Friday Oatmeal

We're all, well, many of us anyway, a little too undisciplined with our spending. I know I am. And the fact is that it generally isn't the big expenditures which break our budgets. It's the nickel and dime stuff which leave us with $12.87 and payday three days off.

So in resolving to try and spend more wisely, on Fridays I am eating oatmeal for breakfast until I've eaten all the Quaker Oats I have. I'm trying to be old school Catholic anyhow and go meatless on Fridays as it is. This should help.

What brought this on was the big box of instant oatmeal which I bought at a warehouse store back in July. It was on sale, I liked the various flavors offered, and I should eat more oatmeal anyway, right? Good source of fiber or roughage or something, my doctor tells me. 

So there's 52 servings of instant oatmeal which I had to have back in July, and four of them have been consumed. Two of those were by my son and daughter in law respectively when they were in for Christmas. And that's not including the 8 count box of pumpkin spice flavor I bought in October because, pumpkin spice, right? So there's 52-4+8, or, wait, getting my calculator, 56 packets of instant oatmeal in a box on the fridge.

I'm going to eat them, two at a time, for my Friday breakfasts until they're gone. Then I will not buy that much oatmeal at once ever again. 

Unless it's a good price.

And it's the fruit and cream flavors.

And until the next time I lose my self discipline.

But up till then, it's not happening.

Not my fault

I blame my kids.

They debit card just about everything. Me, I carried a debit card for several years but really only began using it extensively in about the last few months. 

Now I use it more than cash. And that irritates me, because I find I'll use it when I have the cash against a relatively small amount. I have to make myself use cash.

I took me Mom out as usual yesterday and I swore I would go cash only. I did, but it was, oddly, a challenge, especially when our purchase at McDonald's was only $4.95 (more on that tomorrow as there's a funny story over it). For cryin' out loud, give the guy at the window a five dollar bill, Marty. You have two!  

I managed to do it, but it was tougher than expected.

I get it: there's safety and security in using debit. But I'm still old school in many ways. One of those ways is that you pay cash for routine purchases, particularly small ones.

I blame the kids. It's what good parents do.