two down, two to go

It has been a rough two weeks. Rough in the sense that I have not been able to buy anything other than food and gas and it's KILLING me! My only reprieve has been a couple of loop holes that I have found in the system. And thank God for them. Had to pat myself on the back for these too. It was almost like I won something. So the first one was about a week ago. I was out shopping (more like browsing since I couldn't buy anything) with LBizzle. She was looking for some new running shoes. I needed some too because I had, on impulse, bought these really crappy ones prior to going on vacation and they tore the back of my foot up to the point I couldn't even wear shoes that went around my ankle. Anywho, we're up in Performance Footwear and she's looking at these running shoes. I'm thinking, I really want some too, maybe I'll just get fitted and then when I can spend money I'll come back and get them. So I find these sneakers I like and not only were they super comfy, but they were ON SALE!! CRAP! I can't pass up a deal on something I NEED! That just wouldn't make sense. But when the girl told me how much the sneakers were I almost did a happy dance right there in the store. They were the EXACT same price as the crappy sneakers I had purchased 3 weeks earlier. I say almost cause I wasn't sure if I'd be able to return the other sneakers since I had already worn them. Here's hoping.. *swipes Amex*. Surely the next day I was over at Famous Footwear taking those pieces of crap back. I think I prayed right before hand too. It worked! Ok, now it's happy dance time....

So yeah, I bought some brand new running shoes and didn't spend a dime *pats self on back*. The second event happened this weekend. Now this wasn't something that I needed, more so wanted for a while and just couldn't convince myself to spend the $50 on it. Since I wasn't buying stuff or going out to eat and all that, I had been super bored the past couple weekends. Especially since my so called 'friend' who I thought was gonna call me to kick it didn't even so much as shoot me a text or answer my phone calls the weekend before. I decided to play my wii since that was free  and I really didn't have isht else to do but read or watch tv and I already had enough of that. Problem though... no batteries in the remotes, no batteries in the house. Frick on a stick! Then I remembered I had gotten a gift certificate to Wallyworld for my birthday that I never spent. For some reason I had it in my head that it had maybe $25 on it. That's cool, get some batteries for the wii and some 9v's for my chirping smoke detector and I'll be straight. I get to the register and hand over the gift certificate. Total came to $27 and change. As I'm reaching in my wallet to get out an extra $2 I look up at the display and it doesn't say that I owe anything (??!!??!?!?). The girl hands me the card back and tells me I have $72 left!!!! In my head I could hear RSVP belt out PROVIIIIIDER!! I shall not want I tell ya. I left there doing happy dance number 2 trying to think how I'mma spend my new found wealth. Was like I had just hit the lotto. Didn't know what to do with myself.

The very next day I was back up in Wallyworld over in the video game section where I see Mario Kart. Hmmm, don't mind if I do! Mighta been kickin my heels as I left. I really can't say that I wasn't. Now I say all this to say what? Well I've learned a few things. 1.) I love free, but not as much as I like new stuff. Doesn't matter what it is. Doesn't even have to be expensive. I just like new things. Could be the A.D.D. in me, I don't know. But to get new stuff for free might be the best thing ever. 2. ) a lot of the little things that I spend money on are so unnecessary. If I would just stop and think about what I'm buying, and compare that with how much I've already spend and take into consideration other things I want to do, I just might leave it in the store. 3.) eating out all the time is a HUGE waste of money. I already knew this, but I was just acting like I didn't. 4.) I can save a lot of money by not drinking.I plan on sticking to my no liquor til vegas kick. I have made an exception for wine tho. Long as it's stuff I already have in the house.

I'm not gonna sit here and act like I have changed my ways and done a complete 180. But I am definitely going to do better after this last two weeks of punishment is over. 13 days to go!

Running out of straws...

It's day 4 and I still have not spent a dime. I think this first week is going to be a breeze. I'm not even feeling any credit card withdraw.... Unless the fact that I am looking forward to going to the eye doctors on Friday just so I can get that feeling of swiping my card and signing the little slip of paper one more time counts. Then maybe I'm feeling it a little.

Right now I think my biggest challenge is getting back to eating healthy. All I have in my house is carbs and ingredients to bake more carbs. Take last night for example. For dinner I ate a box of stuffing. That's it. No meat, no veggies no nothing. Just me and a big ol' plate of stuffing. As I was making the stuffing, I knew it didn't make any sense, but clearly I didn't care enough to stop. Smh... got to do better. Maybe I'll take a page from the book of Rolea and set up a short term goal. Something simple, something attainable,  hmmm.... Ok, here's one. For the rest of this week, I'm just going to drink my shakes. No real food til Saturday. NO EXCEPTIONS!  Damn, in my mind I'm already cheating cause I'm thinking about the change I scrounged up this morning for the vending machine. It's like I've failed before I even started... FML

So what's all this got to do with straws? Nothing really, but I am running out of straws, literally. This morning, when I realized that I was down to my last few, I was trying to decide if I would buy more when I ran out, or is this something I would sacrifice for the sake of this whole exercise in self discipline. Yeah I know it seems insignificant, but it starts with the small things. And that's what this is all really about. It's nice to be able to travel, go out to eat and things like that and know that my bills will still be paid, but it may not always like this. I need to know that if times get hard, I won't have a problem giving up all the extra stuff and just getting back to the basics.  At the same time this is also kind of my punishment for blowing my budget for the past 7 months in a row unnecessarily. Oh well, I'll just suck it up. Nothing lasts for ever.

I might have a problem... (Just one?!)

I actually have several problems, but this one happens to be the flavor of the week. Today is Friday and I have pretty much been sitting in the house ever since I got back from vacation. The reason for that is because I AM BROKE for all intents and purposes. Come Christmas time, there will be no presents for anyone, no traveling home for me and no after Christmas shopping. Gotta take some action now! Operation spend no money needs to be in full effect. Let's recap how that's been going so far....

Yesterday I went to get my oil changed. That's all, no more, no less. Now of course I already knew I needed new breaks cause my car has been screaming like it's being tortured for the past month. To make a long story short they got me for over $250... FAIL!

Ok, that was a necessary evil, I'll take the L but what about every thing else? Like I said, I've been sitting in the house all week for the most part. I figure if I stay in the house, I won't spend money right? WRONG! Online shopping might be my weakness and I swear if the devil were to take the form of a tv station it would be HSN. Buying stuff on line is WAY easy. It's almost like I'm not even really spending money, not until I get that Amex bill that is. Now, maybe someone would say oh just cut up your credit card, then you can't use it.... mmmmm, not so much. I know my credit card number better than my ABC's. It's such a problem that I was at the mail box a couple of days ago and I see the UPS truck coming down the street. I think absolutely nothing of it until she stops in front of my house. The driver gets out and tells me she has a package for me. I'm not sure if I actually had a confused look on my face, but that was definitely the tone of my thoughts at the time. I couldn't even remember what I had ordered! I didn't figure it out until I saw where the pkg came from... smh.

So today starts a new billing cycle. I'm gonna be good for one full month. I have to be cause I'm going to Vegas at the end of August and it would really be a shame if I had no money to spend out there. So Operation Spend No Money is going to be in full effect! No exceptions! Starting..... right after I submit this last order to HSN... No, I mean after I go to Sakura's tonight for Brian's B-day get together... Whew! The devil is busy, Pray for me.