From a money spending perspective, the next week is going to be pretty boring for you to read about because unless something unexpected happens (which is always a possibility), I’m anticipating that it’ll be a no-spend-week. This is one of those Catch 22 situations when it comes to writing about being on a strict budget — what is boring for the reader is actually accomplishing a lot in my quest to stay under the minimum wage challenge goal. So while the posts aren’t going to be anything exciting to read about, they are moving me closer to the goal that I’ve set.
I’m house sitting this week so I have no housing costs, the refrigerator where I’m staying is fully stocked with a lot of perishables so I have plenty of food and I won’t need to go out and buy any, and I have a lot of writing work to catch up on so I have no plans to travel during the week. This is all great news, but not necessarily the most interesting thing to write about, especially since I have written about these things before. So until the owners return next week and I need to go to the grocery store to buy some basics for them upon their return, I don’t believe that there will be anything that I will need to spend money on. I’ll keep my fingers crossed on that.
I think in a lot of ways, this is where the misconception that living on a strict budget is boring. The truth is that when funds are limited, you can’t go and do new and different things every day. Instead, the limited budget forces you to focus on doing a few things, and making those into a routine. Many people have the impression that doing a few things over and over again is not exciting, but just because something is done time and again doesn’t necessarily make it boring.
I will be spending this week writing which is my “job,” but the fact is that it’s a job that I love. I’m pretty certain that it’s something that I love because for three years, in my spare time after my real job at the time, I spend hours every night doing it for no pay. At one time writing and blogging was my hobby that I would go straight to when I finished my “real job.” So while spending a week writing articles may not seem exciting to you as a reader of how I am spending my time, it’s still greatly exciting to me, especially since my head isn’t nearly as fuzzy and I have my concentration back to more effectively write.
The same is true with house sitting. Since I have written quite a bit about house sitting, it’s really not that exciting of a topic for me to write about here anymore, but for me, it’s tremendously exciting. I’m in a new place in a different state than I was last week. I have new scenery around me that rejuvenates me and helps me be more creative in my writing. I have new places to take my daily walks. And most importantly, I’m not is a home office of a house I own because that simply isn’t the way that I wanted to live at the moment and instead am sitting outside writing on a balcony with this view:
I guess the point I’m trying to make is that having the need to go out and try all types of new things is a sign that you’re still looking for those things that you really love to do. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. We all need to explore and find those things. However, once you begin to find the things that you do enjoy doing most (and despite what the TV and other advertisements tell you, it’s rarely things), the need to spend a lot greatly decreases because you aren’t trying all kinds of new things all the time — you simply concentrate on those few things that make you happiest. Do others agree or disagree with this from their own experiences?
My guess is that you have gotten a pretty good view of what my life is going to be like for the rest of this year. There will certainly be unexpected obstacles along the way, but the foundation has been put in place and has been working well enough that it looks like it can work for the rest of the challenge. The question is now whether those unexpected situations cause enough disruption to make it impossible for me to reach my goal.
So while I don’t really have anything exciting to write about today (I got up in the morning, fed the dogs, took them on a walk, ate breakfast, took a shower, wrote until noon, ate lunch, wrote until five, fed the dogs, took the dogs on a walk, ate dinner, wrote some more, went to bed), I hope that I have many more of them this year.
Today’s Spending
Food: $0.00
Car: $0.00
Housing: $0.00
Travel: $0.00
Health: $0.00
Misc: $0.00
Total: $0.00
Total Spending
Food: $278.02
Car: $227.00
Housing: $42.75
Travel: $408.26
Health: $2032.65
Misc: $67.81
Total: $3056.49
You’re never boring, Jeffrey! I have been anticipating your return!
Jeffrey, I agree that once you narrow down your likes and dislikes, it does cost less money. That is true for entertainment, and most certainly food. Sometimes you need to try new things, but perhaps find a new food at the farmers market instead of that new restaurant. We like home cooked better, though I still would like to be served once in a while. Enjoy your view this week. – Susan
Hej Jeffrey!
How are you doing with the challange? Did you give up?
I stopped writing about it although I am still doing it.
How much have u spent in the end! Now that it’s 2014? WhAt was the end like? Did u survive or fail and spend above budget? So sad u stopped writing this, your minimum wage challenge made this formerly 16- now 17 girl smile.
I did actually pull it off. I ended up doing a lot more house sitting than I do most years and a bit less traveling on my own. Basically a lot of what you read at the beginning repeated over and over throughout the year. Unfortunately, you were in the minority with enjoying it. The number of readers quickly diminished as I went along, so I made the decision to stop writing about it.