Day 8: Can't buy love.

It doesn't take money to have a good time with these goofs. (These 3 are my nanny family, by the way!) We can read, or make crafts, or visit free parks or zoos. We can just hang out! They have plenty to say!

In the past, I've felt like we'd have more fun or, as silly as it sounds, they'd like me more if I bought them things or activities (including those butterfly wings...)

I'm not quite sure where I've come up with this theory considering my parents certainly didn't shower us with STUFF. I grew up in the era of "Go play outside!" if you were bored. And having an active imagination was encouraged!

They'll like me, with or without the crap.

One Week in...

And here I am sitting at a STARBUCKS. I'm WEAK!

Here was my internal dialogue after noticing my Internet is down at home today.

Frustrated Tiffany: Gah :curses Internet company: where can I use WIFI for free?
Illogical Tiffany: Just walk over to Starbucks, it'll cost you 3 bucks TOPS.
Responsible Tiffany: That's $3 more than I want to spend. Let's take the bus down to Nordstrom to use theirs.
Irresponsible Tiffany: It's so far and COLD. Plus Day 7 is way too soon to be window shopping. We could visit with Ashley at the bar and use their Internet.
Smarty pants Tiffany: You know you'll end up ordering food, then drinks, then before you know it, you'll be 20 dollars in the hole.
Bad Tiffany: Save yourself the frustration. Just go to Starbucks.

Bad Tiffany is quite convincing.

BUT somehow the universe got together and wanted to help me out! After I ordered my black blonde roast, the barista very apologetically informed me that they had to brew a new batch and this cup was on the house. (I did tip her, of course. I'd rather be poor than cheap.)

Thanks, Universe. I owe you one.

Things are getting tough.

Without a doubt, socializing without spending money is the most difficult part of this Spending Fast. 
((I may or may not have faked a stomachache and gone home early this weekend to avoid the temptation to spend money at the bar ::womp womp:: ))

I don't want to go into hibernation mode because I'm being a cheapskate, but I don't want to spend money either.

Help?

Day 4: SUCCESS!

After a quick trip to pick up some food for the weekend, I'm feeling quite proud of myself.

Picture this:
I'm pushing a crabby toddler in a stroller while dragging two 3 year olds through a crowded grocery store at lightning speed saying, "Please stop touching. Please stop touching. Boys, I won't tell you again, PLEASE stop touching."

I've got exactly $23 dollars in my wallet and that's all I have to spend on meal food, not treats or snacks. (The old Tiffany would have just taken out her debit card without a care in the world.)

After gathering all my necessities and making my calculations, I see a 12 pack of toliet paper for $4 bucks (over half off!) Plus a 12 pack could last me almost 3 months! Seeing as with all my sale items and my store loyalty card, I thought we might just make it under par.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. It was about a buck fifty over. And with jussst a glimmer of hesitation, I grab a box of frozen pasta and put.it.back.

We have to celebrate the small wins, people.

Day 3. Meal Planning. (or so many leftovers.)

vol25

I'm not much of a planner at all, to be honest. I'm always the one on vacation who forgets to pack something essential and I often get soaked on rainy days because clouds are not enough of a warning for me to grab my umbrella.
That being said, I'm giving meal planning a try.

Monday afternoon, I grabbed my pretty new notebook and scribbled my work schedule for the month in it. Then, after taking inventory of my freezer and pantry, noted recipes for each night. And when I say recipes, I mean vague lists of food items that probably would taste alright when tossed together in a pan or crockpot.

Example:
Monday: NYE
Tuesday: Dinner at work- hummus
Wednesday: Crockpot chicken+onions+black beans+rice
Thursday: Leftovers (tacos)
Friday: Dinner with Laurel (Canceled. Leftovers.)
Saturday: Pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, frozen veggies

Luckily, I was able to eat my leftover chicken 3 different ways. But there's got to be another way to go about this. Something with a little more variety.

And then I came across its a muegge life ! Ahh! The heavens opened up and said duh. There's a billion better ways than randomly jotting down a protein and two veggies!

Here's the long and short of it:
Take 90 notecards and write a recipe on each card, including cooking times, serving size, and grocery lists.
Put them in a recipe box.
On Sunday night choose 3-5 notecards for the week. (I figure that'll allow for leftovers and for nights my lovely Manfriend wants to treat me ;) )
Make a grocery list for the week and do my shopping Monday afternoon.

3 months worth of recipes seems like good amount to rotate through without getting bored.
Or I can always just continue eating my famous rice and beans with Sriracha.
Cost effective AND delicious.

Day 2. (free) Laundry day!

Hanging out with these munchkins is free! In fact, I get paid for it. I also got smart and brought a load of laundry to do at work. An easy 2 bucks saved! ;)

I'd like to say that it's usual for me to walk to work and head straight home without opening my wallet, but that's just a lie. Let me tell you how difficult it was having to walk by my favorite coffee shop when I noticed there was NO LINE!


I just put my head down and marched on.

DAY 1!

Happy 2013, everyone! I love new beginnings. Everything seems fresh, like a do-over of all the mistakes you may have made in the past year (or years.) They've been wiped clean. And now you can do things differently!

Except that old habits die hard.
Today is Day 1...and what I should have done is STAY HOME. There's no temptation in my cozy bed.

Instead I found myself at a bar with my man, cheering on his Wildcats. (Ok, so in addition to my bad shopping habit, as a couple, we spend far more time and money in bars than we should. Even when we've been "hooked up" by our friends and co-workers we still spend over $40 a night without a second thought.)

SO here's the run down of how I did on this first day!

I brought my own mug of coffee that I made at home (1 point for Tiffany) AND I walked the 20 minute walk there instead of taking a cab (2 points...what? Are we not keeping score here?) I ate before I left so I wouldn't be tempted to order food, but the smell of fried deliciousness overtook my senses and the man bought me an order of chicken fingers. (Ok, I lose a point here.)
I didn't order any drinks (because I shouldn't drink before work and because drinks cost money.) But I did accept drinks that were given to me (Is that cheating?)

Then I walked home and made an early dinner before I had to be at work. Even though I was running late, I still managed to take public transportation to my job and be on time.
After work, I waited the extra hour and a half for my manager to get off so I could bum a ride home instead of taking a cab!
Then I patted myself on the back for being so resourceful :)

The running tally for January so far:
$700.36 (Rent/Utilities)
$0 Cash

If today is any indication of how the next month will pan out, I think I'll probably be saving countless money not taking cabs or ordering coffee out.