Hey fam, back again with another spending diary! This week was a pretty good week for me in terms of free meals out LOL. Spending was fairly regular for me, except a few bits I bought for our America trip next week. ENJOY.

Monday

My no spend Monday didn’t go to plan this week as I popped into Woolworths on my way to work and grabbed some fruit for $3.70. Other than that, it was a fairly clear day.

Tuesday

I FaceTimed my Mum on Tuesday this week which allocated Tuesday as my no spend day! Unsure why the day I call her means I spend no money, it just means I’m scuttling home quickly so don’t pop into the shops or anything on my way past.

Wednesday

I spent $44.80 online at Uniqlo as I snapped up another one of those perfect t-shirts I was raving about a few months ago, and a simple black pair of shorts for America. I really try not to spend money on buying clothes specifically for a holiday because I feel like I buy things impulsively thinking ‘ooh this’ll look cute in a photo or this’ll be cute for that specific day’. But simple black shorts passed my test – my ones from last summer no longer fit my thighs LOL whatevaaaaaaa I ain’t defined by my body. I also passed a convenience store on my walk to meet a friend and they had serve yourself pick-and-mix sweets (lollies for the Aussies in the room) so I ran in salivating and spent $6 on some foam bananas and other carcinogenic goodies. No shame. I met a friend for vegan pizza for dinner but because she’s an ~InFlUeNcEr~ it was FREE. I mean yes we did have to do that sell-out thing you see at cafés where before we eat we take shameless photos of the food, but look Broke Gen ain’t passing up a free meal.

(I’ve said ‘ain’t’ twice in this diary but I feel compelled to tell you I’ve never said it out loud in all my life.)

Thursday

Technically a no-spend day today BUT I did pay $65 to Airtasker as I locked in a seamstress to alter a dress I bought. The dress only cost $20 so I was happy to pay to have it altered. I’ll be sharing her details on my Instagram once I see the finished product, so hang tight if you’re in Melbourne and looking for a go-to alterations gal! Given my instructions to her were ‘I want it a bit less poofy at the bottom’, she seemed to know exactly what to do so I’ve got high hopes she could be ‘the one’ I’ve been looking for! 

PS it was my first time using Airtasker and I used a referral code to get $25 off my first posted task. If you haven’t used it yet either, you can use this link to sign up and you’ll get the same discount off your first task.

Friday

I dropped off the dress to be altered in the morning, but was far too early so I decided to take myself for a coffee – something I haven’t done in MONTHS. It was nice to enjoy a proper barista coffee and some peace and quiet before work. That cost me $4.90. I then dropped off the dress, used an Ola cabs referral voucher to get a cab back to work quick smart, and paid the $4 extra on top of the voucher. If you’re yet to use Ola, sign up with AFCP9AU for $10 off your first ride. (Not sponsored just my standard referral code as a customer). They’ve just reduced the referral to $10 from $20 (BUMMER) but it’s still pretty good.

Later on Friday I went for dinner with a friend and indulged in fried, crispy, crunchy, saucy Taiwanese. I went up to pay and she’d already sneakily paid for me while going to the loo, so that ended up being lighter on my wallet than expected. I’ll shout her next time, obvs.

Despite the crazy wind in Melbourne I got the train home to save spending extra on cabs.

Saturday

This weekend was our ‘get everything ready for going away’ weekend, so I bought a few things I’ll need for the trip:

  • New set of laces for my Converse $4

  • New basic underwear and socks $55

  • Dry shampoo, cotton pads and tooth paste $15.85

  • A pair of Sketchers memory foam trainers for city walking – my back is very sensitive to long walks and misalignment, so I invested in a pair of good shoes for $79.99

  • Also some $5 lounge pants snuck in there too but sssh.

  • And then I paid $28 for lunch for me and Mr TBG.

I went into Uniqlo as well as I wanted to try on a pair of wide leg white jeans, but I held back because I already have slim leg white jeans so I just decided to make it work with what I’ve got. I polished my halo on the way out, as I left empty handed and smug.

Later that day I went for a walk via my two local op shops which are small but often have some real goodies in them. I snapped up a vintage linen shirt that I’m going to wear open as a jacket, a silk midi dress and an almost-brand-new Oroton travel bag, for $47 all up. We grabbed a few groceries to tide us over until we leave on Friday, but Mr TBG paid as I paid for lunch.

Phew, what a day!

Sunday

Mr TBG and I did our usual Sunday walk along the walking trail near our house. We walk 3.5kms in one direction, stop for a coffee or pick up a doughnut to share, and walk back the remaining 3.5kms. This week we had both because YOLO. I paid for the coffees at $8.90. Other than that, no further spending! And yes, this marks our fourth week of no takeaway! We’re saving ourselves for the night before we go away, when we’ll keep the kitchen clean by ordering in and finishing off our packing.

TOTAL: $372.15

Next week’s spending diary will begin in Melbourne and finish in Chicago! Stay tuned.