You guys, I have been spending WAY too much money lately. Some of it is due to unexpected expenses (like trying to get my poor bunny's goopy eyeball fixed), some of it is because I tend to justify buying "extras" when I'm stressed/depressed (which has been a lot lately), and still more is because I'm lazy (but you already knew that).
So, it's time to buckle down: It's time, my friends, to come up with a budget. And then, once that task has been completed, I have the difficult follow-up task of actually sticking to that budget!
Besides identifying all of my fixed expenses, I need to figure out what stupid crap I'm spending the rest of my money on. And then I need to eliminate those things from my life. Here's what I've come up with so far:
-Lattes: Good lord, I LOVE a good latte... but they're $3-4, and that shit adds up.
-Good beer and wine: I have, unfortunately, reached that point where the nasty cheap stuff doesn't tempt me much anymore. If I'm going to sit down and have a glass, I'd like to enjoy it. But, buying a six pack that costs $9 once-a-week and then buying the occasional nice bottle of wine that costs $10+... well, that shit adds up.
-Meals out: Chris and I enjoy going out to breakfast (for awhile we were going once a week), and it's not hard to convince me to go out to dinner. When I'm at work, it's really easy to justify getting a sandwich or salad or slice of pizza from a local business for lunch. That's just laziness; it takes like 2 minutes to make a stupid sandwich at home! Anyways, I'lls I'm sayin' is, is that shit adds up.
So, the second part of all this, as evidenced above, is that I've been a little unhealthy lately. I've been eating and drinking poorly, as well as not putting exercise high on my list of priorites. That shit's gotta stop.
The solution here, I think, is to start planning meals in advance and to shop for cheap-but-healthy things. Chris went ahead and got us a Sam's Club membership, so that we can buy some of our staples in BULK. Things are cheaper in the long run when you buy them in BULK.
What are you doing to keep yourself financially healthy?
Story of my life.
ReplyDeleteWe go out to eat like eight times a week. And we probably won't stop. It's so much work to actually plan ahead, and I'm a shitty cook anyway :/
We kind of just decided to keep eating out, since Davis has so many awesome places to eat within walking distances, and we'll be moving back east in the next year or so. So we gave in, and our bank accounts will suffer. But pretty much I'm cheap or "frugal" in all other aspects of my life. Saving (hoarding?) things for later use, and walking or biking as opposed to driving (easier in some places than others). And I have cheap and old clothes, too. I think maybe it all balances out...
I save money on good beer by making my own. i'd be a liar though if i were to say that stops me from buying the occasional 6 pack or bomber.
ReplyDelete@Emily, yowser! Going out to eat that often sounds pretty sweet, honestly!
ReplyDelete@Knuttel, that's pretty awesome. Again, can't wait to try it sometime.