Habits that are working well:
- Pre-preparing my breakfast oatmeal the evening before. I set out the saucepan with three cups of water, and set the measuring cup of rolled oats beside it, making things easy for my sleepy, pre-caffeinated morning self.
- It's also working well packing my lunch the night before in the metal tiffin tin/bento box UFF Dad gave me for Christmas. I put the lentils and rice in the largest compartment, salad in the middle, and some dried fruit or candied ginger in the shallow top tray for dessert.
- Trying to walk a mile on one of my two 15-minute breaks. In my town, 12 blocks equals one mile, and I can walk a 15 minute mile when striding. I usually go to the library, which is only a couple of blocks from my workplace, to check out the "Lucky Day" shelf on the other break.
- Since I'm walking and browsing the library, I stay away from the second hand clothing and craft stores. Less temptation that way.
As a friend noted, decisions are fatiguing, and we have a lot of them to make every day. Making the the healthy and frugal choice into the default choice, by establishing habits, is setting myself up to make the choice I would ideally want to make. (You know, the one I would choose to make when not tired and wanting to lie on the couch with my knitting, a glass of wine, Grantchester, and a bag of chocolate).
UFF Dad stopped by Trader Joes and spent $15.44 for groceries. Here's what he got:
- Two 1-lb bags of hulled, roasted, and salted sunflower seeds (one for our emergency food supply stash)
- One package of large, Tofurky brand vegetarian Italian sausages
- Two gallons of nonfat milk (at $3.49 each! No more Trader Joe's milk--that's more expensive than my closest, fancy-spendy grocery store)
- One package of dried cranberries, which seemed oddly small. I realized that while the price hasn't changed, the package has gone from 12 oz to 8 oz! Phooey on you, TJ!
Money spent today: $15.44
How is your Uber Frugal January going? Please share!
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