High Money Days

Alot of money has been spent over the past few days, but most of it has been things that are fairly necessary, at least for where I'm at right now and what I'm doing.

1. I had to spend 23.00 on a new drivers license. There's really no way out of this people. However, I did have to pay a 1.00 late fee since my last license was expired. Be aware of your drivers license expiration date and renew before it completely expires. I only had to pay 1.00 but different states have different rules and you can save a good chunk of change by not accruing those late fees.

2. I finally had to get gas for my car. I only had $20.00 to spend, which doesn't get very much these days. It took me just over half a tank of gas. Make sure to find the cheapest gas in your area. I've also heard that the best times to get gas are in the morning. As far as gas mileage goes, keep your tires inflated and your car free of extra weight that's not needed. And be conscience of how much you drive. Walk or bike whenever possible.

3. Food over the past few days has cost a little more than usual, mostly due to our own failure to plan. At Wal-Mart, we spent a whole $10.00. Unfortunately, we only got 1.5 meals out of it, sloppy joes one night and then we had some bakery cheddar buns for tonight's meal. It wasn't a total washout though. We scored some more sugar free drink and cheese, as well as some bananas and cookies for snack purposes. Tonight, we splurged on dinner and ate out, though if you want to go cheap and like pizza, Little Caesar's Hot and Ready deal is great. For 7.50 we got a large pizza and a thing of breadsticks and made it last two meals.

Lazy Day Options

Being limited in what you can and can't do because you don't have the money is really tough. What I need to remember is that when I do get money, I do not need to spend it all at once, but by saving and budgeting it, I have a better chance of not finding myself in this position again.

Said position is me stuck at home, not wanting to go anywhere because of the need to save on gas. Grocery shopping needs to be done, but I only want to make one trip, so I'm waiting until the BF gets out of class so I only have to drive once and then park for the night.

Not going anywhere meant having to find something to eat and keeping myself busy all day. Lunch was macaroni and cheese. If anyone had an Aldi near them, I recommend giving it a try. They have mac and cheese for about 33 cents and it's actually comparable in taste to the name brands. That's my opinion, and I'm sure not everyone would share it. Aldi is along the same lines of a Sav-A-Lot. It's a bring your own bag and bag your own stuff place that offers fairly low prices basic grocery goods. The funny thing about Aldi is that you sort of "rent" the cart by putting a quarter in a slot to release it and then getting your quarter back when you return it to the cart corral. This is their way to save on labor. They don't have to hire anyone to go chase after stray carts.

Note: Mac and Cheese is very starchy and carby, and should be served as a side with some sort of protein. As I have no protein in the house and am making do with what I got, it didn't make a bad meal for a lunch.

So what does one do when she's homebound? See list below:

1. Cleaned house
2. Looked for cheap living tips online
3. Engaged in Facebook poking wars with friends
4. Uploaded photos from digital camera onto the computer
5. Played Guitar Hero II

None of these things are an immediate cost to me, though internet does cost most people and if you don't have a digital camera or Guitar Hero, it's not overly frugal to go out and just buy it.

Other things to do when boredom sets in:

1. Read
2. Write a story or a poem
3. Journal
4. Organize something (you may find things to sell for extra money)
5. Watch TV or a DVD/VHS
6. Call a friend (which I can't actually do since it costs me cell minutes)
7. Take a walk

In truth, I'm not going to pretend that anything is that exciting when you'd rather be out driving around and/or spending money. But be aware that there are always options, even when you're feeling extremely poor.