This is happening.
THE GOAL:
Save. Save. Save.
Sustain, and possibly enhance a healthy-ish lifestyle.
Find clever ways to cut spending.
Stick with it! While money is important, the commitment is even more so.
THE RULES:
Does this need mentioning? Dining out, drinking out, or any unneeded spending—of any kind—is out of the picture.
Vital exemptions to The MOWOSP: Food, water, and shelter. (But very limited, indeed.)
Water, gas, and electric will be staying. (I have an obligation to the utility companies as well as a roommate who'd dislike dining in the dark.)
Shelter- You get the idea.
Food is a bit trickier. Previous MOWOSPers seem to have stockpiled food in a spending rampage prior to go-time. (Which sounds a bit like an addict's binge week before rehab, right?) And again, my personal goal is to do this MOWOSP in a healthy fashion, so keeping fresh ingredients is a must.
Food rations for week #1 are already in my fridge, and I'll take out a small amount of cash to use for the remaining 3 weeks.
Transportation- Necessary for making-money purposes, one tank of gasoline will be rationed for the month. (Which hurts just thinking about.)
Miscellaneous: Doctor's appointments ($10 per visit) and my gym membership ($28 for the month) are things I've pegged as necessities. While that last one is usually the first to be kicked off a budget, I'm keeping it around for a few reasons. Firstly, it actually COSTS money to cancel; and secondly, swimming, which unlike running or a team sport, is particularly hard to do on the street. To add a bang to my buck, I'll be able to take advantage of their other activities like volleyball and old-lady water aerobics.
Exciting.
Alright.
GO.
Up next:
Dinner—Sponsored By The Samples On Toothpicks At Kroger.
Stay tuned.
