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...or rather, I should say, my inability to control how much I spent during these outings is what killed my budget this week (gotta take some ownership here) 
Event 1 (5 days ago): Friend in town for her birthday
$30: card and gift
$12: paid for my friend to valet her car since she picked me up and drove
$10: alcohol
$60: dinner (yes, $60...and it should have been less--why does it seem I always pay more than my share in big parties??)
Event 2 (2 days ago): Ex boss visits from out of town on business (and it happens to be her bday too)
$10: card/gift
$30: dinner
$15: drink @ bar #1
$15: drink @ bar #2
I also had another friend in town for a wedding one day after Event 1. She wanted to go out for brunch, but thankfully her hubby overslept so we skipped the brunch thing.
I'm going on a cash budget for entertainment/dining out/etc next month. Looking at the above, I spent almost $200 going out just 2 times!! Ideally, that would be my budget for the entire month!
At least now I'm making strides to comb through expenses like the above with a small tooth comb...it's becoming obvious that going out can put a major dent in the budget. I think I need to do better at controlling what I spend...for instance, at Event 1, I should have passed on buying my friend a gift or gotten her a cheaper gift. And probably should have not had any alcohol. I didn't know she was going to be here until 2 days before time.
Event #2: Should have skipped one of the drinks, I guess.
Anyways, I think by writing these things down and using cash for a few months, I'll get a better handle on how much I'm spending on "outings". What REALLY sucks is that I really didn't get much food for what I paid for, and it didn't even taste that great
Event 1 (5 days ago): Friend in town for her birthday
$30: card and gift
$12: paid for my friend to valet her car since she picked me up and drove
$10: alcohol
$60: dinner (yes, $60...and it should have been less--why does it seem I always pay more than my share in big parties??)
Event 2 (2 days ago): Ex boss visits from out of town on business (and it happens to be her bday too)
$10: card/gift
$30: dinner
$15: drink @ bar #1
$15: drink @ bar #2
I also had another friend in town for a wedding one day after Event 1. She wanted to go out for brunch, but thankfully her hubby overslept so we skipped the brunch thing.
I'm going on a cash budget for entertainment/dining out/etc next month. Looking at the above, I spent almost $200 going out just 2 times!! Ideally, that would be my budget for the entire month!
At least now I'm making strides to comb through expenses like the above with a small tooth comb...it's becoming obvious that going out can put a major dent in the budget. I think I need to do better at controlling what I spend...for instance, at Event 1, I should have passed on buying my friend a gift or gotten her a cheaper gift. And probably should have not had any alcohol. I didn't know she was going to be here until 2 days before time.
Event #2: Should have skipped one of the drinks, I guess.
Anyways, I think by writing these things down and using cash for a few months, I'll get a better handle on how much I'm spending on "outings". What REALLY sucks is that I really didn't get much food for what I paid for, and it didn't even taste that great
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