A tale of two days…

Variable Expenses Budget: $500.00
Spent Today: $58.78
Variable Budget Remaining: $251.49

October Income Goal: $2,500.00
Earned Today: $144.48*
Earned To Date: $423.19*
Goal Remaining: ($2,076.81)

Friday was all business and Saturday was all fun. As I shared in a previous post, on Friday, I finally broke down and purchased a new black dress shirt on my way to my evening gig. While this felt like a bit of a “failure” as it was the first time I had to go up in clothing size in years, I felt much more comfortable at work and, ultimately, it was the right choice. In the long term, I am more likely to pick up gigs if I am not psychologically hesitant to put on my uniform because it doesn’t fit.

On Saturday I went to a “free festival” with a friend and made a newbie “free event” mistake: the event is free, but food and activities at the event will cost ya. The event had a lot of local vendors and restaurants and despite lamenting the need to slim down, I allowed myself to snack (or buy) a smoothie, two bags of small-bag popcorn, and lemonade wine (I know, I know, but it was so deliciously southern…I can’t even hate). On the way home, I picked up some eggs. Overall, I had a wonderful time with my friends and housemate (who I dragged along with me) and it’s probably a good thing that I have friends who pull me out of the house for shenanigans on occasion.

A couple of months ago, I would have thought nothing about spending $40.00 at a festival, however, recording it today…hurt.
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*Income is reported as cash on hand. Some gigs are 1099 gigs (taxes not withheld) and some gigs are W-2 gigs (taxes withheld) and it would be tough to distinguish between the two in a neat way. Instead, I will report cash in hand, and money set aside for taxes and expenses related to gig work will have a budget line item each month.