Tonight begins a new tradition. As I close in on getting past the 50% point of paying off my debt, I am leveling this thing up and holding myself more accountable! I am ratcheting down my budget with the goal of having ALL of my debt paid off by Halloween!
Starting this month, I am paying extremely close attention to any money I spend outside of bills, groceries, and gas.
Here’s how I did this week for non-essential spending:
$56.62 for airport parking. I usually just park in the economy lot and pay around $75 or more. This time I did one of those cheap(er) lots with the shuttle. I consider this a win.
$25.30 for dinner at Life and Time in Bend with Spencer. When I am in Bend or he is in Denver with me I budget for a few meals, so this was expected.
$7.00 for coffee with Spencer at Thump. I usually will order a pricey cappuccino and a crazy delicious Paleo muffin, but this time we each ordered a black coffee and also gave a $1 tip. This is by far my favorite coffee shop in Bend.
Total non-essential expenses for the week: $81.92.
Tip of the week:
Create your own community! It’s easy to lose motivation when it comes to budgeting. You see something and you want it. All your friends are going to a happy hour on Friday. A friend invites you to try out an expensive restaurant… This stuff is HARD to say no to! And it is especially hard when your community doesn’t share in your financial goals.
To offset this, I turn to podcasts. It makes me feel like I have a whole group of people in my pocket that are working on the same goals as me. Today I listened to a new one (well, it is new to me anyway), and it was great!
Check out the Martinis and Your Money podcast for an instant-community. I listened to this episode today and loved it!
In looking at the upcoming week I think there is only one thing that will be tough for me. I fly back to Denver on Tuesday late afternoon, and I have a little tradition that I love. I will order a pepperoni flatbread and a whiskey before my plane takes off. It costs me about $25 every time and I’m determined to NOT do that. Wish me luck!
Leaving It Better Than I Found It. 