Budget Blow Out

Vacation really killed our project budget. The week before we went to the beach we were running about $5 under budget; however we are currently $117 over our cumulative total, to which Jeff replied, "That's not bad. We can make that up easily." When I pointed out the amount is six weeks of not eating out or twelve weeks of spending only $10, he still seemed to think it was doable. Obviously, he is more optimistic than I because all I see is that we have had only three weeks over the course of nearly six months when we didn't eat out at all. To compound matters, we have only three other weeks when we have spent less than $10.

This predicament was brought about by eating out once a day over the course of five days. Our intentions were good. We had breakfast at the hotel; we packed sandwich stuff, drinks, and snacks to eat in our room. So, why are we so far over budget? I suppose the answer lies in the fact that we quickly tire of cold, ready-made food. Sandwiches are fine the first time or two, but by the third sandwich we all wanted something better, which meant spending our money on eating out. I keep trying to assuage my guilt by comparing our experience to Rachel Rae's program $40 a Day, during which she visits various destinations, eats three meals a day, and usually has money left for a cold beer in the evening. We essentially paid for three meals, except they were all at the same time rather than spread out to feed one person for 24 hours. Perhaps, too, part of the problem was our destination since tourist areas tend to have higher prices for food, gas, etc.

As I mull these reasons (a.k.a. excuses) around in my brain, I am faced with the fact that we just overspent. We could have chosen McDonald's on a daily basis, but we didn't. We opted for more interesting food like vegetable tacos, tea and scones, chicken-avocado wraps, and Chinese pork barbecue. Ultimately, I suppose, the question is not really how much we spent, but whether the food was worth it. I'm not sure how the guys would answer that question, but for the most part I don't think so. The only meal I thought was worth the price was our visit to the tea shop where we were served fresh ingredients prepared beautifully - painstakingly - which added value in my book. The rest of the food was pretty basic and not really worth the price we paid. I guess that's my problem with spending money on restaurants. Unless the food is uncommonly cheap, especially distinctive, or offers some kind of perk beyond the fact that someone else put it on plate, I just don't like paying the price. Those tabs nag at me long after the bill is paid.

So, here we are - over budget and faced with the choice of chalking up that nearly six week excess to experience while continuing to spend the allotted $20 a week, or redoubling our efforts to eat at home and trying to make up our shortfall. I am skeptical of our continued success, but after thinking about how little I really enjoyed eating out last week I am willing to keep on trying.