Money Diet Week 3: I’m Throwing My Money Away!

Hey everyone, I just wanted to address some of the comments on my last post, Eating In. Thanks so much for writing in! I didn’t mean to insinuate packing a lunch really cost me $0, but more that I wasn’t putting out any more money than I already had spent on groceries for the week. I hope that clears things up. Next week, I’ll post my grocery bill, so it makes more sense.

This past week was a wash! I never made it to the grocery store and ended up getting lunch at the cafeteria everyday. Not good. Next week, I’m definitely getting back on track.

Beyond just saving on food, this new money diet is making me infinitely more aware of other ways I simply flush my cash down the toilet. Namely, my gym membership. Really, I should say memberships. Currently, I have two. (I know, I know...) I joined one when I first moved to New York City that was close to my old job and it only cost about $30 a month—such a steal. But then I switched jobs, and it wasn’t quite as close anymore, making working out an even bigger struggle. And who are we kidding, I wasn’t making it there that much to begin with. But my new office has a gym inside. Any excuse not to go is just lame, even for me. So I joined in hopes it would jumpstart my plans to get in shape for the summer. But since I hadn’t read the fine print (which you should definitely do!), I didn’t realize my first membership was for a full year and I couldn’t cancel it at anytime, unfortunately. So I made a money-wasting executive decision: pay off the last three months ($90 down the drain) of my old membership and join the gym in my office at $60 per month. I was afraid if I put off joining to save money, I’d never get in shape! For me, the convenience of a gym I’d actually use trumped the money I essentially gave away to do it.

Thoughts? What would you have done?