Okay, so I know I posted that my New Year’s resolution was to stop ordering out so much. It failed. I…I couldn’t do it. I saw those wings in all their saucy sweet onion barbeque glory and…and they just spoke out to me, whispering, “You know you want us.” A phone call and 35 minutes later, I was in the middle of stuffing my face when I realized the horror of what I’d done. Then I shrugged it off and continued eating.
Of course, after an hour of rolling around in bed in a food coma, it wasn’t just my stomach that hurt. My heart hurt. It cried out for the now empty wallet in my back pocket. For many of you that don’t’ have much spending money, you know what I’m talking about. My dining hall doesn’t make the tastiest meals…I’ve even seen the chicken bounce on the counter. Which meant it was very tough to chew and so very dry. I attend school far away from home and don’t have the luxury of home meals, so I allowed myself to splurge once in a while. But costs definitely add up. In my case, food is probably the largest portion of my spending. Binders, paper, notebooks, pens and pencils are deceptively expensive. The costs of my science books make me cry myself to sleep. And of course, for many students, there are the trips to Starbucks, to cafes and hangout locations. These costs really add up and just eat away at your savings. You wouldn’t notice if you spent $5 a day for coffee and snacks, but in a month, you’ll have spent a$150. Just like that.
So what I’ve started doing in an attempt to curb my unnecessary spending is keeping all the receipts to my purchases. Yeah, some of you would probably say “Why would you voluntarily torture yourself like that?” Well, for the sake our relationship together, my wallet and I need to start understanding each other…and make some compromises. I don’t want to break up with my wallet. Use the receipts as a deterrent from further spending.
Happy Valentine’s Day!