Just wanted to mention...

I HAVE NOT SPENT ONE CENT TODAY!

This might not seem like a big deal to you, but I live in New York. Also known as, "The City that Never Sleeps and Never Stops Spending." Or so I've heard.

Think of the obstacles I have triumphed over/avoided today:

830AM - Fruit cart on the way to work: usually buy a banana. Today? DENIED, Mohammed!

1045AM - Browsed J. Crew and ShopBop. Can you read?? I browsed!

1230PM - Lunchtime. I brownbagged and watched instantly on Netflix as per usual. Bliss.

330PM - Afternoon snack? Green tea and chocolate on the company dime, stocked in the kitchen. Pure bliss.

7PM - Reheated the chicken tacos I made last night. Muy bueno y sin dinero.

9PM - Took a bath and read Essence while listening to depressing, yet romantic, old school Feist. Totally free and freeing.

1125PM - Realized that I have yet to pay my Time Warner bill that is due today. Paying that ish tomorrow online just to save face. I'm on a roll, alright?

So proud and I didn't even plan this! Let's see how tomorrow goes, shall we?

FIN

Taxis vs. public transportation vs. jet packs

I was looking at my bank statement today and noticed that the word "TAXI" appeared like 312 times. Not really, but geez Louise I take a lot of cabs. OR I DID.

My excuses?

• "It's too late to take the train"
  
• "It's raining"
• "It's too hot"
• "I have on heels"

No more excuses, chief!

I am now going to make a valiant effort to either take the subway or bus or just walk my chubby ass home. I wanted more exercise, right? The whole city is what? Thirteen miles long? Washington Heights to Williamsburg, I should be walking with my income. I fortunately live, work and play downtown, so I walk. And when I do take cabs they rarely run over 10 bones. But still! It adds up.

One trick that has helped me through the years when I'm debating between the cost of anything is what I like to call, "Manhattan Math." Three cab rides is one week's worth of groceries. Or three loads of laundry. Or three drinks at the bar. The last one is dear to my heart.

It's really not worth it unless you're sharing a cab with friends. So I'm saving my cash and paying $2.25/per ride on the subway (I don't get a monthly card since my commute is pedi one, so I buy a few rides at a time). Plus that $2.25 gets you to your destination AND offers panhandler entertainment and Missed Connection sideways glances! Can't get that added value in a taxi.

And yes, jet packs will soon be an option. The future is near! You can count on it!


FIN

I'm fit, mate.

Okay well, "fit" might be a stretch, but I'm relatively healthy. I eat alright (see previous post - i'm working on it), I try to drink like 64 ounces of water a day and I have the great advantage of being able to walk to work. It's about fifteen minutes each way, so I get my thirty minutes/day in just by showing up to my job in Battery Park.

I used to pay $85/month to go to New York Sports Club, but canceled my membership last July to save cash. I now run the Brooklyn Bridge or East River Esplanade to get in cardio and I play soccer for a Sunday league in Astoria.*

But I miss the machines of the gym. I don't want to get all Madonna or The Man Whose Arms Exploded or anything, but a nice tone all-around would be nice. Also, running and the running around in soccer burns a lot of fat, but I have no muscle. I can barely replace the water cooler at work without hyperventilating. And that's only 40lbs.

Any tips on getting buff sans Bally's? I mean, I can do curls with cans of green beans, but there's gotta be other ways to get toned without the help of gym machines. What are ways to stay strong without spending a ton on a gym membership? What do you folks do??

*Rereading this, I sound sooo athletic and active! Ha ha. If only I didn't compound all that activity with booze and brie.

bad news, good news: lunches

Bad news: I bought lunch today at Flavors.
Good news: I cut that ish in half and will eat the rest tomorrow.
Spent: ~$10
Paid: via Debit Card

My mother taught me to do that years ago, but since living in NYC and even back in college years, I never wanted to take stuff home because I was rarely going home. I was always going to straight to the bar after dinner or to a friend's house or something - and I never wanted to carry my foil duck around the club. Tres tacky, no?

But now we exclaim, "We're in a recession! Wrap it up!" at dinner tables the world over. I've been in a personal recession since I signed my soul over to the College Foundation circa fall 2000, but in typical (and former) Blaire style, I never took left overs home. The next day at work, I would charge a soup and salad at Pret instead. Pathetic.

Thoughts? What are your tricks and tips on getting by for cheap when it comes to lunches, dinner, etc? Do you buy in bulk on Sunday to last all week? How can you buy healthy but cheap options? That is my biggest concern.


*Would also like to mention that I will NOT be documenting my spending like this. Not this often, not daily. I think I'll just write about topics where I can save or where I have made mistakes - in this case, both somehow.

Escape from the debts of hell.

The first step is admitting there’s a problem. Alcoholics use it and I think it fits my case as well. My problem: I’m broke.


How’d I get in this situation, you ask? The three major factors:

1. Living beyond my means: buying things I can’t afford and going places I shouldn’t without anything in the bank. I live in NYC where one can literally spend money in their sleep. And yes, I’ve done that before.

2. Comparing myself to others: “I’m not in nearly as much debt as Katie!” Tsk. Tsk.

3. Saying yes. To everything. Since I was little, I’ve always been afraid I was going to miss out on something. Everything in my mind was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. These one-time opportunities have come and gone, but my credit card debt is still there, lingering, whispering, “You’re a dumbass, Blaire. That shirt at Marc Jacobs was not going anywhere and you look sort of fat in it.”


But things can (and will) change.

Aside, from running more often to look good in that shirt, I am embarking on a financial cleanse, retiring my old habits and learning to “make do” with what I got. Officially beginning September 1, 2009, I am a new woman. I’m cutting up two of three of my cards and changing my lifestyle. Any tips are welcome. Any cash you’d like to offer is better.

Why am I doing this? For a lot of reasons, but mainly because I’m better than this. I want to feel like a responsible, 26-year-old. I want to be able to buy a goddamn ticket home to see my brother when he’s on his two-week leave from Iraq. I don’t want to get stomach pains every time I write my rent check. I want to travel. I’d like to not worry about the guy of my dreams running scared when he sees my bank statement. Money isn’t everything, but it sure does help if you have a little for the important things.


Things I’m going to do here:

1. Write about my progress with le credit card debt (you’re going down, bitches)

2. Document my spending (every Metrocard, every Pinot Noir)

3. Document my saving

4. Research better ways to save, invest and cut back on things


Get ready friends. The first day of the next three years (or less!) of my life is near. September 2012, Visa will no longer own me. Assholes.


Check back on September 1 for official updates. Until then, I will be posting random things I find on the net relating to money, saving and mean credit cards.


Disclaimer: I may never reveal the grand total to you – for fear that my mother and father suffer heart failure - but know this, dear reader: it’s not a pretty number. I am not proud of my past frivolous spending. I know some creditor reps by first name. I’ve charged a single avocado. But you gotta start somewhere. To see results, I think I’m going to put things in terms of percent change, and perhaps when this great endeavor comes to an end (already feels good to say!), I’ll let you in on the total debt. Until then, stay on the edge of your seat. And to all moneybags out there, feel free to donate via the PayPal link. I'll smother you with kisses for life.