I’m going to be running an experiment for the month of October (actually starting this week). I’d like to cut out the daily coffees and almost daily snacks and muffins I’ve been buying. I also want to cut out or down on eating out. I’m spending about $450 every month on this, and it doesn’t seem like a great use of that money!
I know you need to live a little, but honestly – over the last few months, those coffees have been a ritual instead of an enjoyment. And the weekly muffin is scoffed down without much thought – going directly to the hips and stomach – while reading the terrible NZ newspaper.
In comparison, I’ve had two blissful afternoons in the last two weeks. The first afternoon I cycled around the harbour – always a beautiful route. I gazed at the scenery, enjoyed the sunshine and exercise, and felt pretty free to do whatever I wanted.
The second afternoon I spent walking around Onehunga. I did a bit of shopping (shouldn’t do this so much!), had a packed lunch in Jellico Park, and spent a good hour sitting in the park just thinking and planning and coming up with ideas. I walked past a Cash Converters and spent some time trying out their second hand guitars. I then went home and played on my cello for an hour.
Both times I didn’t need to spend money, unfortunately I did. And that money spent didn’t add a whole bunch to the experience.
The point is, there’s a lot of different things I could be doing that’s not paying for coffee and sugary treats. I want to break this cycle and see what it’s like to not have this automatic urge to buy coffee all the time. At the end of the month I’ll see if it’s worth paying for it – and perhaps I will reset that particular hedonistic treadmill. I’ll try report in on this experience over the next few weeks!
(Also posting this on my blog -
https://kineticfreedom.wordpress.com/2017/09/26/cutting-down-on-fancy-pants-living/ )
Feel free to join me if you're keen :)
