Sacrifices

In a bid to save money I've totally changed my lifestyle and downgraded so many things it's ridiculous.

• I have given up my Laura Mercier foundation and buy my make-up at Walgreen's
  
• I have banned Whole Foods for Trader Joe's, and a little begrudgingly, I even choke down Charles Shaw
  
• I pack my lunch for work, like I did in the 6th grade. Sandwich and pickle. Yogurt. Banana.
  
• I smuggle liquor into shows in a flask. Sorry, but one cocktail in a San Francisco venue is $12!
  
• I steal sugar packets from Starbucks. They can spare 'em.
  
• I've stopped getting regular pedicures, waxes, and haircuts. Much to Ron's dismay.
• I walk everywhere including 2 miles to and from work to cut down on transportation costs.
  
• I eat out at a real restaurant only once/week. Trust me, this is a big improvement from the 3-4 times we used to!
• I use little bottles of hotel shampoo and conditioner.
• I find myself taking free food anywhere I can. Saving that free bagel from a work breakfast for a lunch later on.
  
• I wash and reuse ziploc bags as many times as I can.
• And most importantly, I haven't bought a single new thing for months unless it's going with me on the trip.
  

All the little things are totally adding up. The only habit we can't seem to break is the cleaning lady. After Ron and I work a super long day neither of us want to come home to cook and clean afterwards. We love the fresh smell of fake lemons from a newly cleaned apartment and just pop in a couple frozen indian dinners and put our feet up . Of course, when we don't have jobs, there's no excuse for this luxury. I'll have to break out the feather duster (wherever it may be) and I think Ron would look smashing in those pink, rubber gloves. Getting a good mental image...