The Rules...(Or The Real Ten Commandments)

No one can get a grip on their finances without implementing some very firm rules. Which won't be easy to follow, living in the most consumerist city in the most consumerist country in the world with consumerist friends who love nothing more than to eat out and shop. But no more I say! Fifth Avenue be damned....

1. I will not purchase any coffee that costs more than $1.00.
This effectively prices me out of any name brand coffee. Even Dunkin Donuts.

2. I will not spend more than $6.50 on lunch. (pre-tax)
Why $6.50? Because this is the price of a salad at Toasties.

3. I will not purchase any alcoholic beverages.
If someone else wants to purchase them for me, then so be it.

4. I will not spend more than $50 for a pair of shoes or item of clothing.
Not that I do this anyway, but a friendly reminder.

5. I will not sacrifice my vacation to Brazil.
It's too late anyway, I already cashed in my frequent flyer miles! And vacations are the only things that keep me sane, and according to all those insanity memoirs losing your mind can be quite costly with all the treatments, pills, etc.

6. I will visit my nephew in Maryland.
Because I don't want to be an absentee auntie.

7. Two hair appointments per month are allowed.
Because I am beauty-challenged, and going bald is equally as costly as getting a blow-dry which can cost as little as $15.00.

8. I have $100.00 in wiggle money each month. And $100 per paycheck must be deposited into my savings. (Two things, sure, but I have combined it into one, to call it the $100 rule)

9. Any windfall must go half to debt, half to savings.

10. Each rule can be broken once.

So at the end of the process I should be slimmer, free from caffeine addiction, and less dependent on alcohol to have a good time or relax. Wish me Luck!