no buy 2025 + the FMOAT
(funniest meme of all time)
“The hard soil and four months of snow make the inhabitants of the northern temperate zone wiser and abler than his fellow who enjoys the fixed smile of the tropics.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
What. A. Week. Who would have guessed that a nation as divided as ours could find unity in one thing: our collective hatred of the American health care system? Almost like that's by design—to keep us blaming each other instead of looking up and recognizing the need for class consciousness.
That plus the drones in New Jersey that the government “doesn’t know anything about” yet that same government shot down a spy balloon last year. Make it make sense!
So with all of that swirling around, I figured what the heck, let me go on a self-imposed “No Buy 2025” along with a “try to make mostly everything within reason from scratch 2025”, because:
Instead of just being an ostrich and sticking my head in the sand about everything, I figure it’s a good year to focus on controlling what I can, being fastidious with how and where we spend our money, and put my energy towards some work, personal, and home and garden projects.
I chatted a bit about these challenges here and here. My No Buy 2025 parameters are essentially:
Notable exceptions include seeds (duh!), kids stuff as needed and special family activities (baseball games, museums, etc), my annual gal’s trip to Brimfield Flea in May, and seasonal trips to the Goodwill Bins because it’s the last stop before the landfill so I can justify that in my mind!
I’m going to keep detailed notes on the entire endeavor, because back in 2015 I did a no spend year in 2015 to pay off my $30,000 student loan debt in a year and I recently came across my spreadsheet from that year.
This time around, I don’t have debt payoff as a goal, but rather focusing on voting more with my dollars and silently protesting the absolutely ridiculous price of ~literally everything~ right now. And this includes thrift stores!
Speaking of thrift stores, I’ve decided that they fall into the “no new clothes” category because while they’re not technically new, they’re new to me, and I have plenty of clothes. I’ve always used thrifting as a fun little me-time activity, but I want to find a no-cost way to enjoy some solo time away from the house and my family for a couple hours on the weekend. My two front runner activities: getting back into longer distance running (run-walk method to start) and bringing my DSLR to the botanic garden we’re members of and engaging in some flower and nature photography.
As we dive headfirst into the holiday season, I hope you find inspiration in nature's rhythm—how it slows down and rests in the winter. Curl up, get cozy, and maybe spend an evening watching The Great British Bake Off instead of frantically racing around or giving in to the season's endless marketing pressures.
Until next (pizza) Friday,
Amy
LOLs of the Week
Reading
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Cooking
I am always so curious about peoples’ weekly meal plans as they feed their families, so I thought I’d share what I’m cooking up in the kitchen. Sometimes it’s family dinner, sometimes there are girl dinners. My motto is “use what you have” and I’m typically pulling from the chest freezer, pantry, garden, and leftovers. I hate food waste, and am a diehard composter, but that’s a story for another newsletter!
Monday: Chicken pot pie with biscuit topping —such a comfort food on a cold, rainy day
Tuesday: Taco night — sourdough tortillas, ground beef, refried beans, cheese, the works
Wednesday: Parmesan roasted broccoli and meatballs — always a kid favorite
Thursday: Chick-fil-A dup night with Just Bare chicken from Costco + frozen fries
Friday: Supreme with mushrooms, peppers, onion, and diced pepperoni. Last week, I forgot to pre-heat my pizza stones and made a sheetpan pizza and I think that’s my new favorite method moving forward.
Saturday: Pizza lefties
Sunday: Spaghetti bolognese — trying this one from RecipeTin Eats
Loving
The hands down funniest meme I think I’ve ever seen in all my many years on the Internet — Pepe the King Prawn. If you’re just learning about it, start here with the olive oil girl. I have been snorting, crying laughing, and gasping for air while reading some of these. It has made my entire week/month/year/decade.
This woman on TikTok befriended an opossum in her backyard and I cannot get enough —10/10 hilarious and adorable.
This whole drone scenario all over the country (and world!), but specifically the New Jersey situation. To be clear, there is not one iota of actual concern in my body, and I have ~theories~ about all of this because I have a tinfoil beret and have been known to enjoy a UFO documentary here and there. Anyways, don’t watch the news because they just want your eyeballs for ad revenue and are probably stoked about their chance to encourage hand-wringing and worry! It’s chill, I’m sure. Unless it’s a foreign country that doesn’t like us…in which case then no, that’s not chill.
This older gentleman on TikTok who shares videos of his thrifted house and starts every video with, “Hi, I’m Larry Pennington and welcome to my thrifted house!” It’s so endearing and he talks through all the pieces and I just adore him.
Link Roundup
Winter Is the Perfect Time to Take Up Crow Watching [Audubon]
Researcher discovers new role played by manatees, ‘the gardeners of the Amazon’ [Mongabay]
14 Fun Facts About Dragonflies, From Their Lethal Hunting Prowess to Incredible Migratory Feats [Smithsonian]
How Honeycrisp Apples Went From Marvel to Mediocre [Serious Eats]
United States Proposes Listing Monarchs as a Threatened Species [NWF]
Enjoying Pizza Friday? Share the love and forward this email to a friend you think would dig it so they can get in on the fun, too. Like pebbling, which is what penguins do! They bring little trinkets like pebbles to their loved ones. How precious is that?
You’ve got some great books on your reading list!
I'm joining you on the No Buy! Starting Jan 20th for obvious reasons. I'm getting excited! I've attempted No-Buy years before and failed, but have high hopes for this one because I have so many reasons to do this.