Spring Break

I am now more than half way through my spring break and it is so bittersweet. I wish life would stop for a moment so that I could just relax and pursue interests besides work and school. Yet, I understand life doesn't work that way! I spent the better part of two days at work trying to catch up on things. I brought home a ton of prep work. I have two schools to complete classroom observations on for the university, and I made time for a bit of fun. Chloe and I made it to the beach once so far. I also squeezed in a little shopping and got my hair done. It's funny how you learn to take on responsibility and the little moments of freedom with a joyful heart.

Transparency

I've been thinking about being "transparent" in life. To me, being transparent means being open, honest, and letting others see what's truly going on in your life- even when it's painful. My $1/day budget was difficult for me, and I didn't always want to share my struggles with the world. Also, admitting that I didn't know how to live on a budget was difficult for me to come to terms with. However, I found peace in knowing that I had nothing to hide and the accountability that comes along with being transparent really helped me keep things in perspective.

I've realized that I want to live a more transparent life. My 30th birthday is just around the corner, and I'm not excited about it. For some reason, each birthday makes me stop and evaluate my life. I've been checking in on my personal goals, and there are a lot of goals that I am nowhere near meeting. I understand that in order to meet one goal, you sometimes need to put other things on hold. But how do you regain balance after that? I think that is my biggest question in life. How do you regain and keep balance in life? I typically find myself teetering between one goal or another, or one crisis or another, and I'd like to have more balance. If anyone has any tips or words of wisdom, please share.

Day 46 and onward

Well, I must say that going back to spending money was more difficult than I expected. I started Day 46 extremely excited and proud to have finished the experiment. I had my heart set on a cup of fancy coffee from Starbucks and I even had a gift card. I ended up stopping at a Starbucks by my work, which is only a few blocks from Disneyland. The Starbucks was associated with a Disneyland hotel, didn't take gift cards, and charged $3.75 for a tall latte. I spent the money, but ended up in tears in my car. I knew I didn't need the latte. I also knew that the money I spent on that latte could have fed me for 4 whole days. On the other hand, the coffee was awesome, and the experiment was over. I had to come to terms with letting go.

I've been struggling with spending money on food since the experiment. I do have a full refrigerator right now, and a lot of produce, but it's a battle at the store. In my heart, I know that I don't need any of it. I have to convince myself that I'm making the right decision in purchasing things I don't need.

I'm still coming to terms with how to take what I learned in the experiment and apply it to my life. A lot of people teased me along the way and told me I was crazy. I don't want to be seen as a crazy lady, nobody does, but I do want to make good choices. I've found some peace in purchasing frozen fruits and veggies because they are so much less expensive. I still eat pb&j for lunch 2-3 times a week, but I now have higher quality ingredients. I continue to look for free produce (and free meals). I have no idea what the future holds, yet I do have some comfort in the fact that I know I can survive on next to nothing if need be.