Brown Bagging Is The New Black

I've been doing some calculations recently on how much money I unnecessarily spend each week, and how much I've been "saving." In finally analyzing my lifestyle choices, I've discovered a wealth of options that both cut spending and help my fitness goals. Two birds, one stone —count me in!

Stupid Expense #1

I failed to mention to you lovely readers that I kicked my Starbucks addiction weeks ago and started carrying my own thermos of chai tea every day to work. Not only did that cut an estimated 1,000 calories out of my week, but saved me around $30 each week. One large Starbucks order is the cost of a month's worth of tea bags, sweet n low and low-fat half & half. Why didn't I think of this sooner?!

I'll admit kicking the addiction wasn't easy. This stuff is like crack! Aside from the caffeine dependency, I pass four or five Starbucks on my daily commute through the city! I would quietly whimper to myself, walking by each one and smelling the espresso goodness wafting through the doors. I had to sip from my thermos and convince myself that it was better than the real deal. Entering the minimal calories into my tracking app was the only solace I had during the first few weeks of detox. Eventually the shaking and night-sweats stopped, and now I can confidently brush past a Starbucks without even glancing at the sign! My home-made tea rocks. Really.

Estimated Monthly Savings: $110

Stupid Expense #2
The day I finally bucked-up and learned the NYC subway system was truly glorious. I was kind of forced to due to a part-time job that had me running around the island of Manhattan into unexplored territories. Racking up taxi expenses wasn't exactly a viable option. Then I started spoiling myself. My regular job is a straight 12 block walk from Penn Station. Well, taking the 1-2-3 trainline cut 10 blocks out of that hike. I was in my glory, minimizing that fifteen minute walk to a quick two minute ride down Seventh Ave.

That wonderful shortcut started costing me $22.50 a week. I know it doesn't sound like much, but when you factor in the $75 weekly train ticket from Jersey, I was spending nearly $400 a month just to get to work! Any sane person can assume that's absolutely ludicrous. So in an effort to minimize my expenses, I've tossed out my metro card and laced up my shoes (O.K. well I held onto it for rainy days. 12 blocks in the rain isn't fun). The walk really isn't terrible. It takes about 10-15 minutes and burns off a chunk of my breakfast. It's a good thing I have this tea to keep me energized...

Estimated Monthly Savings: $90

Stupid Expense #3

I've never been big on packing lunch. Even in high school I always bought my lunch from the cafeteria. Brown bagging made you a dork for whatever reason, and I've carried that stigma to the workplace. The cool people go out to lunch together and the lame people sit at their desk alone with a soggy ham sandwich. I don't know where we get these ideals, or if it's really just in my own head, because honestly your mom packing a homemade lunch shows that you're probably loved more than the "here's five bucks" parents. Somehow that extra-special attention was turned into "you're poor" --probably by some jealous, spiteful rich kid.

I'd like to take a moment and thank my mom for all of those childhood years full of egg salad and bologna sandwiches. You always took the time to prepare what I loved to eat and bought us colorful insulated lunch sacks to store your handmade delicacies. I may have complained every week about not having dunkaroos and fruit roll-ups, but your insistence on not purchasing these pricey snacks kept me lean until my teenage years (when I demanded to buy lunch like the cool kids and spent your hard-earned cash on cookies and ice-cream, rather than the schools sad excuse for a hot lunch).

I'm now packing my lunch on a daily basis. Granted I've only been doing this for a week and a half, I plan to stick to it. Seeing that money sit in my wallet all week has been quite joyous, and I can keep a better handle on how many calories I'm consuming. Sure I gaze longingly at the variety of sandwhich shops and cafes on my walk to work, but having an extra couple of bucks at the end of the week to maybe treat myself to some take-out for dinner is a beautiful thing. Lunch in NYC gets expensive. The average meal will suck about ten bucks out of your pocket and even more if you opt for delivery! There are some major savings to be had in this department.

Estimated Monthly Savings: $150

These three areas alone are projected to save me around $350 each month. Wow, that's a lot of cash! Think of what you could do with that much money every month... That's a new 32" flat screen television; or a new summer wardrobe; or a weekend getaway; or a nice chunk of credit debt removal; or an extra car payment; or a new cute piece of Ikea furniture; or a start to an actual savings account. The list could go on forever, and that's EVERY SINGLE MONTH! Now the only problem is actually recognizing and holding onto that savings. It's really easy to blow it in small chunks every other day. Actually, it's too easy, especially for me. I haven't really recognized any of these weekly savings since I started implementing them. Where does the money go?! I think I need to start keeping track of my expenditures and monitor what black hole this money is falling into. Hmm... Maybe there's an app for that too? ;-)