The three most valuable things in my life right now 💰
Two are totally F-R-E-E.
January is a month for sitting down, staying put, and enjoying what you already have. It’s a time I always feel gratitude for this little life and take stock of the simple pleasures that bring me joy and ease.
Here are the three MVPs of my life during a month I stayed inside more, spent less money, and got in a lot of Sweet Alone Time. And two of them cost zero dollars.
Alamo Season Pass — $20/month
Those of us with an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in our city know how special this place is. Each theater offers a full menu of food and alcohol including treats like pizza, burgers, and truffle parmesan popcorn (my favorite). They’ve got big, reclining seats you can reserve ahead of time (so you’re never stuck craning your neck in the first row). And there’s always an array of quirky, old-timey clips that run before previews. Plus, they play a lot of older favorites and oddball picks; I saw The Matrix last night, an annual tradition.
Alamo originated in Austin, Texas, and my local theater is only seven minutes away. Going to the movies has become a favorite solo date activity, so it’s a no-brainer for me to get the Alamo Season Pass. For $20 a month, I can see one movie a day at any of the Alamo locations around me; a single movie ticket costs $12, so you only need to see two a month to make it worthwhile. You can also reserve your seat way ahead of time for big-ticket movies you know will sell out.
I saw five movies this month alone! I often go by myself, but I also go on regular movie dates with my friend Reza; we bounce back and forth between the theaters near each of us. I love to sit in the dark and turn my phone off for two hours. I love how movies make me feel, and cry, like few other things do. I love leaving a film and having rich discussions about it with friends. I love witnessing the art of so many people (writers, directors, actors, cinematographers) that developed over years come together as something so beautiful in front of my eyes. I love to read the critical and cultural conversations films introduce. I love to eat popcorn!
Going to the movies is church for me. It nourishes my soul.
And, hey, it’s fun to know which films you want to root for come awards season—because I’ve seen many of them!
Austin Public Library card
My relationship with the library is one of my oldest and dearest. Among the stacks, breathing in that pleasant, musty smell of silent pages, I belong.
I remember the day I got my Austin Library Card not long after I arrived here. It felt heavy with meaning in my hand and made me so happy.
Since then, many dozens of books have gone back and forth between the library and my bedside table (and my Kindle too). I’ve constantly got 10 books on hold. I can’t think of anything that adds more meaning and joy to my life than library books.
Beyond the tomes that bring me so much pleasure, the library is a special gathering place. I work there, print things off there, drop my old batteries off in a collection bin there. I recently went on a tour of the downtown Central Library, and I discovered a whole new world of possibilities to enrich my coworking life. (Picture me working away on the veranda of the sixth floor on a spring day, taking in the views of Lady Bird Lake.) There’s even a room dedicated to teens with instruments for band practice, a huge anime collection, and synthesizers to lay down your own beats — I would have loved this space at 14.
And the free resources! You can rent meeting rooms, use a laptop, play a hundred board games, get a passport, “borrow” seeds to plant at home — all for free! You can stream movies for free through the Kanopy app with your library card. You can often rent electronic equipment like cameras that you might not be able to afford on your own. Not to mention all of the educational and fun programming they put on: learn to code, watch a movie, take a yoga class, learn guitar, practice your Spanish.
This is your friendly reminder to take advantage of your local library! It’s a world of wonder in there.
My local Buy Nothing group
I simply must shout my love of Buy Nothing from the mountaintops!! I joined my first Buy Nothing group when I moved to my current Austin neighborhood in fall 2021, and it has truly changed my life and how I think about consumerism and sustainability.
My Buy Nothing January haul:
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
If you’re not familiar with Buy Nothing, it’s a hyperlocal group, often found on Facebook (sorry, I know), where you give and receive items from your neighbors — completely for free. There is very likely an existing group in your hood — just search “Buy Nothing” and your neighborhood name and you’ll find it.
The ethos of the project is to foster community and encourage a gifting economy. Other plus sides include saving money and saving the planet by purchasing less stuff.
Think about it: there are items that every single home has that we only use once or twice a year. What if we could pool these resources and save each other hundreds of dollars?
When I discovered Buy Nothing I was furnishing an entire one-bedroom apartment almost entirely from scratch. I brought only 12 boxes with me from NYC and almost no furniture. I had a few thousand dollars saved up to get the job done, and I did a ton of secondhand shopping on Facebook Marketplace — it became a real addiction there for a while — but Buy Nothing saved my ass over and over. The items I collect there help make my home as cozy and inviting (and functional) as it is.
Now, when I need something, I ask for it on Buy Nothing first. And I very often receive it! And I have an easy way to offload my formerly loved items to homes that will use them now.
Some things I’ve received:
Halloween and Christmas decorations
USB-C plug
Bike light, phone holder, and Ulock
Paints and a large canvas
Le Labo gift set
An amazing vintage makeup mirror
Flower bouquets
A tent and sleeping mat
Electric kettle
Air fryer
Frames for my gallery wall
A printer
An Amazon Fire tablet
Some things I’ve gifted:
Palm plant
Everything to make sweet potato casserole with marshmallows
Homemade pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
Towels and bathmats
Pet water fountain
Full set of pots and pans and dishes
Peach duvet set and pillows
Kate Spade wallet
Covid tests
Blow dryer
Vacuum
Headphones
Public libraries are the best! Mine also has day passes for museums and botanical gardens and such.