A lot of what I’d mention has already been said, so I’ll add the lack of influencers.

The alternatives we have nowadays are so varied and some are really great at mimicking the flavour and mouth-feel of meat!

Amen.

And it’s just so much worse if it’s something I don’t actually need and is on the pricey side… Like, I enjoy those canned Starbucks nitro cold brew drinks. I feel guilty wanting to buy them, I feel guilty about how many I want to put in my cart, and I feel guilty when I drink them.

My ex used to do the Homer Simpson trick and gift me things he wanted for himself. Often it was something he knew I didn’t want.

For example, I didn’t want a laptop in the house. The kids were younger and it would be harder to monitor their internet usage if they were on a laptop versus the desktop I had purposely set up in a spot where we could easily glance at the screen when they were on it. (This was before tablets and smart phones were common.)

Also, I didn’t want a laptop because I’m a huge nerd who will lose hours to the computer if it’s in my lap comfortably on the couch rather than at a desk. I knew this about myself and was trying to limit my internet usage.

Also, we were broke and struggling to pay bills, and a laptop was an unnecessary luxury.

He talked about getting a laptop for months and months. I kept arguing against it. So of course, that was my Christmas gift from him that year.

Normally how it went was that he would gift me something and then after a few months, it would just magically become his (he gifted me a nice car stereo one time and after a few months just upped and put it in his car, for example). I knew that was his plan… I was so fed up that I used the shit out of that laptop out of pure spite… Didn’t share the password… Put it away every night I went to bed… Took it with me when I traveled without him…

Anyway. Nothing shittier than receiving a Homer Simpson bowling ball.

Being laid back and jokey. If I feel like I can joke around with you and not take life too seriously with you, my stress (as an introvert) has really melted quite a bit.