding, and I'm hopeful I can stay here for a while and move up the ladder because I like what I do a lot!
Main Job Monthly Take Home:
I make $4380.90 each month after deductions. I get paid twice a month.
Deductions (per paycheck)
· Medical insurance: $29.50
· Dental insurance: $7.50
· Eye insurance: $2.75
· 401k contribution: $156.25 (I plan on increasing this after my student loans are paid off) + 4% company match
Side Gig Monthly Take Home:
I run a book blog on the side, and while I currently don't make any money off of it, publishers often send me advanced reader copies of books! I save a lot of money that way, because I am buying books constantly.
Section Three: Expenses
· Rent: $975 for my portion of the one bedroom apartment that I share with W. I pay slightly more than half because I make more money than he does. All utilities are included.
· Student loans: $500 is the minimum I pay per month because I want them paid off as soon as possible (the minimum monthly payment is about half that). I usually throw extra money towards them when I have a low spend month.
· WiFi and cable: $140.06, which is absolutely ridiculous and I keep saying I'm going to call Comcast and negotiate this down but get lazy and don't. Yell at me in the comments to do this!
· Netflix: $14.88 (I also let my best friend use this)
· Spotify: $9.99
· Hulu with live sports, HBO, Starz, and Showtime add-ons: W. pays
· Amazon Prime: W. pays
· Nail salon subscription: $40 (this is cheaper than the cost of a gel manicure and includes a free gel mani every month plus extra bonuses, which makes this very worth it despite sounding extravagant!)
· Care/of vitamin subscription: $70
· Boxing membership: $179 for unlimited classes
· WW: $15.11 (I'm on a six month deal currently)
· Fitbit Premium: $9.99
· iPhone payment plan: $31.20 (this will end in November for my iPhone 11. I am still on my parents' unlimited data phone plan and have been told I never have to leave, which is a total blessing!)
· Google storage: $2.12
· iCloud storage: $2.99
Additionally, I have an annual payment of approximately $2,750 for my life insurance policy; I have a blend of whole and term life. I am currently not making these payments, as my grandparents created a fund to pay the first several years of premiums as they felt it was important for me to get life insurance at a young age so it could start gaining cash value. I am incredibly grateful for this!
Day One - Tuesday 1/19
7am: My alarm goes off and I am still tired. W. and I cuddle for ten minutes or so before he gets up to make us coffee. We drink our coffee in bed while watching a few YouTube videos from our favorite content creators; the two of us are very into a video game that we play together and consume a lot of content around it.
8:30am: Time to get back into work! We both work from home right now, so we move into the living room together. My inbox is surprisingly empty after a long weekend, so I dive back in to a client request that I didn't finish before closing my laptop on Friday.
9:00am: I have a few morning meetings, so I take a few minutes to get ready. I throw in my contacts and brush my teeth, then get dressed from the waist up in a comfy gray Fortune Ivy sweater and hoop earrings. I make another cup of coffee to keep my energy up.
9:25am: I move into the bedroom to take my meetings. I have a bed tray for my laptop, which makes it feel more desk-like on my bed. I first have a meeting with another member of my team to discuss how we're dividing up a project that we're working on together, followed by two town hall meetings. At some point during my meetings, W. texts me that he ordered an energy drink powder that we've been meaning to try and Venmo requests me for my half ($23). I munch on the last four donut holes we have left over from the weekend for a snack during my meetings and make sure to log what I eat in my WW app.
1:00pm: Out of meetings and in need of a break. W. comes into the bedroom and asks me if I want to go out on a quick walk, which I happily agree to. I throw on Girlfriend Collective leggings, my lucky Rangers sweatshirt, ballet flats, and a freshly washed mask and we head out. After a good 20 minute walk, W. offers to pay for McDonald's for lunch, which is great but definitely not WW friendly. I get a 10 piece nuggets and large fries, and W. gets himself a few burgers. He pays and we take it home to eat on the couch and chat for a few minutes before I have to get on more work calls.
2:00pm: Time for more meetings and project work! I return to the bedroom and call into meetings for an hour, including a weekly meeting I facilitate, and then put my 800th rewatch of Grey's Anatomy on the TV in background while I work.
5:30pm: I log off of my laptop right on time for a Facetime date with my DC best friend, A. We met at my first job and have been close since the minute we met. She just moved into a new apartment and got a new job, so she gives me a tour of the new place and we catch up for about half an hour. After we hang up, I say hi to W. for a few minutes and then go hop in the shower. I do my usual skincare routine (a bevy of Ole Henriksen products, I swear by them) before throwing on comfy clothes and joining W. in the living room.
7:00pm: I throw the Rangers-Devils game on my iPad (I'm a diehard New York sports fan except for basketball) and text my hometown best friend, B., about absolutely nothing while W. plays a video game for a while. I'm not super hungry, so W. heats up leftover tuna casserole for dinner while I just cut up an orange. At some point we mute the hockey game to watch a few episodes of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, our first forray into the Housewives franchise which we've quickly become addicted to. We brush our teeth and make it to bed around 10:30pm.
Total: $23
Day Two - Wednesday, 1/20
7:00am: Usual morning routine: wake up, cuddle, coffee, and videos. I get out of bed to make the coffee this morning.
8:15am: I join W. for a quick morning shower before work starts for the day. I also do my weekly weigh in and I'm down almost another pound! The progress is slow, but that is also the healthy way to lose weight. I mark it down and log my coffee.
9:00am: I text with my mom about today's inauguration while I work. She wants to know if I can hear anything from my place, but besides the occasional sirens, there is no big fanfare yet. I set a reminder on my phone to turn on the news in a bit to listen.
10:45am: I finish up a difficult client request and send it off to their account team. W. gets me a lemon Pellegrino from the fridge for me to enjoy during my 11:00 meeting.
12:30pm: Out of my meetings and we have a new president!!! W. gives me a recap of Biden's speech and I find myself getting emotional after watching the video of Kamala getting sworn in. After wiping away the tears, I throw some chicken, buffalo sauce, and seasonings into our pressure cooker so we can have easy lunches: chicken sandwich and salad for W., chicken quesadilla for me so I can easily measure out how much of each food item I'm using. I log my food and we eat together during a quick fifteen minute break.
2:00pm: After changing out my water bottles (I like to drink out of reusable water bottles over drinking glasses, not really sure why) I remember why I don't like to use this one. I log on to the Hydroflask website and order a 21oz bottle with the sports cap lid ($28.58). I pick a color that's on sale because it's cheaper, find a coupon code for free shipping, and go through Rakuten so I can get 2% cash back. I also figure now is as good a time as any to get dressed since I have to be on camera for my afternoon meetings, so I throw on a camel and black polka dot Papermoon blouse and black Beyond Yoga leggings.
3:45pm: Weekly check in with my manager while I snack on a sliced cucumber. He and I discuss my 2020 review, which he literally had to do for me when I was less than a month in the role, and what my goals for 2021 are. I am setting my intentions on Friday, and I am very excited to think through what I want to accomplish this year. We discuss a few other projects and end a little earlier than expected. A friend of mine is streaming on Twitch, so I put his stream up on the TV while I work on a data project and gift a sub to a fellow viewer ($5.99). I see that someone has put a 4:30-5pm meeting on my calendar for tomorrow, so I have to cancel out of my 4:45 boxing class. Sigh.
5:45pm: I wrap up my work and head out to chat with W. for a bit. We decide to play our favorite video game for a while, so we log in and start playing in duos. We get a win in our very first game! After a while, our good friend N. joins us, so we switch to trios. At some point during what becomes a marathon gaming session, W. makes himself a frozen pizza and I drink the last two Stella Cidres we have in the fridge. Brush our teeth and head to bed around 11pm.
Total: $34.57
Day Three - Thursday 1/21
3:57am: I wake up for absolutely no reason. I hate when this happens. It takes me over an hour to fall back asleep.
7:00am: Usual morning routine, cut a little short for me to get ready for an 8:30 meeting.
10:00am: In desperate need of a break from my work, I log onto Etsy to pick out some cute candles for A. as a little housewarming gift. I have to text her for her new address, which kind of ruins the surprise, but I know how much she loves candles so I do it anyway ($32.86).
1:00pm: I get off of a client call that I shadowed with a member of my team. I have just decided on my focus area, hence why I am trying to get more exposure to the client work here. My teammate and I debrief and agree that I'll continue to shadow the calls that she does with this client so I can see the whole process through.
3:00pm: Out of another team meeting and exhausted from work. My 4:30 meeting cancels, and I'm bummed for a few minutes because I cancelled my boxing class to be in that meeting. But my mood turns around almost instantly - I got off the waitlist for the 6pm class! I text W. so he knows, and he asks if I can make him dinner before I go because he doesn't want to wait until I get back to eat. Fair enough. I agree and get back to work on my data project.
3:30pm: I get an email with the return label for my Fitbit. I've had it for a year and it randomly started giving me a rash on my wrist, so Fitbit is reimbursing me the total amount I paid for it. Customer service at its finest! I send the label to my Fedex store for pickup tomorrow, since I don't have a printer ($0.52).
5:30pm: I wrap up my work for the day and throw on Old Navy active leggings and a tank, tie back my hair, mask up, and head out the door to the boxing studio. It's endurance day and we do eight minute blocks instead of six, so I am dying by the time class is done. After class, I go to Target to pick up a few miscellaneous items we need: half & half, white vinegar, and chocolate peppermint stick Luna bars ($10.64). I mobile order and stop by Chipotle on the way home to grab a dinner of crispy chicken tacos and chips and guac ($16.23).
7:30pm: I stop by the concierge desk on my way back into the building to grab packages I have waiting and to catch up with my favorite concierge. She is a delight to talk to, but busy tonight, so I don't stay too long. Once home, I devour my tacos in about four minutes and then shower before putting on the Laker-Bucks on the iPad while W. plays video games. We migrate to the bedroom after halftime to finish it and are both exhausted that we fall asleep immediately after.
Total: $60.25
Day Four - Friday 1/22
7am: Usual morning routine. After watching two videos, W. announces that he isn't feeling well and is taking a day of PTO. I get him tucked comfy into bed with a movie and start my work day early. I put Grey's Anatomy on the TV while I work.
11am: I am hungry after powering through work all morning, so I place an order for a cheese pizza from Wiseguys ($21.99). A nice quick walk will feel good.
11:30am: I mask up and head out to pick up the pizza, stopping by CVS on the way to get a Red Bull for W., a Diet Coke for myself, and a bottle of Benadryl because I ran out ($27.27). I eat a slice of pizza while watching a bit of a Twitch stream before getting back to work. I also spend some time texting with B., as well as my older sister, C.
1:30pm: Back to back calls. When they're over, I check in on W., who unfortunately only feels worse. He decides to try and nap, and also informs me that he wanted to watch a Marvel movie so he added Disney+ to our Hulu subscription. He pays for that, but I'm happy we'll finally be able to watch those shows we've been missing out on!
4:30pm: Done with my projects and decide to call it a little early today. I appreciate that my manager doesn't particularly care if we stop early when all of our work is done, and I need to go to the Fedex store. I listen to one of my curated Spotify playlists (a lot of Halsey, Taylor Swift, Joan, and Flor are on this one) while I walk there to pick up the label I had printed. As I walk out of the store, several of my music friends start texting me - Halsey cancelled her summer tour. I am bummed because I was supposed to travel and go to several shows with friends. I make a mental note to start cancelling hotel reservations and request my Ticketmaster refunds tomorrow.
5:30pm: Manicure time! I've started doing gel manicures every other week because I have a horrible nail biting habit and this is the only way I can stop myself. I catch up with my favorite nail tech and the salon owners over a glass of sparkling rose. Today we do a nude-pink polish with black and white polka dots. When that's done, I also poke around at the beautiful jewelry they sell and pick out a pair or multicolored acrylic bow earrings. My subscription covers the manicure, so I only have to pay my tip (25% of the service cost) and for the earrings ($24.87). I text W. to let him know I'm on my way home and he asks if I can pick up NyQuil for him. I pop into CVS on the way home to get it ($16.94).
7:30pm: W. and I have a quiet evening, bouncing between a few TV shows and basketball games. We call it an early night and go to bed before 10. Wild Friday!
Total: $91.07
Day Five - Saturday, 1/23
8:30am: I wake up feeling pretty well rested. W. is still sleeping, so I get out of bed quietly and head out to the living room. I answer a few work emails that came in last evening, including a stretch project to present some webinars later in the year! I used to facilitate webinars in an old role of mine, so I'm looking forward to flexing that muscle again. I also submit my Ticketmaster refund requests, cancel some hotel reservations, and peruse my favorite auction website. I spy my dream Louis Vuitton bag (Speedy 40 in canvas and leather) at what could be a steal. I do some mental math at what would be the max I would splurge on it and set a max bid. I'm currently winning and text B. with excitement.
9:45am: W. texts me that he's awake but still not feeling well. I crawl back into bed for some snuggles and ask him what he needs. He wants bagels, so I agree to go out to pick them up if he pays for them. He orders a BEC on an everything bagel for himself and a multigrain bagel with butter for me. I throw on black Girlfriend Collective leggings, a Halsey tee, and my Adidas superstars, grab my mask and jacket, and head out the door. It's a little chilly, but it feels good. It's a quick turnaround to get back with the bagels. W. and I eat them in bed while watching some Real Housewives.
12:00pm: We're still in bed. Oops. We transition into watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and W. orders us some Popeye's to eat throughout the day: 12 piece spicy chicken, biscuits, fries, mashed potatoes, and a large Diet Coke to split. We will heat up leftover Popeye's for lunch someday this week. I embrace the fact that this is not going to be a good WW week for me, and remind myself it's okay to be human and have some indulgent weekends. Progress, not perfection!
5:00pm: W. dials into his weekly virtual D&D session and I decide to solo queue my video game for the evening. I debate having some wine, but decide the fast food was probably enough for my stomach and that I don't need to add alcohol into the mix. W.'s session wraps up around 9:30, so we chat while I clean the apartment a bit before taking a quick shower. I towel dry my hair, toss on some weekly skincare (eye cream and a fancy serum that I'm not really sure what it does, it just makes my skin glowy) before settling into bed.
Total: $0
Day Six - Sunday 1/24
3:00am: I wake up congested as can be. I get two Benadryl and a Zicam from the bathroom, lay back down, and pray for sleep to come.
9:10am: Well, I guess sleep came. I missed the start of the booking window for upcoming boxing classes, but luckily there are still openings in all the classes I wanted. I'm trying to up my workouts, so I decide to try the Wednesday morning class as well. Maybe I'll like being a morning workout person?
11:00am: W. and I both decide to call our respective moms. My mom and I try to talk at least once a week on the phone (we also text every day, I just haven't mentioned it, whoops) and we catch up on random bits of each other's lives for about 45 minutes or so. I tell her about Halsey cancelling tour and we're a bit worried, as we're supposed to see Maroon 5 together later in the year after it got rescheduled from 2020. Hopefully by the fall we'll have herd immunity, though I'm not super positive that concerts will happen. I miss concerts :(
12:00pm: I do a bit of apartment maintenance: taking out the trash, breaking down boxes and taking them to recycling, wiping down the countertops, etc. W. comes out to the living room when his phone call ends and we try to decide what we want to do. W. is still not feeling great, which is worrying, but he has no COVID symptoms. He gets a quick telehealth appointment and is assured that he most likely has the cold/head flu thing that is going around and should stay home to not burden the healthcare system. The doctor assures him that me coming/going from the apartment shouldn't transmit whatever W. has and that while he should stay home until he is feeling better, as long as I'm sanitizing and showering often, I can leave. I'm guessing a lot of people are asking that question since the doctor told him that unprompted, and I'm relieved to know that I won't be unknowingly getting someone else sick.
1:00pm: W. and I decide to order Vocelli's for a late lunch/early dinner: bacon and cheddar pizza rolls and a build-your-own stromboli with bacon, spinach, and extra cheese. I have a GrubHub gift card from Christmas so we don't have to pay out of pocket for this meal. We play some video games together until the food gets here, then pause to eat and watch an episode of Shark Tank. When we finish eating, we go back to gaming because there isn't much else to do while W. is sick.
7:00pm: I move into the bedroom so we can watch the Rangers-Penguins game on my iPad while he plays a different video game and I scroll on my phone. My dad randomly calls me, and I'm worried something happened to my grandpa (he's my last living grandparent and lives alone). Luckily, Grandpa is fine and my dad was just jealous that I talked to my mom this morning while he was out running errands. He's adorable. We catch up for about ten minutes before he has to go. When 8:00 rolls around, we switch over to the Wizards-Spurs game since they're finally playing again and mute the hockey game. Both teams lose and I'm a sad sports fan. We brush our teeth and throw on some Futurama to fall asleep to.
Total: $0
Day Seven - Monday, 1/25
7:00am: Usual weekday wakeup routine. When it's time to get to work, W. decides he'll work from the bedroom so he can continue to rest. We order Starbucks (peppermint mochas for both of us, turkey and pesto panini for him, sprouted grain vegan bagel for me) on UberEats and split the cost because we wouldn't normally have it delivered ($14.87). I listen to calls while I work and get dressed in a bright color Girlfriend Collective set and black Forever 21 active tank to try and offset the dreary weather.
10:00am: Out of my first set of meetings and I run the laundry down to the laundry room ($3.25). I listen to a Twitch stream while I work and continuously check on the Louis Vuitton I'm bidding on. The auction ends tonight at 8pm and I'm still winning!
1:00pm: Still working through projects. I have been outbid past the maximum I set for myself on the Louis Vuitton, which is disappointing but I'm sure I'll get one eventually. I can still dream about it in the meanwhile :)
2:15pm: I take a quick break to package up my old Fitbit and place an order for a replacement. It ends up being free because of my full refund; the only cost is not having a tracker for a week or so. Could be worse! I make myself an energy drink using the powder that we ordered earlier this week to fuel my afternoon meetings with some non-coffee energy.
4:30pm: I throw on my sneakers and mask, grab my gym bag, and head off to boxing. After a few tough client requests today, throwing some punches feels amazing!
5:30pm: Out of class and off to Safeway and Target for some filler groceries. I did a big food shopping last Monday and we ended up doing a lot of takeout, so we don't need much. I get milk, yogurt, frozen berries, ciabatta rolls, frozen popcorn chicken, peanut butter pretzels, and two types of cereal. I text W. to let him know I'm on my way home ($23.70 for my half) and despite the drizzle, it is a refreshing walk.
6:30pm: Freshly showered and time to decide what to do for the evening. I find a movie, Collateral, by doing a reference search for a movie vibe that I loved (Inside Man, if you're curious) but am disappointed to find out it's not available on any streaming service. W. saves the day by telling me we actually own it on DVD but have never watched it, and lo and behold, it's buried in our giant plastic tub of DVDs. Movie night saved! We curl up on the couch and watch the movie with leftover Popeye's.
8:45pm: The movie is done and I'd give it a solid 4/5 stars. While discussing our favorite parts of the movie, we get into a random fight. I find myself getting heated for no reason, take a deep breath, and ask him to explain his side. W. has severe anxiety, and it turns out he had a few anxiety attacks during the movie so he wasn't articulating himself properly. We talk it out and he apologizes; he's made a lot of progress on dealing with his anxiety, but he has a long way to go. Not wanting to end the night on a bad note, we decide to stay up a little later than usual so we can watch some more Real Housewives and feel better by the time we go to bed. Asleep by 11:30.
Total: $41.82
Weekly Expenses:
Food + Drink: $118.71
Fun / Entertainment: $5.99
Home + Health: $68.06
Clothes + Beauty: $24.87
Transport: $0
Other: $33.38
Lastly, reflect on your diary!
This diary was very typical in some ways, and atypical in others. I normally cook a lot more, but with W. being sick I definitely used that as an excuse for takeout, hence why I'm following WW to try and lose weight! I think if I continue to be careful with my spending I can pay off my student loans this year and build my emergency fund back up, so I'm definitely buying less "fun" things in 2021… but if another Louis Vuitton comes around I'll probably bid on it :)

Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balances: Traditional IRA $72k, Pre-Tax 403b $34k, total of $106k
Equity: Approximately $25k based on comp sales in my area, but I haven’t had my condo appraised since I purchased it a few years ago. Planning on looking into this to try to remove PMI later this year.
Savings account balance: $3800
Investment account balance: $6300
Checking account balance: $600 (most extra funds go into debt repayment or savings)
Vehicle Value: $15k
Credit card debt (and how you accumulated it): I’m no longer carrying any credit card debt, I pay any balances off each month
Student loan debt: $99k for undergrad + masters, I work for a non-profit employer and I am planning on Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). I’m 11 months away from forgiveness based on my work history.
Mortgage Balance: $102k
Car note: $14300 for a 2017 Honda HR-V (purchased used in 2020)
Debt Consolidation Loan: $16500 at 8.49%. I’ve been carrying this debt for way too long…finally decided to stop messing around with credit cards except for a rewards card. This is a 36 month note but I will pay it off much faster (see expenses section).
Consumer Debt: I have a $2100 Care Credit balance for surgery for my dog, which has 0% financing that ends in July 2021.
Net Worth: around $25k
Notes/Goals: In about 2-3 years I plan on renting out my condo and upgrading to a home with a garage and some outdoor space. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get a few hundred dollars of income per month from renting out my unit, which I plan on putting into savings. I’ve never been a landlord, but I will probably hire a management company to deal with vetting renters and collecting rent/doing repairs. I’d also like to move somewhere warm…I hate winter. Not sure if I can do that with my current employer, we’re 100% remote now but that’s not permanent. I’m going to advocate for that option though, otherwise I’ll have to look for a 100% remote job in my field after my student loans get forgiven.
My aim is to have all unsecured debt completely paid off by early 2022. I could probably pay it off faster at the expense of saving any money or reducing my lifestyle, but I think I will have better success with moderation. After that’s all paid off, I plan on saving what I was using for debt to fund a down payment for a new home.
Section Two: Income
Income Progression:
Honestly, my career was a bit chaotic in my late 20s/early 30s. I work in the IT field - I started out in IT support after getting my masters degree, and have progressed into more programming/engineering work. From 2014-2015 I tried out some other career paths that didn’t work out and just went back to IT because it pays well and I’m good at it. I am finally working for an organization that I like and have a role that I mostly enjoy.
2009-2014: $52k-$60k, IT support with a government agency. My role never changed, but I did get increases due to pay schedules.
2016-2018: $50k-62k, various IT positions at a tech startup, starting with desktop support
2018-present: $80k-$100k, IT work at a non-profit, most recent promotion was in November 2020
Monthly take home
$5200, paid once per month. I put 10% of my income pre-tax into my 403b since my employer matches that 10%. Unfortunately the match was put on hold due to COVID, but will start again with my January paycheck. It’s going to be nice seeing $20k going into my retirement this year.
I contribute $216/month into my HSA, since I have a HDHP. I get a match of up to $1000/year in my HSA from my employer, so I get the max pre-tax contribution of $3600. I pay approximately $110/month in premiums for health, dental, and vision combined.
I pay a long-term disability insurance premium post-tax of $10.25/month to increase my benefit amount to 70% of my salary until I hit retirement age, should I become disabled. I feel like this is really important as a single person, to make sure I have funds to cover my care.
Side Jobs/Other Income I will occasionally sell items on eBay or Poshmark. I run all online shopping/curbside pickup through Rakuten and usually get about $150/year in rebates for that. Credit card cash back is usually about $30/month. I get about $200/year in interest from my credit union. My dad gives me ~$500 for Christmas every year.
Section Three
Monthly Expenses
Mortgage + Taxes/Insurance + HOA: $1075, this includes parking, heat, water, trash, and cooking gas
Retirement contribution: I only do pre-tax contributions which are accounted for above
Healthcare: I pay all expenses with my pre-tax HSA funds. I’ve never had to pay more than what I have saved in my HSA, which is a blessing.
Savings contribution: I don’t save a set amount, right now I’m prioritizing debt payoff
Utilities: $71 electric, $66 internet
Cellphone: $156, this is for my phone + plan and another family member’s plan (their phone is paid off).
Subscriptions: $11 Spotify, $10 Kindle Unlimited, $15 Netflix, $13 Hulu, $8 for AppleCare and $3 for iCloud storage. AppleCare came in handy when I cracked my phone screen last year.
Credit Card Yearly fees: $95 annually. I have the Chase Sapphire Preferred for the cash back and travel benefits
Debt Consolidation Loan: $521, I pay $1021 (extra $500/mo) to get it paid off faster.
Student Loans: $0 due to the CARES Act. I estimate this will be $400/month when the forbearance period is over.
Car Payment: $240
Car Insurance: $96
Gas/Ubers/City Street Parking/Tolls: $75, I’m WFH so I’m only driving for errands or the occasional socially distanced get-together with friends. Not sure I even spend this much, but I occasionally have to reload my tollway iPass or my Chicago parking meter app, which both reload in $20 increments.
Groceries & Household Needs: $350 for food and household/cleaning supplies, includes tip/fees for grocery delivery
Dog Expenses: $400/mo because of the CareCredit balance for recent surgeries & related care. Normally I pay around $50/month for grooming and food/treats (she’s a small dog).
Personal Care: $260-ish (monthly average) for hair color, haircuts, skincare and makeup. I get haircuts every 12 weeks, hair color every 6 weeks, and Dysport injections every 4 months or so.
Gym/Fitness: $15 for Peloton app - I own a spin bike that I use 5x/week, plus I have some strength equipment at home.
Paid Hobbies: $50 - budget for new Switch games, iPad apps, books that aren’t available on Kindle Unlimited, etc. Not sure I actually spend this each month but it’s built into my budget.
Yearly Expenses
Amazon Prime: $119
Vehicle City Sticker: $82
Vehicle Registration: $151
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
I got an allowance but there was no discussion of savings or smart spending. My dad was very stingy with money, my mom liked to spend it.
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, I was always expected to go to college. My parents divorced when I was 16 and they didn’t save any money for my tuition.
What was your first job and why did you get it?
I worked at a local restaurant as a server, so that I had money to spend for gas for my car and for fun with my friends. I stopped getting an allowance when I got this job.
Did you worry about money growing up?
A little bit, because when my parents divorced I sensed that my mom’s financial stability was not very stable, even though my dad was paying child support for my sister and I.
Do you worry about money now?
I’d say I’m somewhat vigilant about my money now. I lived paycheck to paycheck until my early 30s, because I never prioritized having savings and I spent more than I should have. I have more breathing room now, despite the debt that I carry. I’ll feel a lot better when it’s gone.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I was basically on my own when I went to college at 18. I did work-study and took out student loans to pay for school, room, and board.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
No
Other notes: I wear a mask in public places. Fair warning that this was a tough week for me personally. 2021 is already roughing me up!
Section Four: Diary
Day 1
7:30a - today is a holiday so I don’t have to work - but I forgot to turn off my alarm. I stay in bed until 8am before my dog starts bugging me to feed her. Since she just had dental surgery, I have to grind up her kibble and mix it with water, and give her meds wrapped in some turkey since that’s the only way she’ll take them. After she eats, we go outside for a walk. I decide I want to go get some iced coffee - I check my Dunkin Donuts app and see that I have a free coffee coupon to use. I put the dog in the car and while it warms up, I scrape all the ice off my windshield (gotta love Chicago winters). We drive to Dunkin and go through the drive-thru. I also get some egg wraps and a donut ($3.53).
9:15a - I do my weekly check of my bank accounts against my banking spreadsheet. I’m very paranoid about fraud (I had my identity stolen when I was in college), so I like to make sure everything looks good. I also have a rewards checking account that gives me 3.09% on my checking account balance when I hit a certain amount of spending on my Visa, and 12 debit card transactions per month. I’m about $250 short on the Visa, and 2 transactions short, but there’s a few weeks left. I remember that I was going to switch some of my autopay bills over to that Visa card just so I can hit the rewards tier, so I do that. I spent a bit checking my personal email, reading Reddit, and texting my sister, who is also off work today.
10:00a - I start my projects for the day - cleaning out my fridge/freezer, and taking out all the storage bins from under my bed and cleaning out what I don’t need to keep. I got a Roomba for Christmas and I really want to use it to clean under my bed, but the bins are preventing that. I will take what I keep down to my storage unit in the basement.
11:00a - A guy comes to pickup an old wingback chair that I put up for free on Craigslist. It was a hand-me-down, so I wouldn’t feel right charging for it. I was going to donate it but I live on the third floor and no one is doing furniture pickups right now. He leaves with it and I go back to cleaning & organizing.
12:00p - Decide I want some more bins/organizers for what’s left after purging what I don’t need. I go to Container Store online and after putting what I want into my cart and decide that instead of curbside pickup which will take a few days, I’m going to just go to the store and get what I need. Change into what I’ll end up wearing to workout later, and put a sweater on over it. Wash my face, put on SPF (I’m pale and it’s sunny out), tinted moisturizer, concealer, mascara, and eyebrow tint. Grab my wallet and a mask and head out.
12:15p - While driving, phone call with my ex. We have been attempting to repair our relationship after we broke up in the fall. He’s been acting distant lately, so I called him to find out wtf was going on. An hour and 10 minutes later, it feels like it’s over - again. I told him that I couldn’t wait for him to figure out what he wants, and said good-bye. I cry in the parking lot of The Container Store for about 10 minutes, then get myself together and go into the store. Unfortunately they don’t have the boot boxes I wanted, but I got everything else ($99.48). I notice that Trader Joe’s is next door so I get in line and buy a few items - butter chicken, mac n cheese, 3 bags of dried mango, soyaki sauce, bell peppers, spinach, and flowers for myself because I deserve it ($40.18). I eat an entire bag of dried mango while crying on the drive home. When I get home, I pull out all the stuff I got at the Container Store and do some organizing. Folding all my leggings Konmari-style is satisfying. I feel a little bit better.
4p - All of a sudden it’s 4pm. I feed the dog and take her outside for a quick walk. I don’t have a lot of energy so I sit on the couch to get some dog cuddles and scroll through social media a bit. Decide to be productive to distract myself - spend the next 2 hours doing random stuff: unboxing an Amazon delivery, moving stuff to storage, taking recycling out to the bin.
6p - Answer a bunch of Instagram DMs I’ve been ignoring. Go back and forth with a friend about her new job and commiserate over having imposter syndrome. Write in my journal. Debate buying another organizer on Amazon, this time for nail polish. Resist, and close the window. I decide to eat a protein bar, I’m not hungry but I need to eat something that isn’t carbs. My ex responds to my IG story. I ignore it.
7p - Convince myself to get on my spin bike and do a workout. I choose a 45 minute pop ride that I bookmarked to take at some point. It’s like God knew what I needed, the playlist was so fun. I definitely sing along to Destiny’s Child “Survivor” - and I feel much better. After the ride, I eat a bowl of Cheerios with skim milk, plus a greek yogurt cup. Take a shower, change into comfy clothes, and use a lot of dry shampoo as I just washed my hair yesterday and don’t want to deal with it again. I coax my dog into taking her second dose of meds with turkey.
9p - I look at my phone and my ex sent me two more messages on IG in response to my story. Men, ugh. I get cozy on the couch with the book I’m reading - We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. I finish it and add it to the list of books I’ve read in 2021. This is #5.
10:15p - Take my dog on her final trip outside. We get into bed and I scroll through TikTok until I start feeling sleepy, then lights out.
Daily Total:
Restaurants: $3.53
Groceries: $40.18
Household: $99.48
Day 2
7:45a - I had my alarm set for 8 but I’m up early. Cuddle with my dog for 10 minutes then get up. Make the bed, this is a newer habit of mine but it makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something first thing in the morning. Give the dog her meds and while she’s eating, I put on some leggings and a sweater. I walk her around the block and after I come back inside, I wash my face, moisturize, and put on some makeup. I am trying out some new concealer and eye shadow, plus I finally got an eyelash curler (lol). I’m trying to make more of an effort to feel like a human in the mornings so it’s easier to transition back to the office when I have to go back. I straighten parts of my hair that look weird, and add some more dry shampoo. Make some coffee and add collagen protein powder and some cream. Sit down at my desk with a Greek yogurt cup and start reading through work emails and addressing my calendar.
9a - Video call with IT security team and the VP of my department
10a - Scroll through IG while making another cup of coffee. Find out that the shampoo I recently bought is part of a class action lawsuit for hair loss…great. Good thing it’s not open, and I can return it to Ulta and get something else. Go back to my desk and check ticket status and review some project documentation.
11a - Make some food - spinach, egg + egg whites, bagel with cream cheese - then back to work things. I get a new project that I was recommended for by the head of IT, so that’s cool.
11:30a - Quick video call to discuss a project, but it could have been an email. Go back to regular work things.
1230p - Take a break from work to do a live 30 minute Peloton class. Fun and feels good to move! Quick shower and clothing change, microwave the mac n cheese I bought on Monday, and go back to work.
2p - Call with my team, I leave my video off for this one. Review/work some assigned tickets and more emails. Work is kind of light right now. I should look ahead for the week but instead I get on YouTube and watch some videos. I can tell my anxiety is high because I get really unfocused.
4p - I have an application software upgrade I need to monitor - luckily this is kicked off by the vendor and I just need to make sure nothing breaks on our side. I join a conference call just so I’m connected to their technical team, but there isn’t much for me to do. I give the dog her evening meal and then take her outside. Come back in and spend some time surfing the internet while the software upgrades. Watch the COVID memorial service on the National Mall and can’t believe it’s taken this long to do one.
5p - Open a bag of dried mango, eat while checking upgrade status. Discuss some issues with the vendor technical contact, spend the next 2 hours fixing issues and completing upgrades. I email stakeholders to confirm that the upgrades are completed.
7p - Turn off work computer for the night. I setup my Roomba and put it on the dock to charge. I’ve named her Harriet. I decide I should eat something other than dried mango for dinner and put some chicken nuggets in the air fryer. I take some chicken out of the freezer and put in the fridge to thaw for tomorrow’s dinner. I should at least try to eat healthy…
730p - Harriet says she’s charged enough so I run the first cleaning job. She’s noisy but I am very excited about this. I hate cleaning so much. Before now I didn’t realize how many cords I had on the floor. She finishes running after an hour and there’s so much dirt and dust in the trap. Best gift ever.
830p - Give dog her meds. Scroll through IG, get bored, decide to watch a movie. I pick A Star Is Born because I need a good cry before I go to bed, right?
10:30p - Walk the dog, do my nighttime routine, and get in bed. Try to fall asleep but I’m struggling due to anxiety. Decide to scroll through TikTok for a while as that usually makes me sleepy. My plan works and I fall asleep around 11.
Daily total: $0
Day 3
730a - Alarm goes off but I’m already awake. Didn’t sleep well due to being woken up at 2:30am by a snow blower outside my window? That couldn’t have waited a few hours? I snuggle with my dog for 20 minutes and then get up and make the bed. Give pup her food, walk her quickly since it is colder than normal today. I make some coffee and I also take care of all the dirty dishes in my sink and put them in the dishwasher. Change clothes and fix my hair. I leave my glasses on today but still put one some eyebrow tint and concealer. Glasses can only hide so much.
8:30a - Check the news because it’s Inauguration Day and find out that the federal student loan pause will be extended until September 30th! I immediately open up my financial spreadsheet and make some updates to plan ahead. This is going to save me approximately $3000 in loan payments since these months still count towards my PSLF forgiveness. This also means I should defer filing my federal taxes until the October deadline because my income-based repayment certification date gets pushed back several months, and I don’t need my last 4 payments to be higher than they have to.
8:45a - Check work email, review the ticket queue I need to work on today, start tackling those.
1030a - Grab a Greek yogurt cup, spill some on my living room rug, my dog cleans it up. Whoops. I use a bit of carpet cleaner but there’s no stain, phew.
11a - Get a little bit emotional about the Inauguration. Kind of a relief overall.
12p - Start of 4 back-to-back calls that will end at 4pm. I grab a bagel & cream cheese to eat during the noon call, since it’s a lunch & learn. They also give us a $30 UberEats voucher that expires at midnight tonight, so I guess I’m ordering dinner tonight!
4p - Finish up my last meeting, my boss still wants to chat so I need to stay online a bit longer. I feed the dog and take her outside real quick while my boss is in another call. I order a poke bowl and a Fiji water from Uber Eats with my voucher, all I need to pay for is the tip for the driver ($5). Read the emails that piled up while I was in meetings, also check my personal email as well.
445p - Food gets delivered - it’s a really good bowl. My boss calls me and we end up discussing a variety of things for 2 hours. I’m really excited about my career right now.
7p - I write in my journal for a bit. Text back and forth with my sister, we both are feeling pretty emotionally exhausted. I wish she didn’t live so far away. Spend way too long trying to find something to watch on Netflix. I end up watching stand-up comedy - Daniel Sloss “Jigsaw” which I’ve seen before but it hits different tonight.
930p - I give the pup her meds. Do my nighttime routine and crawl into bed because I’m feeling emotionally exhausted. Scroll through social media in bed for a bit. Do a sleep meditation for 10 minutes, then lights out.
Daily total:
Restaurants: $5
Day 4
7a - Alarm goes off, change into workout clothes and walk the dog. I do two 15 minute Peloton workouts back to back. I feed the dog and give her meds, and jump in the shower. I do hair and makeup today because I have a presentation to do. Make some coffee and a bagel with cream cheese.
9:30a - Starting my morning of meetings/presentations. Already looking forward to noon when I can disconnect from video calls.
12p - Make some veggie pasta and chicken nuggets for lunch. Catch up on emails and review my to-do list - it feels like I have way too much to do, trying not to stress. I decide that I want to get outside this weekend and go hiking in Wisconsin. I text my mom and ask if she can stop by my place on Saturday to walk the dog mid-day and she says yes. I order some fleece-lined leggings, wool socks, and a puffer jacket from Target for the hiking trip - the only cold weather stuff I have is not hiking-friendly ($96.19).
1p - Two back-to-back meetings, but these aren’t video calls, thankfully. Work on some tickets and write out my ever-expanding to-do list.
4p - Feed the dog and take her outside. I get in my car to go do curbside pickup for the clothes I ordered earlier. Drive home and decide I should find all my gear for the trip because I’m not entirely sure where I put my hiking shoes.
6p - Make dinner - chicken teriyaki over ramen noodles. I have leftovers, so I will eat that for lunch tomorrow.
630p - Half-heartedly watch a few episodes of House while also scrolling through social media. I kinda fall asleep on the couch at some point.
10p - Walk the dog very quickly, it’s freezing out. Go to bed and crash, I think my emotional exhaustion is catching up with me.
Daily total:
Clothing: $96.19
Day 5
7:30a - Alarm goes off. I lay in bed for 30 minutes because I’m still tired. Change into work-appropriate clothing. Feed the dog, walk. It is FREEZING. I make some coffee and grab a Greek yogurt. Sit down and start reading through emails and chatting with co-workers via Teams.
10a - Two calls back to back
1130a - Lunch - bagel and cream cheese, two eggs
12p - Charging through my to-do list
3p - Last call of the day, ends up being a full hour…gross. Turn my computer off at 4p. Feed and walk the dog. I eat my leftover stir fry from last night for dinner.
530p - A friend calls and we chat for about an hour. We make tentative plans to go skiing as a day trip sometime next month. I’m stoked because I’ve never been skiing and some of the cold weather clothes I bought for this hike would be useful for that too.
630p - Watch Ever After while making sure I’m ready for my impromptu hiking trip for tomorrow. Find out I need to have a park pass for my car to use the state parks in Wisconsin. Buy an annual pass for 2021 ($38) because that’s the only thing you can buy online and it looks like all the park stations are closed due to COVID so I can’t buy a day pass. I’m going to use this as an excuse to go hiking more often.
9p - I’m leaving early tomorrow, so I feed/walk the dog and do my nighttime routine, head to bed.
Daily Totals:
Hobbies: $38
Day 6
6a - alarm goes off - it’s hiking day! I feed/walk the dog, and then get fully dressed. I grab my hiking shoes, a water bottle, a small backpack, and a Nutri-grain bar, and head out.
730a - I get off the interstate in Wisconsin and go through a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru. I get a small coffee and a bagel & egg sandwich ($5.89). Eat while driving the rest of the way to the state park.
845a - find a place to park by the trailhead and make sure my park pass receipt is showing on my dashboard. I discover there’s more snow than I thought there was on the trails, so I decide to just hike in my Ugg snow boots instead of the hiking shoes, since the snow boots go higher on my leg and are pretty comfortable. Grab my pack and start the hike! It’s really pretty with the snow, and the cold isn’t too bad. I’m glad I have my boots on. I do a 7 mile trail loop and it takes me about 3 hours.
12p - Drive home. I stop at a gas station to use the restroom and fill up my gas tank, since gas is much cheaper in Wisconsin than it is in Illinois ($23.44).
230p - Make it home. I take a long shower and then just sorta lay on the couch for a while with my dog - I’m tired from the hike and the driving. I take an accidental nap.
5p - Wake up because I heard my dog whining for food. Feed and walk her, then decide to make dinner. I have no motivation so I just throw a frozen pizza in the oven. It’s a medium size, so I eat the whole thing.
6p - Scroll through social media since I haven’t been on it at all today. Get cozy on the couch with a new book - How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen.
9p - Walk the dog and decide I’m tired enough to just go to bed.
Daily Total:
Restaurants: $5.89
Gas: $23.44
Day 7
10a - Holy cow I slept late. Feels good to do that once in a while. Feed and walk the dog, then I make myself some coffee. Today I just add some milk to it. Check personal emails. I think about working out and decide that I’m better off just doing a stretch class from the Peloton app. I pick a 20 minute one and it was the right decision.
11a - Make breakfast - toast with peanut butter, scrambled egg with egg whites. Shower and start the multiple loads of laundry I need to do. Clean the kitchen and the bathroom - not a deep clean but all the surfaces. I straighten up the other rooms in my apartment as well.
1p - FaceTime with my sister. Today is the only day we both don’t work, so it’s ideal to catch up on Sundays.
3p - I’m hungry again but not enough for a meal. I eat an apple with sliced cheddar cheese. Continue with laundry and play fetch with my dog. I’m glad to see she has some energy back after her surgery.
4p - My ex calls me. Asks if we can meet up and talk. He invites me over for dinner, I say ok. We agree on 6pm. I freshen up my hair and do some makeup. Change clothes into leggings and a long sweater. Feed and walk the dog.
530p - Drive to my ex’s apartment. I listen to my upbeat Taylor Swift playlist on the way there. Spend the evening at his place, he orders dinner for us and I don’t offer to pay, LOL.
930p - I drive home. I text my ex that I made it home safely, since he asked me to. Walk the dog, and do my nighttime routine. Check my work calendar for tomorrow, realize that I have a previously scheduled eye doctor appointment in the morning that I forgot about. Good thing I checked! I go to bed since I want to workout in the morning before the appointment.
Daily Total: $0
Weekly Totals
Restaurants: $14.42
Groceries: $40.18
Household: $99.48
Clothing: $96.19
Gas: $23.44
Hobbies: $38
Reflections: This isn’t a normal week due to the impromptu hiking trip, but my spending wasn’t terrible. I’m really happy that I won’t be paying student loans for the next 9 months. This diary showed me that I may spend too much time on social media and that I should be eating more vegetables. I just really love carbs…haha. I will need to make good use of that state park pass, especially in the spring and fall when the weather is mild!

I seem to remember someone doing this a few years back and really enjoying it, so I thought I'd give it a shot with the condensed schedule leaving so many games on the schedule each night. I'm ranking each game in three categories: competitiveness, importance, and style points/storylines (which includes star power, the style of basketball, and any intriguing stories to watch). I'll include a survey at the end where you can predict the winners of each game!
Let me know if this is something you'd like to see again!
10) Milwaukee Bucks (1-1) vs. New York Knicks (0-2) at 7:30 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Milwaukee -11
Last Meeting: January 14th, 2020. RJ Barrett drained five threes and Bobby Portis scored 20 off the bench, but the Bucks dominated the Knicks at Fiserv Forum 128-102. The two teams combined for a whopping 79 points in the third quarter.
The Bucks have won their last five meetings with the Knicks, with the last New York win coming in an overtime thriller at the Garden in December of 2018.
Competitiveness: A championship contender that dismantled the Warriors by 40 facing the Knicks on the tail end of a back-to-back. Not much else to say here. 1.5/10
Importance: This game is essentially a scheduled win for the Bucks, and a chance for the Knicks to test their young guys and let them grow up a little. Unfortunate that Obi Toppin will be on the sidelines for this one. 2/10
Style Points: The high-flying Bucks offense has been off to another hot start, topping the 120 point mark in both of their games. The Knicks' young guns have shown promise and made so flashy plays, but they also turn the ball over a lot. Neither team tends to foul a lot or shoot a ton of free throws, which will help game flow.
Some might keep an eye on Giannis' free throw shooting, but the real story to watch is RJ Barrett's three point accuracy. He lit it up from distance against Indiana, but struggled mightily against Philly. Can he take a step forward in that department this season?
Bonus points for the MSG crew calling this game. 6/10
Overall Rating: 3/10
9) Brooklyn Nets (2-0) vs. Charlotte Hornets (0-2) at 7:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: NBA TV
Spread: Brooklyn -7.5
Last Meeting: February 22nd, 2020. The Nets used a third quarter explosion to turn a comfortable win into a rout as they won 115-86. Luwawu-Cabarrot led the team in scoring with 21, while Garrett Temple of all people snagged eleven boards.
Competitiveness: The Nets have steamrolled over their competition so far, blowing out the Warriors and Celtics by 20+ points. The Hornets have struggled with two losses to non-contenders, and come into this game on the wrong end of a back-to-back. 1.5/10
Importance: A contending Nets team cannot afford to drop games like this one, especially in the early part of the season when there are so many eyeballs on KD and Kyrie. The Hornets could really use a positive performance to get their season headed in the right direction. 4/10
Style Points: The Nets have stars all over the court and have looked like a juggernaut early this season, making them one of the most intriguing teams to watch, and a fun one too, as they've played fast and made lots of threes. Charlotte ranked last in pace of play last season but seems to be trying to pick things up. You'll get the Charlotte crew for this game on NBA TV, and they call a fun game.
Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward are two guys to pay attention to- Rozier dropped 42 on a Cavs team that sucks at defending point guards. Is he headed for a breakout season? Hayward was shut down by the Thunder last night and will look to get things going. Plus LaMelo Ball! 8/10
Overall: 4.4/10
8) Golden State Warriors (0-2) vs. Chicago Bulls (0-2) at 8:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Golden State -2.5
Last Meeting: December 6th, 2019. Glenn Robinson III made the go-ahead layup with a minute left and a very different looking Warriors team beat the Bulls 100-98 in Chicago. Denzel Valentine was ejected in the third quarter for yelling at the Warriors' bench.
Competitiveness: The Warriors have been blown out by two great teams so far. The Bulls have been blown out by two mediocre teams and just played a deflating contest against the Pacers last night. 4.5/10
Importance: Both teams could really use their first win of the season. The Warriors cannot afford to lose to teams like the Bulls if they're going to contend for the playoffs. This probably still figures as a matchup of two non-contenders, though. 5.5/10
Style Points: The Bulls have lots of exciting young players, but they seem turnover-prone and have struggled to score. Neither team has been able to stop literally anyone on defense so far (lol thanks Golden State for taking Wiggins), so there's a chance this turns into one of those ridiculous shootouts where both teams top 70 in the first half.
Patrick Williams looked good in his first game against the Hawks, but the Pacers were able to shut him down. Watching him adjust to the breakneck pace of games and the new level of competition will be interesting. The Warriors will need to find other sources of offense besides Curry and Wiseman, and this game is a perfect chance for them to do so. Definitely opt for the Chicago broadcast if you tune in. 4.5/10
Overall: 4.8/10
** 7)Philadelphia 76ers (2-0) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (2-0) at 7:30 pm EST**
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Philadelphia -6
Last Meeting: February 26th, 2020. The Sixers had to play most of the game without their two best players as Joel Embiid left in the first quarter with a sprained shoulder. The Cavs, then the worst team in the East, led the entire way and won 108-94.
Competitiveness: The Cavs look like a much better team this year as Sexton has another year under his belt and they have Drummond underneath. There's a long way to go to challenge the Sixers, though, and they played an exhausting two-overtime trench war with the Pistons last night while Philly coasted to an easy win over the Knicks. 5/10
Importance: Definitely a litmus test game for the Cavs- can they hang with Philly and prove that they can be that dangerous team no one wants to face in the east play-in tournament? The 76ers might be looking past this game as they have a big clash with Tampa Bay coming up on Tuesday. 4/10
Style Points: This game gives us two matchups between stars. Joel Embiid has been on a mission to start this season, following up his 29/14 against Washington with a 27/10 against the Knicks. His matchup with Andre Drummond will be one to watch. At point guard, Simmons-Sexton could be an even more exciting face-off. The Cavs have played a more fun style of basketball this season, using Sexton to ignite a high pressure defense that stole a win in Detroit. That double-overtime win might prove costly tonight, though, when they run out of gas against a deeper and more talented Sixers team. Bonus points for the Cavs having that really fun color guy, I guess. 6.75/10
Overall: 5.25/10
6) Minnesota Timberwolves (2-0) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (1-1) at 10:00 pm EST
Where to watch: NBA TV
Spread: Los Angeles -11
Last Meeting: December 8th, 2019. AD dropped half a hundred and LeBron put up 32 and thirteen assists as the Lakers won a 142-125 slugfest. The Wolves hung around and trailed by only seven after three quarters before LA pulled away.
Competitiveness: The Wolves are off to a surprising 2-0 start, including an impressive win in Utah last night. Most would write this off as a scheduled loss, though, with a back-to-back against the defending champs and KAT getting dinged up at the end of the Jazz game. Still, it will be interesting to see how this new-look Wolves team trades punches with AD and Bron in the first half. 6/10
Importance: The Lakers seem to finally be settling into the new season after a disappointing showing on opening night, and will be looking for another statement win. Some Wolves fans have speculated that they will rest KAT after his injury scare tonight. I'd expect him to play, but no one in Minnesota thinks they will win this game. 3/10
Style Points: Anthony Edwards going up against two of the best in the game? DLo back in LA? Upstarts against the defending champs? Top notch storylines for this game, where the first half will be a good litmus test for Minnesota, before fatigue probably sets in for guys like Edwards and Culver and the game gets pretty ugly.
Minnesota's defense looks much improved this season, and their explosive bench can keep this game fun. And you know what you're getting with the Lakers' stars. Unfortunately the NBA TV rights to this game mean most fans will get the LA crew and miss out on the top notch Fox Sports North announcers. 8/10
Overall: 5.6/10
5) San Antonio Spurs (2-0) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (1-1) at 7:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: New Orleans -5
Last Meeting: August 9th, 2020. The Spurs and Pels faced off for a high-scoring showdown in the bubble that saw the two teams combined for 77 fourth quarter points. JJ Redick went off and hit eight threes and Zion chipped in 25, but the rest of their teammates shit the bed and the Spurs won 122-113.
Competitiveness: The Spurs are off to a fast start, most recently squeaking out an impressive win over the Raptors last night. The Pelicans have produced mixed results, but beat Tampa by a more impressive margin and have an extra day of rest. Expect a close one early, with New Orleans having a sizeable edge late. 6.5/10
Importance: Both teams figure to be in the hunt for the final playoff spots and will see each other plenty this season as they are both in the same division. I doubt the Spurs would sweat this B2B loss too much, though. 7/10
Style Points: Zion put up a highlight-worthy 32 and 14 on Christmas Day against the Heat, and the Pels look like a new team on defense, making them one of the most interesting squads to watch this year. Ingram, Redick, Hart, and Lonzo can combine for an offensive explosion at any time. The Spurs can play kind of a bland style sometimes, especially with 35 year old LaMarcus Aldridge playing on a back-to-back. Dejounte Murray, who just posted his first career triple double and looks much improved this season, will be an interesting to player to watch today. This one feels like it could be a snooze-fest or a barn-burner, with nothing in between. 6.75/10
Overall: 6.7/10
4) Boston Celtics (1-1) vs. Indiana Pacers (2-0) at 8:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Boston -2.5
Last Meeting: Tuesday March 10th, 2020. The Celtics were the last team the Pacers faced before Miss Rona stepped in and put a stop to the basketball for awhile. Marcus Smart made the go-ahead layup to rescue Boston in the final minute after they blew a 19 point lead, and they held on to win 114-111. Sabonis posted a 28-9-8 night for Indiana.
Competitiveness: The Celtics have the rest advantage, as they got the night off to lick their wounds after a Christmas Night Stomping at the hands of KD and Kyrie, while the Pacers had to take the floor last night and beat up on the Bulls. The Pacers figure to be in the middle of the playoff pack, while the Celtics would like to challenge the Bucks and Nets at the top, and this game will be a huge early measuring stick for both teams. The Pacers will have home floor, which makes this anyone's game. 8/10
Importance: It's never too early to have a big game for playoff seeding! The Celtics will be anxious to prove that their opening game win against Milwaukee was no fluke, while the Pacers need to show us that they can beat someone better than the Knicks and Bulls. 7.5/10
Style Points: This is where this game kind of falls short. Tatum, Kemba, Sabonis, Brown, and others all provide lots of star power, but aren't the big names featured elsewhere on this list, and both teams tend to play slower, more defensive-oriented basketball. The Celtics' thumping at the hands of the Nets is more of a story for Brooklyn than for Boston, and Indiana has maybe been the playoff team that jumped off the page less than anyone else so far. Add in a game that's only broadcast locally and that overlaps with every other game but two and this game takes a bump in a packed Sunday night slate.
Still, this should be a very good game between two playoff teams, and a fun one to tune in for down the stretch if the Pacers keep it close. 5.5/10
Overall: 7/10
T-2) Orlando Magic (2-0) vs. Washington Wizards (0-2) at 7:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Washington -1.5
Last Meeting: Last night! The Magic and Wizards squared off for their first of back-to-back games, which was an exciting back-and-forth contest. The Magic had the edge on the glass for much of the game, which only intensified late as they pulled away and the Wizards started pressing and taking bad shots. Beal went off for 39 points while Westbrook posted a triple-double, proving that they can in fact play together just fine.
Competitiveness: Last night's game was a see-sawing battle for most of the evening. Orlando looks like the better team and one of the more improved squads in the East, if their win against Miami is any indication. Still, beating a team on their home floor twice in a row is extraordinarily difficult, and the Wizards get to regroup and see if they can fix their rebounding woes against the same team. Expect another entertaining toss-up!9/10
Importance: Both teams are in roughly the same boat: improved squads who will likely find themselves sitting on the edge of the Eastern Conference playoff field. They won't see each other again in the first half of the season, and to pick up a quick two games on their competition would be an enormous boost for Orlando. 7.5/10
Style Points: The Wizards have been playing a fun new style with Russ and Bradley Beal sharing the load on offense, and early speculation about how the pair will get along on the court has been promising. The Magic get the job done with comparatively little star power, but Vucevic has always been one of the more underrated players in the league and deserves some recognition. Terrence Ross and Davis Bertans will be other players to keep an eye on- Ross has been extremely hot offensively in his first two games, while Bertans is a streaky shooter who can be the key to Washington winning or losing.
Perhaps the most interesting storyline, though, is the back-to-back baseball-style two game series. College leagues are trying this out across the country and we've seen in leagues like the MAAC, Mountain West, and others how hard it is for superior teams to beat the same team on consecutive nights. We've also gotten a glimpse of this in the NBA preseason. This time, the teams are very evenly matched. How will the Wizards adjust tonight? What effect will the wonky scheduling have? 8/10
Overall: 8.2/10
T-2) Dallas Mavericks (0-2) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (2-0) at 3:30 pm EST
Where to Watch: NBA TV
Spread: Los Angeles -5
Last Meeting: August 30th, 2020. The Clippers knocked the Mavs out of the first round of the playoffs, winning Game 6 after the game was moved back due to the player strike. Doncic dropped 38 and Dorian Finney-Smith chipped in 16, but only one other Dallas played cracked double digits. L.A. moved on to the next round where they cruised through the first four games against the Nuggets and...oh wait hahahahahahahahahaha.
Competitiveness: The Mavs need to get their shit together. They posted a close opening night loss against the Suns and then got their doors kicked in by the Lakers... neither of those are alarming results, but they're not the mark of a playoff team. The Clippers are angry at the way last season ended, ready to take it out on the league, and they've looked like a juggernaut with Nic Batum in their lineup, putting up convincing wins over the other top two teams in the West. Doncic can keep any game close, but he needs his teammates to carry some of the load, and the Clippers are still the clear favourites here. 6.5/10
Importance: Dallas needs to show that they can beat playoff teams, as their schedule for the next few weeks doesn't get any easier after tonight. They'll face the Heat, Rockets, Magic, Nuggets, and Pelicans. They'll have to figure out who their second and third best scoring options are in the process. Both teams will be looking for a statement win on a national stage- they're the only teams playing in the afternoon tomorrow and get a national broadcast on NBA TV. 8/10
Style Points: Kawhi... Luka... PG13.... could you really get any more star power? The Mavs looking for revenge on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs by beating them in a Sunday Showcase game (albeit on NBA TV) in their house provides a great story to go along with the stars. The Clippers have been red hot from three point range to start the season, and a Mavs defense that allowed 138 points to the Lakers will probably provide plenty of opportunities for more fireworks. If not for the potential of a lopsided final score, this would be the #1 game of the day. Tune into this instead of football on a relatively light NFL day. 10/10
Overall: 8.2/10
1) Phoenix Suns (1-1) vs. Sacramento Kings (2-0) at 9:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Phoenix -3.5
Last Meeting: Last night! Sacramento jumped out to a 15-2 lead, but the Suns almost immediately cut that in half, and tied the game early in the third quarter. The teams traded baskets for much of the second half, with DeAaron Fox and Buddy Hield carrying the offensive load for the Kings, who held on to win thanks to some timely offensive rebounding from Richaun Holmes.
Competitiveness: Aside from the early flurry from the Kings, these teams were as evenly matched as they come, trading punches for the entire second half. The Suns probably won't shoot 11-44 from three point range again tonight, and the Kings will probably take better care of the basketball. Regardless, we're in for a fascinating rematch of two Western Conference playoff hopefuls. 10/10
Importance: Both the Suns and the Kings are exciting young teams with opportunities to improve on last season, and both figure to end up in that 7-10 seed range in the Western Conference. These two teams won't see each other again in the first half of the season, and the Suns cannot afford to drop back-to-back contests against one of their competitors for the last couple of playoff spots. The Kings, meanwhile, were largely overlooked by fans and writers heading into the season and look poised to outperform expectations. Going 3-0 to start the season would do a lot to quiet the doubters. Regardless, this two game series will likely end up mattering down the road. 8/10
Style Points: The Suns were the talk of the NBA Bubble in August and have continued turning heads with their opening night win against the Mavs. Chris Paul's presence at point guard allows them to run a better offense than "just let Devin Booker chuck as many threes as he wants and hope Ayton rebounds enough to let us eke out a close win". They're still a fun, up-tempo team that shoots lots of threes, and finally play some good defense if that's your thing too. Sacramento announced themselves as a team not to be slept on with their opening night win against the Nuggets (thanks Will Barton), and the trend continued last night. They've attempted the fewest threes of any team through two games this year, and their game plan of Fox driving and everyone crashing the glass gives us an intriguing contrast of styles.
Like I mentioned for the Wizards game, the baseball-style series also presents us with interesting questions to answer in this game (how will the Suns adjust on the glass? can the Kings beat the same team twice in a row?), and a nerve-wracking two games between two teams who are very close in talent level and playoff hopes. Perhaps most importantly, Phoenix's broadcast is the only one on League Pass so far that has figured out their on-court audio and actually sounds normal. Keep that one in mind! 8/10
Overall: 8.7/10
I also made a Google Form where you can pick all the winners of today's games... I'll link that below. Thought it would be cool to see how Reddit does predicting the winners. I'll close the form at 3:30 when the Mavs and Clips tip off. I'll try to pare this down length-wise if and when I do this again. Thanks for reading!
Pick the winners here!

27/30 rankers reporting this week. /NBA's Power Rankings are published every two weeks which is a bit different from most rankings. Other than that we rank the teams the same way as our competition. If write ups are left blank the team rep decided not to submit. We encourage any user to fill in the blanks in the comment section. Rankings were supposed to be completed prior to Today's games.
Edit: Ties do not happen often but somehow there was a 3 way tie at 5th.

#	Team	Δ	Record	Comment
1	Lakers		0-0	Talen Horton-Tucker (the 46th pick in last year's Draft who just turned 20 last month) balled out in the preseason, averaging 20.5 points on an effective field goal percentage of 61%. The Lakers are playing 13 of their first 14 games within the Western Conference, starting the season with a four-game homestand featuring marquee matchups on opening night and Christmas Day.
2	Bucks		0-0	Coming off of a dissapointing bubble preformace the Bucks were thrust into a high stakes offseason where they had to make the right moves in order to convince Giannis they were serious about winning champoinships. Jon Horst and the Bucks' FO set out to do just that, and went "all in" when they traded first round pick possible and our two best PGs for Jrue Holiday. Likely because of that overpay for Jrue, the team was able to secure Giannis' supermax extension despite the Bodgdan debacle and a quiet offseason in terms of other aquisitons. Overall, I think the team did a great job rounding out the roster with bodies considering the money we had left after the awful but nessecary (to get Giannis to resign) Connaughton contract. Bobby Portis and DJ Augusti should be great bench peices who can actually hang in the POs, and Jordan Nwora and Sam Merril both look suprisingly ready for real minutes despite being 2nd round rookies.
3	Clippers		0-0	After the disasters of the bubble, the Clippers are ready to mix some elements, and create some chemistry. Most people put a lot of the locker room blame on Trez (turned traitor) and blame Doc's rotations for the 3-1 loss (happened to LAC twice now). Unfortunately this just means a lot of pressure is placed on Ty Lue and Serge Ibaka. I don't think much was lost, but I do think a lot was gained this season.
4	Nuggets		0-0	After the shortest offseason of all time (thanks COVID?), we're jumping right back into another season of the NBA! The Nuggets return with a familiar starting five, plus a few new bench pieces to fill the shoes left behind by Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee. A few key items to watch during the early part of the season: Michael Porter Jr. is expected to be the starting small forward this season, and Nuggets fans have been dreaming about his potential for the last two years. Will he be able to exceed his fantastic bubble and playoff performances last season with another year of development under his belt? Point guard Monte Morris re-signed on a very team friendly contract this offseason to return as Jamal Murray's backup/occasional backcourt partner, AFTER the Nuggets had signed Euroleague stud Facu Campazzo as depth at the position. Watching coach Michael Malone juggle the 96 total guard minutes between Murray, Morris, Campazzo, Gary Harris, Will Barton, and PJ Dozier should be very interesting to see. What kind of difference has another (shortened) year of development made for the Nuggets young superstars Murray and Nikola Jokic? The Nuggets are expected to remain in the NBA's upper echelon of contenders after last year's Conference Finals appearance, and hopefully they're able to build off of that this season.
5	Celtics		0-0	Going into the start of the season, there are two nagging questions that will hopefully be answered. 1) Do the Celtics finally have a Tristian Thompson solution to their big man problem? 2) Can the Celtics bench provide at least borderline average help to the starters and not be a detriment to the team? The Celtics jump right into the fire to start the season with matchups against the Bucks and Nets, back-to-back games against the Pacers, a game against the Grizzlies, and another back-to-back series against the Pistons before the next powerrankings. With the Celtics limping into the regular season and a Rockets reporteinsider saying the Raptors and Celtics are now in the lead for a possible Harden trade centered around Jaylen Brown, it's bound to be an interesting start to the season one way or another.
5	Nets		0-0	The Nets surprised some people when KD came out looking like an elite version of himself and lead us to 2 wins in pre-season. The magnitude of his injury naturally had some fans wary of his return but it seems the long absence has helped him gain his mobility and mindset back. The team will be cautious with his minutes as injuries like these have many risks upon return but it is a great sign that he was able to create space for himself and get by his defenders. Kyrie looks like a great partner for him, his shot creation and playmaking is going to be crucial when defenses hone in on KD. Defensively, KD and our role players looked solid but they will need DJ and JA to really step up if they're going to guard big men like AD and Embiid in the postseason.
5	Heat		0-0	It's the most wonderful time of the pandemic year where nothing makes sense, and the Heat are returning after their surprise Finals trip after Bubble Ball. It was an amazing surprise that we got to the Finals, but I'm being tepid and not expecting the same this season. I'm hoping that we don't trade either Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro for anyone before the seasons starts, since I'm expecting them to have more growth this season. With Goran Dragic and Jimmy Butler nearing/entering the twilight of their careers it'll be a welcomed reinforcement if they're able to pick up any slack that'll exist. The ceiling for the Heat this year is the Eastern Conference Finals with it being more likely we reach the Semi-Finals. I had similar expectations last year and we surpassed them, so I hope it's the same this time around.
8	Mavericks		0-0	The Mavs' top priority following their first playoff appearance in 4 years was to improve their defense, most notably on the wings, and the Mavs did just that. They flipped Seth Curry for Josh Richardson and the 36th pick (Tyler Bey), they added James Johnson via trade while also dumping two of their most negative players, and added Josh Green in the draft. If the Mavs can repeat their historic offensive production, the defense and offense could both be top 10, making them a likely top 5 seed in the West under this scenario. The health of Kristaps Porzingis, who is expected to miss time early in the season, and Dwight Powell, who recovered from a January Achilles tear, will be key swing factors for the Mavs this season.
9	76ers		0-0	Fresh off of one of the more embarrassing bubble showings, the Sixers have gotten a full makeover from top to bottom. Starting with newly hired HC Doc Rivers and PoBO Daryl Morey, this roster is more suited to the needs of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, while hopefully fixing issues that have plagued them since their first playoff run. With new complementary players like Danny Green, Seth Curry, and Dwight Howard along with (hopeful) breakout performances from Shake Milton and newly drafted rooking Tyrese Maxey, this team could be anywhere from a true contender to another middling 1st/2nd round exit. One thing remains the same; this team will only go as far as Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons will take them.
10	Raptors		0-0	Decent preseason for the raptors, but a very lackluster offseason. The losses of Ibaka/Gasol aren’t terrible at face value, but taking into account who they’ve been replaced with it isn’t promising. Baynes can have big games, but has never been starter quality throughout his career. His habit of making a lot of fouls means our backup Center will likely get a lot of playing time, and this will most likely be Chris Boucher. Unfortunately he’s just too small to play center, and our other backup, Alex Len, isn’t a good option either. As a whole, this season should be fun to watch in terms of player development, with OG Anunoby hopefully improving further offensively, and a promising young rookie in Malachi Flynn.
11	Jazz		0-0	The Utah Jazz enter the 2020-21 season with the same core that saw them finish with the equal 4th best record in the Western Conference. A team that developed a reputation over the last 5 years for being defensive minded with scoring problems, flipped that last season maintaining the leagues #1 offensive rating post December 15. However they failed to defend at their lofty high standard. The re-acquisition of Derrick Favors was a move made to address the team's biggest weakness by offering a defensive presence when 2x DPOY Rudy Gobert goes to the bench. The league leading 3P% team should be up there again with Bogdanovic, Clarkson, Conley and Ingles back all efficient shooters from beyond the arc. Ultimately, the Jazz's ceiling for this season is largely dependent on Donovan Mitchell, the young all-star who played at a historic level against Denver looks set to make a leap to superstardom and will be a major factor in Utah's championship aspirations this season.
12	Trail Blazers		0-0	It hasn't had much attention, but Portland's off-season was everything Blazer fans hoped it would be. With the additions of Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr., they got more athletic, more shooting, and drastically imporved their defense; and they did it all without trading any of their young talent. The early returns haven't been great, but this crew hasn't been together long. Overall, the Blazer faithful should be excited about their prospects this year.
13	Warriors		0-0	Warriors did the best they could to put together a solid team with Klay going down for the season. Since Steph went down the Warriors have not fielded a line up with Wiggins, Steph and Draymond. Adding Wiseman and Looney to the mix and they look to be a playoff quality team.
14	Suns		0-0	The Phoenix Suns had a hell of an offesason; trading for CP3, signing Jae Crowder as well as other rotation pieces for dirt cheap. The roster now has versatility, shooting, and defense everywhere surrounding one of the best backcourts in the league. On paper this team could be competing for 4th seed in the West but we will have to wait and see if it all comes together as drawn up.
15	Rockets		0-0	The Rockets might just be the most unpredictable team this season. Lose James Harden, and without a clear leder, this team could be bottom 5 in the West. Keep James Harden, and with a supporting cast including Cousins, Wall, and Wood around him, this team could have all the pieces to be a contender. Nobody really knows what the future holds.
16	Pacers		0-0	There's excitement in the air as the Indiana Pacers take the court with a new coach in Nate Bjorkgren. The difference is offensive style from years past is already apparent, as the Pacers let it fly from 3-point range throughout the postseason. The biggest story for the Pacers in the early going is how quickly bubble star T.J. Warren can return from a foot injury, although he has already been cleared for practice this past week. Also, will Victor Oladipo get closer to his 2018 form? Will the defense regress without Dan Burke on the sidelines? How well will Turner and Sabonis play together this time?
17	Grizzlies		0-0	We will be better this season than last, but may still wind up further from the playoffs in a crowded West. (Yearly reminder that we should be in the East; Tennessee hasn't been in the American West since covered wagon times). Those who tune into our rare appearances on national tv will be treated to a high octane team bursting with young talent. Ja and JJJ are obviously the main attractions here, but also look for Brandon Clarke, one of the steals of last year's draft, to continue to emerge as a key piece of our young core. Rookie Desmond Bane is a shooter on a team that badly wants more spacing, so he could crack the rotation. If he does, he could put up enough points to be a sleeper for all-rookie honors.
18	Wizards		0-0	Soon, the Washington WIzards will begin their first season without John Wall on the roster since 2010. It will be a bittersweet moment for all Wizards fans, especially after patiently waiting 18 months for his return, but replacing him as the starting PG with Russell Westbrook was a deal that both sides reportedly wanted to get done. With the additions of Westbrook, Deni Avdija, and groaning noises Raul Neto, the Wizards managed to take one of the worst defensive teams of the past decade and make it even worse at that end of the floor, while adding even more offensive firepower. Regardless of the outcome, this team will be both extremely entertaining and extremely frustrating to watch, and I'm interested to see how Avdija, Rui Hachimura, and Troy Brown progress throughout the season. It will be a tough battle for the 7 or 8 seed in the East, but the Wizards are certainly in contention for one of those spots, and should finish with around 40-45 wins this year if all goes well.
19	Pelicans		0-0	The Pels aren't just set up for future success, they're set up for current success. Stan Van Gundy's entrance as the head coach of this young team is exactly what was needed in terms of intensity on the court. This team is filled with talent. The guys guys on this team all connect together like Voltron on the offensive end to create an absolutely unstoppable offense. The addition of Steven Adams fixes two glaring holes for this franchise, rebounding and interior defense, while also bringing much needed vocal leadership. The Pelicans are going to surprise a lot of people this season when they finish ahead of other teams that every has easily slotted ahead of them (looking at you Phoenix and Portland).
20	Hawks		0-0	For the first time in a long time, the playoffs are a reasonable expectation for the Atlanta Hawks. With the signings of Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic, the offense has bolstered with some actual offensive talent around the Hawks core. The Hawks should be scoring a lot of points this season, but will also be giving up a lot of points. Sure, the additions of Clint Capela and Kris Dunn plus another year of development for De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish are going to make the defense much better than it was last year, but it's still going to be rough. There have been some very lofty expectations thrown around about the Hawks, including some people calling us a top-four team in the East. These expectations would maybe a tiny bit more reasonable if the Hawks had a full training camp and pre-season to allow this almost entirely new team to build some chemistry going into most of these players' first games in over nine months. I think the Hawks will struggle out of the gate as they learn to play together and be battling for the 7th-8th seed at the end of the year.
21	Magic		0-0	Around 90% of the team's minutes from last season are returning, and there's something to be said about roster chemistry and consistency. Not having Isaac this season is gonna hurt a ton but if preseason means anything, then Okeke and Anthony are gonna be huge surprises. The East has gotten stronger so the playoffs may be a longshot but there's always the play-in option. WeltHam picked up Bamba's option, so clearly they see something that most fans don't. But they're not done there, with both Fultz and Isaac's rookie extensions coming up.
22	Spurs		0-0	The Spurs brought back a lot of the same roster after a disappointing season, not making the playoffs. Key departures: Marco Belinelli, Bryn Forbes Retained: DeRozan, Poeltl, Eubanks. Drafted - Devin Vassell 11th, Tre Jones 41st. It will be interesting to see how the Spurs start the season. They ended in the bubble playing with the young guys, but start the season with Derrick White and Keldon Johnson both out. Hopefully both will be back soon, but those are two players expected to take on bigger roles this year. I hope that we see a lot of Derrick White, Devin Vassell, Keldon, and Lonnie sharing the court. I fear that too many of the units will have 2 of Lamarcus, Rudy, DeRozan, Trey Lyles, or Patty in them and it defeats the purpose of our all defense, young athletic core. I haven't touched on Dejounte, but I think he has shown little improvement since his rookie season. His handle is still too loose, he can't finish at the rim when it is contested, and he has an inconsistent jumper. Offensively he's below average. Defensively he does some of the highlight steals, but loses his man off ball and gets blown by far too often. Vassell looks like the real deal and flashes glimpses of Iguodala or Kawhi on the defensive end. His half court game is fairly polished, but he needs to work on finishing over size at the rim and he still picks up his dribble sometimes without knowing what he's going to do. I see a rough start to the year for the Spurs and likely us playing our vets too many minutes and our youth not enough, but I am optimistic about how this roster is built long term.
23	Kings		0-0	The Kings off-season gave fans yet another breath of hope, something exhaustingly familiar to the Cowbell Kingdom. Anchored first by the hiring of analytics guru Monty McNair to replace Vlade as the new GM, the Kings were able to sign Fox to a 5 year max deal - a big win considering Sacramento’s long history as a less desirable market. The Kings also landed the consensus steal of the draft, snagging combo guard Tyrese Haliburton with the 12th pick. But don’t expect the current roster to make it through the trade deadline. McNair made a slew of FA signings that expect to be shipped out to championship contenders in an effort collect more assets for the rebuild. All said, the Kings project toward the bottom of the always crowded West.
24	TWolves		0-0	The Timberwolves goals this season include making the post season for the second time in 15 years. They may have the offense to do it but they'll have to get better on defense and more familiar with each other on short notice to accomplish that goal.
25	Hornets		0-0	The LaMelo show begins! The new draft lottery odds handed a rare gift to Charlotte, and we capitalized. The Hornets enter the 2021 season with the same group of young players who impressed at times last season and the addition of a 19-year-old with undeniable star potential (and Gordon Hayward I guess?). I don’t know if I’ve ever been this excited for a Hornets season. It’s all about player development this year, but the Hornets will be exciting to watch, and might win more games than expected.
26	Bulls		0-0	New coach, new GM, new lead executive, new rookie, new phone, who dis? The roster oddly has not done much. The new GM (Arturas Karnisovas) is using the wait and see approach. Bulls are banking on Wendell Carter Jr, Lauri Markkanen and Lavine to make a big jump this year or expect them to completely revamp.
27	Thunder		0-0	Oklahoma City's time of tanking looks to finally start for real this season. Most of the roster consists of rather... unknown... players. However, all the tools are there for the perfect tanking situation: the central star to build around (SGA), the cult/meme hero (Dort), the raw but high-ceiling prospects (Bazley, Poku), the flashy highlight generator (Maledon), and the locker room vets to hold it all together (Hill, Horford). This season should be surprisingly enjoyable to watch despite the inevitably horrific W-L record that might threaten to be the worst in the league. I would be shocked if OKC doesn't get into the top lottery drawing tier.
28	Pistons		0-0	The Pistons may end up being decent if Blake Griffin (and to a lesser extent Derrick Rose) stay healthy but I'll believe that when it happens. Hayes looks like he will have a lot of growing pains, they may have the worst center rotation in basketball, Jerami Grant looks like he is not ready for a bigger offensive role. After they traded Andre last season they looked, both by eye test and statistically, like peak process Sixers. Anything happens to Blake they will probably be back there again.
29	Cavaliers		0-0	The Cavaliers come off of a season in which they were dead last in defensive rating, and towards the bottom in offensive rating. The light of the preseason was Isaac Okoro's performance on both ends, and the Cavs desperately need that to carry over into live action if they want to start getting those ratings up.
30	Knicks		0-0	"If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating as possibility!" - Søren Kierkegaard, EtiheOr

And now for something completely different!
I try very hard to make my analysis articles entertaining as well as informative. But I'll be straightforward up front: this is not going to be my typical style of analysis. I began this before Christmas in preparation for the return of Master League to GO Battle League, and what you're going to see below is largely a listing of my findings as I sought to answer a question I know many have right now: what will be the impact of Level 40+ Pokémon in a league with uncapped CP? Is it worth trying to get into, and if so, what kind of investment are we talking about here? WHAT should we invest in to get the most bang for our buck, the best return on investment? Do we have to take things all the way up to 50, or can we dip a couple toes in those waters, invest SOME but not ALL, and still compete?
So, I started at the top, with the big Legendaries pegged out at Level 50, but that was only a small part of the story. I then moved into something that is probably much more helpful: an analysis on Legendaries/Mythicals and then non-Legendaries at Level 45 and below, a much more reasonable investment, to start to answer those loaded questions.
End of the day, I can guarantee this will not fully answer those (or your) questions, but this SHOULD be a way to get you on the right track and give you at least a working knowledge going into these unknown and somewhat scary waters. That's the goal, anyway!
So again, apologies on my somewhat rambling style of getting there (finally catching COVID last week and currently trying to fight it off hasn't helped 😷), but let's see how this goes!
Initially, just a list of Level 50 Legendaries, but I promise things get a little more user-friendly as I started to hit a little bit of a stride....
MEWTWO
Level 50 Psystrike/Shadow Ball Mewtwo loses to Lugia, Ho-Oh, Kyogre, Origin Giratina (it beats Altered!), Dragonite, and sometimes Garchomp (requires successful baiting). Palkia ties.
Level 50 Psystrike/Ice Beam Mewtwo loses to Metagross, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Kyogre, and Origin Giratina. Palkia again ties.
Level 50 Psystrike/Focus Blast Mewtwo loses to Lugia, Ho-Oh, Metagross, Origin Giratina, Kyogre, and Dragonite. Kyogre can lose and Palkia is now a slight win for Mewtwo.
THE GIRATINAS
Level 50 Altered Giratina looks best with SC/DC/AP, with close losses only to Dialga, Snorlax, and Groudon. Note the lack of Togekiss! Giratina now wins that, as well as picking up wins against Lugia, Dragonite, Garchomp, Mamoswine, and Origin Giratina.
Level 50 Origin Giratina is perhaps even scarier, losing only to Dragonite, Snorlax, and sometimes Garchomp. Once again, Togekiss is now in the win column, as well as Dialga, Palkia, Zekrom, Rhyperior, and Mamoswine.
DIALGA
Level 50 Dialga is surprisingly not as dominant as you may expect. Still loses to Fighers (Machamp, Conkeldurr), Ground (MS Rhyperior, Groudon, Swampert), plus Mamoswine, Ho-Oh, Melmetal, and Metagross. Heatran is a 1 HP win, so often that will flip too. Other than that, really the only losses at Level 40 that flip to wins at Level 50 are Mewtwo, Garchomp, and Snorlax.
GROUDON
Level 50 Groudon loses to Dragonite, Ho-Oh, Lugia, and of course Kyogre. New wins are Palkia, Garchomp, and a former tie with Origin Giratina.
THE BIRDS
Level 50 Lugia has only Steels (Dialga, Melmetal, Metagross, and Heatran) to worry about... it now wipes out the rest of the ML core meta, picking up wins against Palkia, Zekrom, and Origin Giratina.
Level 50 Ho-Oh still loses to Kyogre, Origin Giratina, Zekrom, and sometimes Garchomp, and has to be careful how it plays against Level 40 Ho-Oh or it can actually lose that too by debuffing itself.
HEATRAN...?
Level 50 Heatran is still surprisingly tepid, still losing to Kyogre, Palkia, and Swampert, Groudon and Rhyperior, Machamp, Snorlax, both Giratinas, Garchomp, Zekrom, and even Steels Dialga and Melmetal (and likely a partridge in a pear tree, if that were meta). The only new win going from Level 40 to 50? The mirror match. This one is a total dud.
THE WATERS
Level 50 Kyogre loses out to Dialga, Origin Giratina, Zekrom, Palkia, Dragonite, and Thunder Kyogre. If the Level 50 Kyogre has Thunder, it now loses to Altered Giratina but obviously picks up the mirror match versus any smaller Kyogre. However, that potential win over A-Gira and a win over Lugia are its only pickups going from 40 up to 50.
Level 50 Palkia looks potentially terrifying, with ONLY Togekiss listed among Level 40s that beat Palkia. Dialga can tie, but that's it. In truth, though, perhaps that shouldn't be quite so shocking, as even Level 40 Palkia is arguably a bit underrated. New wins for Level 50 include Dialga, Melmetal, Altered Giratina, Dragonite, and Zekrom.
ZEKROM
Speaking of which, Level 50 Zekrom retains losses against Togekiss, Dialga, Swampert, Mamoswine, Mewtwo (with Ice Beam), and sometimes Garchomp. The new wins include Rhyperior, Altered Giratina, and Dragonite, the last of which can JUST barely beat Level 40 Zekrom.
Now as I said, a lot of this is academic at this point, as these are not currently catchable and therefore there's no way to get XL candy beyond the handful of Rare XLs from leveling yourself above 40, or the occasional toss-in you may get--if you're lucky!--from transferred or maybe trading. (Has that been re-enabled yet? I see conflicting reports.) But there IS one Legendary/Mythical that IS catchable right now, and in decently large quantities... MELMETAL.
MELMETAL
You can catch dozens of Meltan every week if you want to, so this is one where you could legit start stockpiling XL candy. (And even better, we're entering the winter months in much of the world with potential for snowy weather, so that means boosted Meltan and even higher probability of XL candy during those periods.) What do you get for your troubles? Well, Level 50 Melmetal tacks on some improbable wins, like Mud Slap Rhyperior and Ho-Oh, as well as any version of Kyogre and of course the mirror match. It does still lose to the Fighters, the Giratinas, Swampert, Groudon, Garchomp, Zekrom, and Metagross, so there are certainly still several limitations here. But yes, leveling up Melmetal does make enough sense to be worth it, if you're willing to make the commitment and grind for it.
But again, still mostly academic. Even for Melmetal, with the current system, it will take a good long while to amass the 270+ XL candy to push all the way up to the new max at Level 50. You MIGHT be able to push up into the low 40s in time for it to matter for GBL, so what sort of gains do you get from that?
Let's start this time with Mel, the most easily achievable, and then work our way backwards.
MELMETAL (Part II: Electric Boogaloo)
You already pick up the mirror as soon as you go to Level 40.5, not surprisingly. But you only need hit Level 41.5 to start beating Kyogre (with any combination of moves). That is "only" 30 XL candy and 30,000 dust (or less if you best buddied your Melmetal and it's already a bit above 40), which may actually be achievable with some good Meltan catches, especially if you already got started on that. You have to go all the way up to Level 45.5 to pick up the next new win (Ho-Oh), so that's out of reach for now. But getting Melmetal mirrors and Kyogre seem potentially worth it for an early XL candy investment.
A quick run through the others, just in bullet form. I'll spare you (and the Reddit servers!) the links and just hit these in quick succession:

• KYOGRE has to go up to Level 44 to gain a win (Altered Giratina).
  
• PALKIA can beat Dragonite starting at Level 41, which some of you may have already Best Buddied your way into. The next pickup I see is Melmetal, but not until Level 43.5.
  
• ZEKROM has to go all the way up to Level 45 before it flips a (non-mirror) matchup, finally beating Level 40 Dragonite.
  
• ALTERED GIRATINA can beat Level 40 Origin Giratina starting at Level 41.5, just a hair beyond the old BB max-out. Again, 30,000 dust and 30 XL candy... hard to get soon, but you can see the light at the end of that tunnel, at least. The next two are out there but significant, with Mamoswine at Level 43.5 and then Togekiss at Level 44. Noticing a pattern already where many are hitting a nice sweet spot somewhere between Levels 43 and 45....
  
• ORIGIN GIRATINA actually tracks pretty similarly. At Level 41.5, it picks up Groudon, and then again hits that sweet spot right at Level 44 with wins over Dialga (moveset irrelvant) and Zekrom.
  
• MEWTWO keeps that trend alive. With Ice Beam, it gains Rhyperior at Level 42.5, and then Swampert and (somehow) Heatran at--you guessed it!--Level 44. (A quick aside: that Heatran win is actually just accomplished with triple Psystrike, so assume that win is always there once Mewtwo hits 44.) Similar gains with Shadow Ball, getting Rhyperior at 42.5 and Swampert at Level 44 (and Heatran again). With Focus Blast it has to go a bit further, not seeing a new win (other than the Level 44 Heatran) until Level 44.5 (Groudon) and then Garchomp half a level later at Level 45.
  
• DIALGA has some early gains but then a decent gap, with the first new wins showing at Level 43 (Snorlax) and 43.5 (Ice Beam Mewtwo), but then no more until Level 45.5 (and that's only Heatran).
  
• LUGIA can best Level 40 Origin Giratina at Level 43, but that's it until you get way high into the 40s.
  
• HO-OH sees some very early results. At Level 40.5, it can already overcome Dragonite and Thunder Dialga, and then it also potentially picks up Garchomp starting at Level 41.5, and the next pickup is Lugia at Level 44.5. And as before, Ho-Oh has to be careful how it plays the mirror versus lower level Ho-Oh, as throwing the first Brave Bird probably spells disaster, and that is reflected by winning the mirror at Level 40, and then losing it at Level 40.5 before picking it up again starting at Level 41, though with the opponent not throwing Brave Bird at all! Sims really struggle with this one.
  
• GROUDON also has some very interesting sim results that will require some time to explain. It starts off easy, with good news coming quickly after 40, as Origin Giratina (and Groudon itself, of course) flip to wins as early as Level 40.5. But then something weird happens. Starting at Level 41.5, Groudon somehow LOSES a win that it had at lower levels, and there are no self-debuffing tricks at play in this case. So how can that be? To sum it up as simply as possible, the opponent in question is Togekiss, and what's happening is a weird simulation glitch. As Groudon reaches 41.5, Togekiss switches from using Ancient Power and Groudon sneaking in a fourth and final Fire Punch, to now using a different charge move once Groudon hits Level 41.5 (I honestly have no idea why, sorry!) and that throws off the timing JUST enough that Groudon now falls short of that fourth Fire Punch and dies. In reality, the way for Togekiss to play that is to just straight Charm Groudon down, which means a victory for Kiss all the way up until Groudon hits a bulk point at Level 44.5 (dropping Charm to 12 damage instead of 13) and is able to live long enough to reach that extra knockout Fire Punch again. Whew! That one took some digging.
  

TL;DR #1:

So to sum all that up, here are some conclusions I can draw, basically a TL;DR to much of the above:

• Most Legendaries have a key pickup or two somewhere in the Level 43-45 range, and then plateau there a bit until finding more success in the upper 40s as they approach 50. I didn't list all those results here specifically, but getting beyond Level 45 is tough anyway with the prohibitive costs, so I tried to highlight 45 and down, which is at least somewhat more reasonable.
  
• The Legendaries with the most immediate gains are Ho-Oh and Groudon, which gain new wins (two for Ho-Oh and one for Groudon) at Level 40.5. Ho-Oh also picks up Garchomp at Level 41.5, and so with potentially three new wins for "only" 30,000 dust and 30 XL candy, Ho-Oh looks like the big winner overall.
  
• Other "bargains" that net multiple wins below Level 45 are the Giratinas, with both versions netting three new wins by the time they hit Level 44, and then Palkia and Mewtwo, with two wins by the time they hit 43.5, and Dialga who gets two wins by the time it reaches Level 44.
  

NOW, before your brains start leaking out of your ears (well, any more than they already are), let's blow through some NON-Legendary Master League contenders and see where they shake out. As this has already run a bit long, I will try to highlight on those who stand to gain the most at Level 45 or lower.

• SWAMPERT sees a massive jump when going from Level 40 up to Level 50, but there's a catch: only two of those wins come below Level 45, A-Giratina at Level 42 and Groudon at Level 44.5. Those last four wins don't start showing up until Level 48.5 and higher. Ouch. In Premier, it does sneak past Haxorus at Level 41, but then its only other notable picklup is not until Level 44 (Glaceon). Swampert is not one to level up just a bit beyond 40 to see big results... you need to take it nearly all the way up.
  
• DRAGONITE is a poor candidate for XLing in open Master League. Other than the mirror match, it doesn't see any new wins until Level 47 (Dialga) and then the only other new win (over Mewtwo) comes at Level 49. It IS more promising in Premier Cup though, with new wins over Glaceon at Level 42.5, Scizor at Level 43, and Shadow Magnezone at Level 44.
  
• On the plus side, we have MACHAMP. It sees gains as early as Level 40.5 (Magnezone, even if baited, though it can win even at 40, albeit barely, if it just goes straight Counter), and then at 41.5 (now having enough bulk to beat Level 40 Haxorus), and TWO gains at Level 43 (Dragon Breath Gyarados and Mamoswine). The original Fighting *champ looks to be a very good investment for super sizing with XL candy!
  
• CONKELDURR sees some nice returns right away, beating the mirror and Haxorus as well at Level 40.5, but it doesn't see another gain until Level 44.5 (Typhlosion).
  
• SNORLAX looks potentially very promising as an XL candy investment. With Earthquake (generally the preferred second charge move for open ML, primarily due to its ability to roll over Dialga), Lax can start to beat Level 40 Ho-Oh at Level 41.5, Lugia at Level 43, and then Rhyperior, Melmetal, AND Togekiss at Level 44.5. With Superpower instead of Earthquake, generally preferred in Premier Cup, it beats Rhyperior earlier (Level 42), and it's also worth noting that Lax beats Gyarados with either Dragon Breath or Waterfall at Level 41 (with just Body Slam). If you're going to invest in a good Snorlax, it's probably safe to stop at Level 44.5 for a while, since the only gains it has after that are Garchomp (two full levels later, at 46.5, and only if it doesn't get baited) and Zekrom all the way up at Level 49.5.
  
• Incredibly, Togekiss doesn't see any new wins until Level 49, when it finally beats Dialga, and then it also gets Mewtwo at Level 49.5. But yeah... not a great max out (again) candidate, it would seem.
  

Similarly, SHADOW GARDEVOIR sees only one (non-mirror) win before Level 45, taking out Swampert at Level 41.5. Seems that Charmers in general don't benefit all that much from leveling beyond 40

• RHYPERIOR (running with Mud Slap/Surf/Rock Wrecker) sees gains at Level 41.5 (Conkeldurr), Level 43 (Lugia, Haxorus, and Shadow Snorlax), and Level 44.5 (Altered Giratina!), but has a ways to go to achieve more beyond that. Smack Down Rhyperior has less to gain, with only Zekrom at Level 44 (and nothing of note in Premier Cup).
  
• MAMOSWINE has to go a ways to find success, but then finds a bunch in that 43-45 sweet spot, with Snorlax and Heatran at Level 42.5, Mewtwo at Level 43.5, Conkeldurr at Level 44, and finally Lugia at Level 44.5. In Premier Cup, it also picks up Charizard and Shadow Gardevoir along the way. Mamoswine starts out looking very lackluster at Level 40, but by the time it gets near Level 45, Mamo looks quite respectable... against Level 40 competition, at least.
  
• CHARIZARD is a little lackluster in ML at Level 40, but by the time it gets to Level 45 it looks quite a bit better. Level 41.5 is a BIG one for Zard, as it picks up Dialga, Snorlax, AND Typhlosion, and then Glaceon at Level 45.
  

And there are others, of course... but I need to wrap it up here. First off, I am actively fighting off COVID-19 (finally hit our household days before Christmas... Happy Holidays indeed!), and secondly, Master League is almost upon us (less than 24 hours away now!) and I want to get this out with a little time to prep. Additionally, I think I've probably fried your brains by now--this was much more dry than most of my writeups, for which I apologize--and also, others I could look at like Garchomp and Magnezone are very bait-heavy and it is therefore hard to properly show them in sims, and what is shown doesn't show drastic improvement anyway. (Take Zone, for example, which looks the same at Level 45 as it does at Level 40 anyway.)
Besides, hopefully by now I accomplished my primary goal anyway: showing that if you choose to invest in XL Pokémon, you don't HAVE to go full bore to 50 to see big improvements... and there are a few (like the Charmers) that you may want to just leave alone at Level 40 (or 41 for Best Friends) anyway. Level 45 seems a reasonable enough cutoff point, and there are many that you can go far below even that and see some good pickups.
I will atempt to do a quick TL;DR to summarize all the non-Legendaries above:

TL;DR #2:

• As with the Legendaries, a lot of the non-Legendaries find great success in the Level 43-45 range. However, many of them also find success earlier. The best ones are MACHAMP and RHYPERIOR (MS/S/RW), which both pick up four significant new wins by the time they hit Level 43, which may actually be achievable at 64,000 stardust and "only" 64 XL candy. If you already have them best buddied up to Level 41, then you save yourself 20,000 and 20 XL candy. Charizard is close, picking up three wins at Level 41.5.
  
• MAMOSWINE only nets two wins below 43, but then gets three more by the time it gets to Level 45. Similarly, Earthquake SNORLAX only achieves two new wins at Level 43 or below, but then picks up three more at Level 44.5. Dragonite gets three new wins before Level 45, but only against things typically seen in Premier Cup rather than open ML (Shadow Zone, Glaceon, Scizor).
  
• Some of those who need to be leveled above 43 to see real gains include the Charmers (TOGEKISS has to go all the way up to Level 49, and SHADOW GARDEVOIR gets only Swampert early on and then nothing for a long time), SWAMPERT (only two wins below 45 and then none again until after Level 48), and CONKELDURR (only one win below Level 43, another right before it hits 45, and then nothing for a little while beyond that).
  

WHEW. Okay, yeah, I know this one was a bit of a chore to get through... believe me, it took many days of plowing through literally hundreds of sims to write it too! 😫 But if you did, I sincerely hope this is of benefit to you moving forward into the brave new world of Master League XL. This season, we get a choice not to dabble in Master at all yet, as we can instead stick with Holiday Cup (which, as a reminder, I did an in depth--and much less dry--analysis on as well!). But if you intend to forge into the wilds of ML now--or we're forced to in the future--now you have at least a little more knowledge on what to expect (or not!) from Pokémon leveled beyond 40. Good luck!
I do have an analysis (which is much more my usual style) in the works on Genesect with its various Techno Blasts, and you can expect that this week. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of COVID stays this knowledge courier from completion of my appointed rounds! Until then, you can always find me on Twitter with near-daily PvP analysis nuggets (or Patreon if you're into that). And as always, please feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll try to get back to you. I am hoping this will spawn some good discussion on things I missed... as long as this analysis was, I feel in some ways like I just scratched the surface of all the implications. 😬
Stay safe out there, Pokéfriends. Thanks again for reading, and catch you next time! Much more fun than catching coronavirus! 😷
EDIT: As a quick aside, yes, this simulates against a field of Level 40 Pokémon, not Level 40+. I had to start somewhere, and simulations with mass Level 41+ Pokémon don't really exist yet, so I had to go in reverse and show Level 40+ 'mons versus the current competition. I would like to go back and do Level 40+ vs Level 40+ grids down the line, but for now this was the best I could really do.
In truth, at least early on here, I would expect many things will NOT be far above 40, if leveled with XL candy at all yet. Future weeks with Master League will probably see much more widespread XL 'mons, but for now this may actually be close to what you'll actually face: a majority of Level 40 opponents with the occasional 41+ here and there. But we'll find out in about 22 hours!