Living on $100 for 10 days: DAY #1

The first full day of my challenge is now over.  I am home for the night, and I still have my original $100.  Win!!  I will be honest with you, it is only Monday and its the first day of my challenge, so my motivation is at its highest possible level.  I did, however, tempt my spending fate a few times!  What follows is a short recap of where I could have (but didn't!) spent mah money:

Breakfast
It is important to point out that I refuse to get or eat breakfast on my walk to work.  I enjoy my morning routine--sitting in my kitchen nook, eating my breakfast, and people watching.  If the people watching becomes boring, I usually settle with reading the news or a magazine, and when you have a subscription to New York Magazine, it is so much harder to keep the morning routine to just eating breakfast..

I eat one of the simplest breakfasts (but really, it is a pretty standard breakfast for any single bachelor): a full bowl of regular Cheerios with skim milk along with a large glass of skim milk with ice.  This morning, I also made a percolator of coffee, and I immediately realized as I made it that it will be my morning coffee that will be the end of my inexpensive mornings because I will inevitably run out of coffee - soon - and since I must have my morning coffee, I will be spending some of my cherished $100 on that before these ten days are up.  Damn addictions.

Lunch
Today, I was pretty lucky at lunch because I did not need to pack my lunch, therefore saving my stash of lunch food (roast beef, swiss and rye bread, carrots, chips and fruit -- soon enough I'll be eating this sexy brown bag lunch).

The organization I work for is hosting its annual conference this week, so I spent a majority of my morning with the others on our staff preparing materials for the conference participants.  As a thank you, my organization treated everyone with pizza and salad for lunch.  This felt like a really good start to the next ten days as it was the first big save--from depleting my lunch food stash, or even better, preventing me from spending $5-8 on sub-par lunch from a food truck or a Potbelly sandwich.

I still think I tempted fate here a little bit because, for how hungry I was today at lunch, I assumed I would be full from two small slices and a side salad.  But after my free lunch, I also remembered that I have 9.5 days left to live on $100, so I managed to tough it out.  Plus, I had no reason to complain when I started the day off with two meals and had spent no money!

Happy Hour
I know what you're probably thinking - why on Earth during a challenge to live on $100 for ten days would I try to fit in some damn happy hours??  Stupid, right?  Well, you gotta live a little, push the envelope more than once in a while and tempt fate.  I agree with what you're likely thinking, that starting the first day of my challenge by going to a happy hour was not a wise decision.  Nevertheless - I did.  And, I had one drink (amazing self control, thank you), which was a very tasty Hot Hazelnut Toddy from A&D Neighborhood Bar.

And the best part?  My new friend Leigh was so kind to pay for my drink at the bar, and I didn't even bring up my challenge.  She simply thanked me for the hour conversation and my advice/suggestions, and delightfully offered to buy my Toddy.  I definitely owe her an email, and need to put some time and thought and sincerity into what I'll send her (re: job search, DC nonprofit scene, etc.), but I think the bigger point is that not all HHs need to end with a $40 tab!

And if you're reading this, Leigh, thank you for my drink.

Dinner
Alas, I left the happy hour around 7pm to come home for a light dinner alone, which was hard because everything looked so mouth-wateringly good on A&D's new food menu, so I will indeed be back there in 10 long days!

After settling in at home, following an 8pm telephone meeting, I found the last of some weekend leftovers and have now found myself completely entertained with the next steps on my painting.  As promised, here's the update: