Monday Check-In

Photo credit: Michael, CC BY 2.0.

It’s Monday, which means it’s time to check in on our weekend spending.

Last Friday, I estimated that I would spend $150 on my special-order, super-large-head helmet and a pair of cycling gloves that were warm enough to wear in below-freezing temps.

My helmet still hadn’t arrived when I went to the bike shop, but I did spend $36.38 on a pair of Chopper Trail Builder lobster gloves (the kind where the thumb and index finger are separate and the other three fingers are mittened together). These gloves are SO WARM and I am going to wear them even when I’m not biking.

I also spent $5.05 on another bag of peanut-butter popcorn after a 10-mile bike ride, which… okay, I’ve done that for two weeks in a row now, and it’s time to figure out if I want it to be a habit. If we consult my values, I am supporting a local business, but I’m spending that money on food that I don’t really need. When I put in my Hy-Vee Aisles Online order for February, I specifically included pocket-sized snacks that I could eat after bike rides, and they’re way cheaper than gourmet popcorn.

So… I don’t actually want this to be a habit, and I need to stop doing it before it becomes one. I’d like fancy popcorn to be a monthly treat, not a weekly expectation.

Lastly, I spent $45.09 on new bras and underwear at JC Penney. They gave me a 20 percent off coupon when my new mattress arrived, and I wanted to use it before it expired.

Total spending: $86.52.

How about you?

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