1 ) I changed the way I eat
I used to eat a modest breakfast, a big lunch, and an even bigger dinner but, over time, I began to realize I was always over-eating late. So I changed things up. First off, I decided to skip breakfast. I realize most people (like Akemi) can’t do without something first thing, but I was never hungry in the morning so, instead, I simply enjoyed an early lunch. A massive early lunch because THAT would be my big meal of the day. I do a matcha latte mid-afternoon to tide me over, and then a light dinner – usually a couple of eggs, some yogurt with fruit and/or granola. I have never been a snacker, so 6:00 p.m. is my cut-off. No more food at 6:00 p.m. This decision was made out of a desire to be more health conscious. As it turns out, I had started intermittent fasting – not eating for 17 hours. Even though that had’t been my intent when I adopted this schedule, it’s really worked out for me. I’ve lost weight, generally feel better, and we save on those more modest dinners.
2 ) I got rid of my car
Like skipping breakfast, getting rid of a car is not feasible for most, but it was for me given I live downtown and most everything is within walking distance. And whatever isn’t within walking distance is an occasional bus or uber ride away. It’s been about six years since I sold my car and this decision has saved me the price of a car, maintenance fees, insurance costs, and parking expenses.
3) We adopted a dog with separation anxiety
Back in my previous relationship, I would eat out every meal. Almost EVERY meal. On the rare occasions we didn’t eat out, we would order in. I was 15 lbs heavier too! But when I started dating Akemi – who is a terrific cook by the way – our dinners out decreased significantly. Prior to adopting Sharky, my average had dropped to 1, maybe 2 outing a week, occasionally to one of those fancy high-end restaurants I used to love so much. Once we adopted Sharky, however, those fancy dinners became a thing of the past because we couldn’t bear to leave him alone. The only times we could go out would be for patio lunches that could accommodate a dog – and those were usually very casual places…and only open during the warm weather months. As a result, we have saved bigly on dining expenses.
There are other smaller steps I’ve taken to bring our monthly budget down including cancelling pointless subscriptions (adios, Netflix!), cutting back on those supervillain statues and t.v.-themed cufflinks, and simply having Akemi run a monthly budget to make me aware of how much I spend on lattes, chocolate, and whiskey.
So, I’m curious. Are you all cutting expenses? If so, what are you losing?
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