Many young ladies our age take pride in their appearance, their Fendi handbag collection, or their automobiles (yes this word is ancient sounding but to us, so is the idea of owning one). Paige and myself, however, take pride in our cheap rent, our collection of Havianas flip flops, and the fact that we are currently surviving our second summer in NYC sans air conditioning.
We like bringing up this fun fact like someone would bring up making some sort of Olympic team, in a cheerful, boastful, I-can-do-something-you-cant-even-imagine-doing-in-your-wildest-dreams kind of way. Pridefulness in our extreme frugality aside, this non-air-conditioned apartment does bring up some complications. For one, it's freakin hot. Getting ready for work or a date or a night out goes beyond mindlessly showering and skipping around with a mascara wand to let your hair air-dry a little. Careful planning and limited movement is crucial, why put on eyeliner first when it is just going to drip off when you go across the room to get a hairbrush? Why put clothes on before blow-drying your hair as clothes will resemble something closer to old-fashioned swimwear by the time your hair is dry? Paige has started taken cold showers before she goes to bed at night and has been caught on several occasions trying to sleep on the bathroom floor. I have red and blue stains on my bed sheets from eating Paige's Bomb Pops in bed to cool down. What we used to spend on mustard chicken and vegetables is now spent on freezing individual servings of Jell-O-pudding and Yoohoo. Our freezer, which used to be used solely for vodka and chilling champagne (the $5 kind, we recommend Andre), now also houses leftover french fries, anything we own that happens to be dairy, and our Mr. Coffee pot.
That being said, as we go pantless watching Twilight on the couch, taking turns slinging popsicles at each other and popsicle sticks towards the direction of Edward Cullen we still have a sense of "your pain is my pain" and there is a closeness that no other roommates living in an air conditioned apartment can understand. And sure enough, someone's mother will call and ask what we are doing and we will explain the popsicles and how one of us is lying in front of the refrigerator with the door open, and we all smile with pride as she says to her mother that "no, it's not that bad".

Freezer #1

2 Diet Sodas- $1.50 per

3 Packs of frozen veggies (for Kristy to douse with spray butter)- $2.90 per

2 6 piece pudding packs- $3.95

1 Box of Flav-o-Ice- $2.90

1 Order of fries from Purity Restaurant- $2.50

1 Pot of French Toast flavored coffee- apx $0.50

1 Handle of Ruskova Vodka (the finest)- $17.00

Contents of Magic Bullet... unknown.

Total: $38.55 or $9.64 Per Roommate

Note: We had a picture that didn't upload of our "fauxconditioner", but it was just a small fan in a large window. Nothing special.

Freezer #2

1 Box Bom Pops- $3.40

Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches- $6.30

2 Boxes Frozen Veggies- $2.90 per

Handle Ruskova Vodka- $17.00

Yoo-Hoo- Priceless.... seriously you have to try frozen Yoo-Hoo

Total: $32.50 or $8.13 per roommate.