Travel 102: Eating on a Budget

British Food...

As those that are close to me know, I love food. I love everything about food. Coming from San Francisco, the land of avocado stuffed, queso cheese-filled, sushi-rolled, dumpling deliciousness, I was a little skeptical of the food in London.

My first duty, while my partner was at work, was to discover the grocery store. The "grocery store" in central London was about 1/10th of the size I was used to seeing in the states, but I did appreciate how the Europeans seem to stuff their store with the essentials and not overstuff with products that are unhealthy and wasteful. 

I am no cook, but being the one at home during the day, I knew this responsibility would fall unto moi. We definitely do not have the budget to eat out each night and London's menu prices were not much different than what I saw in SF. So it was up to me to figure out 1. how to create edible food, and 2. keep to a strict budget. 

Oh and one more challenge.. we're vegetarian. But the great thing about being here is that it seems like pastry and bread-like items are taken a bit more seriously, which I appreciate. As soon as I headed down the cheese aisle, I thought "I can work with this."

Oh and the other challenge.. we're in temporary housing, so the kitchen is not fully equipped. We have a hot plate, microwave, and fridge to cook with. I am usually not one to shy away from a microwaved meal, but that really isn't a thing here. 

Here are a few recipes I created that satisfied us veggie lovers:

Breakfast

Oatmeal:

No Quaker oats to be found so, make your own!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats or old fashioned oats 
• 1 cup water
• Dash of Milk
• Trail mix - nuts and dried fruit (no chocolate) 

Steps:

1. Add oats, and water to a saucepan (or microwave together)

2. Boil for 5 minutes, remove from heat and cover

3. Stir stir stir! Add a dash of milk or cream, (everyone has their own preference on how creamy they like oatmeal) 

4. Once the oatmeal is the texture you want, drop in a half cup of a trail mix that contains nuts and dried berries, this will save you money because you're not buying each nut and berry individually. Also, there is a fair amount of salt in most trail mixes, this gives the oatmeal a bit more flavor. 

This meal cost me about £2.89

Homemade Lattes

Long gone are the days of my daily Starbucks run :sigh:

This recipe does require an espresso machine, which is not common in households in the states, but quite common in homes and hotel rooms here. 

Ingredients:

• Espresso pod
• Handheld frother (under £10)
• Milk
• Brown sugar
• Mug (tall)

Steps:

1. Heat milk, we do not have a fancy steamer, so my alternative was to gently warm some milk but keep stirring it like crazy to keep it frothy

2. Make espresso while milk heats

3. While milk is heating, add a just a dash of brown sugar, it should melt a little into the milk

4. Place espresso into a tall mug, gently pour sugary milk over the expresso

5. Use the frother to create that yummy foam!

Tip: Heat up your kettle and add a smidge of hot water

Cost £0.52 per day (10 espresso pod pack)

Lunch

Olive & Hummus Pita-Pockets

Lunch is actually the hardest meal for me as a vegetarian. It's so easy to stick a piece of bologna between some white bread, but sandwiches are hard for veg-heads! And putting veggies on bread can get soggy and gross. I usually turn to ciabatta rolls or pita bread instead because it absorbs more. 

Ingredients:

• Pita bread
• Pitted olives 
• Tomato
• Hummus - plain
• Sliced mature cheddar
• Sprouts & avocado (optional)

Steps:

1. Slice the pitas into halves, making two pockets

2. Slip a slice of cheese into each pocket and use the toaster or microwave for a few seconds to heat cheese

3. Once the cheese is nice and gooey, spoon in and spread hummus on one side of each pocket

4. Slice tomato thin and slide into pockets

5. Chop or leave olives whole and stuff into pockets

6. Top with sprouts, or just a nice side of crisps!

This meal cost about £3.00 and I was able to make 4 sandwiches

Dinner

Mushroom Cheesesteak Boats & Tomato Soup

I usually am good with one of these boats, but a cup of soup on the side can round out this meal nicely. 

Ingredients:

• 1 package White Mushrooms diced
• Sharp cheddar or something equivalent
• Salt & Pepper
• Rockets (greens)
• Tomato diced
• Wholegrain mustard
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp vinaigrette dressing 
• French baguette

Steps:

1. Heat oil into a medium saucepan

2. Saute mushrooms adding salt and pepper - bring to a medium heat

3. Begin shredding or adding slices of cheese on top of mushrooms - low-medium heat

4. In a large bowl mix rocket, diced tomato, and dressing- set aside

5. Slice up baguettes, I did fourths removing the ends

6. Remove the centers of the sliced bread making it boat-like in shape, in the hollow spread a very thin layer of the mustard

7. Once the cheese has melted into your mushroom saute, remove liquid and scoop mushrooms into the hollows of the bread

8. Take salad greens with tomato and place on top of the mushroom

Serve with a side of tomato soup! 

This meal cost about £7.28 and I was able to make large 4 boats

Travel 101: Moving Internationally

Leaving the US & Living Abroad

Hello Readers!

Apologies for not posting for a while. I am sure you've been checking every day and constantly hitting the refresh button hoping for a new blog post. If so, today is your lucky day. 

Recently, I have made a rather large life transition. My partner and I have moved across the pond to London, UK. This decision was difficult. When you think of living abroad, your first thought is: Adventure! Travel! Explore!

Realizing only later that you're truly leaving everything behind: Family. Friends. Work.

We have now been living in London for about 30 days. It feels so different now compared to the dream-like first few days. 

My partner started work immediately, I was left to travel around town solo charged with finding us a place to live permanently. His company had set us up with temporary accommodations, but it was up to us to find a permanent flat to settle into. 

My first day free of jet-lag I set out on my home-seeking adventure. My heart was full of hope as I scanned my list of potential neighborhoods.
I hopped on the underground and headed north. After minding the gap, the Tube spit me out in one of the famously trendy northern boroughs of London. 

My heart dropped immediately. Outside the central touristy London, the neighborhoods become less predictable. One minute I was walking up a bougy high street, the next I was skirting through public housing. Being alone (and without a working cell phone yet) it made me realize how far from home I was. 
There were moments of excitement and moments I felt utterly alone and literally lost. 
By week three, we were touring apartments. Each flat we visited reminded me of when my college friends and I were searching for tiny two beds in Boston in the twilight of our college years. Similar to Boston, the apartments are old, small and not chock full of amenities. Basically, you do not get a lot of bang for your buck. 

Coming from beautiful California, it took all I had not to burst into tears during those tours. I was coming from the coast where it was easy to escape into nature for hours. I tried not thinking about the hundreds of hikes and trails as I paced over concrete and pavement. 

I convinced my partner to get further outside of the city, somewhere greener, slower.  I had found a little borough southwest of the city and we've put an application this week for a cozy spot in an old converted library. Fingers crossed we get it. I'll keep you all posted.

My biggest takeaways from this international transition can be explained in a few short thoughts:

 1. Change is hard. But, no I mean really, really hard. Not like in a Hollywood movie hard, but gut-turningly difficult. 

2.  Love is everywhere. I know this sounds corny, but I was lucky to be on this adventure with someone I loved. Also, my grief of missing my friends and family only made me realize how much I loved them even more; I took that comfort that someone out there was missing me everywhere I went.

3. Always invest in a good pair of sneakers, or 'trainers'. 

Finance 102: What is a 401k?

What is a 401k?

Hello Everyone! Apologies for not writing for so long... but I actually am really excited for this post because it's something I have been dealing with personally for some months now.

Retirement planning is a complex, complicated subject and if you're anything like me, you avoid thinking about for fear of early-onset depression.

For me, I had to really break it down. I did not even know what the "k" in 401k stood for. So let's start with the basics:

What is a 401k Plan?

Basically, it's an employer-sponsored retirement plan for employees. Not all employers offer this.

What Does that Mean?

It means your employer is going to help you save for retirement. Back in the day, this was a pension, but oh god you'd be lucky to see one of those nowadays.

How it works is, your employer will set up a plan for you so that you're able to invest towards the future. You, the employee, will elect to take a portion of your paycheck and invest it in a plan for retirement. Some employers will even match your paycheck contributions.

When I "Invest" in my 401k, What Happens?

Investing in 401k simply means you are taking money from your paycheck and putting it towards stocks or bonds, usually in an investment vehicle called a mutual fund (more on those later).
These mutual funds have been selected by your employer (or your employer's broker), which means your choice as to where your money is being invested can be limited. These funds fall under your overall "401k Plan".

So my Money is Invested, Now What?

You wait. Yes, you wait until you are literally old enough by law to withdraw your 401k funds without being penalized by the government.
It's important to understand that with traditional 401k plans, the money you are putting into your plan is tax-free. This means the government can't get its little hands on it until you withdraw it later in life. However, there are ways around this... more on "Roth 401k" later.

What are the Benefits of a 401k?

• Contributions to your 401k can lower your income taxes

Here is an example from NerdWallet.com:

"Pretax contributions to a traditional 401(k) lower your total taxable income for the year. For example, let’s say you make $65,000 a year and put $18,000 into your 401(k). Instead of paying income taxes on the entire $65,000 you earned, you’ll only owe on $47,000 of your salary. In other words, saving for the future let you shield $18,000 from taxation."

• Uncle Sam can't touch any of your money until you retire

Keep in mind that the point of investing is that your 401k won't act as a savings account. It will hopefully provide you more money based on how well the mutual fund performs (again, more on this later).

While that plan is earning money for your retirement, the government is not taxing you on these returns. It is only when you withdraw the funds - and please don't do this before the legal age.

The Downside to 401k?

1. Your employer could choose crap funds to invest your money in. It's worth speaking to your employer to obtain information on the broker and funds related to your plan. 
This could lose you money and not get you ahead in your retirement planning. Just look at what people lost in the 2008 housing crisis! 

2. If you need the money for something, you will get a penalty for withdrawing money from your 401k early. Remember! This is not a Savings Account, a 401k is an agreement with the Feds where you are simply putting away money tax-free so you can retire one day; if you decide to take the money out to say, buy a house or pony the Feds will want their cut.

Comments? Questions? Please post!



More to come soon... 
oh and one more thing:



What Does the 'k" stand for in 401k? Not an interesting story... it's from the tax code.

Sources: NerdWallet.com