money diaries vol 2: what we spend in a week

Here for another money diary! Compared to last month where we were indulging in the holidays, this week feels like a much better depiction of our regular spending. 

Saturday January 4th

Lounged all day so minimal spending, but I did go to Aldi and stock up on groceries ($47.62) for the week. In case you're curious, our grocery haul included grapes, bananas, and mangoes for snacks. No pricey processed snacks for us. I grabbed ingredients to make this goat cheese spinach & sun-dried tomato quiche as breakfast for the week-I add bacon to my version and double the recipe. For lunch and dinners, we normally make several meals to eat from, this week included:
-5 ingredient spicy pork with jasmine rice & broccoli
-rosemary chicken & roasted carrots
-creamy tomato and spinach pasta-I double this recipe and add a pound of Italian sausage
-garlic butter mussels over linguini
-queso crockpot chicken chili  
Total: $47.62

Sunday January 5th
I've felt like a total hermit as of late and desperately needed to get out of the house before the work week started. Since, it's a nice day, we head over to our local art district to do a wall crawl of the street murals. 

Then we check out a new to us brunch spot-The Commune. It's farm to table and every bit what dreams are made of. Husband ordered a beef & veggie hash while I did a meatloaf sandwich with veggies & beet ketchup. We split an order of waffles and both have a coffee of course. Best brunch ($58.38) ever! And yes, I am very aware that we spent more on this one meal eating out than we did on groceries for the entire week. 🤷🏾 

After brunch, we stop at Harris Teeter to grab a couple of toiletries ($16) and ingredients ($6.80) to make a dessert later this week because I'm feeling fancy. We spend the rest of the day taking down the holiday decorations, cleaning the apartment, and doing some meal prep. Feeling pretty accomplished. 

Mural Wall Crawl $0 
Brunch $58.38
Household Toiletries $16 
Groceries $6.80 
Total: $81.18

Monday January 6th 

Thanks to our meal prepping, we have all our meals from home today.  It's a standard work day with no real spending, but our account does get auto drafted today for my monthly massage subscription ($65) fee. 
Total: $65

Tuesday January 7th 

Need an extra pick me up today so I pop into Starbucks ($4.86) on my way to work. We literally have $50 in Starbucks gift cards from Christmas gifts last month-so the drink doesn't cost me anything. Meanwhile, after work, Husband grabbed himself fast food ($10.11) for dinner on the way to his haircut ($32) since he wouldn't be home until 8ish. 

Starbucks $0
Fast Food $10.11
Husband's Haircut $32
Total: $42.11

Wednesday January 8th
During my lunch break, I pop into Ulta Beauty. I'm here to trade in my empties at the MAC counter. MAC gives you a free lipstick ($19) when you trade in 6 empty containers-not a problem because I wear their makeup almost exclusively. I've been attracted to brighter hues lately, so I go with a bold shade. I manage to resist the temptation to buy anything else and leave with my FREE lipstick having spent ZERO dollars. 

Total: $0

Thursday January 9th 

Another day of work to keep us busy and once again, we have all of our meals from home. But this evening, I get a massage. Full disclosure, I have officially committed to a weekly 90 minute massage, which may sound a bit indulgent, but my job is extremely physical. I can either invest in myself or simply work less so I've chosen the former. I use the membership fee that I paid earlier this week to cover the appointment, then pay $30 as a tip. I actually owe another $30 because I extended my appointment, but they don't charge it because they had made a major mistake with my previous appointment. Meanwhile, Husband takes the pup to Petco to get a new toy ($13.77). 

Massage: $30 
Dog Toy: $13.77
Total: $43.77 

Friday January 10th 
Yes, you guessed it, we eat all of our meals from our home today. After work, I decide to attend a Yin Yoga class ($19) on a whim. I actually do Yin Yoga everyday at home to help with wellness, but it's nice to attend an official yoga studio class every once in a while. 

Total:$19 


Our spending breakdown for the week:
-Groceries $54.42
-Restaurants $68.49 
-Bills $0
-Household $16 (toiletries) 
-Beauty & Health $146 (massage/haircut/yoga) 
-Dog $13.77 
-Entertainment $0
GRAND TOTAL: $298.68
I track our monthly spending religiously, but it's different to see how things break down per week. I'm really happy with our overall costs. We were responsible and didn't go crazy on splurges. It's also interesting to see that our biggest spending category was on self-care, which is truly a good thing in my book.