#SNAPchallenge2013: Takeaway Week, Day 3

c. 2005. Disregard the husky face, it was college.

Who remembers the Visa commercial of the choreographed dance through the garden center which stops abruptly when someone stops to pay with a check? It seems so commonplace to pay with plastic, the idea of using anything else to make our daily purchases seems archaic and jarring and, well, not so graceful.

But I have dealt largely in cash this month, not just as it pertains to food but many other areas of life, and I'm finding that it may be a good way for me to go for a while.

Takeaway #3: Being a Cash Money Thousandaire (If That...)

Last week, I paid for conference fees and various other items associated with upcoming travels. Ask me how much money I spent, and I probably have no idea. But how much did I spend on groceries earlier this week? $26.30. The week before that? $29.41. How do I know that? Not just from the receipts, but because I used cash and was forced to look at it.

I'm at a point in my life where I have things I want to save for. Doctoral classes, paying off loans, paying off credit card bills, eventually buying a car...but the plastic life isn't so conducive to that. Even with apps like Mint.com (which I now use religiously), it's hard to really see how much you're spending until it's already gone. I don't like that. The opportunity to lose control is too great. I like having to think about where my money's going. And if walking around like that thuggish young lady above will help me do it, then I will. Albeit in a stylish, held-close-to-me wallet.

I'm doing this in hopes to raise awareness about food instability, and money for the Greater Boston Food Bank. Should you feel compelled to give to the latter, please click the link below! I thank you, as will those who benefit from the money that you give :)
http://www.crowdrise.com/SNAPchallenge0113/