That's more like it

So, as expected, last week was a bit of an anomaly. But I still think I'm doing well. Recap of the weekend:

• Friday night - Movie and snacks at the movie because I was running late and didn't get to grab something beforehand ($8.50 for a not-so-soft pretzel and a hot dog? Please...)
• Saturday - Car wash (free, bec I bought a book of 5 last month), filled up on gas, groceries for dinner. I think that was it. I spent the rest of the day cleaning and putting the Xmas decorations back down in the storage unit. I felt really productive :)
• Sunday - $0, I think. Only had a few free hours, spent most of the day curling, and we lost both games so the beer was free (that is one of the best rules in curling or any other sport!).

Yesterday I bought lunch on the way to the photo shoot that wouldn't end (hopefully soon), which I ate too fast and made me sick - this morning I had to go buy an assortment of antacids (I really think I have an ulcer, but want to be able to cover indigestion off with the nurse when she accuses me of being a hypochondriac and tells me to go chug some pepto). And I bought soup for lunch today, which I was able to keep down. Small wins.

Overall, I feel like I have kept the unnecessary spending to a minimum. No clothes so far this month (yay!). I do, unfortunately, have to pay for 3 separate vacation-type things in February, due to timing - 1) the bonspiel (curling tournament) that we are going to this weekend in Detroit Lakes; 2) the dogsledding weekend at the end of the month; and 3) plane tix for the Vancouver Olympics next Feb (want to buy them as soon as they go on sale to get a good deal). But I think restricting the clothes shopping and other unnecessary expenses will go a long way towards covering some of the travel stuff. And I have been really good about paying with cash for meals, movie tickets, etc. I've only used my credit card for groceries and gas in the past week and a half. Now I just need to bring my lunch the rest of the week, and I'm halfway there!

Frugal Farce? (End of week 1)

So, I've been pretty good the rest of this week. Wednesday saw only a quick bite at Wendy's on the way to curling. Yesterday, I paid $5 to park at target on Nicollet so I could go to an alumni thing (free), and then parked (free - after 6 parking meter) and met Andy and his brother for some drinks and apps (free - gift card) afterwards at Town Hall Brewery.

Today the only expenses I am envisioning are possibly some groceries for dinner, if I feel like cooking, and I will treat myself to a movie ticket to 'He's Just Not That Into You' (it's the only decent thing playing and Andy is in Rochester tonight) - And no, the movie title has no bearing on our relationship :)

All that being said, I think this was kind of an unusual week to start this experiment. I was at a photo shoot all week, where lunch and snacks are always provided. Having said that, though, I am burning through twice as much gas as usual driving 70 miles a day to Edina and back, so filling up my car tonight probably will probably cancel out this savings. And I am stocked up on most necessities (toiletries, breakfast food, etc), so I haven't had to buy those. But overall, I am proud of myself for resisting the temptation to buy. When opportunities presented themselves, I said no. Times were that I used to pop into Target just to see what was new, or go to the mall to kill a few hours. So, at least I have some willpower in that department :)

Frugality continues (aka: Days 2 and 3)

I am spending more, but doing well. My only expenses yesterday were the bottle of wine and chips and salsa that I am taking to wine club this evening (paid with cash, since this is an 'extra'), and two yellow peppers, a box of linguine and a packet of gum for dinner (well, not the gum). I already had the onions and the sausage at home. Today I ended up buying lunch running between cross-town meetings ($5). That's it.

I am currently blogging from a Panera while I wait to go to wine club, and I have resisted the urge to buy something (since I always feel guilty about using the wireless if I am not technically a customer, but screw it) - there will be goodies at wine club in an hour, and I have an apple and a leftover cheeseburger in my bag from lunch (it's amazing how well McDonald's cheeseburgers keep... slight paradox in that I am reading 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle' at the Panera, as well...).

Today I also resisted the urge to buy a plane ticket to meet Andy in Arizona a few weekends from now (more of a scheduling thing than anything, but still a win!), or kill the past 2 hours at the mall, since I was avoiding traffic and needed to be on this side of town this evening. I so would have gone window shopping in the past. However, I did not resist the chocolate-coffee frosted brownie offered to me at the photo studio. Oops. At least it was free. That's what I'll tell myself when I step on the scale tomorrow morning...

And my last thought today is that I just read on CNN that doctors explanted a woman's kidney through her vagina. Cool.

Frugality, Day 1

So, the first full day of my experiment was relatively easy. Andy bought all the food for the SuperBowl party we were attending, all I had to bring over were some cooking utensils. I had intended to go grocery shopping today, but never got around to it (which is really a good thing, since I am working off-site all week, and won't need lunches or many dinners - so I didn't really need any food in the first place. Grocery shopping tends to be a habit, I guess).

We spent $20 on bets at the SuperBowl party, of which Andy won $10 for predicting the correct score at halftime, and $50 for a pre-determined bet on the winning team (out of the 12 playoff teams). So, I got my $20 back on the ride home.

Day 1 cost: $0. Feeling somewhat in control of my $: Priceless. I don't pretend to think that it will be this easy every day, but kind of a nice way to ease into it. On an unrelated (but fortuitous) note, I learned tonight that Restaurant Week in the Twin Cities is March 1-6. Hooray for the timing on that one, because I will be eating out every night that week, and breaking my $20 rule for 6 consecutive days :)

Frugal February

Given the current horrid state of the economy, I've decided to try an experiment. For the entire month of February, I am going to watch what I spend. I've never bothered to keep a budget before - as long as my credit card gets paid off every month, I don't really track my money all that much. Bad Adrienne...

So, for the next 28 days, I will be limiting what I spend - which is both an exercise in self-control, as well as prudence (I know more people who have been laid off in the past 4 months than I can count on one hand). I've decided on a few ground rules:

1. Must bring lunch to work 3 days per week.
2. Non-essential spending is limited to less than $20 per occasion (limiting my costly clothes-shopping habit, hopefully).
3. Leave my credit card in the car - small purchases to be made with cash only.

So, we'll see how I do. Goal is to cut down on my credit card spending, and start growing my 6 month emergency fund. Much like a corporation, cash is king. Time to get some assets on my balance sheet :) Happy saving to you all!

Resurrection

The blog is back. Maybe it's because I need to get some things off my chest. Or maybe it's because I am not a quitter. Or maybe it's just something that only happens in the winter when there is nothing else to do (see last post in JUNE).

At any rate, the witty repartee is back. Stay tuned...

Happy Pride!

So, my parents were in town this weekend - looking for some entertainment, we took them to the Pride parade in Mpls yesterday morning. What a good time! I learned a lot of things - 1) Most stickers in the world are printed for political campaigns, 2) Al Franken is a short man, 3) You can make almost anything out of a pair of high heels, leather straps and tulle, 4) Cameras seem to stop working at the most inopportune times (like when a white terrier painted like a rainbow flag walks by).

However, the thing that struck me the most was how involved the gay community seems to be. There were groups of every description - gay Jews, gay Athiests, gay Catholics (funnily placed right behind the athiests...), a gay hockey team, the Mpls Gay Men's Chorus, the Pride Band, riders from the gay rodeo, lesbian bikers, the list goes on and on. And not only were there lots of gay activists, but lots of people who support the GLBT community - PFLAG, Rainbow Families, Politicians (hopefully genuine), Chipotle (my new favorite restaurant doing good in their local community), myriad corporate clubs promoting diversity (3M was NOT among them). It struck me how proud gays are not only to be out, but to be out doing good in the community, not just for themselves, but for others, too. That a group of people can be proud of a community, which does not necessarily return them the favor, is very humbling indeed.

So, Happy Pride to one and all!

PS - on a separate note, I hate my job.