You look like you should be somewhere else.
So yeah, last week I attempted a spending freeze…then a hurricane decided to show up. Needless to say, I didn’t make it. I realized on Friday that if sh*t got critically crucial, I’d be unprepared. Wasn’t tryin’ to end up lookin’ like a dehydrated version of the alien in Signs, so I headed to the grocery store to buy stuff like Dove soap, water, and uncooked chicken breasts. You know, that mundane sh*t that nobody really cares about so I’ll spare all those insignificant details. However, when I was coppin’ batteries for my flashlight and realized the store was nearly sold out, I wondered how many of those batteries went into vibrators for chicks that weren’t able to lock down a man in time to weather the storm and keep it wet indoors?
Come to think of it, I failed before Friday. I ran out of lunchmeat on Wednesday so I had no choice but to make a quick run to the store to re-up. Then on Thursday I left all my stuff at work and had Friday off. More money wasted, but such is life. There were a few valuable lessons learned in the process of restricting my spending like I wouldn’t be seeing a paycheck for a while. Let me share and ish.
I’m a lazy cook. Therefore my lunches kinda sucked and felt more like S&M sans the rough release.
I really hate cooking. Like, it’s the bane of my existence but the key to my sustenance. I ended up making pasta and a few other things for dinner for the first few days, but my lunches were dismal. I wish I took a picture. My sandwiches were composed of meat (pause), cheese, a condiment, and bread. Of course I could’ve added veggies and all that, but then those veggies would’ve spoiled because I didn’t use ‘em all. Happens every time, so I’ve learned to buy just enough for what I need. Unfortunately for me, what I perceived as enough to quell my needs didn’t match the reality of my hunger. I body sandwiches like naked chicks. No morbidity, just pleasure.
Budgeting is a constantly changing process.
Well, at least at the beginning it’s a constantly changing process. Since I haven’t been tracking what I spend on food, it was difficult to gauge what it was I really needed. And of course there were other things that came up along the way that forced me to shell out a couple dollars here and there. I can’t live without chapstick and the occasional red bull. Just know that I’m not a slouched ass negro with ashy lips.
Alcohol can really eat away at the funds.
It wasn’t like I was out there buying 40s and six packs everyday. But just in buying beer for the weekend to keep me content indoors, I realized that it’s easy to drop 10-20 bucks in drank to keep me sated. You non-drinkers out there save a lot of money buying water, pineapple juice, and coke or sprite with grenadine. You have no idea.
Debit cards are the devil.
I’m just gonna go ahead and coin the term “swipe magic.” This has nothing to do with a tip drill. If you don’t get that reference, do some googlage and watch from home unless your job is an HR nightmare. Cash in my pocket equals “damn, I really just dropped $40.” A card through the machine equals “I know I got this I think.”
I like titties too much.
When all else fails, I always buy chicken breasts. They’re so easy to incorporate in meals that I default to them when I don’t feel like thinking. This is regularly the case when shopping for food. It’s also regularly the case that I end up throwing stuff away because I’m bored with it and can’t stomach any more. Pause?
That’s about all I got for now. What lessons have you learned in the process of trying to save money or be more conscious of the cash flow?
Mint.com, Forget-It.net,
#cosign on debit cards. Took a few BoA overdraft fees back in the day to realize cash is best. With cash I take all small bills and coins and save then. By the end of the year I have a good amount of money. I save 5s on down.
chicken breast? I’m sorry I never understood how people like that. Its so dry. Dark meat is tastier and juicier. Pause all over that. But while pausing think about it and see I’m right
I love dove soap. Kudos for using that and not Irish Spring.
Have you ever heard of mint.com? It will tell you exactly how much you spent on what. The alerts get kind of annoying ,but it help whip my financial house up.
#teamchickenbreast
Irish Springs used to destroy me. It provided the ultimate smell of manly cleanliness, but I paid the price excessive cocoa butter.
My goon, I live for Dove everythang! Even their conditioner is good.
When I used mint.com. I became painfully aware of how much money was spent on alcohol. I blame my college years and sorority socials. (dont judge me)
Lioness, dark meat is so dang greasy though but dang it’s cheap and goes better in my chicken noodle soup and gumbo. Breasts are better in quesadillas, casseroles, pastas and if you marinate them in buttermilk, really juicy off the grill. Your pause had me cracking up though!
Debit cards got me twice this year. It makes me so d@mn mad. We took off overdraft protection and somehow still got stuck with fees that second time. I wanted to smack that hoe in the middle of the bank but I was classy and just gave her a bad review. Just let me get an NSF in the store, I’m cool with embarassment, not with my account being on E because of the backward @ss way ya’ll do business.
I’m glad I never got on alcohol, coffee or cigarettes though, just too expensive. Do you feel like you could make it without it? After tonight’s happy hour you can go off it to restart your freeze. Or you can buy it at the beginning of the week and ration it out and when it’s gone you’re not allowed to buy more until your next paycheck. Ever tried couponing? Idk how manly couponing is but saving is dope. I’ve been meaning to try it.
Something doesn’t feel right about sitting there clipping coupons from the paper, but if it’s something I can get via email then I’ll have to reconsider.lol
I know I know but your boys don’t have to know you do it or you could get the chick down the hall to clip them for you. You can get them online too but a lot of sites want you to pay for them. I haven’t tried it yet
because I’m lazybut I’ve watched chicks on the Nate Show and one chick in Wal-mart do it and they save hundreds on groceries. The problem is I don’t eat a lot of packaged stuff other than meat and you don’t really see coupons for a bag of green beans. *shrugs*Since you hate cooking you can get a few friends together and each of you make a big batch of one dish that can be frozen and you’ll have dinner for each night of the week. That saves you time and since you can buy in bulk, a little bit of money. IDK how manly that is either though. How DO dudes save money? You can eat ramen for the forseeable future.
you can get coupons online now, everything is digitized these days.
I’m about to take some cash out now to be my “play money” when I go out of town this weekend. I know my debit card burns up trouble and I have upcoming trips and ish to pay for my fall got me looking poor already!
and as far as the cooking my first thought is THIS is why you need a girlfriend, but you don’t hear me though… lol
Gurl, I got a play money acct. That’s the only way I can check how much extra $ I spend when making it rain on strippers. Not. 2 debit cards for the win!
I started to say something about a GF in the post. This part of my life would improve tremendously with the power of booski.lol
“and as far as the cooking my first thought is THIS is why you need a girlfriend, but you don’t hear me though… lol”
FAIL. No, the ‘lol’ does not help. Yes, I’m being uptight.
Chicken titties? Lol I had no idea what this post was about but the title brought me straight here.
I’ve started couponing. And I love it. But the restaurant coupons encourage me to eat out more often than I should so choose a few of the best ones & hide the rest.
I get bored with chicken breasts too. Grill it, fry it, sautee it, it’s still a chicken breast and can be a bore after a while. I’ve started going to the grocery store a couple days a week rather than just on the wknds. That way I can buy something I’m craving, and I can buy fresh meat from the deli. I only buy enough for myself, which many times is less expensive than buying a pack of chicken or seafood that sits in my freezer untouched.
And many times the deli will have a meal practically already planned for you. Pre-seasoned meats & seafood, steak & veggie kabobs…all you have to do is throw it on a griddle & fix a salad. And if you don’t feel like cooking, buy pre-cooked whole chicken. Shred it, mix with bbq sauce & throw it on a whole wheat bun. You’ll have enough meat for dinner & tomorrow’s lunch.
I think you did great! A spending freeze isn’t meant to cut out stuff that you need so if you need more lunch meat or chapstick, that’s perfectly fine.
“I really hate cooking. Like, it’s the bane of my existence but the key to my sustenance. I ended up making pasta and a few other things for dinner for the first few days…”
lol I felt the hate oozing out of that sentence. You totally get an A for effort. Cooking can be fun if you keep it light; I especially make sure I do it leisurely(accompanied by a glass of something and awesome music) so that way it’s not a total chore/bore. Keep it up!
“What lessons have you learned in the process of trying to save money or be more conscious of the cash flow?”
Now it’s more of a lifestyle but the most helpful habit i cupped along the way is how to differentiate between needs and wants. Although I still get some want(s), I find that I’m able to allocate resources more efficiently.
Chicken boobs >>>>>
It is definitely my favorite part of the chicken as I’m a true carnivore. The leaner, the better.
The main lesson I learned in budgeting is to try to incorporate creative ways with what I cook. Even with my basics like chicken… and um… rice of course. lol I’ve made a plan for myself that says I have to bring lunch 4 days a week, treat myself to something one day a week (usually Friday, unless I slip up and buy something earlier in the week). I don’t ALWAYS adhere to it of course, but I’ve found I’ve saved money and it guarantees I eat better quality/healthier food.
I have learned through trying to save that if I stay my BUTT off of amazon.com and awaay from Borders, Barnes and Nobele and the like that I will save a whole lot of $. Case in point, Saturday I ordered 70.00 worth of random books from amazon and turned around Sunday to Borders 70% off sale and spent 150.00. I always justify it that it’s $ well spent on books, but Damn Gina. Either way you and your dismal recipes. SMH. E-mail me and I will send you some scrumptious hook ups
im still dying at the pic of the chicken cutlets LOL
I know that picture that is your avatar. I need to go and do that.lol
That picture almost made me not want to read this post. I like to see my chicken in a cooked state. And who do I want to cook it? Someone else.
But I did read it and the similarities between us are uncanny. I too am a budgeting, lazy cook, with a love for breast of the chicken variety. Your daddy doesn’t happen to be a white man named Robert? No? Oh.
lmao!