ALL ON FOOD!
It’s hard to understand it. It really is. I have a spending log in my planner, and I update it daily. I write down any amount of money I spend. And it wasn’t until a couple of days that I noticed that 98% of my spending is eating out. And also my friends asking me what I have been eating. And yea, there were a couple of interesting phone calls. I am a college student; this can not last. If you think about it, I almost spend $1000 on eating out a month.
Groceries used to be about $100 a week for me. So $450 a month. Yes I need to invest in a kitchen. But whatever, I need to find a better solution in the mean time. There’s no way I would be allowed to install a stove in my dorm. I can’t even have smoke, so I can’t even show people my AWESOME-burnt cooking skills.
I always thought that I would save money in college, but yea that didn’t happen. I got distracted and complained that the dining halls were too far. Yea they are but my wallet is going further and further away from me. So, I need to let it stay where it is until I get a job. Then, it can start coming back closer to me.
I think there were just so many good reasons that I came up with each time I decided to eat out. I would choose Panera instead of our school cafes and bakeries. Yes it was more expensive, but it would be worth it. “I could eat my chipotle avocado sandwich. I could get a soufflé. And I can just use my dining card some other day.” Getting out of my dorm and getting more fresh air would have been better “excuses.”
I can find variety of food on my campus. It may be 5 more minutes of walking, but it will be worth it. There was not a need for me to go out to eat when I had an option of pre-paid meals. I would have saved more money from my wallet and finally stay on track for the meal plan I BOUGHT (well my parents bought).
I also just loved going out to eat during weekends whether it was with friends or roommates, and I didn’t notice all those meals were piling up. Each meal and tip given to the servers piled up fast. My spending log on the weekends were filled with $5 at Starbucks, $12 at Chipotle, and $20 Chinese Food. Not to mention all the GrubHub and UberEats orders. Yea, it was a lot.
Most of my spending was during the weekends, and not much during the weekday. After class, I could just go straight to the dining hall, and then go back to my dorm. So, the convenience and on-the-go options allowed me to control more of my spending.
But on the weekends, it was another story. Splitting the check with people especially large groups was just too much. We would all just randomly order entrees and appetizers (dumplings), and then the bill would be like $30 (including tip) each person.
For some, that might be nothing. But when I wasn’t in college, I would spend max $15. And sometimes that would also include delivery/service fee. The extra $15 would just add up, and led me to spend $200 a week. It was double the regular amount.
It was crazy how much I was spending. I am not regretting the food or the moments I had. I just know I need to control it a bit more. I do not have the luxury or $ left to keep doing that. And I don’t work anymore as part-time. I also had options that I ignored because of my laziness.
Every once in a while eating out was okay. But I abused my choice of options. I didn’t think about it. Every once in a while shopping during sales was also okay. But if I decided to place an order at Urban Outfitters ($50 orders for free shipping) weekly or bi-weekly was also dangerous.
There’s just so many changes and things that we need to experience first, before we realize that we messed up. I am only realizing now that I messed up because I have had time to experience loss and mistakes, and now I can analyze them and correct them.
I need to learn to manage and track all my actions. I tracked the amount I spent, but I didn’t really analyze it. The data was there. It was a good habit to track, but I never followed up on it. Therefore, there was really no point. I needed to want to change all my spending into healthier habits.
My spending log was just the same thing as my bank transaction history. It didn’t tell me how I was buying a lot of unnecessary things or eating too much. It just gave me numbers. And numbers are just numbers. I had to make those inferences and calls to stop.
So, shoutout to all the people that reminded me about my impulsive spendings. And sorry Panera and Urban Outfitters, you will not be seeing me soon. I need to make a small change in my lifestyle. I am a college student, and I am running out of very important green papers.
Love and peace.
