Pretty sure I looked like this most evenings... Wouldn't you want your Mom to look like that? HA!
Until I have a home of my own again and can get more into homesteading, I'm working on things I can cut out of my life to save money, save time, waste less (which always comes back to saving money if you ask me), and be happier and more relaxed. I decided I'd find something to give up/change every 30 days.
Major changes MUST come in small doses for me, or I'll abandon the idea all together.
I might not be weeding my garden, showing you how to make a cheap compost bucket, or letting you watch as I set up a water collection system from my gutters...yet, but the changes I'm making are all going to get me more into the homesteader lifestyle.
March 1st I decided to cut out fast food during the week. I would typically swing by McDonald's to grab a $1 drink and breakfast burrito on my way to work...and I never packed my lunch. This saved me nearly $200 a month! HOLY BUCKETS! Let's do the math folks...that's nearly $2,300 a year.
That's an insane amount of money to spend on a CONVENIENCE!
I pack my breakfast and lunch now. I bring oatmeal or scrambled eggs for breakfast (which I make at home the night before and nuke in the office microwave the next morning) and leftovers (or sandwich if there aren't any leftovers) for lunch. Not hard at all with a
I also cut out all soda pop. I'm a Dr. Pepper addict, so this was not easy. But dang, with the price of Dr. Pepper (all pop, really) going through the roof...It was a lot easier to justify the money in my pocket over the cravings. Which died in about 2 weeks anyway. I was going through a few 2 liters a week, so that's about $20 a month. Hello, that's half a tank of gas.
Water is free (well, we already pay for it anyway) and it tastes fine to me as long as it's filtered (Norman's water is icky). I bought a $9 Brita for work and it's been great. Definitely easier than hauling the 4 water bottles I was refilling at home from our filtered water every day. That got old really fast.
Cutting out fast food during the week (I still occasionally grab something on the weekend if we're out and that's the only option, but we stick to the dollar menu and feed 2-3 for $7!) and pop has definitely helped me pay off my debt. By doing this, I'm putting over $2,500 a year toward something worth while (debt, house savings, etc.) and improving my diet at the same time! Not quite as good as a money tree, but darn close!
I'll spill the beans about what I've given up for April, later this week. I will tell you...my best friend, Courtney, is going to FREAK when she hears about it. She lives in Tulsa {150 miles away from me}, or she'd have already noticed... Stay tuned!
No comments:
Post a Comment