I’m all about spending money to align with your values. I love traveling, watching movies and working on my sewing. So every month, I want to show you, my reader, what I’ve bought. I budget $200 for entertainment every month and while that might seem small (or large) to some people, I want to show how much it can buy if you spend it wisely.
Here are my entertainment expenses for the month of December:
- Parking: $2.
- Movie tickets to “It’s a Wonderful Life”: $8
- Library fine: $2
- Starbucks for myself and a mentor: $7
- Balaclava to walk my dog in the cold: $27
- Gift certificate for a friend: $15
- Arby’s while I was shopping: $5.50.
- Jo-Ann’s where I got bobbins for my sewing machine: $5.
- Venmo: $2.72. I owed a friend some money.
- Jo-Ann’s for more craft supplies: $4
- Tennis shoes at DSW: $34
My new kicks! Apparently you have to replace tennis shoes more than every 2 years- Movie tickets to “Love Actually”: $4
- Snacks for myself and a friend while watching “Love Actually”: $15
- Library fine: $1
- Shipping for eBay: $11
- Getting a dress tailored: $40
- Brunch with out-of-town friends: $17
- Zipper foot for my sewing machine: $9
- “Game of Thrones” season 2: $24
When everyone was still alive…I realized recently that I love going to movies with friends, especially movies we’ve already seen. I have a ridiculously low alcohol tolerance so going out to the bars either involves me bumming a ride from someone or getting a cab (which is a big frugal no-no, although much cheaper than a DUI). Going to the movies, especially on a matinee or with a coupon, is a much better option. I also love buying DVDs, especially when I can get them for 50% off on eBay. Holla.
My only regrets this month are the shipping costs for eBay (way underestimated those costs) and library fines (still cheaper than a Redbox). The brunch out was with some old friends I hadn’t seen in months and while I could’ve skipped the snacks at the movie, I came straight from working out and didn’t think to bring a snack.
Luckily DSW had a great sale and I was able to nab my sneakers on clearance. A pair of my heels is coming undone right now and I’ll probably have to get those fixed sometime soon. In general I’m trying hard not to buy lots of clothes.
All in all, I’m fairly content with how I spent my money this month. I spent a lot of it with friends and on my hobbies – two of the things I most value.
