Let’s just say that trying to save money has never been my strong suit. I wouldn’t compare my spending habits to Rebecca Bloomwood in Confessions of a Shopaholic, but I definitely ~treat myself~ a little too often. I decided I would try to stop spending money unnecessarily and here’s how it went.
Every morning my daily routine is to get up, get dressed, and drive to Dunkin Donuts to get an iced coffee. Every day I spend $2.87 on coffee, which adds up to $20.09 in a week. Although I always viewed Dunkin Donuts coffee as a necessity rather than an option, I decided for the sake of saving money, that I would start making my own coffee in the morning. On Monday morning, I woke up and used my roommate’s Keurig to make my morning coffee. Overall, it was fast and I got to sleep in longer because I didn’t have to worry about the Dunkin line. The coffee was fine and I got the ~caffeine fix~ that I needed in the morning. But TBH, I ~really~ missed my Dunkin coffee.
Another way I decided to save money was to stop ordering takeout. This was hard considering Uber Eats and I are practically best friends. Between classes, homework, and the gym, it is difficult to go grocery shopping and actually cook dinner. On Monday, I took a trip to the grocery store and bought food I can prepare for the week, which mostly consisted of pasta and chicken because I am no Betty Crocker. The first night I made pesto (from the jar) and penne which was actually very good. Cooking a meal for myself made me feel good and like I was finally #adulting. It was even nice not having to track my food on an app for once. I will definitely take this cooking experiment and turn it into a lifestyle.
As a 21-year-old senior, I get to enjoy the privilege of going to Two Dollar Tuesday at the Grape. Drinks for only $2? Count me in. However, after going every Tuesday and ordering 5 cranberry vodkas (sorry, mom), my bank account has been taking a hard hit. This week I decided to skip the ~two dolla Tuesday~ and stay in instead. This was easier said than done because I suffer from the terrible disease known as FOMO, but it was raining so it was a little bit easier to resist the Grape and, honestly, I really enjoyed staying in. I watched Friends and woke up Wednesday feeling wonderful.
In conclusion, I learned a lot about my spending habits from this experiment. I learned that if I am going to cut corners and save money, coffee is not the place to do it. Dunkin, I missed you and will never leave you again. However, Uber Eats and I are now on a little bit of a break since I realized that I actually enjoy cooking. I even realized that I do not need to attend every two-dollar Tuesday. You live and you learn, collegiettes!