Welcome toMoney Diaries , where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar.

Occupation: Front Of House Manager & Waitress
Industry: Hospitality
Age: 27
Location: Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Manager Salary: $18/hour
Paycheck (Weekly): $180

Monthly Expenses
Housing: $950 for rent, split in half with my boyfriend.
Electricity & Internet: ~$105 each, also split in half
Student Loan Payments: $0. I don't have loans from undergrad; my grandparents graciously paid for my education.
Car Payment: $175

All Other Monthly Expenses
Car Insurance & Cell Phone: I'm on a family plan and pay my parents $180/month.
Gym Membership: $75. My gym is a complete luxury that I know is way out of my price range, but I absolutely love it.
Health Insurance: $123; it's not offered through work. I have my own plan.
Netflix: $10
Apple Music: $10.59
Savings: Because my take-home pay varies so greatly, it's hard for me to commit to a monthly savings amount. Recently, I have been putting my waitressing tips into my checking account and my managing paycheck into savings. If I only work my scheduled managing hours, my paycheck is $180 each week. I usually work more than that though. I put more in savings if I have a good week waitressing. My tips each week vary from $300-$800 or more; $500 is about the average.

Day One

8:30 a.m. — I wake up and snuggle my kitties. I work doubles on Sundays (managing in the morning, serving at night) and I don't want to leave my bed. Eventually, I get up and put on coffee for me and feed the cats. I pack my bag for the day with breakfast and snacks: coffee, my water bottle, Ezekiel bread with peanut butter, a banana, a yogurt, and a KIND bar. I live across the street from the restaurant where I work and arrive by 10 a.m.

3:30 p.m. — A fairly busy afternoon, but that makes the time fly. I order the special for lunch — a sliced turkey sandwich with goat cheese, arugula, sun-dried tomato pesto, and balsamic glaze. It's $12, but I get a free meal when I manage and 50% off my meal when I serve. I eat quickly during a lull and get ready to be on the floor as a server by 4 p.m.

8:30 p.m. — This night was dead. I debate ordering dinner at work, but I don't want to spend money. I am cut super early and pop into my house to feed the cats and change into comfy clothes; the perks of living across the street from work! I'm going back to work at 9 p.m. to collaborate with the general manager on new tasks I'll be taking over from her. I heat up some leftover shredded pork and sauerkraut my mom gave me and head back to the restaurant.

11:30 p.m. — We are finally done work! I get two shift drinks as a manager. The GM and I have a glass of wine and talk about how stupid Yelp is. My boyfriend is the sous chef and joins us when he is done. I don't have a tab but tip the bartender. $10

Daily Total: $10

Day Two

8 a.m. — Up and putting a pot of coffee on. A plumber is coming around 8:45. My boyfriend and I have a great apartment in a cute town and can walk to work — but the apartment is OLD. A pipe has been leaking and is getting fixed today. I feed the cats and apologize in advance to them that they will be confined to our bedroom while the plumber works. I do some work from home while he is here, which ends up being an almost three-hour job. I don't know exactly how much the job costs but I do know my landlord was not happy!

12 p.m. — I made a late breakfast (brunch? lunch?) of guac on Ezekiel toast and egg whites with Everything But The Bagel Seasoning (my favorite!) and cheddar jack cheese. I put in a load of laundry and tidy up around the house.

2 p.m. — I head to the grocery store for my weekly trip. I get cat food, cat litter, paper towels, toilet paper, a few candles, Clorox wipes, Banza pasta, sauce, bananas, avocados, rice cakes, tuna, yogurt, coffee, creamer, Ezekiel bread, peanut butter, and Oreos. I usually buy household items only once or twice a month so this week's bill is still more than I like to spend at the grocery store. Though my boyfriend and I live together we eat VERY different things, and with our work schedules we are not home for meals together very often. The food I buy is generally just for myself. I get a lot of the household items on sale and save over $12 with my store card. $112.84

9:30 p.m. — It has been sleeting and snowing all night, so my night as manager-on-duty consisted of salting the walkway to the restaurant every half hour. I had a ton of staff show up late, a call out, and a lot of very unhappy servers because of how slow it was. I use my manager meal comp to get a salad to-go, because I plan to go to the gym after work. Better late than never.

11:30 p.m. — I get home from the gym and eat my salad with a side of Oreos. The girl who lives in the apartment above me texts me and I invite her over for a little. We are both crazy cat ladies and watch cat videos and play with my cats and talk about how much we love cats — normal things. My boyfriend gets home from work shortly after and we all watch an episode of Black Mirror. This new season is too good!

Daily Total: $112.84

Day Three

10 a.m. — My boyfriend left around 7 a.m. (he has his son today) and I slept in. I drink some coffee and sift through emails. My last semester of grad school starts in three weeks and I've been purposely avoiding my school email because I'm enjoying my break! I'm getting a master's degree in nonprofit leadership, but after working in administration at a homeless shelter early last year, I don't know if I like nonprofit work after all. It's very stressful and there are a lot of very unethical practices. I do, however, LOVE volunteering, and I've been emailing a ton of animal shelters about opportunities. I eat egg whites and Ezekiel toast with guac for breakfast.

11:30 a.m. — I'm prepping veggies to make a lentil stew when my boyfriend and his son come over. We all play with the cats, who are both interested and terrified of a four-year old, and watch a movie while I cook. The boys go down for their afternoon nap and I go to the gym to do a back workout.

10 p.m. — I was decently busy at work for a Tuesday. After buying dinner and tipping out (busser, food runner, bar) I made $93. $4.50

12 a.m. — A friend asked to meet up for a drink after work. I am an unapologetic homebody most of the time but I have not seen this friend in a while. We head to the neighborhood dive with my boyfriend; he plays pool, we catch up, and he pays the tab. We then walk to the bar we work at for one last drink. Boyfriend and I are both managers, so don't have a tab (as usual), but I leave a tip. $10

Daily Total: $14.50

Day Four

9:30 a.m. — Oh my god, what have I done? My head is killing me! I really can't hang like I used to. I stagger out of bed to feed the cats and get water and coffee. I decide to take a rest day from the gym and read in bed with a lap full of cats for a while. Eventually, I make Ezekiel toast with peanut butter and a banana. That combo has healing powers and I am relieved to feel like a human again. I hop in the shower and get ready to go into work at 2.

2 p.m. — Because I am a manager and I live across the street, I get called in to help quite often. I don't mind it, though. The GM has a project she's working on, so today I am managing from 2 to 5 p.m., then serving at 5 and closing the restaurant. The owner of the restaurant stops by and gives me a $50 Visa gift card because “he doesn't know how to use it” and he knows my boyfriend and I just moved. Sweet! He takes good care of his managers, and it is awesome. Feeling appreciated at a job is so important to me.

3 p.m. — I love working lunch shifts because they're laid back. I find some chicken salad in the prep kitchen and eat that with carrots I brought from home and a yogurt for lunch, and read through Yelp reviews I have to respond to. People are nuts.

11:30 p.m. — Tonight was pretty crappy for a closing shift but at least I'm done early. I made $145 after tip out and eating a salad (half-off) for dinner. I snag a leftover loaf of sourdough to eat with my stew and head home to my happy place: my bed, a book, my cats, and Oreos. $6

Daily Total: $6

Day Five

9:30 a.m. — It's my day off! Coffee time for me, breakfast time for the cats. I have a ton of things to do today because I am hosting a Secret Santa gift exchange with coworkers at my apartment tonight. After eating peanut butter on Ezekiel toast, I get right into cleaning the apartment.

12 p.m. — I stop by Ulta to buy a few more things for my Secret Santa gift. I get her nail polish, head bands, and lotion. I'm running low on a few products of my own, so I get those plus a few face masks. $62.83

2 p.m. — Once I get home, boyfriend and I stop by the liquor store. We get eight bottles of wine and he insists on adding two bottles of tequila. At least we'll be stocked for a while! He puts the total on his card and since I always have cash (#WaitressProbs), I give him cash for half of the total. $75

3 p.m. — We're making a taco bar for tonight and go all out with the fixings. I cannot believe how much money I've spent for this night, but I'm sure it'll be worth it. Once again, boyfriend puts the bill on his card and I give him cash for half. $45

7:30 p.m. — Boyfriend is hard at work prepping the taco bar while I set up appetizers and wrap my Secret Santa gifts. Once the guests show up, we pop open some wine and start celebrating!

Daily Total: $182.83

Day Six

9:30 a.m. — I wake up sleepy but in a great mood! Boyfriend left to be with his son a few hours ago, and I make an egg white omelet with leftovers from last night.

2 p.m. — I eat more leftovers from last night after getting home from the gym. I check my email while getting ready for work and see that one of the shelters I reached out to has a volunteer training tomorrow. I'm in!

10 p.m. — This night at work was not great. I had “campers” all night, which is the restaurant term for people who sit around for well after they've paid so you can't get sat again. I missed out on getting a 10 top because my campers sat for an hour and a half after they paid! You win some, you lose some. I take home flank steak and brussels sprouts for dinner and walk with a measly $105 after paying for my dinner and tipping out. $7

Daily Total: $7

Day Seven

9:30 a.m. — The gym was so crowded this morning but I had a great shoulder workout. I eat toast, eggs, and yogurt when I get home and give the cats their breakfast. I snap a picture of them playing with their new toys from the Secret Santa to send to my friend. They are so happy!

11:30 a.m. — I put gas in my car before driving to my volunteer orientation at the animal shelter. I get gas maybe twice a month. Because we live in town, the farthest places I drive to are the gym or the grocery store, which are each under two miles away. We used to live a lot farther from work (and from pretty much everything) and I had to fill up my tank twice a week. $35

2:30 p.m. — After the orientation, I eat a quick lunch at home, then I walk down the street to the local bookstore. I have a gift card and I need new books. I love my local businesses and try to support them over big business whenever I can. I use my gift card to get Commonwealth (after hearing about it from another Money Diary!) and a book about living with anxiety. (Last year, I finally sought help after living with debilitating anxiety for quite some time.) Because I am a nerd, I wish I could skip work and dive into my new books.

11 p.m. — Work tonight was tragically bad, as it is every time a major Philadelphia sports team plays; we are the polar opposite of a sports bar. I made a lousy $55 after eating a turkey and brie sandwich for dinner and tipping out. I snuggle up with my cats, a glass of wine, and a book as soon as I get home. $5.25

Daily Total: $40.25

Money Diaries are meant to reflect individual women's experiences and do not necessarily reflect Refinery29's point of view. Refinery29 in no way encourages illegal activity or harmful behavior.

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Tell Us Your Salary Story: It's one thing to look at your current salary in isolation, and quite another to understand how it has ebbed and flowed over time. We want to talk to hear about your salary trajectory over time, from the biggest drops to the biggest increases — and in honor of Black History Month, we're keeping an eye out for submissions from black women in February! If you've been in the workforce for at least 10 years, emailmoneystories@refinery29.com.

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For those of you so determined to come up w why my body has changed over the years, you may not know that when I started @ 17 I was not yet diagnosed w/Hashimoto’s disease; those of u who called me “too big for the industry” were seeing inflammation & water retention due to that.

— Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) February 11, 2018

Unfortunately, whenever models are placed on the world's stage, they're subjected to criticism. Yes, condemning the industry as a whole for its unhealthy representation of women is necessary and important. But when it's dished out to specific models, it's more like bullying.

Hadid opened up further to her 8.5 million Twitter followers, writing: "Over the last few years I’ve been properly medicated to help symptoms including those, as well as extreme fatigue, metabolism issues, body’s ability to retain heat, etc...I was also part of a holistic medical trial that helped my thyroid levels balance out."

I will not further explain the way my body looks, just as anyone, with a body type that doesnt suit ur “beauty” expectation, shouldnt have to. Not to judge others, but drugs are not my thing, stop putting me in that box just because u dont understand the way my body has matured.

— Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) February 11, 2018

Please, as social media users & human beings in general, learn to have more empathy for others and know that you never really know the whole story. Use your energy to lift those that you admire rather than be cruel to those u don’t.

— Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) February 11, 2018

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Presidential portraits tend to have a sort of staid dignity to them. Until Barack Obama, they've also all been of white men. There's Ronald Reagan with coiffed hair, smiling his actor smile in front of a stately column. There's Bill Clinton in a light blue tie, with an expression that reads a bit uneasy. There's George W. Bush in another blue tie, looking off into the distance while clutching the back of a fancy chair.

Portraits of first ladies? Same thing. Laura Bush in a taffeta gown, as if ready to attend a gala. Hillary Clinton fresh-faced and very '90s in a black pantsuit with short hair. The artwork isn't one bit fresh or experimental.

Then, along came Kehinde Wiley, a 40-year-old artist with a history of subverting those same staid ideas of masculinity, race, and power, who is known for painting Black men and women in heroic postures. Borrowing from the Old Masters, he recasts Black men as figures like Napoleon, riding high on a white horse as he commands his army. (See: 2005's "Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps.")

"What I was struck by when I saw his portraits was the degree to which they challenged our conventional views of power and privilege, and the way that he would take extraordinary care and precision and vision in recognizing the beauty and the grace and the dignity of people who are so often invisible in our lives, and put them on a grand stage," President Barack Obama said of why he chose Wiley to paint his official presidential portrait, which along with first lady Michelle's was unveiled Monday at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

"Painting is about the world that we live in. Black men live in the world. My choice is to include them. This is my way of saying yes to us," Wiley has said about his work.

It seems it's Wiley's life calling to depict Barack Obama for this occasion. Wiley, a queer artist, is also the first African-American to execute an official presidential portrait for the gallery's collection.

In 2012, Wiley told BBC News: "The reality of Barack Obama being the president of the United States — quite possibly the most powerful nation in the world — means that the image of power is completely new for an entire generation of not only Black American kids, but every population group in this nation."

Wiley shows Obama as deep in thought, looking straight ahead with intensity as though working out a problem in his head. The facial expression is at once more complex and more realistic than that of his predecessors' portraits, but the background is pure symbolic fantasy. Instead of the bookshelves, columns, and curtains meant to give other presidential portraits imperial gravitas, he sits amid greenery.

"I'm charting his path on Earth through those plants," Wiley said at the unveiling. There's "a fight going on between him in the foreground" and the plants in the background, which represent his past.

Each flower popping against the verdant backdrop has a meaning: The African blue lilies are for his father's birthplace of Kenya; the jasmine represents his own birthplace, Hawaii; and the chrysanthemums, the official flower of Chicago, remind us of where Obama got his start as a political organizer and met Michelle LaVaughn Robinson.

"We had an immediate connection with the two artists that are sitting here today," Obama said, noting that despite sartorial differences (Wiley is fond of suits in bright colors and prints like paisley and plaid) they have a lot in common: Both had American mothers who gave "extraordinary love and support," and African fathers who were absent from their lives. Wiley's father was from Nigeria, and the artist did not grow up with him, although he visited Nigeria to reconnect with him back in 1997.

For her own painting, Michelle Obama chose Amy Sherald, a Baltimore-based artist with a small profile compared to that of Wiley. Sherald's work focuses on social justice issues around race and identity in the U.S., and she paints her African-American subjects' skin in grays — while using plenty of vibrant colors otherwise — as a way of challenging ideas of color and race. Seeing the poverty in Baltimore has inspired her to paint her subjects in environments that are different from their lifestyles.

Sherald painted Michelle sitting in a regal pose, wearing a ballgown with a geometric design.

"I'm...thinking about all the young people, particularly girls and girls of color, who in years ahead will come to this place and they will look up, and they will see an image of someone who looks like them hanging on the wall of this great American institution. I know the kind of impact that will have on their lives, because I was one of those girls," Michelle Obama said of her portrait.

"Amy, I want to thank you for so spectacularly capturing the grace and beauty and intelligence and charm and hotness of the woman I love," President Obama said.

The portraits are already affecting people in profound ways. In online culture magazine Into, writer Antwaun Sargent recalls when a mutual friend of his and Wiley's sent him a photo of Obama being photographed for a "special project for the Smithsonian." Sargent had a feeling he knew what it was really for.

"It was in that moment, I realized that Wiley would be painting Obama’s official portrait," he writes. "Words can’t describe what I felt knowing that a Black queer male who has spent his career painting us into the frame of history would use his hands to paint for the nation, one of my hometown heroes. In that moment, the Black queer kid in me, who once poured over Wiley’s pictures because they showed men who are like me and who knocked on doors in the dead of a Chicago winter for then-Senate candidate Barack Obama, who opposed the Iraq War, felt seen."

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There are many elements of Marvel's Black Panther that make it sure to be a blockbuster: Its historic undertaking as the first-ever major Black superhero movie, its action-heavy yet relatable storyline, and its surprising inclusion of plenty of kickass, girl power moments.

But on the surface, Black Panther 's most alluring element is its eye candy. And no, we're not talking about the way Lupita Nyong'o steals every scene she's in, or the plethora of shirtless scenes from Michael B. Jordan (although both certainly do qualify). One of the many things that sets Black Panther apart from its Marvel predecessors is the film's luscious, sweeping sets, which manage to be both spectacularly grand and painstakingly detailed, down to the buzzing mechanisms in a tech lab and the tribal symbols inside a spaceship.

It probably comes as no surprise, then, that the woman responsible for the Ryan Coogler-directed movie's stunning visuals is also the same person who dreamed up the succulent Southern scenery of Beyoncé's Lemonade and the Miami-hued vibes of Oscar-winning film Moonlight. Production designer Hannah Beachler — who got her breakthrough working on Coogler's Fruitvale Station in 2013 — explained to us the role of a movie production designer in 2016: "Everything you’re seeing on screen is the production designer, outside of the camera work and lighting. I'm basically the architect of a movie's visuals."

This week, Beachler's latest collaboration with Coogler hits theaters, and it's as much the kind of sparkling work of science fiction that's made for IMAX as it is a poetic love letter to the beauty of Africa. We chatted with Beachler about her inspirations — and exactly how she brought the imaginary world of Wakanda from comic books and scripts to the big screen.

Refinery29: There was so much hype surrounding not just the first Black Marvel movie, but first big budget Black superhero movie ever. Where did you begin, and how was the process different from projects like Lemonade and Moonlight?
Hannah Beachler: "It was much bigger in scale as far as the amount of time that I had — about a year. And the research is really where everything began. I sat down with the director, Ryan Coogler, to hear what’s important to him about the story and what his vision was for the look and the tone of everything. From there, I started in the macro sense, answering basic questions: Where is the fictional world of Wakanda set on the continent of Africa? How does that inform my design decisions? What tribes exist in Wakanda, and what do they each as a people specialize in? Then there's the topography of the land. It's fictional, so we had to decide where the mountains and lakes and things of that nature were, and all of that has an influence on the sets."

How much of the visuals that we see in the film are special effects versus actual sets that you built?
"Ryan and I made a pact to make sure that that any special effects were intended to extend the scene, rather than create the scene. I think that's what makes Black Panther feel different than some of what Marvel has done in the past, where the films featured a lot of enhanced effects. We wanted it to feel believable and authentic. But with Wakanda being 25 to 50 years in the future, there’s of course a lot of stuff we couldn’t build, like levitating trains and spaceships. So the effects weren’t in lieu of real sets, just used where was necessary."

"You can’t be it if you don’t see it."

Where did pull your inspiration from?
"Once we decided that Wakanda was located on the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, and Uganda, that influenced the topography of the land. We also pulled from Omo valley tribes in Ethiopia and South Sudan, the Igbo people of Nigeria, as well as large cities like Nairobi, Johannesburg, and Lagos. You'll see a lot of that when you're in the center of Wakanda, with the buses and people walking through town — that feels a lot like Lagos. As for the individual tribes you meet, I had to imagine who the tribes were that realistically would’ve migrated to the land of Wakanda based on where it was situated. Which tribes were that old and that historic? There are several, with the Dogon being one of them — more than 50,000 years old! They specialized in crafts and wood, so they influenced the Jabari tribe in the movie."

My favorite scenes were the ones at Warrior Falls, where the Black Panther challenges any claims to his throne. Did you have one set that was your favorite?
"[The Black Panther's sister] Shuri’s lab! That was a ton of fun to do, because she was this inventor who was the technological and creative brains behind everything the Black Panther does. And she's such a badass. So I really put a lot of time and thought into what her laboratory would look like."

What was the most challenging part of taking on Black Panther?
"Myself. I found myself stressing out because it was a lot of pressure. I wanted to make sure that Ryan's vision and the beautiful words from him and Joe Cole's script were translated perfectly on screen. But I also wanted to get it right for the community, and for the culture. I was tired of seeing the same bullshit about the continent of Africa. I wanted to really bring it to life, and hopefully inspire people to be more curious, to do their research about this continent and understand that it's much more than what you've seen in movies before. I think doing that through the story of Wakanda is a fantastic start. I also felt that I had a responsibility to my five-year-old self, and to the eight-year-old Ryan Coogler, who walked into the comic book store and saw a reflection of himself in the first Black Panther comic that he picked up. And to all of us that want representation, because you can’t be it if you don’t see it. But I can't lie, it was also a challenge shouldering that feeling of I got to get it right, because if I don’t, Black Twitter is gonna drag me!"

I know we talked in 2016 about how there aren’t really any other Black female production designers…
"Still the same story!"

How meaningful was it for you personally to be asked to work on such a historic film?
"It was fantastic. I’m so proud. It’s an absolute honor to be a part of this, to be on the ground floor of the Black Renaissance that's happening in Hollywood. Maybe one day there will be a little girl who says 'There was this woman who did some crazy sets, and I really looked up to her!' And she will be inspired to have a career and fight for what she wants and loves and is passionate about. That’s what’s the most important to me."

The conversation surrounding Hollywood right now is all about how we can better support women. As someone who works behind the scenes and doesn't see many people like herself, what do you think needs to happen?
"Anyone in this business with power needs to take a lesson from Ryan Coogler and know that women are as capable as anybody. That’s all there is to it. That's the lesson the main character T'Challa talks about in Black Panther, the responsibility we all have to do the right thing. And that needs to happen in real life, too. The right thing is making sure your movies and sets look as real as the real world does."

What’s next for you?
"I’m hoping for a really awesome next story. I would love to work with Ryan again! I choose my work based on what resonates with me and what I feel the world needs to see. And right now, the world needs to see Black Panther. "

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When it comes to women’s health, the internet can be both a helpful tool and a major source of false information. In an effort to combat some of the less-than-accurate sources out there, we teamed up with Allergan to bring you some facts, straight from healthcare providers.

A good vacation should be an opportunity to kick back and escape all thoughts of real life — preferably on a chaise lounge with a tropical drink in one hand and a beach read in the other. But this sunny state of relaxation can be hard to achieve when you’re dealing with a reproductive-health hang-up abroad.

According to Melissa Ferrara, MS, FNP-BC, associate medical director at Maze Women’s Sexual Health, the best way to prevent potential mishaps abroad is to check in with your healthcare provider well before takeoff. Ahead, we asked Ferrara to walk us through her recommended pre-vacation checklist. Prep a couple of weeks before your scheduled departure, and enjoy your time off. May your biggest vacation stressor be choosing the right spot to lay out your beach towel.

Consider getting backup birth control.

Things tend to go missing when travel plans involve jet-setting to multiple locations. If we’re lucky, it’s just a rogue flip-flop that gets left behind at the hostel. If we’re less lucky, it might be our oral-contraceptive pill pack. “Your provider should be able to write you a prescription for an extra pack of pills for a trip that is longer than one month,” Ferrara explains. Getting backup pills is dependent on pharmacy policy and insurance plans, but she recommends checking in with your healthcare provider to explore your options ahead of time.

No luck? Come prepared with responsible alternatives in your suitcase. “Bringing condoms is a great idea for a backup method,” says Ferrara. (As a friendly reminder, because birth control pills do not protect you against sexually transmitted infections, you should always use condoms.)

“If you are using condoms alone as your birth control method, you might want to bring an emergency contraception with you, just in case,” Ferrara adds. It's important to remember that emergency contraception — sometimes referred to as the “morning-after pill” — isn’t always readily available in other countries the way it is in the United States.

Research local healthcare providers.

Before you leave, create an emergency list (both tangible and saved to your phone) of important phone numbers to have on hand. This should include local emergency contacts — “911 is not a universal emergency number,” reminds Ferrara — and trusted healthcare providers in the areas you'll visit.

Overwhelmed by the listings on Google? Ferrara recommends getting an insider’s take. “If you’re staying with family or friends, ask them who their providers are,” she advises. “If you don’t know anyone local, often the hotel concierge can give you information on nearby providers.”

Finally, do a Google search of these doctors' office locations ahead of time to get acquainted. You hopefully won’t have cause to whip out this info, but knowing it is available will definitely promote peace of mind for anxious travelers.

Pack your carry-on like a pro.

Anyone who’s ever sadly lurked around the luggage carousel in hopes of spotting a long-lost suitcase will corroborate this one: The vital stuff needs to stay close at hand. “Any birth control, analgesics, and other medications should go in your carry-on,” says Ferrara.

Check in on vaccinations.

If you’re embarking on an international adventure or planning on taking an extended trip ( sigh, lucky you), Ferrara recommends meeting with your healthcare provider to discuss any relevant vaccinations. They can share what is currently recommended — the many dubious sources of the internet can’t always be trusted with up-to-date information — and can answer any questions that might arise.

Make sure you adjust your birth control clock.

The general rule still stands, even if you're on vacation: Always take oral contraceptives at the same time every day. “For implants and IUDs, time zones will not cause any change in effectiveness,” Ferrera says, but for oral contraceptives, that's not the case. "There can be a reduction in efficacy for oral contraceptives if you skip or delay taking your pill, so it's important to follow your doctor's instructions and ask any questions you might have before you leave for vacation."

© 2018 Allergan. All rights reserved.
Allergan® and its design are trademarks of Allergan, Inc.
Lo Loestrin® and its design are registered trademarks of Allergan Pharmaceuticals International Limited.
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Welcome toMoney Diaries , where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking millennials how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we're tracking every last dollar.

Today: a student and after-school teacher who makes $9/hour. This week, she spends some of her money on lingerie.

Occupation: Student & After-School Teacher
Industry: Education
Age: 19
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Salary: $9/hour

Monthly Expenses
Housing Costs: $350 for a three-bedroom apartment that I share with two roommates. We could be getting be getting a lot more bang for our buck but we live in a great location.

All Other Monthly Expenses
Student Spotify: $4.99 — and includes a Hulu subscription
Wi-Fi: $14.50
Phone Bill: $0. My phone bill is still covered by my parents.
Netflix: $0 — covered by an ex-Tinder guy. Nothing better than ending things and getting to keep the Netflix password.
Roth IRA: $75 every three months

Day One

8 a.m. — Time to wake up! I hit snooze three times because I have had a lot of late nights recently and am still trying to get back into a school and work routine. After finally rolling out of bed, I drag myself to the apartment gym and find out I need a code. Grr. I know I need to work out so I settle for a beginners' yoga tutorial on YouTube.

10 a.m. — Finished working out and checking emails. Breakfast is a bagel with lactose-free cream cheese and it hits the spot. Time to do homework until class.

12:10 p.m. — Late to my noon class ... on the first day. Thankfully, the professor is nice and lets me slide in unnoticed.

2 p.m. — Time for lunch! That two-hour class was awful and I am starving. After talking myself out of coffee, I find a spot in the library to eat and do homework. Lunch today is a quinoa bowl with chia seeds, broccoli, peas, arugula, spinach, and chickpeas.

5:30 p.m. — After being at work all afternoon, I cannot wait to eat dinner, which my roommate informed me she is making. I recently moved and love my new roommates — and the fact that they cook is big reason why. I am even more excited once I find out that she is making soup.

10 p.m. — The only downside of moving in the middle of the school year is that I'm a subletter. The person whose spot I took owned all the furniture in our apartment, so my new roommates and I are shopping for what we need today. My contribution was an insanely cheap coffee table, but once it is set up in our living room, it actually looks great and I am really happy with the purchase. $20.86

12 a.m. — It's bedtime and I am stoked. A quick shower exhausts me even more (or maybe it's the fact that I work with kids) and I fall asleep fast.

Daily Total: $20.86

Day Two

8 a.m. — My goal this semester is to wake up at the same time every weekday. So far I hate it, but today I need to be up because I have class. I do a quick morning routine and make breakfast. Another bagel with cream cheese, and grapes and coffee for the road.

9:10 a.m. — Get to campus and text a friend to save me a spot. I still have plenty of time but I want to get a good spot since it is a full class.

10:40 a.m. — Class is over and I am drained. I did not get enough sleep last night (or this week) and I am really feeling it. I buy a pick-me-up Diet Coke with vanilla, glad I have something to sip while I do homework. On the way back to my car I see a ton of people I haven't seen since before winter break. We do a whole bunch of quick "hellos" and I'm reminded me how loved I feel in this city, even though I am far from home. $2.61

1 p.m. — Break from homework for lunch: an omelet with a variety of veggies and toast, and veggies and hummus on the side. I'm coming home from work pretty late today, and I really don't want to have to buy dinner. While browsing on Amazon, I remember that I need to buy another phone charger. Thank god for Prime and free shipping. $6.54

3 p.m. — I stop and get gas on my way to work. I still have about a quarter tank but the price is good. Also, a cold front is supposed to hit around the time I'll really need to fill up and I want to save myself from suffering. $29.48

5:30 p.m. — Work killed me — the kids were wild today. I had to be stern with them for the first time and I hated it. I'm in a sour mood but am seeing my best friend today to go shopping. Retail therapy, here I come.

8 p.m. — After two hours at the mall fueled by free bagels from work, we walk out happy. I picked up two pieces of lingerie: a bold, red lacy bralette and a beautiful periwinkle teddy. I am obsessed with them, despite how expensive the purchase was. It also works out that my consistent hookup and I are meeting tonight for the first time this semester. $57.27

11:30 p.m. — I have officially blocked my hookup. He isn't great about making plans and has canceled twice in a row and I refuse to put up with that anymore. Being a millennial who is not ready to date, but is also looking for someone consistent, is really hard. I'm glad I never see this guy unless we make plans, although I will miss him. I am also PMSing so I spend the rest of my Thursday crying about a boy I never even had feelings for. Gotta love college. I told all my roommates he was coming over so now I have to do a different walk of shame to the bathroom to take off my makeup; that's probably the worst part — not to mention that I skipped dinner to avoid being too full for a hookup that didn't happen.

Daily Total: $95.90

Day Three

9 a.m. — Finally roll out of bed, last night was a long night with little sleep but I want to get to the gym before my eyelash appointment.

10 a.m. — Workout done! I biked for 30 minutes and called it a day since I have to be across town by 10:45. When I moved, I was excited to have a gym where I lived but honestly, it isn't that great. I munch on a Clif bar while I get ready — our kitchen light is finicky in the morning and I just can't be bothered with it today.

10:45 a.m. — I have very blond, long, and thick eyelashes so I get them tinted every six to eight weeks. It is what keeps me going in life! It is my favorite thing I do and I get the student discount ($15) but always tip based on the original price — $20. My lady is the best and makes it comfortable for my sensitive eyes. I also pay for street parking ($0.25). $20.25

11 a.m. — Post-eyelash appointment, I realize how hungry I am and swing by a smoothie shop on my way home. It's pricey but good. I have had a long week, and today is my treat yourself day. $9.19

1:30 p.m. — After lying in bed and mindlessly scrolling on the internet, I decide to finally get ready. (I wore pajamas to my eyelash appointment, no shame.) I make myself an egg sandwich with spinach, and arugula with carrots and hummus on the side. I have a work meeting and need to run to the store after work, so I want to make sure I won't be hungry when I finally get home.

5:30 p.m. — It's officially the weekend! The kids were wild today and I am ready to go home. I call my mom to fill her in on my first week and catch up. I love being off on my own but I wish I could see her more.

8 p.m. — Roommate and her BF head to the liquor store for mojito supplies. I take this opportunity to eat. I made a promise to never drink on any empty stomach after some bad freshman year experiences. I eat a cheese quesadilla with my favorite Whole Foods salsa. It's not a lot, but I get the drunchies really bad and want to eat healthier while I'm thinking about it.

9 p.m. — We decide to go to a trashy college bar that won't break the bank. I'm still bummed about being turned down last night and plan on looking hot tonight — with the help of my roommate's more scandalous wardrobe.

2 a.m. — The night was a fail. The bar didn't work out, the party got busted, and we had to pee so we just went home. My roommates and a friend continue drinking while catching up on The Bachelor and that's more than okay with me at this point. My roommate and I each paid for an Uber. $5.75

4 a.m. — Off to bed we go.

Daily Total: $35.19

Day Four

11:45 a.m. — I wake up hangover free and fairly refreshed. My roommate's BF has a friend in town this weekend and due to the crazy cold temps recently, a lake near us has frozen and we are going hiking up to it this afternoon. When I was home in Minnesota for Christmas, it was far too cold to hang out outside so I'm excited for the trip. I make plans to do laundry with a friend and start hydrating.

4 p.m. — After lying in bed and falling asleep on and off, we leave for our hike. It's gorgeous outside but there's no snow or ice. Our group of four turned into seven; I have fun meeting new people and enjoying the company people I already knew. I love hiking and wish I did it more often, especially since I have thousands of miles of trail in my backyard.

5:30 p.m. — We are all hungry and decide on a fun burger place located between the hiking spot and where we live. The service is slow, but the food and company make the trip worth it. I gave up meat in August and order my first falafel burger ($8). I'm in love. My roommate and I split seasoned fries and we all try $1 beers. We split the bill and I pay my roommate $5 for the fries and rum she bought us last night. $13

8 p.m. — Since it's Saturday, we invite friends over for drinks and a small pregame. We stop at Walmart to pick up essentials like oranges, maraschino cherries, beer, and wine. I'm excited to invite my first friend over to my new place because that really makes it feel like your own. I will be reimbursed for the beer ($12) later on since it's for a friend. $23.67

10:30 p.m. — Roommate's boyfriend (who is hosting the party) says it's a good time to come over. She calls an Uber and we take our final shots, shotguns, and drinks. We are ready! The party is being hosted in a house with brothers from one frat but it's not a frat party, so there's an excellent mix of people and a really good guy-to-girl ratio. My friend A. is nervous he won't get in, but my roommate and I know he won't have a problem because we know the hosts well.

12 a.m. — The party keeps growing and I'm having a blast. I switched to beers from liquor and I am feeling it. All of the people I know well are passing around drinks for others to try and I'm tasting a little bit of everything. Since there are more guys now, I stick close to A. The crowd is getting really grabby and I want a safety person. He does a great job making sure I am okay, which I am beyond thankful for.

2:30 a.m. — My stomach is mad at me after downing a quarter of a bottle of wine with my roommate's boyfriend. I originally wanted to bring wine with me but we all decided that was a bad idea and now I know why. One second, I am dancing to the piano music with A., my roommate, and her BF, and the next I am dragging A. to the bathroom with me so I can puke. After ordering two Ubers, I make it home.

Daily Total: $36.67

Day Five

12 p.m. — I wake up, shower and confirm a time to do laundry with a friend. We don't have a washer currently, so I am going to campus to do mine for free through the dorms. I am also super hungover.

1:30 p.m. — Finally leave the house and stop at a gas station to buy a lemon-lime Powerade. $2.22

5 p.m. — After doing laundry, I take pics of my friend for her art class and she makes dinner. We eat rice with salad and it is delicious — and almost cures my hangover.

12 a.m. — After getting back from laundry, I spend the rest of the day in my room watching Netflix and finally pass out at midnight.

Daily Total: $2.22

Day Six

11 a.m. — It's MLK Jr. Day, which means no classes or work. I take today to sleep in. When I wake up, I make avocado toast with a fried egg for breakfast. Then I spend the rest of the morning setting up my schedule for the week.

3 p.m. — It's a slow-moving day. I try to start my work for the week but it's not keeping my attention so I watch a few episodes of The Office before getting ready for the day. It's supposed to snow tomorrow, so anything I want to get done needs to be done today. I have been on the lookout for a light winter coat and black jeans. I check out two stores today with zero success.

4 p.m. — Just found out school is canceled tomorrow and I don't have to work. That means the rest of today will consist of Netflix and sleeping.

5 p.m. — I haven't eaten since breakfast. I use the rest of my avocado with a little bit of lemon juice, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper to make a sauce for my noodles. It's okay. I eat with my roommates while we catch up on The Bachelor.

11 p.m. — Roommates and I are not feeling well and call it a night. One sounds like she has the flu coming on. I am thankful I am probably just tired from the weekend.

Daily Total: $0

Day Seven

10:30 a.m. — It's a snow day — with no snow! It's nice to sleep in, though. Right after I wake up my boss texts about another potential school closure tomorrow. I could get use to this. I spend my lazy morning texting my dad. Last semester was really tough for me and I talked to my parents daily; this semester I have only talked to them twice so far and it's nice to catch up.

11:30 a.m. — While eating breakfast, I do some online shopping and find a cute pair of reasonably priced black jeans and a shirt. The website is having a 20% off sale but that essentially covers shipping. I go through with it anyway because I am struggling to find jeans and have heard good things about the site. I can't believe I paid that much for them. I really wanted to get them secondhand, but also I'm desperate. $40.40

2 p.m. — It's finally snowing! I pull myself out of bed for peanut butter toast and The Bachelor. We spend the rest of the afternoon binge-watching Shameless and helping the dog adjust to the snow that is sticking and praying for another snow day.

6:30 p.m. — K-12 schools got canceled, which means work is canceled for me. Classes are still on but I have high hopes for them to be out, too. We take a break from our Shameless marathon to make dinner: quinoa fried rice with all the veggies in my fridge and frozen spring rolls.

7 p.m. — My only class tomorrow is canceled! I'm pumped because that means I have no classes this week. This calls for a celebration! I pop open a bottle of wine as the Shameless marathon continues.

9 p.m. — Roommate and I realize that the Women's March is this weekend and we make plans to go. We both participated last year and are very excited to participate again. I hang out, thinking about the fact that if the roads really do get icy tomorrow, I will go crazy after being in the house for two days straight.

10:30 p.m. — Roommate and I venture out for fast food and are very disappointed to find out everything is closed. Ice in the South sucks.

Daily Total: $40.40

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The White House has reversed plans to eliminate a federally-funded program dedicated to supporting low-income student parents on college campuses.

The administration’s new federal budget blueprint, released Monday, requests $15.1 million for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School program. It’s a major change from the budget proposal first rolled out by the White House in 2017, which proposed slashing the decades-old initiative altogether.

As Refinery29 reported in September, nearly 5 million college students, about a quarter of the current campus population, have kids. Adding the cost and demands of child care to the already steep price tag for college tuition makes pursuing and obtaining a degree even more challenging for these students, many of whom are single moms. In fact, research shows student parents accumulate debt and drop out at rates higher than their child-free peers.

Providing low-cost and easy-to-access child care can help. But as the number of college students with children grows, crucial services for the vulnerable campus population are being cut. Advocates worried that axing CCAMPIS, a relatively small program that supports thousands of students across dozens of campuses, would only make things worse.

It’s unclear what prompted the administration’s shift on CCAMPIS. Trump’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposal, released in 2017, dismissed CCAMPIS as one of a number of initiatives that “duplicate other programs, are more appropriately supported with State, local, institutional, or private funds, are outside of the Department’s core mission, or have not shown evidence of effectiveness.”

But when pressed late last summer on the issue and how cutting grant funding for struggling student parents squared with senior advisor Ivanka Trump’s stated support for expanding child care access, a White House official told Refinery29: "We are working on ways to preserve the program." New documents outlining the new Fiscal Year 2019 budget proposal acknowledge the program’s need. “One significant barrier to completion for low-income students and single parents is the lack of convenient and affordable quality child care services,” a report justifying the education funding requests states. (Refinery29 has reached out to the White House and the Department of Education for comment).

Whatever happened, student parents and those advocating on their behalf are cautiously optimistic about the development. Lindsey Reichlin Cruse, a senior research associate at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, said she was “shocked and pleased” to see the administration's change of heart in the new budget. “We are a little surprised and also very happy that CCAMPIS is preserved in this budget proposal and that they’re proposing a small increase,” she told Refinery29. “Obviously, much greater funding is needed to adequately meet the needs of student parents, but we definitely appreciate this important first step.”

Colin Seeberger, strategic campaigns director for the millennial-focused advocacy organization Young Invincibles, echoed those comments — and concerns. "CCAMPIS has a long track record of being supported by members of both parties, so it's a relief to see the Administration finally acknowledge that the program works,” he said in an email. “While the program currently helps nearly 3,300 students, more than 1.3 million student parents are currently living in poverty. The demands of being a parent are hard enough in today's economy, but doing so while going to school can feel logistically and financially impossible. For the Administration to truly demonstrate it understands the needs of these students and their families, they'd have to propose substantially increasing investment in campus child care access."

An investment that fully serves student parents living below the poverty line could cost as much as $500 million, Young Invincibles has estimated in the past. The closest proposal in Congress, backed by Democrats in the House and Senate, would permanently bump the program’s budget to $67 million a year.

Supporting the needs of low-income students with kids doesn’t stop with funding CCAMPIS, experts say. And, when taken as a whole, Trump’s new budget is by no means a win for struggling young Americans. Reichlin Cruse was quick to point out that while the proposal restores funding for the childcare grants, proposed changes to services like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and loan repayment could hit student parents especially hard.

“[These programs are] part of the patchwork of support that [student parents] use to make ends meet while they’re pursuing their degree,” she said. “Cutting any of these programs is going to make it more difficult.”

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is notorious for speaking her mind. In an interview with CNN's Poppy Harlow at Columbia University's "She Opened the Door" women's conference, she said that she thinks the #MeToo movement is here to stay — and that it needs to go farther.

Among other subjects, from why we need an Equal Rights Amendment to how sexism affected the 2016 presidential election, Ginsburg spoke with Harlow about potential backlash to the series of sexual harassment allegations over the past several months.

Ginsburg said, as she had in previous interviews, that she's not concerned with backlash, given the movement's momentum and significance. "It's too widespread," she told Harlow. But, she said, so far most of the focus has been on those who are in the spotlight.

"My concern is that it shouldn't stop with prominent people...that this new attitude should protect the maid who works at a hotel," she said.

The media has only begun to scratch the surface of sexual harassment allegations made by and against non-famous people. Hollywood has been routinely criticized for fixating on pins and black dresses to call attention to #MeToo at the expense of substance. But it's also celebrities who have launched the Time’s Up initiative, a legal defense fund that has raised almost $20 million toward the goal of helping sexual harassment survivors in all industries. And in its Person of the Year pick back in December, Time magazine made a point of highlighting women in different industries who have fought against sexual harassment, featuring not only Taylor Swift and Ashley Judd but a strawberry picker, a corporate lobbyist, and an engineer.

The 84-year-old Ginsburg ascended in her career during a time when "sexual harassment" wasn't even a term, and has herself lived through it. When the self-dubbed "flaming feminist litigator" was a student at Cornell University in the 1950s, her chemistry professor offered her a practice exam before an upcoming test — except she found out the "practice test" had exactly the same questions as the exam itself. "And I knew just what he expected in return," she told Harlow. "There were many incidents like that, but in those days the attitude was, what can we do about it? Nothing. Boys will be boys."

The future Justice didn't keep quiet to her professor, though: "I said, 'How dare you?'"

Since her younger days, Ginsburg said there has been significant progress on this issue. "There will always be adjustments when there is a transition, but on the whole it's amazing to me that for the first time, women are really listened to, because sexual harassment had often been dismissed as, 'Well, she made it up,' or, 'She's too thin-skinned.' So I think it's a very healthy development."

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Spotting Riverdale's Cheryl Blossom without her signature red lip seems as unnatural as a 2001 Pepsi commercial without Britney Spears, or Anastasia Steele without her Ben Wa balls. The distinctive feature is one we've come to know — and begrudgingly love — about the notoriously petty character. But according to Madelaine Petsch, the real-life actress behind Riverdale High's HBIC, Blossom's signature look might not be around for much longer.

We recently sat down with Petsch, the new ambassador of Bioré's and its Baking Soda
Acne Cleansing Foam, to chat about her skin-care routine (she swears by triple-cleansing her face), her hair (yes, it's real), and her favorite brow pencil (it's Hourglass Cosmetics). But there's no chance in hell that we didn't at least try and finagle Riverdale tea out of her. Luckily, she totally spilled.

According to Petsch, Cheryl will be following Betty down the path to the dark side this season — yes, even darker than she naturally acts 24/7. "I'm wearing darker nails right now, because Cheryl is going through a darker period of time," Petsch tells us, as she shows us her wine-colored manicure. "It's tiny details like that that our makeup artists think of. We show motifs and emotions through the way she looks."

Like the symbolism behind Betty's undone ponytail, Cheryl's inner struggles tend to subtly manifest through her outer appearance. Petsch confirms we even saw a moment like this back in the season one finale. "We broke Cheryl down as much as she could be broken down," Petsch recalls of the minimalist beauty look. "There are actually some great moments coming up in episode 16, 17, and 18 where her makeup emotes how she's feeling. A lot of dramatic things are happening."

What's more, Petsch suggests that Cheryl's progression from River Vixen bully to a young woman with agency and genuine emotions could mean shedding that devilish style. "I feel like that's a part of an identity she hasn't really clung to because her parents were so awful to her and she lost the one person who loved her," Petsch explains. "My interpretation of the red is that this is something her family has forced on her for a long time, that red is the color she always has to be wearing."

Petsch's guess is that as time goes on, as Cheryl gets more comfortable with her individuality and sexuality, the red lipstick will fade... and Cheryl's power will be even harder to ignore.

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So, you want to be a feminist? You've come to the right place. There's no better way to get educated, get angry, get inspired, and get impassioned than by cracking open a book.

Each of the novels, memoirs, and essay collections will draw you in with quality writing and even more compelling stories. These are books that give time to the stories, lives, and truths of women. Each is worth a read, and then worth buying for all your friends to read, too. Because once you've awakened, there's no going back.

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