Goal: Accomplished

Last week, I noticed that fast food appeared to be a spending problem for me. [Just typing that I started to have a Taco Bell craving. Argh!] I'm back to say that I didn't eat any fast food at all this week. Yay!

In fact, I cut my against ban spending to less than $25 this week.

• 1/13 - Amazon - $11.09 - Angela Davis, Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
• 1/15 - Michaels - $6.42 - some paper
• 1/15 - Starbucks - $5.13 - chai and cake pops

I'm giving myself a pass on the book I purchased from Amazon. It's for a book club and I couldn't get it from the library in time. Also, it's going to help me learn more about smashing the white cis het patriarchy, which is definitely worth the money.

The paper at Michaels was a definite impulse buy that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't followed my habit of going there every week after getting done with my volunteer time at the animal shelter. I'll be avoiding that bullshit this week.

Starbucks was a mistake that resulted from not checking how much I had left on my gift card. I thought I had $5 or more left. Turns out I had $2 and some change. Oops. That won't happen again - I only go to Starbucks when I have a gift card. And now I have to admit that this counts as fast food. They have a drive-thru. It counts.

So, I lied, there was one fast food incident this week but I got my against-ban spending down to
$22.64, compared to last week's at more than $50.

I'm about to go on an 11-day "Christmas" vacation. Though I've allowed myself a fast-food-while-on-the-road exception, I'm going to get some snacks and try to make the 13-hour trip back to Northern NY with minimal fast food. I've also made plans for what I will be eating when I return from my trip and will prepare as much as I can ahead of time so as to avoid the trap of spending on fast food after being away. I guess we'll see how I do.