I'm off on an adventure this weekend, where the money (and probably margaritas) will flow freely, so I wanted to post something to record my pre- fall from grace.  So far I've spent $46.74 - on food, gifts, entertainment, laundry, and air for my bike tires.   I find that number shockingly low for my usual tally, but when I examine the items, I certainly could have gone without all of them comfortably, except maybe the 75 cents for air. 

Using Arduous's methodology, comparing last month to this month, last month I spent $11.41 on food per day (times 10 days that would have been $114.10).  I also spent $11.49 on health/beauty; $4.50 on entertainment (shows, drinks, etc.); $21.99 on travel, gifts, and etc. -- these numbers are all per day.  With this (albeit a little crazy) logic, by June 10, I would have spent $493.90.   That means I've reduced my spending by 90% - not too bad.  Putting the Pseudo in the Pseudo-Freegan Challenge, I'd say.  This weekend it will be nuts in comparison: I haven't yet paid for the hotel or rental car, so that will be a considerable amount of cash.  I'll also be paying for meals and drinks and shows, with some thrift stores thrown in -- I may be up to the $493 by the time I get back...

The biking is a terrific success, putting me in a great mood by the time I reach the office each day.  I have noticed something, though: I'm whizzing by a bunch of amazing smells on an empty stomach...normally I would (seriously!) stop and grab something delicious (a coffee, bakery item, egg sandwich, etc.) but had to remind myself of the challenge this week.  There is plenty of perfectly edible food available once I get to work.  Food was one of the things I allowed myself to buy during Fix (in moderation), so it's almost like a knee-jerk reaction to treat myself...last year I wrote a lot about how buying is really related to our rewards systems, making it a much more psychological beast than it might seem at face value.  This just cements the idea even more for me, particularly now that I (unconsciously?) hooked buying to a real physical desire - hunger.  Sure am looking forward to that barbeque and ice cream this weekend!