Champagne Taste on a Beer* Budget

If you follow me on Twitter & read my blog, you’ve probably gathered that I’m living life on a budget. Living life in D.C. can get pretty pricey & being a college student can add to the pressure to live frugally. You may think I’m a little crazy about Trader Joe’s but seriously, I get so much more for my money there.

But I digress. I’m sure I’m not the only person who has champagne taste on a beer budget and can find it difficult to stop yourself from indulging yourself! I know my weaknesses in life are shopping and sweets but with “The Real World” looming large in less than 90 days (not that I’m counting or anything), I knew I had to wrangle in the spending & be more financially savvy.

I’ve gotten in the practice of writing down everything I purchase in a little notebook so I have to own up to my  purchases. It’s super easy to let your spending get out of control when all you have to do is swipe your card. I also have gotten more in the practice of packing my lunch and rather than view it as a chore, I use it as an excuse to get back into the kitchen & unleash my inner domestic side! Believe me, once you start packing your lunch, it starts to seem silly to you to buy the same meal for $12 when yours cost about half of the price.

I’ve managed to stick to a beer budget but I still have champagne taste. As anyone who’s been on a diet can attest to, if you don’t give yourself a little wiggle room, you will go crazy! To jazz up my day, I’ve been taking a couple pieces of a chocolate bar to satiate my sweet tooth cravings. My current favorite is the Ghirardelli Coconut Rendezvous because I adore the taste of coconut!

This chocolate bar costs $4.95 and lasted me several days!! It was definitely a great way to beat the 3 o’clock slump at work. You know, that moment when the energy you found during lunch starts to wane & the daunting realization you still have 3 more hours of week ahead of you looms large. You just need a little something to make you smile & power through ’til 6. Well, I discovered that a couple pieces of chocolate is the “champagne” on my beer* budget.

How are all of you adding “champagne” to your beer budget? I’d love to hear your ideas!

* I actually do not drink beer & despite my efforts, my friends’ efforts and my father’s efforts to get me to like beer, it just doesn’t taste good to me at all! I’d much rather have a glass of wine or a mixed drink.