Smaller Gut, Larger Wallet
I have realized two things about myself this past weekend. One I’m in debt and two I’m over weight. Well maybe I knew this before last weekend but tax time always makes me wonder what the heck happen to all that money I made last year?
After sifting through all of my finances for 2007 I started looking at my budget. And, it was a pretty grim outlook. Not that I’m going to “the poor house” as my mother used to say having lived through the depression, but my quest to be a true American and live well beyond my means was very evident. You think I would know better since about 15 years ago I was on the verge of claiming bankruptcy after a bad career move out of state.
What was clearly evident in all of this was one factor. I spend way too much money on food. Yes I know people are looting in some countries right now due to lack of food and I should care, and I do care, but its so easy to just pick up dinner on the way home or sleep in a few extra minutes because I don’t really need to get up and make my lunch, I’ll just eat out. It’s convenience. It’s easy.
This brings me to the part that gets to me. I’m broke. I’m fat. I’m aging by the minute, wait that’s a topic for another post, and it seems I have no control over either one of those. But I do, and that is the hardest part to swallow.
So what can I do about it? One simple step that may prove more difficult than I realize right now, but for one month I’m going to not eat out for lunch! I know this seems like such a minor step to some but for me it’s a step towards my goal of being less in debt and in better shape. Think about it though, this simple step will most likely save me $150 dollars this month and if I’m not spending half my lunch hour scarfing down some calorie laden burger I’ll have more time to write, or go for a short walk. This really could be a small catalyst for getting me back on track both financially and physically.
So as I post this I’m on day two and have kept to it. I’ll keep you posted!
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April 20th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Well, I made it through my first week! It was a small but meaningful accomplishment. I even cutway back on eating out for dinner. I mannaged to make some simple dinners that resulted in leftovers, so it was progress not only for lunch but for saving money on dinners too.