Now I’m not Catholic or even Christian but since my first year in college I have always tried to give up something during Lent. The idea was inspired by my friend Lingling and we’ve done our Lent thing separately but with each other’s support. Two years ago was soda (SUCCESS!) and last year was caffeinated drinks (also SUCCESS!). In response to our finaciapocalypse, this year I am cutting back on $PENDING.
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Now I know I said that I have a stable job and would be spending money to do my bit to help the economy. I’m not reneging on that – I am going to be spending more wisely and not spending money that I don’t have. To do that, I am going to cut out all extraneous expenses – eating out, coffee, liquor, shopping, the works – and limit myself to a specific budget for special events. I have already identified my spending targets and my spending budget from now until Easter. For everything else, unless it’s a dire emergency, I will not break out my wallet at all. Here’s what I have budgeted for spending:
- Sophia’s birthday (this Friday!) – $20
- Dine around Seattle w/Angela (March) – $20
- Trip to London (spring break) – £700 or $1000 (incl. airfare)
For everything else and everyone that I will be sure to disappoint, I’m sorry – we’ll have to wait until April.
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Why am I doing this? Because I spend too much. I need to get into the habit of making my own coffee and bringing my own food to work. Sure, the spending will probably rebound once Easter is over, but I hope that I can spend a little less frivolously and to save myself up a little money to buffer against any monetary emergency. And in this economy, it’s good to save some for a rainy day. Wish me luck!
