Sunday, October 7, 2007

Wow - What a Weekend!

I have been very bad about posting this weekend because I hit the ground running on Friday and am finally able to sit down and reflect. Friday after a stressful workday, I took a friend out for her birthday to see Body Worlds III and incredible combination of anatomy education and art. Not a cheap day, but an incredible experience.

Saturday, was almost a successful No Spend day. I started it out working on a huge philanthropic project where I, along with 1,800 other volunteers were distributed among 11 different sites around the city. My particular project had 100 volunteers that repainted all of the halls of an elementary school. It was incredible to see so many people come together to improve a school that hasn't had a fresh coat of paint for the last 10 years. Bonus - Outback Steakhouse provided the free lunch at the celebration afterwards. Later that evening, I attended a fundraising dinner for another organization. The ticket was paid for by my company and included dinner, drinks, and entertainment. I almost had a perfect No Spend day, but had an incredible opportunity to purchase a couple bottles of wine that will be Christmas presents.

Sunday, is another almost No Spend Day. I spent money to pick up supplies for a friend's birthday party. I was given the money to purchase most of it. I did spend an extra $8.00 + $3.00 for cat litter. The party was a success!

This weekend taught me some valuable lessons... Don't put off purchasing kitty litter if you are planning a no spend day. It only leads to unnecessary cleaning to deal with odors. Don't over schedule. It only leads to unnecessary spending. Don't take a checkbook to a fundraising event unless you have already planned on spending money. And finally, falling asleep on the couch from exhaustion leads to a sore neck.

To make up for unsuccessful No Spend days I will make Monday and Tuesday true No Spend days. I'd go for Wednesday too, but I will need gas.

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