There are some actions I perform in my life that, in the past, I haven’t allowed much brain time. If it’s something Ifeel I  need to do, I just do it. Like spending money on a Lyft ride to work when it’s freezing cold outside. (I DESPISE the cold weather) I spend part of my paycheck on a monthly bus pass every month, so technically using extra $$$ ($25 extra to be exact) to ride from my apartment to work on any given day is ludicrous. But when I’m too cold to stand on a bus stop, the status of my bank account drops off my radar. However, spending my hard-earned $$$ on buying food is an expense I need to pay careful attention to.

As a current private duty nursing assistant, I’ve found it easier to save money in hospital

Recent Subway receipt: Veggie Delight sandwich with guacamole (.75 cent add), with coffee and baked chips: $7.78 (tax included)

cafeterias or on-site Subway restaurants because, well, I’m not there! 🙂 But I can’t say it’s a lesson I’ve learned yet. On the odd moments when my patient has been admitted to a hospital and I’m there with him for the night, I can’t help but get excited by the convenience of the 24-hour Subway that I can access at 3 a.m. when my hunger pangs usually get the best of me. Oh, and when I did regular agency work, I could always count on Flamer’s in the John’s Hopkins cafeteria to serve up one helluva tasty veggie burger at 2 in the morning. But do these choices make better financial sense than packing my meals?

Ummm no. Of course when your belly’s growling practical  thinking is an afterthought. But let’s look at the numbers a bit.

A six-inch veggie patty  sub at Subway is about $4.50. When I worked agency full-time, I got a veggie patty sub AT LEAST  three times a week. That’s $13.50 per week. I guess in the grand scheme of things, $13.50 a week doesn’t seem so much, but it does add up. If I worked in a hospital with a 24-hour Subway and spent part of my paycheck in there at least three times a weekl, I’d spend $54 in a month – $$$ I could use to pay my cellphone bill, part of my monthly grocery bill, part of my monthly wi-fi bill, part of my transportation bill. And this is only calculating the sandwich. I didn’t add in the coffee I always get, and perhaps the bag of baked chips if I’m having a salt craving.

Of course you’re probably saying that this is a bit more nit-picky for your tastes, right?. Perhaps you’ve got more self-control than I. Maybe you could limit your spending to one meal-out per work night/day? That makes sense and I’m impressed with your willpower. I’ve tried that. I’ve also tried the mindset of: “It’s okay to splurge a little;” or “It’s okay to treat yourself.” Neither work for my personality. It’s waaaaayyyyy too easy for my mindset to allow a little to turn into a lot.

But even if I controlled my spending, I still wonder: Does it make sense to give back the $$$ I just earned to the company that paid me those $$$? Or, in the case of agency work, give back the $$$ to the workplace where I was sent to make the $$$ the agency will pay me?

Either way, in trying to save money it makes sense to look where I’m spending unnecessarily and cut back.

Are there areas of your life where you’re spending unnecessarily? Can you cut back without feeling cheated?

Thank you for reading.

Peace and blessings 🙂