tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76853704736595954722012-02-16T07:22:03.816-10:00consuming with a conscienceMiss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.comBlogger241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-79489923292205541082009-02-09T08:29:00.002-10:002009-02-09T08:35:03.138-10:00

(blog post written on January 20, the day before Miss Cheapist went into labor…)  Happy New Year!  For months Miss Cheapist has been preoccupied with matters of lesser literary significance.  But as they taught in high school, it’s important to “write from the heart,” so, she will ‘fess up and find a launching point from the truth.   Readers, Miss Cheapist is actually married, (now call her Ms.

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-4663001522542762692008-11-11T13:46:00.002-10:002008-11-11T14:02:51.008-10:00

First of all, Miss Cheapist is so happy that Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. She will take a tremendous risk and say that her faith in democracy is restored, and she looks to the future reconnected with her own past idealism. The news of his victory also marked the end of her two- month long period of writer’s block, and she was finally able to finish this post.

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-24598329194591704152008-08-31T18:09:00.016-10:002008-10-01T06:46:10.072-10:00

Old School Hall at Punahou: to deny or embrace? To the disappointment of those who believe that economic difference trumps all other identities, race and gender continue to define the Presidential race. Yet discussions of whether or not America ready for a Black President, or if a female candidate will promote the best interests of women only offer opportunities for speculation and

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-43955132657525765562008-08-15T16:23:00.008-10:002008-08-15T16:59:39.849-10:00

a spread of appetizers for dinner party discussed belowRecently, at a dinner party where everyone was drunk and well-fed enough to share a series of glib confessions, Miss Cheapist announced, “My goal is to make six figures.” Silence fell over the table, then laughter, until one of her friends, also a colleague, responded, “What are you going to do, sell crack to your students?” Readers, you

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-39313067570513465612008-07-28T13:16:00.024-10:002008-11-13T04:31:26.600-10:00

Sister Cheapist taking the ocean breezes of Venice Beach, CAMiss Cheapist received the news in May that her sister, A., planned to move to Lost Angeles after the summer to pursue a degree in architecture, abandoning her lucrative job as a software consultant for something more artistic. A.’s pending departure marked the year anniversary of the blog (which was inspired by the Virginia suburb

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-15555708915713143292008-06-23T06:19:00.006-10:002008-07-01T09:11:52.014-10:00

Remember when friendships were defined by our ability to divulge everything? The sign of a true friend was someone you with whom you could unload all your secrets: vices, sexual preferences, hidden mistakes, family scandals, and all other unspeakables in between. Miss Cheapist formed an unexpected bond with a college classmate named J. after he disclosed his dirty little secret. Before that,

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-59744995715317546562008-04-22T05:21:00.002-10:002008-11-13T04:31:27.024-10:00

Just a few months in and tragic events have revealed that the Year of the Rat has been most unlucky. Miss Cheapist finds herself reeling from deaths of two significant figures in her life, trying to make sense of seemingly unpredictable cycles of fate. Shortly after the Lunar New Year, Miss Cheapist held a small dumpling party and then set off to a vacation in Akumal, Mexico. The vacation was

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-33960612220234713072008-02-06T18:26:00.000-10:002008-11-13T04:31:28.143-10:00

Today Manhattan’s Chinatown was abuzz with activity, and Miss Cheapist appreciated it all with the gaze of an Orientalist. There was nothing more satisfying than seeing her own culture as an outsider and preserving it into idealized images, frozen in time. She embraced everything: gold paper glittering from sidewalk stands, a woman carrying plum blossoms wrapped in brown paper, burnt reds of

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-24660007805244726712008-01-16T18:29:00.000-10:002008-11-13T04:31:28.419-10:00

At the start of a road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles with her family over the holidays, Miss Cheapist enjoyed the intimacy of the parent/child relationship. She reveled in being able to have mature, non-judgmental conversations with her mother where “active listening” prevailed. It was initially comforting to be with someone who knew her every flaw and made sure she stayed hydrated and

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-14664766444588307792007-11-26T18:49:00.000-10:002008-11-13T04:31:28.595-10:00

(the popular fantasy of an apartment in Harlem overlooking Central Park) Several years ago, Miss Cheapist tried therapy as a way to navigate different transitions that she faced. At the time, it was productive, primarily because she realized how little she really understood about herself. One memorable evening on the couch, she shared a feeling of suffocation from the desires and expectations

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-23793034465263002402007-10-18T13:23:00.000-10:002007-10-18T13:34:51.291-10:00

Ten years of working as a teacher, and two expensive degrees later, Miss Cheapist contemplated the notion of downward mobility—or more specifically, whether or not her personal ethos of fiscal cheapism and emotional generosity was working for her. She began to yearn for the advancement experienced by her corporate lawyer friends, who once toiled away at teaching and publishing jobs, and years

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-4913429669631084242007-09-26T16:53:00.001-10:002007-09-27T03:35:20.535-10:00

A friend once told Miss Cheapist that in finding a man she had to choose between two types: one who made a great deal of money and was emotionally unavailable, and one who made less money, but was more generous with his time and feelings. In the mid-1990s, it seemed that there were indeed these two types of guys: investment bankers who seemed often were first to offer free rounds of drinks and at

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-74786297139296877492007-09-14T18:03:00.000-10:002008-11-13T04:31:29.494-10:00

Still trying to find the next promised land, Miss Cheapist spent a Saturday afternoon with her two male friends, P. and E., hoping to catch up at PS 1’s weekly Warm Up event and see the disco throwback group, Escort, perform. E. had just enrolled in an urban boot camp with the hope that if he woke up at five AM for two weeks, and allowed three women to scream orders at him, he would be shaken

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-70824256585104148192007-08-29T17:14:00.000-10:002008-11-13T04:31:30.429-10:00

Recently, Miss Cheapist was fortunate enough to spend time on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. The experience could be summarized as unsettling solitude, unmitigated natural beauty, and a home-stay with a transplanted East Coast couple, whose lifestyle embodied a "back to the land"ethos not recognizable as belonging to the 21st century. Upon her return to New York, Miss Cheapist was forced to

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-32633309000392930082007-08-22T19:38:00.000-10:002008-11-13T04:31:30.552-10:00

After paying $25 dollars to hear Senator Barack Obama speak at the Brooklyn Marriott, Miss Cheapist decides to enter the realm of political punditry, and contribute her observations. Confession: while she is a regular voter, Miss Cheapist maintains a love-hate relationship with elections, keeping a distance in ways that betray the potential of Gen Y, the last hope for civic participation

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-69830460098414252972007-08-05T07:33:00.000-10:002007-08-22T02:41:11.148-10:00

Moving away from issues of class, Miss Cheapist ponders the existence of a priceless, and common form of cheapness: emotional withholding and its counterpart, cowardice. Although Miss Cheapist has maintained a somewhat functioning, stable relationship for many years now, she has observed and noticed among her friends' mates, and even, occasionally, in the behavior of her own current and past

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-86253034769509573132007-06-29T03:49:00.000-10:002008-11-13T04:31:31.863-10:00

Miss Cheapist wears shirt (14.99 from Strawberry Jam), shorts ($14.99 from H&M), & metallic sandals (39.99 sale Ken Cole Reaction).Once in a while, a woman must contemplate what is appropriate to wear out on a hot, summer day. Miss Cheapist believes that the less you wear, the less you should pay. However, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the meaning of "cheap" as inexpensive and

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-31388802066962863662007-06-19T20:09:00.000-10:002008-11-13T04:31:32.460-10:00

(what free decorations look like, above, the backyard, complete with crew, below)Often, need and want are mistaken as the same sentiment. Miss Cheapist has often heard people say, one should spend whatever is needed on a wedding because it "only happens once." This tiny phrase seems to give credence to a year of manic spending and anxiety about a simple performance of love and corresponding free

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-71546712512548099172007-06-15T03:17:00.000-10:002008-11-13T04:31:32.494-10:00

Miss Cheapist belongs to one of those gyms in New York City that costs almost a hundred dollars a month for the convenience of visiting any one of its many branches, in any neighborhood, at almost any hour of the day. Last week a computer glitch required the manager to summon Miss Cheapist from the treadmill, into his office. The Manager, a 20-something man of African-American descent, who

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-49888883926951264892007-06-09T01:36:00.001-10:002008-11-13T04:31:32.764-10:00

It is said that money and housework are the most commmonly argued topics in a relationship. Sadly, these statistics may actually ring true. In addition to her writing hobby, Miss Cheapist plugs away at a stable, but not lucrative, public sector job, while her partner is a self-employed artist and consultant. Her work is routinized, interpersonal and service-driven. His work is technical,

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-74398955638171757612007-06-04T11:41:00.000-10:002008-11-13T04:31:33.128-10:00

(Miss Cheapist looks forward to free, open courts in suburb V)Final thoughts on the suburban urban life. Please read previous entry, "Soul Deadening Suburbs?" for more context.1) How many particle wood "designy" pieces of furniture can you buy?Walmart has secured market share with the cheapist Religious Right in the exurbs of America. Target extends its reach into the urban market of Bravo

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-10065300587128017992007-05-29T10:34:00.000-10:002008-11-13T04:31:33.303-10:00

(Miss Cheapist tests the suburban waters of a condominum pool) This entry is dedicated to my dear friend T., who years ago, on the eve of her engagement, stated that a move to the suburbs was inevitable, given the high cost of living and limited school options in the city. Miss Cheapist protested that many working families make it in New York City by being resourceful (a.k.a. cheap), and seeking

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-54581397736483945752007-05-27T14:05:00.001-10:002007-05-28T16:33:49.680-10:00

In a certain faraway island patois, pake (pa-kay) means Chinese person. Ironically, it also means cheap. We can all read between the lines and figure out how Chinese people were "constructed" historically in this tropical paradise. Miss Cheapist does not mean to sing in the key of Asian-Am. H. Alger lovesongs, but this pake nature also allowed the Chinese to move from plantation work to saving

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685370473659595472.post-36225980056464230282007-05-27T05:27:00.001-10:002007-05-28T17:10:57.864-10:00

This blog was initially conceived as the Frugalist, with inspiration from her mentor, The Materialist (with apologies), and as an homage to Miss Cheapist's high school students, who try if they might, could not memorize the definition of "frugal" in preparation for their SATs. Actually, they were only able to recall its meaning when they reminded themselves that "frugal" was synonymous with all

Miss Cheapistnoreply@blogger.com0