innermat

i need to tap into my "innermat".


before i began this exercise in bar-charting my grocery vs. dining-out spending over the past 26 months i thought that i'd see a significant increase in my dining-out spending over the past few months when compared to my grocery spending. after having fun with quicken and excel and coming up with this bar chart i've discovered that yes, there has been an increase in my dining-out spending but not significant in amount, rather more often in frequency.

some observations:

• in only 11 out of 26 months i spent more on groceries than i did on dining out
• and in 15 out of 26 months i spent more on dining out than i did on groceries
• 6 of the first 13 months here in korea i spent more on dining out than i did on groceries
• BUT 9 of the last 13 months here in korea i spent more on dining out than i did on groceries
• on average, over the 26 month period, per month, i spend about 162$ on dining out and 149$ on groceries for a combined total of 311$ on dining out and groceries.
• back in the sates when i was monitoring my food spending and limiting my dining-out expenses, my monthly budget for food was 250$

preferably i'd like to spend less on dining-out than i spend on groceries but it's hard to do so when i partake in social activities ... oh and also because i like to eat pizza (thinking of having pizza for lunch right now), drink coffee at coffee shops, and eat at the ever present snack stands (all of which fall under the spending category of "dining-out").

so actually this exercise has shown me that i'm not spending as much as i thought that i was on food. in my first 13 months here, a time period marked by wise food spending, my combined average was 309$. when i compare that to my combined average for my last 13 months here, a time period marked by what i thought i was reckless food spending, it's only 2$ more, $311.

in conclusion, though i have been more frequently eating out vs. buying groceries/eating in, i have not increased my food spending significantly nor have i been recklessly spending on food, eating out or otherwise. my combined food spending has been rather constant over the 26 months.

i think i just convinced myself to buy pizza for lunch ...

or tap into my "innermat" and reclaim that 2$.