I have a tendency to over-budget, so I was hesitant to download a new app for it on my iPhone... They usually become a source of stress, which makes ANY expense anxiety-provoking for me. This would be okay except that I eventually end up in grouchy deprivation mode. Not good for all parties involved.

I did find a cute little app, HomeBudget, which seems to be the happy medium between my former budget overkill and my later recklessness. After trying PocketMoney for awhile, I've found this one to be much simpler and more intuitive. It's not going to be the next Quicken, but I think it'll do exactly what I need it to, and so far it's helped me stay on track.

Like I said, my main goal here is to downgrade my lifestyle and lower my (material) expectations. I'm going generic.

Clothing and accessories will be the final battle, and one I'm not looking forward to, but I thought I'd start small by 86'ing store-bought coffee. When at all possible.

I used to buy a minimum of 3 espresso/tea drinks per week, usually before shifts or while running errands. That's not all that bad, especially since I get Americanos (espresso + water) which are far, far cheaper than the sugary alternatives. Still, I figure I can save $10/week but making due with my travel mugs. $40/month is nearly half my transportation costs.

Right now I'm crashing at my parents' house for a couple weeks while I make the transition from apartment to New York, so brewed coffee is legitimately free for me. I might as well make use of it.

I had to get some clothes for interviewing (among other things), so I went shopping today for basics. I spent $128 on a couple dresses - could be a lot worse, but that was a full day's work.

I have to find a way to justify it, so I've made the decision to not renew my gym membership for June. I'm only going to be here three weeks, which will mostly be spent working and packing, so it's not worth the $80-ish.