Four books, extra long movies, and all the small things
The March 2024 edition of CONSUMED
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Hi friend,
At the end of every month, I share a list of what I consumed, as well as what consumed my time and my thoughts (and maybe even my money). What topics was I engaged in? What was I obsessed with (/consumed by)? What was I exploring? What inspired me? And where did my curiosity lead me? These are some of the questions I ask myself, as I piece this together.
My hope is that it helps me reflect on what I have personally been paying attention to, gives you some insight into what’s on my mind (and how my mind works), and leaves you with a few ideas or new pieces of content to explore. It’s also just really fun to put together… and I love creating from a place of joy!
✨ This month’s edition is the last one that will be free for everyone—and soon, the majority of my writing will be for the paying members of our community. If you’d like to read all future editions and posts, you can upgrade your subscription anytime:
In this edition of CONSUMED:
The two financial tasks I completed this month (some BIG stuff!)
What I watched (two extra long movies)
What I read (FOUR books!!!!)
What I listened to (lots and lots of podcasts)
What I ate/drank (hmm… not much I can share)
What I bought (all the small things! but I’m going to wait to tell you about one of them…)
Enjoy!
xx Cait
Two financial tasks: Renew Canadian passport ✅ + file Canadian taxes ✅
These are pretty self-explanatory. They also felt like BIG tasks—mostly because they involved multiple steps which needed to be completed in multiple locations (to get photos done, print things at the library, etc.) and needed to be shipped away at the post office. Fun (/annoying) fact: when you live overseas, you have to print and submit your Canadian taxes via snail mail. WHY! lol. Anyway, the passport application was shipped down to London, taxes over to Winnipeg, both have arrived safe and sound. I’m so glad these two tasks are behind me… (now, we play the waiting game!)
➡️ April’s financial task: I actually haven’t decided what I want to cross off the list yet. After tackling some pretty big financial tasks in the first few months of this year, I might do something simple next month. Like setup a savings account for my 2026 visa application. Or setup 1-2 new systems I’ve been thinking might be helpful in my business (since the new UK tax year starts April 6th, that feels like a good month to begin). Or both! I’ll keep you posted.
CONSUMED // March 2024
What I watched
As I mentioned last month, I am someone who tends to only pay for 1-2 streaming services at a time. During the month of March, I still had Apple TV and only watched a couple of things:
CONSTELLATION (I was enjoying it, but it started to feel too complicated/challenging to follow. I only have 1 episode left and honestly don’t know if I care enough to watch it, lol)
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (with a running time of 3.5 hours, Tall Man and I watched this over two nights one weekend. Would definitely recommend it!)
Tall Man and I also went to see Dune: Part Two at the cinema. It is nearly 3 hours long, and it captured my attention for the whole time.
What I read
After a very slow start to the year, filled with lots of false starts (reading ~50 pages of a book then losing interest), I finally found some books I liked this month, friend… and I read a total of 4! FOUR books! Let me tell you about them:
HELLO BEAUTIFUL by Ann Napolitano (contemporary fiction) - this felt like a modern day Little Women. I sobbed through the last 20-30 pages, which I’m not sure has ever happened before!? I also did not read the synopsis first, and I’m glad I skipped it, because it gives too much away. Don’t read what the book is about. Just give it a chance. (Though the only spoiler I will share is there are a few mentions of the Chicago Bulls in the 80s/90s, which of course I loved!)
FOXLIGHT by Katya Balen (middle grade novel) - this wasn’t my fave of hers, but her writing is so beautiful. She’s basically a nature writer who writes children’s books. My senses are always alive, while reading her books.
UNMASKED by Ellie Middleton (nonfiction self-help) - I’m neurotypical but we live in a neurodiverse world. And it seems that many of the people I’m closest to are neurodivergent. I’ve been consuming a lot of content about both ADHD and autism lately, and there’s some great info in this book. What I appreciated most about it were the ideas/suggestions for how neurotypical people can make relational/professional accommodations for various traits of both. I would highly reco this book to anyone.
I can’t tell you anything about the fourth book, because it’s not mine to tell you about! I got to read a memoir from my agent’s slush pile, and share my thoughts with her, which was a fun little side project.
I’m also finishing up this month’s personal finance book: I SURVIVED CAPITALISM AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY T-SHIRT by Madeline Pendleton (memoir, US author). Which means I will actually read 5 books, before the month is up!
And a few articles I enjoyed on Substack (interestingly, there’s a bit of a theme around careers and money here):
Are you still enjoying the climb? by
(and not just because she mentions ADVENTURES IN OPTING OUT, though that was fun to see!)Let’s be real: Salary transparency is complicated by
Sorry I’m late, I was crying at a comedy show (so happy
is back)
📖 If you’re curious and want to join me, in April I’ll be reading: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT MONEY by Otegha Uwagba. It’s another memoir, this time written by a UK author and journalist. I am excited to dive in… (Big thanks to Annabelle for recommending this one!)
What I listened to
I’ve been dealing with some physical pain recently, so haven’t been sitting at my desk much. But I have been puttering around the house and walking (to keep my muscles engaged/blood flowing) and listening to a lot of podcasts!
This interview with Ellie Middleton is what turned me onto her work and inspired me to buy/read UNMASKED. I love learning from her, but also loved learning about her content creation and book publishing processes!
This conversation with Cal Newport made me want to spend a bit less time hanging out online and more time working on my next book. (Or, just more time writing, in general!)
I have to admit: I didn’t know who Jon Ronson was, until I heard his interview with Elizabeth Day. I’ve since listened to two of his podcasts in their entirety: Things Fell Apart and The Last Days of August.
I’m never surprised to learn how little money women earn in professional sports, compared to men. And, I found this conversation about The Caitlin Clark Phenomenon fascinating…
And after Nicole shared it in one of her newsletters, I listened to an interview with Alistair Humphreys on shifting from global adventures to local ones. It helped me reflect on the fact that my desire to travel has really shifted, since moving to the UK. (I moved to a new country! Every day is an adventure!) And, it made me want to explore even more of what’s at my doorstep here…
What I ate/drank
I tried a few new recipes that I can’t share, because they aren’t available online. (Prawn and chorizo stir fry, Mexican scrambled eggs, and a couple new smoothies. Also, why hadn’t I made a peanut butter cup smoothie before!?)
There’s one new recipe I can share: crockpot white chicken chili burrito bowls. They were good, but not sure I’d make the recipe again… it felt like too much effort for a slow cooker recipe. (Or maybe that’s just the mood I was in, lol.)
What I bought
This month, I noticed a strong desire to buy (/cross off) all the “small” purchases that have been on my list:
A can opener to replace the cheap one I’ve been begrudgingly struggling with for the past two years (why do we continue using things we HATE, when we can replace them with something excellent for £10 or less 😂)
An outdoor broom and gardening gloves
A fresh bag of hedgehog food, for when the hedgies come out of hibernation! (SOON, PLEASE! I miss you, hedgies! 🦔🦔🦔)
I also got a wireless keyboard, for my new desk setup.
And I actually made one unexpected purchase that I’m DYING to tell you about. But I think it deserves a post of its own… soon!
What did you cross off the list this month, friend? What will you remember watching/reading/listening to? And what is the best thing you bought for yourself in March?
📖 PS - I’ve had a vision of creating more workbooks for you, and having them all live on a page on my website… and I’m happy to say: I crossed that project off the list this month too!
The first two workbooks are based off material from previous journalling projects: EXPLORE MONEY and EXPLORE RELATIONSHIPS. Next, I’m going to re-do my old MINDFUL BUDGETING print templates! I’ll let you know when that one is ready.
And then yes, for those of you who have asked, I am planning on re-designing and publishing the MINDFUL BUDGETING PLANNERS again later this year… stay tuned, my friend! 🤓
WE WANT HEDGIES!!!
Peanut butter cup smoothie you best be texting me more about this because I must have it immediately.
Can't wait to hear what you thought of Madeline's book!
Hi Cait,
Your comment about moving around rather than sitting at your desk due to some physical pain led me to wonder whether you're familiar with Katy Bowman. "Move more and move more of you" is one of her mantras. She's a deep thinker who thoroughly understands the human body, how it's put together, and what it needs. You might want to check her out at nutritiousmovement.com.
Hope you feel better and thank you for your return to regular posting. Love your spirit and your "voice"!