Welcome to Spend Recap Weekly in which a member of our community shares the best and worst things they spent money on last week.
If you’re looking for the monthly spend recap, it’s now a video budget breakdown that we publish at the beginning of the month. You can find June’s recap here.
This week, Jamie and Rachel talk … MELON.
Best: Watermelon, $8.99
Rachel: Watermelon has always been my favorite fruit.
Jamie: Me too. I love watermelon more than anything. Even my family.
Rachel: I also love cherries, but I'd probably pick watermelon over cherries because it has more uses. For example, did you know that watermelon has been used for centuries as a vessel for clean water?
Jamie: How?
Rachel: Because it's literally full of water that you can drink. And it can be stored for long periods of time in dark places like cellars. It was also used medicinally for heat stroke, etc.
Jamie: Wow. I like watermelon because it's crispy and hydrating and it fills you up without being too heavy. Also it's absolutely gorgeous to look at.
Rachel: That's right, it cools you down more than any other summertime treat. It's America's favorite melon. We planted 93 THOUSAND acres of watermelon last year. (I think.)
Jamie: Okay watermelon nerd.
Rachel: It was worth researching. It makes sense that as a society we are eating more and more watermelon, because temperatures are rising, and we need more foods that cool and hydrate us, but also watermelons thrive in hot climates. So they are growing in more places as this planet heats up.
Jamie: That is not cool in more than one way.
Rachel: Sorry to be a major bummer. Truth hurts. Moving on — how do you like your watermelon?
Jamie: I like watermelon best when it's cut into chunks. It tastes better that way.
Rachel: I think it tastes better when it's scooped out of the rind like a giant bowl of ice cream.
Jamie: Okay, that's the best. What's the worst?
Worst: Watermelon, $8.99
Jamie: What?!?
Rachel: What?!?
Jamie: What-a-melon?!?
Rachel: Okay, here's the catch. The price of watermelon has increased by 50% since LAST YEAR. So it's both a heavy and expensive risk to take to buy one.
Jamie: Yes - here is a picture of me trying to find one I can carry home.
Rachel: Dropping a watermelon is dangerous. The things that make them great also make them fragile.
Jamie: Like you can drop a cantaloupe, and it will survive. Cantaloupe is a resilient melon.
Rachel: My understanding is that watermelon is sort of completely different from melons. Like they aren't from the same family or whatever. Watermelon have seeds in the flesh and melons have seeds in the center. But also it has something to do with their lineage.
Anyway, watermelons are only fragile when you drop them, but otherwise they are far more shelf stable than a melon. Watermelons stop ripening when they are picked, but melons keep ripening. So - this makes melons easier to choose. You can see the indicators of ripeness and quality more easily.
Jamie: Watermelons are more of a mystery.
Rachel: Yes, so, watermelons can be a bummer of a purchase when you spend nearly $10 on a few heavy pounds of flesh and then take it home and realize it's either not ripe or mealy.
Jamie: Ew. I hate mealy watermelon. I hate it more than my family. (Just joking, family. I love you more than mealy watermelon!)
Rachel: That's why we had to put watermelon on the list as both best AND worst. But here's where my research really paid off.
Jamie: Tell me more.
Rachel: I learned that a shiny watermelon is a sign that it's underripe. So look for a slightly less shiny outside, and then when you pick it up, hold it close to your head and give it a few taps. The more vibration you feel, the more perfectly ripe it is. When it's less vibey, it is overripe. I did that with the ones we bought this week, and it worked really well.
Jamie: Ya - our watermelons have good vibes!
What did you spend your money on this week? Anything we should know about? And if you want your “best and worst” to be featured on Debt Heads, let us know!