Free and Pretty
economic shifts & modified lifestyles
Happy New Year.
We’re just a little over 2 weeks into 2026, and while much still feels the same as last year, there’s a lot that feels different—in a good way. Mainly, there’s been a shift that feels a bit more hopeful. There’s a clean slate where people look forward to new plans and decide what they want to tackle in the days to come.
However, in regards to a shift and a clean slate, these aspects appear a bit… different than what they might have looked like in previous years. (((Remember when a New Year meant raiding ‘80% Off’ clearance racks at the mall? Signing up for a nice gym at a massively discounted rate? Buying stuff just because the New Year felt like reason enough to make an absurd purchase?)))
Now, due to the economy being in the midst of a pretty hefty recession, this shift might not look like plans of taking a massive trip or spending money. In fact, for me, I’ve realized that many of the things that I look forward to about the year are less focused on money, and moreso about planning the hours of my days well. I’m doing this partly because I think it’ll be really satisfying, and mostly because it’s free.
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I’ll admit that spending less money (and at times, no money) felt weird in the beginning; I used to delight in stopping at a local coffeeshop and buying a drink, but when my singular coffee started to skyrocket in price from $4 to $5 to $7 I stopped enjoying it so much. In fact, I felt like Goldilocks. “This cortado is lukewarm. I can’t believe I paid $7 and left $1 tip. That’s the price of a pound of ground meat.” Or: “This Americano is really quite weak. I should have asked for a double-shot… but I’ve been charged $8 for a double espresso once before, and even though that was months ago I’m still angry about it. (In their defense, ‘double shot’ wasn’t listed on the menu, so they just charged me for two shots in the same cup? I guess?) I mean, coffee beans are important but what is this?!”
My little delights felt like I suddenly had standards that seemed impossible to reach. Was I out of my mind? Did nearly every coffee drink that I paid an expensive price for suddenly taste mediocre and borderline terrible? Or was I merely regretful at paying higher prices for things that I used to enjoy at a fraction of the price?
This slowly began happening with nearly everything, and everywhere: when I’d go out to eat, the food was usually underwhelming but the prices seemed unusually high; bakery treats at the markets started to taste one or two days old; portions were much smaller for practically anything—even the ink in my newer highlighters compared to my older ones. The reality is that everyone is trying to save money, not just the consumer.
‘Little Treats’ used to make me happy. Then, they began to make me sad. As truth be told, these were sweet little saves and distractions from a collective sadness and fear of terror felt by most (if not all) Americans at this time. I might sound ridiculous, but imagine walking past the Washington Monument and seeing a 12-foot gold statue of Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump holding hands. Imagine being on the metro and going past Pentagon Station, right after reading in the Washington Post that journalists from every major news outlet turned in their press badges and quit their jobs on the spot to protest the violation of ‘Freedom of Speech’ imposed by the government.
So what did I do during these times? … well.
…. I went to get a ‘Little Treat.’
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I will admit that I’m not really the best person at fighting against capitalism. I’m not even a great person at going out in public and striking up conversations that can make a difference, or even protesting. During the summertime, a photographer came up to me as I was reading Hannah Arendt’s THE ORIGINS OF TOTALITARIANISM on a park bench and asked if he could take my photo.
“I’m headed to take photographs of the protest about resistance,” he said. He looked at my book and gave a shy smile. I nodded, judging myself and feeling guilty for ultimately deciding not to go to the protest and for reading instead.
He took my picture and headed towards the protest of thousands of people fighting for their rights and the rights of others. I thought of following him there, but I didn’t. I stayed behind. I read my book, promising myself that I’d do something with it since I decided not to do something like attend the protest. There’s a cost to this, I’m aware-- and I feel like living in a capitalist country makes me very aware of cost. Oftentimes, I feel like I’m not doing enough. Oftentimes, it feels like there’s so much to do and sometimes I don’t know where to start.
So sometimes, I don’t start. I just kind of, feel the overwhelm and despair and throw myself over my couch or scroll on my phone. Other times, I read complicated literature and scribble notes and hearts in the margins. Will I ever be able to afford a house? *furrows brows and aggressively highlights passages from books by Tobias Wolff and Mikhail Bulgakov*
I know it took quite a ways to get to the point of this newsletter, but the point is this: I started becoming more intrigued by Big Treats, like living a daily life in which I make time to indulge in the things I want, instead of Little Treats. For instance: making and abiding by a schedule in which I have time to practice a foreign language, write a minimum of 250 words, and finish all of my household tasks? Dreamy. Scheduling time to cook a delicious dinner, write a few sweet sweet letters that I will send to sweet sweet friends, and work on stationery full of my souvenirs and crazy thoughts? Amazing.
For me personally, the worst feeling is feeling out of control of the world and feeling no control of my own life. That’s partially true—I don’t know what will become of the state of my country—but there’s still quite a lot of time in my day that I would fill with distraction or nonsense. Quitting my phone is useful. Penning down what I want is useful. Scheduling my day and filling it with tasks that are necessary and enjoyable is gorgeous.
Best part? It’s the most affordable thing in the world. It takes very little time— I can schedule multiple days in a week within the span of 20 minutes—and boom, it’s like having fancy reservations every day. Now, do I always show up? No. There are times that I don’t do the tasks that I’ve assigned myself. But when I do, I feel my best. I feel like I’ve carved out time for myself to do what matters and that can really help me in the future.
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So here’s a list of things that I’ve been doing that are absolutely free and that have made me feel starry inside. May they have the same effect on you, too!
1. Running
I used to coyly say to people: “I don’t run. On purpose? Never.” I’d see runners doing their thing and think “wow, that’s so amazing. That’s so incredible; I’d never do that.” Because why?!
For nearly a decade, I was a Workout Class Aficionado. I bought unlimited monthly exercise memberships religiously and showed up 3-5 days a week. It was the only way I’d exercise; I wasn’t disciplined enough to work out by myself, and when I’d whip out a yoga mat at home, I’d end up falling asleep on it.
I needed someone who was cool, mean, and who lied with instruction. “Just four more on this side,” they’d say. “Now one more; come on, you can do it. Now a bonus one. Yes Patience; perfect. Falling to the ground is perfectly okay.”
However, after a decade of being in a classroom setting and experiencing different teachers, I started practicing at home. It was for short durations at first, but then COVID hit, and killing an hour at home suddenly seemed very durable. Also, I saved a substantial amount of money from practicing at home instead of in studio.
I go on runs during the summer and the winter, and I love doing both. I still have those angry teacher voices in my head and I make them lie to me so that I run for longer durations and feel even more accomplished and strong in my body.
2. Going to Nice Retail Shops and Not Spending Any Money
This one might seem a bit embarrassing, but it isn’t for me: I like browsing shops in the expensive neighborhoods of my city (most notably: Georgetown), even though I know I won’t buy anything. These areas usually are incredible for nice, leisure walks and for pretty landscapes. Also: I love spraying my favorite perfume on for free at Sephora! Do I love it because it’s Killian, and because a singular bottle is retailed at $395 and I can’t afford it, and because I feel like Sephora has gifted me $7 dollars’ worth of fragrance credit when I spritz it on my wrists and decollete? Absolutely! And then I walk right out.
3. Committing to a Writing Schedule
*sigh*-- This one I’ve been fairly decent at this one since my early twenties, but my writing goals are more serious and concern getting paid to write, so I’ve got to really stay on top of them now. Here’s what they usually look like:
-writing a minimum of 250 words per day (advice from author Zadie Smith that I read at age 21 and that I’ve followed pretty much since)
-having a calendar/spreadsheet/agenda for submissions (I’ll be querying for agents again soon, so I’ll share more about this in a later newsletter—as well as tips for applying for fellowships and grants)
-having a ‘Work Log’ word document that includes the titles of everything I have written each month. This is a godsend when I’ve written a draft but can’t find it/can’t remember the name of it.
4. Reading Smarty-Pants Literature
-My professional background is essentially in Reading Books (MFA in fiction writing; BA in English literature), and it’s one of my favorite hobbies ever. However, as much as I love leisurely novels, reading difficult texts is really important. I like how they challenge my mind, remind me of vocabulary, and accentuate the ways that I talk and comprehend writing. Make no mistake: if you want to become a better speaker, you’ve got to become a proficient reader. Not podcasts, not short-form media: books. (I’ll make another newsletter on this as well.)
The best thing about books? They can be free for you if you want. (Public libraries are awesome.) If you wish to buy them, there’s local bookstores, second-hand bookstores, and occasional book fairs where you can get large quantities for super cheap. In fact, you can probably get at least two for the price of my singular double-espresso. (Yes; I’m still angry about it.)
5. Calling Your Friends
I love my friends. I need my friends. I love hearing their voices and telling them why I adore them. I love when they’re honest with me and feel so happy to have met them.
Calling your friends is always a great thing to do. Also: if you haven’t written your friends a letter before, I strongly suggest you do it *at least* once. If you want to do it with me, join me at Hillwood in March 2026 and write a beautiful package of 3.
6. Being Grateful for What You Have, and For What is Possible
Gratitude is phenomenal because it’s always accessible and it’s always free. There’s a lot going on in the world right now, but there’s also a lot of good. And let’s face it: you’re here. And you’re part of the good. You’ve brightened up a lot of days for people and you’re going to do even more incredible and beautiful things. Whatever you’ve planned for, and whatever you haven’t: I’m excited for you.
Good things are coming your way.
Cheers for 2026.