I have written this blog for nearly 19 months now (well, I’ve had it that long, I took that break earlier this year but let’s ignore that time). I write about making bad choices and learning from them. I urge you all to read what I’ve done wrong and learn from it. I hoped that I would learn from it and make the right changes in my life.
Well I’m here to tell you that I DID NOT learn my lesson.
I went through money in September like it was my job.
Now part of it was the two moves in 6 weeks, utility deposits, moving truck costs, general new apartment expenses, etc. And part of it was my trip to Chicago for FinCon. But by and large, the biggest budget buster in September was eating out! There were days when I ate out two meals. I ran to McDonald’s multiple times a day because I am a HUGE Coke (read Coca Cola) addict. I took the kids out to eat far more than I should have.
My waist line suffered but more importantly so did my budget!
So when I read about the No Restaurant in November 2011 challenge at Enemy of Debt, I knew I needed to take part as well!
And so, starting Tuesday November 1, 2011 I will begin a month of NO Restaurants.
This means NO McDonald’s Cokes! (I may, in fact die!) No vending machines before class for that quick sugar rush. No running through the drive-thru on the way home because I’m too tired to cook.
This month, I plan and I spend wisely!
Do you think you could do this? Wanna take a stab at it with me?
(with a little editing from me)
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I am a new reader and I do love your honesty. We have a lot in common. Not too long ago I was a single mom of 1 with crazy debt and no money, no job..heading to Bankruptcy. It took crazy discipline to get where I am today and by most standards it’s not “perfect” but it’s better and that matters to me.
Hubby and I decided November will be a no take out month for us too. 1 to see how much we lose in weight, 2. how much we save from our budget. I will be following you along and hopefully we can all encourage each other (I convinced a few people to join us too and I will forward this post to them).
Good Luck!
Jesort415(Quote)
Thank you so much for commenting! I’m glad you found my blog!
I look forward to hearing how you do this month! I think with determination, we can all do it!
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
I am doing the Enemy of Debt No Restaurants challenge too!
I used to get terrible migraines and headaches, ever since I was like 15. So about 3 months ago I decided I wouldn’t drink any soda, or sugary drinks. Now I just drink regular coffee, water and V8 juice.
It was rough at first, and you will probably have some withdrawals like I did. But once you get past it, you don’t even notice it. And it feels SO much better. I haven’t had a single headache since…Imagine that!
Good luck with the challenge, let’s rock it!
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Carrie – Careful Cents(Quote)
Carrie, I KNOW that I need to quit drinking the pop but so far, yea not so much. I use to drink only water, never drank pop. But I’m addicted now. I even went to the grocery store yesterday to buy some. I figure $5 for a 12 pack of gans is cheaper than fountain cokes from McD’s (although not buy much if you look at it ounce for ounce.). I need to take this plunge!
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)
I would totally jump on board, but I haven’t eaten out for 3 weeks. I think I might just have to finish out this month of not eating out. That means I can pick up Chinese food on November 11! This wasn’t even planned, so I’m craving pizza or Chinese like nobody’s business.
Christa(Quote)
I would love to do this but I have an reservation for Noma ( The Best Restaurant in the World ) that took me months to get, flights, hotel etc booked so can I do it with just 1 day off?
Restaurants are by far one of my main budget breakers but saying that I do dook from scratch most days and spend a fortune on ingredients as I do try to buy locally sourced & organic products. This is actually the hardest area for me cut back on.
Good Luck for the month!!
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sammie(Quote)
WOW! That sounds like one hell of a trip!! I can’t imagine all that for a meal at a restaurant. But that isn’t my “thing.” I hope it was worth it for you and it was everything you wanted!
Jessica The DebtPrincess(Quote)