So here's the thing: I'm really not good at sticking to a budget and saving money. I've tried some strategies (or outright vetoed them), but they haven't worked. I've tried to make a budget. But then I freak out and panic when at the end of the month I've "run out" of money. And so then I delve into the stash I supposedly put away for a rainy day, all because I've found something interesting at Target. Or Old Navy. Or Bath and Body Works. Or Sur la Table. You get the general idea. I've considered the trick where you withdraw cash at the beginning of each week and use it for all your purchases. This way your money is tangible and you can better keep track of your spending. I've flat out vetoed this option. I mean, what if it gets to the end of the week and I have no cash for a latte?
I'm painting a portrait of myself as a wasteful spender and power shopper. It's really not that bad. I tend not to recklessly purchase a lot of stuff, and I don't buy things I don't need simply because they're on sale. Most of the time anyway (I do have a weakness for kitchen gadgets). Yet, each month, I wonder where my money disappears to. And I just read that your twenties are the best time of your life to save money. And well, I have only three months left.
Fortunately, Drew is pretty good at this sort of stuff, so I'm taking lessons from him. I have decided that in an effort to save money and reject consumerism, I'm not going to buy anything unless it's absolutely necessary. And disposable. So rent and my phone bill are okay, but clothes and a fancy immersion blender are not. I haven't decided how long this will last. And I suppose it's pretty easy to embark on this challenge, considering I just went on a shopping spree a couple weeks ago. Nevertheless, I've decided that I'm tired of not saving money, and I'm tired of acquiring "stuff." And sometimes I just don't like participating in our consumerist society.
I made a budget, and I've enlisted Drew's help. Here's how that went:
Me: Drew, if we're in a store and I see something I really want, don't let me buy it. Instead, I will write you a 5 page essay on why I think I need said item.
Drew: uh, do I have to read it?
Well that's a silly question, right? So I agreed to pare down my essay to 2 pages, even though he thought that 1 would be enough. Then I told him that if I said that I REALLY needed to buy some kitchen gadget, I had to find 10 recipes that will use said kitchen gadget. And then I have to make them.
This all sounds so anti-feminist. I mean, women fought so that I could make my own money and spend it as I pleased. And here I am, asking my boyfriend for permission before making extraneous purchases. Gloria Steinem would probably smack me upside the head.
I'm painting a portrait of myself as a wasteful spender and power shopper. It's really not that bad. I tend not to recklessly purchase a lot of stuff, and I don't buy things I don't need simply because they're on sale. Most of the time anyway (I do have a weakness for kitchen gadgets). Yet, each month, I wonder where my money disappears to. And I just read that your twenties are the best time of your life to save money. And well, I have only three months left.
Fortunately, Drew is pretty good at this sort of stuff, so I'm taking lessons from him. I have decided that in an effort to save money and reject consumerism, I'm not going to buy anything unless it's absolutely necessary. And disposable. So rent and my phone bill are okay, but clothes and a fancy immersion blender are not. I haven't decided how long this will last. And I suppose it's pretty easy to embark on this challenge, considering I just went on a shopping spree a couple weeks ago. Nevertheless, I've decided that I'm tired of not saving money, and I'm tired of acquiring "stuff." And sometimes I just don't like participating in our consumerist society.
I made a budget, and I've enlisted Drew's help. Here's how that went:
Me: Drew, if we're in a store and I see something I really want, don't let me buy it. Instead, I will write you a 5 page essay on why I think I need said item.
Drew: uh, do I have to read it?
Well that's a silly question, right? So I agreed to pare down my essay to 2 pages, even though he thought that 1 would be enough. Then I told him that if I said that I REALLY needed to buy some kitchen gadget, I had to find 10 recipes that will use said kitchen gadget. And then I have to make them.
This all sounds so anti-feminist. I mean, women fought so that I could make my own money and spend it as I pleased. And here I am, asking my boyfriend for permission before making extraneous purchases. Gloria Steinem would probably smack me upside the head.
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