Week One – What Have I Done?

Day One and I’m already panicking. 

I’m afraid the reality of this challenge is that I’ll spend most of my time at home in front of the TV eating Cheerios because that’s what I did last night.  Granted, I pulled my back out and couldn’t really walk, so my options were limited.

But seriously, what did I get myself into?

What if I stop reaching out to friends or start saying no to invitations because I’m not “allowed” to spend any more money that week?  What if I have to decide between two really important things?  For example, I know I want to go to my friend’s art show in a couple of weeks, but I didn’t buy my ticket in advance, so now I have to use it as my “1 thing.”  I want to go, so I’m happy to spend money on that, but what if a birthday party comes up the same week and I need to buy a gift?

Also, does dry cleaning count as a “thing?”

I feel like Sundays are going to become pretty stressful as I look into the week’s social forecast and decide which lucky bidder gets my money and who is demoted to “free friend” for the week.

So, Day 1 of the challenge and I’m weighing my money-spending options for the week.

Tomorrow, I’m supposed to meet up with the friend who hired me to line produce three short films in the New Year to discuss our game plan.  Let’s call him “Goose” because “the friend who hired me to line produce three short films in the New Year” is a mouthful.  I imagine Goose’ll want to grab coffee, so do I bring a bottle of water with me and order nothing?  Or, do I bring my own tea bag and just order hot water? (Which I hope is free – otherwise, I’m stuck drinking tap water with a tea bag in my hand.) And can I make it through the meeting without having to tell Goose about my challenge or without looking like a total cheapskate?  Or, because this is technically a work meeting, does the challenge even apply?

The only other plans I have on the books this week are to catch up with a friend, who happens to be a follower of this blog.  I’m hoping I can convince her to just hang at home and drink a bottle of wine with me so that we don’t have to spend money.  (Lisa, are you listening??)  If that’s the case, then I can use my 1 “thing” on a $3 coffee with Goose.

I’m throwing an Engagement Party for a friend this weekend.  This is going to cost a decent chunk of change, but I’m not sure whether or not this counts toward my “One-a-Week Challenge” because we planned it long before this challenge began.   (Do you love how I’m already negotiating to make this as painless as possible?)

Funny, Engagement Party friend just called to invite me to a craft show that costs $1.

This is where the challenge gets challenging. I can blow my wad, so to speak, on a $1 event on the first day of the week, or I can hold out for something more expensive later in the week.  Or, I can decide which social event can’t be finagled to be free and then spend money on that.

In addition to looking for free things to do, I should be using this challenge to do inexpensive things so that I am saving money in the long run and not spending ridiculous amounts of money each week in concentrated instances.

Okay, fine.  Yes, work meetings count.  But dry cleaning and birthday gifts don’t.  Nor do Christmas gifts or groceries that were in the house before the event.  So, just to be safe, I’ll bring a teabag to coffee with Goose, have Lisa hang with me at home and use my “One-a-Week Challenge” on the engagement party…

And now, I better run to the grocery store to stock up on wine & cheese.