Already seeing benefits

I realized some time ago that I was on spending autopilot because I had the income to do it. It wasn't wise, but it's just how things worked out. It's interesting to note studies that say people's expenses expand to meet their income. I always thought if I made, say, $10,000 more than I did at any point, that $10,000 would be gravy. It would go into savings. But that never happened. As my income increased, so did my spending. My debt never seemed to go down either, it stayed the same.

Without even really starting the "Financial Integrity" plan, I already realized where I could make some quick and dirty cuts. For one, I stopped buying breakfast and lunch at work. Bringing lunch is no big deal, it just involves me stocking up on frozen foods or cooking the night before. Thanks to microwaves and a long lunch break, it's no problem. I also discovered a better room to eat lunch at work so I don't feel like I need the reward of sitting in some restaurant. Not only have I saved money (probably $100 total in just 2 weeks,) I also lost 3 pounds.

I also did a complete re-think on my grocery shopping. Since I only cook for one or two, I never considered that I could still save quite a bit. I love coupons and sales, don't get me wrong, but food budgeting seemed like something for bigger families, not for little ol' me. My worst habit would be deciding what I wanted for dinner BEFORE shopping, then buying what I needed whether it was on sale or not. Safeway offers an online coupon source and targeted deals that made me realize I should be shopping for what is cheapest that week and what is on sale, then using that for my meals. This is a turnaround for me and it's making a big difference. I even got free tomatoes thanks to their targeted discounts. FREE!

The little changes have been kind of fun so far. I know I have a long way to go, and I am worried that my short time frame isn't going to show enough change to make a good presentation. I think I will have enough anecdotes to share some lessons, but thinking about making it bigger is holding me up. Might have to read more books after all.