Posted on 08/31/2022 9:03:48 AM PDT by grundle
Standing in my kitchen on a recent morning, making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch later that day, it occurred to me that what would appear to be a fairly mundane (albeit delicious) task was actually so much more.
Maybe that’s because, during the previous month, I spent close to $700 on restaurants alone. That’s like a million peanut butter and jellies.
It was that revelation that inspired a month-long no-restaurants-or-shopping challenge I assigned to myself in July. I could not continue to ignore my mounting bills, and I could not go on living with the constant reminder and anxiety of my $18,000 of credit card debt.
Looking at my expenses, I made the difficult-to-me decision to cut restaurants and shopping out completely for a full month. No shopping for non-necessities. No takeout. No dinners out with friends. No “Let’s grab a drink!”
Aside from the ubiquitous PB&J, I found myself trying out new recipes, like this miso-glazed salmon and a kale Caesar salad I cannot stop making. And, as an unexpected bonus, I feel... really good. It may not be sustainable to make myself every meal for the rest of forever, but having a basic idea of everything I was consuming for a month really made me feel like I was taking care of myself.
I’m not sure what comes next. But as this month comes to an end, I have spent over $2,000 less than the month prior. I paid $1,000 off my credit card balance, put money away for taxes, and felt no anxiety about what my balance was while handing my debit card over to pay for some essentials. I didn’t get sick of peanut butter and jelly, and I have yet to miss a restaurant.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Until you get diabetes and have to start paying for insulin.
I feel that! I survived on popcorn and beer during the mid eighties. The extra cash enabled me to start my lifelong obsession with taxed advantaged savings which continues to this day. When you thing about the money that people spend in restaurants or burning it on tobacco or wacko products, you have to shake your head.
Better to immediately stem the outflow, as she did.
That doesn’t have to hinder her finding better-paying work.
She.
It is all too common for professionals in NYC. A combination of well-paying jobs, easy access to tempting restaurants, and tiny apartments where ovens often end up as makeshift additional bureau space for clothes.
For a couple of bucks a week you could add in chicken every other day. Another couple of bucks could get you a burger on the non-chicken days.
Used to be eggs were great cheap protein, but our overlords have ended that.
I’m guessing you and the missus don’t live in NYC.
Touche!
What’s with the “their” in the headline? The author is a woman. The female pronoun is “her,” not “their.”
“Better to just find a better paying job or more income.”
Since getting laid off in March 2021, I ...
“What’s with the “their” in the headline? “
No “their” in headline.
Amazing... With all the rich folks frequenting FR during the day, why it is so hard to hit the FR donation numbers every quarter...
Actually not.
The lesson this person needs to learn is how to budget because no matter how much income you have you will fritter it away if you have no idea where it is going. First you learn how to budget, then you learn how to manage, then you learn how to make it work for you, then you become healthy, wealthy and wise.
And that is what they are doing.
The news is filled with the story of people who had, at one time, a great deal of money and it went bye bye because they had no idea how to manage it.
I haven’t gone to a restaurant this entire year. (yes including fast food). I generally make about 3-4 restaurant visits per year. Its one of those wastes of money I realized years ago that I did not need to be spending on. As for shopping, I only buy what I need - I certainly don’t do anything like “retail therapy” or shopping for pleasure. Its a task to get done.
Its amazing how much money people waste on crap they don’t need.
True, but it might inspire others to make a change for the better /glass 1/2 full thinking, I know!
This is a good article .
Someone was behaving foolishly and discovered this on their own, and changed their behavior.
They might be a conservative someday .
Pasta Au Gratin = mac and cheese
Very true. I remember when I started dating, I stressed out about going to a restaurant with my date. I had so little experience with sit-down restaurants up to that point. Growing up I was almost never taken to a sit-down place by my parents. In the Marines, it was the mess hall or MREs.
These days, going out to eat (or having it delivered) is a routine thing for many. Even if they cook at home, it's usually something popped in the microwave.
Proper home cooked meals at home will save the average family hundreds of dollars per month. Guaranteed.
One thing I discovered when I had surgery a few years back: if the hospital has no restaurants nearby, so the doctors have no choice but to eat in the cafeteria, the hospital cafeteria will have excellent food.
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