I’m just back from doing two things I don’t usually do:
1. Go out out night. A latte called my name. I remember when I used to go out at night. And then somehow, I got older and out at 8pm is just crazy, crazy, crazy. On weeknight, even. 
2. Read my horoscope.
My Horoscope for today: Tonight: Watch A Movie, and Surf the Net and my first reaction was “And this is different from every other night how exactly.?
But, there is a tie-in to the horoscopes and the debt. All I do is stay in and surf/work/movie watch. Partly, it’s due to the weather – sure, I’m waiting for sprintime to roll around before I go outside on a regular basis, but the other reason I stay in and surf/watch movies: Its’ cheaper. It doesn’t cost a lot of money to stay inside and read a book with a cup of tea.
I had a friend tell me today that they envy my urban lifestyle. But here’s the thing: I’m trying so hard not to spend any disposable income (save for a latte or two) and get this debt knocked down, that there’s not much to do in this city that doesn’t cost bunches. King Tut is here in town. Great – it’ll cost ya. I can walk to the Eaton Center. What’s to buy? Nothing, really. I don’t need a swatch, or a savorski figurine or a 5 thousand dollar Baume and Mercier watch. I’ve got it all here in my little 600 square foot condo. In fact, I’ve got too much stuff. I definitly don’t need to to get more stuff.
I wonder though: can you be too frugal?
I was talking to my sister the other day and I said that I might consider a move again this fall to something bigger. Why? So I will have a place to hold all my stuff! But, I wonder if that’s the lifestyle I really want? I don’t have room for my big record collection, so for now I’m listening to MP3′s and playing the 40 or so records I do have here and I don’t really miss the record collection. I don’t want a bigger place so I can fill it with stuff, and this has taken me a long time to realize this, but I want a bigger place so that I feel more for lack of a better description: ”roomy”. Because I am a homebody most days and I do enjoy a lot of space, I do want a bigger space, but not so I can fill it with crap I bought at the mall.
Back to the frugal: I’ve been toying with the idea of starting to exercise. I’ve had a bum foot for a while, so that’s been my excuse but as I enter my mid 40′s, I’m starting to feel gravity’s pull and a good bit of exercise wouldn’t hurt the ‘ol waistline. I’m not looking for abs of steel, but the mental benefits of exercise are what I miss. But until now, I’ve been cheep cheep cheep and walked past the gym pretty much every day. I did go in and they want about $100 monthly for the membership. I’ve been avoiding joining – as well, a hundred bucks is a hundred bucks these days that can go against the debt. I’m a fan of walking and tennis, so at this point in the season, I’ll just wait until spring and get some exercise in another month or so when the weather warms up. But I wonder? Would the gym membership be a good investment or just another $100 monthly out the window?
There is a debt angle to this post, really. I think there’s such a thing as too frugal. I’d much rather make ten dollars a day more, than save five. I think after you’ve canceled the cable, and magazine subscriptions, and sold some stuff on ebay to get the debt knocked down as best you can , the next step in the path towards getting out of debt is to make more money. Saving a few bucks on your groceries with smart shopping and coupons is fine and dandy, and I’m not discounting it, but more income and cash flow is where the debt can really disappear faster and that’s where my efforts lay now. I’m only up about four bucks so far today for my online efforts, but the beauty of what I do is that it could increase dramatically. I’d work for four dollars a month for a year if I knew that there’d be light at the end of the tunnel at the end of two years, or three years.
I guess I should wrap this up as it’s another terribly rambly post about horoscopes, frugality, and the benefits of exercise. Wow.
Besides, I’ve got the net to surf and movies to watch.
Thanks for reading.
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