Month 2, Day 21: A Clutch of Minor Spends

So there’s been a bunch of minor spends this week that I’ve not been taking the time to put up one by one. So here they are, in no particular order:

• I thought I had a system figured out for eBay, a system for drawing in punters with items that start the bidding at 1p, with free delivery. I do not have a system. Lost £2.40.
• 67p for enough last-minute reduced bread to do me till the end of the month.
  
• £2.20 for Latte Wednesday
• £5.50 spent on chinese takeaway in a rare outburst of self-indulgence
• £2.76 for a book. I want a book.
  
• £30 spent on accomodation in Snowdonia, where I will soon be heading. The challenge seems too easy now, why not a weekend away?

My promise of not going on t’internet to look at the news in my last post was not held to. I know it’s Procrastinor’s wicked work, but I haven’t been able to fight it. What I do know however is that I was happier living in blissful ignorance than I have been this last week wallowing in my perhaps-not-so-paranoid-anymore fear of impending economic collapse.

Maybe a day walking round in the sunshine in Bristol, followed by a lovely trip to Snowdonia will cure what ails me…

Balance = £122.65 (-26.2%)

Day 14: Still Soldiering On

So barring my Valentine’s day expenses (£44.46, for a relationship that ended on Friday – ouch!), I hadn’t actually spent any money since the booze for the little pie party last Tuesday.

Last night, I was kindly invited for dinner in return for Tuesday’s pie evening by the marvellous Phil, Gemma and Colin. I brought along with me 6 creme eggs, £2.38.

I sent away 3 of the 4 things I sold on ebay. £44.47 so far in my paypal account, and £9.78 spent on P&P, for a net change of £34.69. The guy who bought the wireless card still hasn’t paid up though, the terrible bastard.

Oh and eBay never charged me the £1.20 they should have, so that’s a nice bonus.

What does this do to the balance?

Balance: £112.55 (+42.3%)

Yes! That’s much more like it. I reckon I will do as Omar suggested and buy a bag of dried chillies from Asda to celebrate!

I think the real story here is that in seven days the only money I have spent exclusively on myself was the purchase of some toothpaste. Part of the reason that I’m able to put up with all this austerity and self-denial without much pain is that my main concern right now isn’t lack of money. It’s the fact that I have a thesis to write, and it’s weighing on me like a ten-tonne weight. I really share Macca’s pain here, and I want to big him up because he’s so much nearer to judgement day than I am. So it’s quite easy not to spend any money on yourself on a Saturday night, when said Saturday night is spent working in the office till midnight. Thank god I was actually working on the Saturday though, the only thing grimmer and more pitiful than working alone at midnight on a Saturday is procrastinating on your own at midnight on a Saturday.

Not working today though, oh no. It’s been a near total write-off. I’ve spent most of it rubbernecking at the Max Gogarty flamefest. If not that then it’s the upcoming economic trainwreck that steals my attention. Oh, and there’s this delight too.

But all the same, I feel quite good about life right now. Got my guitar, got my bike, got a warm bed, warm house and nice people around me who put up with me even though I won’t stop talking about Max Gogarty or the End of the Financial World. Oh, and I’ve still got my whisky and Cuban cigars. Let’s not shed any tears for me just yet!