No Eating Out

I need to save some money. October 16 is only six weeks away, and so far I don't have anything saved. The main reason for that is my car, the money I have in my account right now will be used for new tires and if Tom can't figure it out, getting my O2 sensors replaced. Bleh. Stupid car.

Anyways. I've been racking my brain for ways to make some more money on the side, and so far I haven't made much progress. I can't pick up extra shifts at work because they are already scheduling me full time and I'm not allowed to work overtime. The catering company isn't busy enough right now to need any extra help. So I thought maybe I could clean houses for a couple weeks. But I don't even know how to get started on something like that. I jumped on to Craigslist to see if there was anything that looked appealing. I actually found something that might work out. Research groups. I signed up for two of them and I am waiting to here back. One session averages from $125-$300 so if I could get a couple of those in that would definitely be something. We shall see.

So it's looking like odd jobs aren't going to help too much, so I need to be EXTREMELY careful about what I am spending. I don't spend much already, I never go clothes shopping or anything like that. But I do eat out here and there and buy little things that aren't necessary. So this means my plan for this week is to eat what I got at the Farmers Market today. No going out. No shift meal at work. I can do this. I bought eggs, bread, sausages, goat cheese, beets, eggplant, onions, corn, field peas, tomatoes, potatoes, and yogurt today. I have some rice, quinoa, and other random stuff in the pantry too. So, that should be plenty for meals all week! Plus I'll allow myself to eat family meal a couple times this week. I need to start watching how much pasta I eat though, it's not helping me lose weight.

So, I spent $70 at the Farmers Market today. That's about normal. But it's also normal for me to spend around another $50 on average eating out on top of that. And I will be honest, this means some produce goes bad sometimes. I'm not going to let that happen this week. When Tom gets back we will treat ourselves to eating out a few times, so until then I can't eat out at all. This is going to be tough for me. I love random Chipotle days, buying food at La Tavola after a shift, etc. It will be fun, though. Part of what I've loved about shopping at Farmers Markets is being forced to get creative with food. Not using a recipe to go shopping. I get what is in season, and then figure out what to do with it. I think Tom will be surprised at how I've gotten more comfortable in the kitchen :) I used to let him do most of the cooking.

Today for work I'm going to use a bag of mixed greens to make a salad with some tomatoes, walnuts, and goat cheese. Some boiled eggs on the side for protein. (I love boiled eggs, but not so much on my salad.) Oh and some apple too, perfect! On that note, I need to go get ready for work! Wish me luck this week, I'll hate myself if I cave!