I have been so busy frittering that I almost forgot to write my weekly frittering post. This was an eye opener, I can tell you. The big lesson here is that when it gets too hot to do anything and Noodle Arms and I get bored, we eat. There was not a day last week where we didn't have an unhealthy snack of some kind or other (chocolate bar, cake for morning tea, chips while watching movies...). Back on the healthifying wagon this week - last night's pizza notwithstanding - so hopefully that will be an end to it.
I failed my mini goal of not buying coffee for the 4th week running - it's a long boring story but the short version is that I was disorganised and found myself in the city late morning and getting a caffeine headache.
lunch $31.50 (!!!!!)
magazines $21.40
dinner $19.38
coconut water $3.75
coffee $3.90
breakfast $3.50
snacks (healthy) $9.78
snacks (unhealthy) $30.32 (!!!!!!!!!!)
It seems like all I did last week was eat and read magazines.
This week's mini goal is more of an experimental period of two weeks from the day I get paid next (Thursday this week), and that is to not buy one single thing I don't need. I don't mean groceries - I mean, I have enough staples that I probably don't need to buy food and could cobble together meals, but I'm still going to do a normal grocery shop and market shop. I mean the one off impulse buys - the chocolate, the magazines, the coffee, the morning tea macaron, the coconut water, the $5 mascara in the clearance bin at Chemist Warehouse, the sushi on the way home from work because I'm peckish, etc. It will be interesting to see how much I'm left with at the end of the fortnight if I don't fritter once. It will be more interesting to see if I can get through a fortnight (or a day, let's be honest) without frittering once!
I like how coconut water is its own category. :)
ReplyDeleteI've gotten pretty good with (fashion & food) magazines, mostly because of blogs. Both make me spend more money than necessary, but I don't have to pay to read blogs.
Maybe you could try seting aside a certain amount for frittering and see if you can stick to that amount in a week, then gradually decrease the amount as the weeks go by? Just an idea. Personally, I can't stick to budget-related goals. :/
I just want to be one of those people who doesn't feel compelled to buy something every time they set foot outside the door.
ReplyDeleteI have so much trouble with this, I buy 'something' every single day. When I bring my lunch to uni/work I eat it and pat myself on the back, but then reward myself by buying a big slice of cake, thus defeating the entire purpose and ruining my waistline and my pocket! Gah. I'm glad you're making me think about my frittering, maybe it will make me stop.
ReplyDeleteDee - I am totally one of THOSE people. I'm about to go to the dentist and am thinking about how I can reward myself afterwards.
ReplyDeleteIt is really scary to think of how much money goes in a week! I tend to leave my purse at home, radical but simple solution!
ReplyDeleteI just realized I spent $0 today after reading this...the key? It's -30 here today and I didn't want to leave my office or stop anywhere on the way home!
ReplyDeleteI feel like my work day goes by much faster if I go out on my lunch break and buy stuff. I do keep track of credit card expenses, but I may have to track my cash expenses as well as I've been eating out and geting cash from the ATM far too often.
ReplyDeleteGood luck for next week! :)
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ReplyDeleteEmma, same here. I've been keeping track of what I buy for a couple of months now and there has not been one single day where I didn't buy at least one thing.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne, haha! We may have been separated at birth - that's totally my logic. ;-)
Gaelle, I think that's what I'm going to do. If I don't need money with me for the day, I'm not going to take it.
Tracy, I would love to live where you live! It's summer here and I haaaaaate summer. It gets SO hot in Adelaide. :-(
Jos, same - shopping breaks up the day, even if it's just wandering down the street for coffee or to buy lunch. It's a hard habit to break!
Ahhh so funny, I bought a heap of "healthy" muesli bars "for the kids" this week and tea bags, I think I'm becoming tea obsessed. Need to buy some real food on pay day!
ReplyDeleteYou should make your own muesli bars! Pretty easy and good cooking practice. :-)
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