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.

Not really free, but I've been picking up shifts at the restaurant left and right. At this point, my theory is that if I'm alive & awake, I might as well be working. I only have 13 days left anyway.

I picked up a 4 hour closing shift last night that brought in a solid $150, and I picked another one up for tonight. I can't believe other servers are giving these away. I've already made $50 on the lunch shift, so if I can break $200 for the day I'll call it a success.

The best part is I've spent 0 money today and yesterday. I'm trying to teach myself to think in terms of averages, not windfalls, and not allowing a good night here and there to justify a spending spree.

[Edit: In other news, I only made $70 at dinner. Cool.]