August Spending Diary, continued…
August 10: No spend day!
[Side income earned: $20 for babysitting]
August 11: $14.91 at Brixx Pizza Oven with good friends; $8.80 at LOFT (I exchanged one top for three sale tops; this was the difference)
*A restaurant I love with people I love; sure, it’s debatable (or maybe not so debatable) whether I should spend the money on that, given the numbers I just crunched about upcoming expenses. This was already on the calendar, and I bowed out of going to see The Help after dinner. What I’m liking about my spending habits these days is that I’m reserving my spending for things I need or really enjoy; there isn’t any mindless spending, no convenience spending (eating out by myself or picking up takeout because I failed to pack a lunch, etc.). I’ll keep working on trimming back the spending, though!
August 12: No spend day! [And I was proactive about side hustle; I emailed a woman I babysit for to let her know I was free Monday afternoon if she was interested--and she was! Yay for filling in free time with side income!]
August 13: $4.85 at Chick-fil-a; Gas. [Sadly, I also lost 2 hours of work time because I was sick in the morning; I went by Chick-fil-a to get a soda to settle my stomach and ended up getting a kids' meal as well... obviously I've been updating this spending journal as I go, because the pronouncement above about my newly improved spending habits no longer seems to apply by the 13th! Sigh... ]
August 14: $2.65 at Panera; I took my Littlest Sister to the mall to purchase a pair of athletic shoes before taking her to work. She wanted to pick up lunch, and I ended up getting a bagel as well. I also went to Staples to get more filing supplies (I’ve been revamping my filing system–I’ll show pictures soon!), and I spent $6.02 more than the gift card my grandmother had given me a few weeks earlier (tape for my labeler = expensive!).
August 15: $15.89 at Total Wine. I decided to try Bota Box wine. The box is the equivalent of four bottles and lasts for four to six weeks, so it’s a pretty good deal per glass. Plus, they say Cab is chock full of flavonoids that are good for you! 
[Side income earned: $50 for the afternoon babysitting]
August 16: No spend day!
[Side income earned: $25 (for babysitting this evening) + $120 (for babysitting this morning and last Wednesday)]
