Monday, December 25, 2006

Silent night, holy crap!

$1,218.10. That's how much I spent on Christmas. At the very least! That figure came from adding up all the purchases I made using my debit card. (I try not to use credit cards.)

Now, this figure includes not just gifts, but clothes I bought to attend Christmas parties, food I bought to entertain people, Xmas stamps and decorations... But still. In my mind, I figured I spent about 300 bucks. Maybe 400. Seriously! That's what I had convinced myself of. Even though I knew perfectly well that one of my gifts for my husband, Marvin Gardens, was over 200 bucks.

Holy bees.

I am going to be startled out of my gourd when I actually start this no spending business in a mere six days.

I got four cookbooks and two dicers (and a sharp knife, which Marvin Gardens may use on me when he reads this blog entry) for Christmas. All of my loved ones know that this no spending is really going to affect the way I eat. And I think they are concerned that I will starve to death.

Now, first of all, I can live off my own body fat for at least four months. Then, after that, I'm sure I can work out a food plan.

Here's how I eat now: in the morning, I either buy something at the restaurant in my building at work (it is called Trimana, but I call it Try-not-ta, as I am constantly trying not to eat there all the time) or I eat oatmeal at my desk. I have a few boxes of that packet oatmeal in my desk. It is pretty much the only remotely healthy eating I do.

At lunch, I ALWAYS go to Try-not-ta. I'd say once a month, on average, I bring a lunch from home. At Try-not-ta, I usually get the day's special, which ALWAYS includes fries. And I get a giant lemonade to drink. The special is $7 every day.

Then, for dinner, I pick something up on the way home. Mexican food, Japanese food, Subway, fast food. Marvin Gardens doesn't get out of work till 8, and I go to bed at 9, so we rarely eat dinner together. In fact, we've recently made it a rule that we DO make it a point to eat together two nights a week. So, TOGETHER we have Subway, pizza, etc.

Technically, I should weigh 789 pounds and I should be wearing a barrel, cause I spend so much on convenience food. So coming home and actually cooking is going to be very weird for me. Even if I cook relatively fat-filled stuff, I'll probably be more healthy than I currently am.

So, that's the news from over here. I am broke and probably have clogged arteries. I was soooo smart to decide to not spend next year.

Merry Christmas!

5 comments:

Sam L. Parity said...

Normally, I'd complain about this, but I really like my gift!

Ingrid Abrash said...

Hey, I stumbled across your blog and find it quite fascinating since we're both trying to do something new for a year. I've linked your blog to mine, www.rulesforayear.blogspot.com. If you're interested, please do the same. I need advice and commentary, but I DON'T want to publish it to people who know me; despite blogging, I really believe in privacy. (And agree with your husband about the names). As for the shoe problem, I'll be really interested to see how that plays out. I've been getting shoes repaired, rather than buying new ones, and strangely, it costs almost as much. Would you consider shoe repair necessary?

Anonymous said...

I have often wondered what I spent on Christmas and was too terrified to count. I know that my cards alone go into the $150 range, even with printing the color part at work.

Still, I am not happy with you, Hair-as-big-as-mountain...

How will you see Grandma when I'm visiting?

Ingrid Abrash said...

Hey thanks for the comment! Very much appreciated, especially the part about societal pressure. That's a whole other blog, no? Coincidentally, today I spent $18 getting a pair of Anne Taylor pink pumps fixed. Love those pumps, and $18 isn't enough to buy another pair of shoes. Still, it's shocking every time. It depends what you're getting done -- in my case a whole new sole, cleaning, fixing the heels, etc. Be warned.

mynameisgee said...

I can totally relate to the subconscious denial of the excessive spending. I am very happy for you that you will be eating healthier. You've inspired me to start cooking, other than chopping lettuce for lunch. Thank you for your blog. It's very entertaining and inspiring.=)