Three Activities That Are Killing Your Budget (2024)

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posted on 13 January, 2015

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It’s funny when you take time to think about where your money goes and why it’s going where it’s going. Writing about personal finance for so long…basically my finances I’ve realized a couple of things: society is set up to make you spend your money the minute you step out your door.

How Do You Entertain Yourself?

Isone of the most important financial questions you should be asking yourself. If you find the majority of how you entertain yourself involves spending money, then you may have found a gold mine of money savings that could be applied to debt repayment.

The Three Activities That Are Killing Your Budget

Clothing shopping:

I have to say that shopping for clothing was very entertaining to me. I enjoyed thinking of how my new clothes would reinvent me! I enjoyed (depending on the store) the bright lights, the music, and the occasional free mimosa and croissants-yes that happened recently. Having shopped all over the world I have to say that, in general, shopping in the U.S. is a very fun and welcoming experience. People smile at you, give you helpful tips and give you helpful critique on what you’re trying to purchase. Conversations are typically open-ended not just limited to your purchase but can extend to general inquiries about you, your life, and your family. Especially if you become a regular. When I go to to Papyrus, the manager KNOWS me , gives me hugs, and asks how I’m doing. Clearly, I go to Papyrus too much.

Eating Out:

I love, love, love eating a well-made meal at a super cool special event with a theme. Because I love doing that I make a very conscious effort to avoid eating out of my home as much as possible. In fact, it is very unusual for me to buy a quick lunch out, or just eat dinner out on the fly. I do also enjoy going to a nice happy hour as well. This is a pretty tricky category because a lot of American eating out has also become very social. So, I try to balance out these types of outings with free fun (biking/walking/hiking) or just meet with my friends for coffee. I am very fortunate that they are very supportive and open to my financial habits and that they are also looking to keep expenses down.

Grocery Shopping

This is the “ringer” in the group. I am sure that none of you were thinking that grocery shopping could be an entertaining activity-but…it really is! Especially if you’re a foodie, enjoy eating, or watch too many cooking shows. As a foodie I find myself really excited about all of the new ingredients, techniques, and food possibilities that are out there. Since I have to eat every day this has proven to be a huge challenge. Americans have an amazing amount of food accessibility compared to many other countries around the world. We also have a ton of space available for food storage, as well as, huge refrigerators, and freezers. I have aggressively worked on eating clean, not eating packaged foods, and food diversity. This approach to eating has really changed my approach to grocery shopping and helped me manage the compulsion to go grocery shopping at the drop of the dime.

How To Manage These Activities and Save Money

Use what you have-It’s important to really be aware of what you already have. I think that being aggressive checking what’s already in your home (food/clothes) and being aware about using what you have, helps to change your perception of not having anything in the home. For most people you will need to do a 30 day challenge to really trigger this awareness.

Do a 30 Day Challenge-My longtime readers will know that I am a huge fan of doing 30 Day Challenges. I am such a fan of doing them that I am considering writing an e-book about the importance of doing these challenges a couple of times a year. When you successfully completely one, you eliminate the following phrase from your language “I don’t think I have the self-control to do…”

Grocery Shop Once A Week-If you are grocery shopping more than once a week, I would encourage you to really look at what you have, create a meal plan for the week and then stick to it. People pop in at the grocery store throughout the week as a result of not knowing what they have in their home. By going once a week you will save so much time-and money!

Are You Using A Grocery App? No? Start Today and Save Money!

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Michelle

I am an obsessive foodie, but not self-righteous with it, love travel, meeting new people, helping you look good, and am freaked out by people who don't enjoying reading...something! Grab a Perrier, read my blog, feel free to drop me a line! Hope to hear from you soon.

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