I was talking to a friend earlier today about our past relationships, and the topic came up as to why I broke it off with the last woman I dated.  In a word?  Money.  It may not be politically-correct to say that out loud, but when it's all said and done, that's basically what it came down to.

Around 2022 to 2023, I met this lovely woman who is also a single mother.  This isn't new to me, as my ex-wife was also a single mother when I first met her, and to this day, I treat my adopted kid no different than my biological kids (but they are also all adults now).

Knowing what I went through the first time, both emotionally and financially, I knew that it would not be an easy road.  Still, I understood what I was signing up for, and I was fine with it so long as I had a decent, like-minded partner working beside me.  Unfortunately, I found out that I did not.  Put plainly, she turned out to be a spender while I was a saver.

Before I continue with this story, I do confess that I'm not exactly the most frugal person out there.  I still spend money when I really shouldn't on stuff I don't actually need.  However, while I may not be the best saver out there, I am still a saver at heart.  If I learned anything with my marriage many moons ago, it is that financial compatibility is just as important as emotional compatibility.

For us guys, trying to figure out women is like trying to learn alien hieroglypics.  Even when narrowed down to just financial compatibility, it is not always easy and obvious.  There were a lot of small, possible red flags along the way, but the straw that broke the camel's back was when she hinted that she wanted me to buy her a brand new iPhone.  I thought she was joking at first, and I laughed and played along, but then, I got the hint that while she was "joking" about it, she was actually not joking.

Now, would I actually buy her a brand new iPhone?  I wouldn't say it's completely out of the question, but you understand my concerns right?  Why no Androids?  Why must it be an iPhone specifically?  And why does it have to be the latest model of iPhone?  Not only that, but why won't she spend HER own money to get one?  Why am I the one who has to buy one with MY money?  I did ask these questions, and basically, her response was, "But don't you love me?  Aren't I worth it?" Faaaantastic.

At this point, I also want to point out that she has no idea what my net worth is.  She just knows I don't mind paying for things when we go out.  Still though, a plate of pasta and a glass of wine is one thing, but brand-new hotel stays and iPhones is just a bridge too far for me.

I'm really shortening this story, and simplifying it for clarification purposes, but after spending a good week meditating on this clear-as-mud situation, I ultimately ruled that this isn't going to work out.  It took more than a decade of me struggling to regain my footing after my disastrous marriage, to finally feel so immensely grateful and free to get a second chance at life, from what I thought was going to be a lifetime sentence of utter ruin and hopelessness.

She had wonderful kids too.  I am sorry for her and her kids especially.  I truly am, but I can't afford to fall back into the abyss again.  I need someone who is a saver, or else, I would much rather stay single for the rest of my life.

So, I guess as a part of getting older, I really shouldn't be surprised about having to take medication on a regular basis.  I've mentioned this before, but the short recap is that I am Type 2 diabetic, and am having to take two kinds of medicine for it.  All this happened earlier this year.  Before, it was just one medicine, and it was easier to track.

But with two, somehow I now feel like I'm constantly watching the clock or something, and on some days, I am actually forgetting whether I already took which medicine yet or not.  Needless to say, I need to get much better organized.

Hence, the reason for this post: For those who take medication, how do you track your pills?

I recently bought one of those month-long pill cases, so I can track my daily medication intake.  I know this is a financial site, and it's not ideal to solve your problems by spending money into it, BUT if this somehow manages to fix my pill tracking issues, I would say it is completely worth the money.  I just got it a couple of days ago, and am hoping this works out.

And while typing this out, I just realized I also forgot my second blood sugar check.

Ok, I admit the title is rather ostentatious, but after many, many... many years, I think I have finally got this crock pot thing down.  I put the nom noms in.  I turn on the power.  I say prayers to our lord and savior Gordan Ramsey.  And after many hours of impatient waiting, somehow at the end of all, food!

While crock pots can last a lifetime, unfortunately, my previous one had finally developed a crack in it, and I decided it was time to move on.  This was roughly six months ago.

Ladies and Gentlemen, feast your eyes on my latest and greatest in crock pot hotness: The Ninja Foodi Everyday Possible Cooker Pro!  (Seriously, how many drops of acid did marketing take while watching anime before they came up with that name?)

This is the smaller 6.5 quart pot sibling to the more popular and more expensive 8 quart brother that people rave about.  Now, I know I could have purchased another crock pot for even cheaper than this, but there were a couple of reasons why I decided to go with this.

First and foremost is the fact that steel will not fracture like the ceramic bowls of a crockpot.  Also, it's advertised as an 8-in-1 cooker, with other functions that, if I am being perfectly honest, I haven't tried yet, but do intend to some day... just as soon as I figure out how.

With the weather cooling down as low as the mid 40F this week (at night), I decided to fire up the new crock pot again.  This time, I have chuck roast with cabbage, mushroom, onions simmering away.

I am sure everyone has heard of the devastation hurricane Helene has caused.  One such place is Asheville, NC, which I have been to several time before.  I saw the videos in horror of the eateries and businesses that I fondly remember visiting when I was there.  The level of damage is just insane.

I was affected by the hurricane as well, though nowhere near anything like that.  I think I lost power for like about 90 minutes, and that's it.

While I don't consider myself a prepper, I do like some of the philosophies and ideas they come up with.  I just dial it down to a much smaller scale, based on whatever realistic problems that I believe I may face.  For example, the longest power outage I have suffered living where I am is 3 days.  As such, I tend to have a week's worth of stockpile on hand at any given time.  If I expect trouble in advance, like with hurricane Helene, I may double that.

Preppers have a saying regarding stockpiles, "Food, Water, Power, Fuel, and Ammo".  Food, isn't too difficult, as it mostly consists of bulk buys of canned goods for me.

Water, however, is trickier.  They are relatively heavy and bulky, and are also a higher priority than food.  However, I find that typically a gallon worth of drinking water a day is enough for me to get by.   So, for just little old me, it's still not an insurmountable task.

Power isn't difficult either, once I got myself a quality power bank that can easily charge my cellphone for up to a week and more.

Ammo is controversial as it depends on each individual's personal philosophy on such things, as well as whether it is even legal to own firearms to begin with, based on where you live.  Suffice to say though, I stockpiled more than enough for my needs many years ago.  In other words, the cost is $0 as I don't plan on buying any more anytime soon.

I personally don't worry about alternate currencies like gold coins or gold bars because, realistically, whatever businesses remain functioning will still accept cash and even credit cards if their reader is still working.  If all else fails, literally the rest of the supplies can be used as barter.  In fact, they're actually more useful in barter than gold, since you can't eat, drink, shoot, or charge your phone with gold.

If I am being completely honest, I was slightly disappointed that my area wasn't hit harder by the hurricane, especially after all the extra preparation I made for it.  Of course, I still much prefer this than what happened to Asheville.

Also, I have to balance all this with being financially responsible.  It is extremely easy to go overboard, and I know people online who do just that.  I myself try to keep my costs at a minimum.

Finally, my view on um prepping is to remain flexible and open to suggestions.  It is likely to evolve some more as time goes by, especially if I find more affordable options out there.  For example, I know there are bulk dried foods and MREs that I have yet to try.  Experimenting with them does open myself up to additional upfront costs, so I haven't gotten around to any of that just yet.