It Will Be an Interesting Week In Vegas

It's started out as a crazy week in Vegas and probably will only get crazier...

• The Consumer Electronics Show starts tomorrow.  That means over 200,000 people will be here for the tech show (and I think we saw a lot of them coming into town yesterday--the freeway was packed!).
• The weather has been cool, wet, and overcast which is really unusual (example here).  This must be one of the five or six days per year when we don't get beautiful sunshine!
• The BIL and SIL like to eat out at fancy restaurants everyday and they often take us with them.  On the one hand, the food is expensive and yummy, on the other hand this can't be healthy.  They have settled with letting me cook every other day which is a good start.
• A correction: in a post a few days ago, I said I was worried about the tens of thousands of Americans who would not receive their food stamps if the government shutdown continues into February.  I was wrong about the number of people who rely on food stamps each month, the total number of people who receive food stamps each month in the US is 42 MILLION PEOPLE.  I can't even imagine what would happen if 42 million people go hungry for even a few days!
• I came across this article today which is yet another good reason to pull your free credit report each year.
• And then there was this article warning people not to eat food that had spilled onto the roadway during a car accident.  The frugalista in me would probably have a hard time refraining from this :)

A Splurge

We celebrated the end of my job with hubby taking me to my favorite Indian restaurant today.  I really love Indian food and I try to make some at home (with marginal results) so going to my favorite buffet (Delhi Indian Cuisine) is a big treat mostly because it is quite expensive compared to any other meal we eat out ($13ish per person for the lunch buffet).  When we eat out it is almost always free plus I always compare the price of a meal out to how much food I can buy to cook at home for the same price (another buffet in Las Vegas charges $60 per person and I just can't justify spending that much for one meal when for the same price I can buy more than a week's worth of groceries!).

Splurge! And A List of Things I No Longer Pay For

I was debating about using my limited funds to get my nails done when my SIL surprised me with the cash for a mani and pedi.  This might not seem like much to most people but considering I haven't done this in many months, it was a very nice surprise for me.  A few years back this was a bi-weekly thing for me--every two or three weeks get my nails done--but now it is a rare treat. This was just one of the many reasons I was so deep in debt!  Then I got to thinking about the many things I no longer regularly spend my money on...

• regular manicures and pedicures (I do this myself but not very well)
• the newspaper (I read it online)
• magazine subscriptions (ditto)
• weekly clothes shopping (now I might buy something every month or two)
• a new designer handbag at least once a month (I haven't bought one of these in ages either)
• eating out every day (we have cut down to once every week or two)
• a home phone (I don't actually have a home now but still, a home phone is practically unnecessary for many people these days)
• bank fees (my credit unions offer free checking and savings accounts)
• gym membership (walking is free)
• buying books (now I read free books online or go to the library)
• expensive salon haircuts (now I go to the local place that charges $12)
• designer makeup (I've switched from the makeup counter at Macy's to the makeup aisle at Walmart)
• expensive perfume (now I buy a $4 bottle of scented lotion on sale at Bath and Bodyworks and skip the $80 perfume)
• movies in a theater (I walked by the movie theater at the mall last week just to see what was playing and was shocked to see that it cost $11 just to see a movie these days!  That doesn't even include popcorn!)

That's just a few of the things I thought about today when I considered how much I have cut my spending over the past few years.  These small changes really do save a lot of money!

Splurge!

For the first time in months, I actually splurged on something I wanted. My weakness is notebooks. Getting a new notebook with crisp, clean pages is so exciting I can barely contain myself! A new notebook means inspiration and new beginnings and...well I guess unless you feel the same, listening to someone wax poetic about paper is probably a bit odd. For others with this same affliction, there is even a website for us...check it out here.

So I was at the mall and I needed some inspiration. I have exactly 40 days to get in shape before we go to Las Vegas. After our first month in Atlanta during which I exercised every day, I have really slacked off. Add to that the mountains of yummy food hubby cooks daily and more snacks in the pantry than you would find in a convenience store and, well, let's just say that even my "fat clothes" are getting tight.

I was at my favorite store (Barnes and Noble) and I was lost in their huge notebook section and I figured that if I got a new notebook I could track my efforts to get in shape and lose weight during the next 40 days. There were plenty to choose from ranging from expensive (about $10 each) to super expensive (around $20 each). I saw the notebook pictured above and just had to have it. It is a Moleskein notebook designed specifically to log your health and fitness and food and goals and...basically everything I wanted to do. I was sold. I did have a coupon for B&N which came in my email box but it was only for 13% off. Eighteen dollars and ninety five cents later I left the store with my new notebook in hand, properly motivated (I hope) to make some significant changes to my health in the next six weeks.

Of course I could justify my splurge...I figure that if I don't have anything from Starbucks (another unfortunate weekly habit) for the next 40 days I will have more than saved the cost of the notebook...too bad I can't justify the $189 Marc Jacobs bag I saw at Nordstroms!