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Wednesday, February 13, 2019

City Savvy: Money Diary

Welcome to my Money Diary! I enjoy reading all the diaries on Refinery29 so much that I decided to dip my toes into the spend-tracking world and see how I can improve my spending and save some cash. This is all part of my new City Savvy series where I show how you can still live your best life in the big city even while you're on a budget. Stay tuned for more and I hope you enjoy my diary this week!

Money Diary - Week of February 4, 2019

Monday, February 4th:
6:30AM- Wake-up pretty reluctantly which is a surprise for a Monday. I sit around in bed and answer any texts I missed from the night before and do a quick social media browse. I roll my eyes at the fact that the Patriots won ANOTHER Super Bowl. Then I head to the bathroom to do my hair/makeup. I have the same routine everyday which makes getting ready a breeze! I pack some hard boiled eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast along with my lunch and head out the door to the subway.

8:00AM- Arrive at work and prep my breakfast. I try to eat at work if possible so that I'm not starving by 10. I keep my Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Seasoning at my desk for my eggs because it's the perfect addition! Then I make myself a free coffee from the work espresso machine. I'm trying to not only cut back on my sugar coffee drinks but my spending at Starbucks. After I eat I start checking emails so the day can begin. 😴

10:00AM- I convince my coworker to come check out the new coffee machine in our cafe only to get there and see it's already out of order! We instead head back to the machine in our area and I have my second cup of the day.

12:30PM- My lunch today is kind of random in the fact that the only thing I had to bring was leftover spinach and artichoke dip! Another coworker brought leftover wings so we split the two and have a delicious Super Bowl party-like lunch. He rates my dip 10/10!

3:30PM- For Valentine's Day this year my friend Sam and I are doing a girls night out since we're both single (honestly when am I not single?). We decided we want to look extra cute for the occasion so she orders a red dress online and I order a cute pink one from Amazon. $28.99

7:30PM- Finally get home after working an hour of overtime and dealing with the annoyance that is the New York City subway system. Why are the trains always packed at the weirdest times? I get into my building and see my HelloFresh box has arrived! I recently started using HelloFresh in the new year and I'm obsessed (do I feel a blog post coming??). It forces me to cook and since there are two servings per meal, I get dinner and lunch out of it! For dinner I cook a previous HelloFresh meal I didn't make last week and it still tastes delicious. $60.93

9:00PM- I input all my new HelloFresh recipes into my Weight Watchers app to keep track of my points. I find this to be a bit tedious but I don't want to cheat myself! Then I shower, read some of The Outsider by Stephen King, and then go to bed!

Daily Total: $89.92

Tuesday, February 5th:

6:30AM- Wake up to my usual routine. Today, however, I make a breakfast sandwich in my favorite little device to switch things up. I pack everything in my bag and am out the door to catch the train!

8:15AM- Eat my breakfast and drink my free work coffee. Get an email that it's Double Stars Day at Starbucks but I am staying strong! I do however, go to DSW's website as I am in desperate need of new sneakers. All that NY walking really wears out your shoes! I order a pair of Nike's and use VIP coupons to get $15 off! $44.99

12:30PM- Lunch time! I eat my leftovers from the night before along with a free Diet Pepsi from the fridge.

2:00PM- Sam and I decide we want all-you-can-eat sushi for Valentine's Day so I find a steal on Groupon that will give us 2-hour unlimited sushi and 2 drinks for $30 each! $30

5:30PM- Manage to leave work on time even though I have a huge print job that needs to be done. I trust our in-house team I just get so anxious when something is out of my control. The trains are a mess, as usual, but I love being able to walk home and clear my head of all my work worries!

6:30PM- Dinner time! I make some HelloFresh pineapple poblano beef tacos and I'm actually kind of disappointed. The seasoning is different from the other tacos I've made with HelloFresh so my guess is that's what's throwing off my tastebuds. I still pack the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I also finish the first season of Sex Education on Netflix. It's very strange but funny so I enjoyed it!

9:00PM- Showered, in bed, and reading The Outsider. Fall asleep within 30 minutes.

Daily Total: $74.99


Wednesday, February 6th:


7:00AM- Sleep in a little late today as I just have to go to Grand Central for a meeting instead of heading to Midtown. I do my makeup routine, get dressed, and then treat myself by making a breakfast burrito! While cooking the bacon, I set off the smoke detector (it's so sensitive it goes off at least once a week) and frantically use a broom to try and divert the "smoke". My roommate probably hates me.

8:30AM- I was tempted to stop and get coffee because of my hectic morning but thankfully I didn't because our meeting space has the cutest little coffee bar setup! I make myself a cup and grab some lemon water before we start discussing an upcoming program we have coming up. Free is the best!

10:00AM- I talk with my career mentor a bit after the meeting and catch her up on a few things before our formal meeting next week. I meet with her once a month to discuss any issues I have with my career and she gives me great advice. She's also been in this industry a long time and has introduced me to so many people. I treasure her dearly! Before we say goodbye I grab a free snack from the coffee bar to hold me over on the subway to work.

12:15PM- Completely forgot it was my coworker's birthday so I decide to treat her to lunch! She's actually moving on to another company soon so any time I get to spend with her the better. We go to a place close by with $10 lunch specials and they just so happen to have a $6 wine special, too! Bonne Anniversaire, mon amie! $39.44

3:00PM- Time for another free coffee at the fancy machine. This is slowly becoming my new favorite afternoon pick-me-up.

5:30PM- Sam and I decide we deserve a glass of wine after a hard day's work so we head to Pret-a-Manger after work and Bumble while we drink. Dating in NY is so hard and exhausting but joking about it with friends makes it better. She buys this round and I'll get us next time!

7:30PM- Get home late and I do not feel like cooking. I decide instead I'm craving pasta so I order some off Grubhub. It winds up being 30 minutes late (this is the 3rd time this has happened to me with Grubhub) so I'm not eating until practically 9. The food wasn't that good, and I paid extra for garlic knots that weren't worth the cost! $37.00

9:30PM- I got my dress I ordered and it's way too small (could it be because I eat too much pasta? nah...). Amazon clothes are definitely hit or miss. I'm so disappointed! Shower and go to bed so mad/tired I don't even read my book.

Daily Total: $122.88

Thursday, February 7th:

6:30AM- Wake up from some crazy dreams. I do my usual routine and bring hard boiled eggs/low sugar oatmeal for lunch since I didn't cook last night. I also decided I'm going to intermittent fast today since I ate way too much pasta last night. Fingers crossed I make it til noon!

8:30AM- Grab free coffee from the cafe and try not to think about eating. Thankfully I have plenty of emails to keep me busy.

12:00PM- I CAN FINALLY EAT! I eat half a Take5 bar and savor every bite. Then I eat my lunch and steal a few fries from my coworker.

5:30PM- A few of my coworkers decide we want to grab a drink after work so we head to a local dive bar. From my lack of eating I start buying a lot of drinks and wound up spending way more than I should have at the bar, but my excuse is my annual increase finally kicked in and I want to share the wealth with my friends, and I owe Sam a drink! Plus all the drinks were $6 so in the end it was a steal for NYC. $75.30

9:00PM- Of course intoxicated Lexi wants Grubhub, not any food she has at home, so I ordered Chinese food that I could have just as easily bought across the street without the delivery fee and tip! At least it was faster than last night's order? $30

10:00PM- I call a few of my friends in Colorado to gossip before deciding to call it a night. I half-ass wash off my makeup and dive into bed.

Daily Total: $105.30

Friday, February 8th:

7:00AM- Roll out of bed and do my usual routine. It's raining today which always puts a damper on my mood. The Chinese food from last night is making me a bit queasy (I refuse to say I'm hungover) so I munch on some saltines before I leave. Guess intermittent fasting isn't happening today!

8:45AM- At this point I'm just HUNGRY so I grab my coworker Jaime and we run to get bagels from my favorite local spot. Is there anything better than a NY bagel? The answer is no. I get a pumpernickel everything with sundried tomato cream cheese. Yum! $4.15

12:30PM- Since I didn't cook last night I have to venture off to find food. We decide on Chipotle because as soon as one person says they are craving Chipotle we all do! I try the Sofritas bowl with guac and it's actually pretty good. $12.41

5:00PM- Getting hungry at my desk so I finish the rest of my bowl. Now I won't be tempted to go out to dinner! I finish up my work and head home. My friend texts me asking if I want to meet up later for drinks but I decline. I'm so exhausted!

8:00PM- Already in bed and showered. I read some more of The Outsider and then watch a few episodes of Frasier until I drift to sleep.

Daily Total: $16.56


GRAND TOTAL FOR WEEK: $409.65


Lessons Learned:
Um, to say I spend too much on food is an understatement. I think I need to train myself that even if I'm too tired to cook, I should still make something easy rather than dropping so much on Grubhub that is going to show up late anyway! With tip and delivery fees a simple meal is costing me more than groceries that would last a week. What a wake-up call! I'm pretty proud of myself for resisting Starbucks and Dunkin all week, especially when the office coffee can get so plain and boring. Go me!



How do you track your spending? Have you ever thought of writing a money diary? Let me know and happy saving!






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