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c/budgeting-wins•joel884joel884•29d ago

The week I stopped eating out cold turkey, lunch cost me more

Last month in Austin I decided to cut all restaurant meals for one week, even coffee. I prepacked sandwiches and instant noodles, figured I'd save at least $60. But I forgot about the work team lunches and the late night taco run with friends. By Thursday I'd bought $42 worth of emergency snacks and a $9 burrito out of pure frustration. Meanwhile my coworker tracked every dollar and saved $51 just by skipping two happy hours. Did that week actually teach me anything, or is strict denial worse than just planning one fun meal? Anyone else find that going all-in backfires compared to setting a cheat allowance?
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parker_palmer44
That $9 burrito sounds like a bargain compared to the $42 of snacks you never wanted to eat.
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