• ⇤
• ⇽
• ≡
• ⇾
• ⇥

the new austerity program .. in our house

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

With a second child on the way and no health insurance for my wife, we're going to have some bills.

And in any case, we've been overspending on things like restaurant meals this year. So while the Greeks might not be able to stomach it, we're adopting an austerity program. I'm now on a $500/month budget for all out of pocket expenses. First up: no more coffees from Timothy's. The $3.50 a day habit for two coffees ain't bad, but I've bought a bag of ground beans and brought my French press from home - I'll be able to make the bag last three weeks, I reckon. Total cost, $16.

Next off the list, no more habitual snacks. A few bucks here and there adds up when it's a daily thing. Eliminating that stupidity should be good for my flabby middle at the same time.

I'm also going to see if I can cut the electricity bill from $100 to $80. I've already saved $400 on TTC fares this year, beyond the expenses of maintaining (and adorning) my bicycle. I reckon that by spending $3,000 on car rentals this year I've saved nearly $8,000 over the cost of owning.