Oh hey, it's a March resolution wrap-up

Hey. Does this thing still work? Hello?

I would like to say that I was off doing exciting things this past month, but not so much. The weather took me down, I think. Another endless slog of grey days and cold nights, the occasional nice day only serving to give false hope because it would be snowing the next day.

Frugality also doesn't do much to gladden the spirits.

So on this, the last day of March, a recap of how my March resolution went: it was a minor success. Three out of the four weeks I was quite frugal, and I felt guilty enough on the fourth week that I think it counts. I never quite mastered the art of only spending the cash I had taken out on Friday for the whole week. But I did bring my lunch to work far more regularly, and cut down on the socialization.

Well, by like one day a week.

Of course, travelling is not conducive to saving money. And I am travelling. After three years away, I've returned to Victoria for a week, but my wallet was out even before I left the GTA.

(It's amazing how reasonable getting the eggs benedict at the -sigh- airport Casey's can seem when you're still hungover from the night before, and have a five-hour flight coming up.)

But, I've made some other, wiser choices. Instead of paying for a hotel, I'm crashing on a friend's couch. I have instant oatmeal for breakfast, and hummus sandwiches for breakfast. It's a slow process. But I'm getting there, and eventually my bank account will as well. 

March Resolution, Week 1: Are we ready to be RESPONSIBLE?

First, let's check in on my February resolution reset. Was I able to knit a sweater in two weeks?

OH HELL NO.
But there's been progress. I've made it to the part where the sweater transforms from being a tube of enjoyable mindless knitting, suitable for subway or lunch hour distraction, into a collection of stitch holders that feels like wrestling a sea urchin.

I'm sure it will be finished by the end of the month, if I don't run out of the decades-old and impossible to trace yarn, at which point the sweater will become a vest. And I will cry.

So, onwards to March. I've successfully completed one (1) week of frugality. Lunch was brought from home four out of the five days of the week, carousing was kept to a minimum, I ignored the cute skirts and dresses in expensive boutiques, and bought two (2) pairs of pants from Old Navy. They were already on clearance, and a sale meant I received a further 50% off, so I spent a whopping $8.40 for two pairs of pants. I have spent more on one (1) cocktail at a bar.

Uncomfortable questions were raised by this purchase. I was proud of my frugality, but also ashamed. When pants cost $45, it's easy to ignore the chain of supply, demand, cheap labour and pesticide-grown cotton that brought them there - more difficult to do so when two pairs cost the same as a combo meal at McDonald's. I saved money by buying my pants this way, but I wondered if I was being cheap instead of wise.