When it comes to money, I believe there are two kinds of people: rational spender and chaotic spender. I am one of the most chaotic spenders in this universe.
I succumb to impulse buying, and this absolute lack of money discipline has always bothered me because I know I am supposed to have a monthly budget, but I just couldn’t bring myself to draw up and stick to one.
Furthermore, tracking my expenses is a bit scary because I don’t want to be confronted by the harsh reality of exactly how much I spend, not that it’s a lot. Still, there are some purchases, in hindsight, that look utterly silly that I want to slap myself in the face!
As a serial learner, I have decided to re-evaluate my role as a consumer in this society because the truth is told, what is not managed is wasted, and who knows, maybe I already am mindlessly chowing through my retirement fund (imagine the horror).
I never received any formal education on financial literacy, and as you can already predict, my relationship with my money is dare, I say, tortured? At the same time, we live in an information economy where knowledge is one click away; therefore, ignorance, I think, should not be a clutch used to excuse some of those questionable habits.
To that end, I recently started reading Money, Master the Game by Tony Robbins, and the all-time classic The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason. I find these books quite informative, and what is interesting is that they offer pragmatic solutions to financial freedom. That said, let’s jump right into it and follow me throughout the week.
Friday 26 November: 0,00 руб
I woke up quite late today (8:00 am) and debated if I should run or not. Eventually, I decided to go running, and I did a 90min session of interval training (1km @ 5:30 mins followed 200m of recovery)* 10 cycles.
After my run, I took a shower and ate some breakfast, and since I was working remotely, I did not leave my house at all. Around noon I start to work on my annual review presentation scheduled for 25 December. I spent approximately 2 hours working on it then took a break.
At this point, I am not hungry, but I was craving some Baskin Robbins ice cream, so I served myself two scoops. After my break, I work on my programming assignment because I am learning R on Coursera.
I am a sworn technophobe, and every time I see command-line, I cringe inside, but with R, I am enjoying myself, plus there is so much demo data I can practice on.
After my R assignment, I call it a day; this is around 17:00 and I basically become a lazy cow. I watched a movie and some YouTube videos and had a heated dinner. I did a bit of light reading and went to bed at 23:00.
Saturday 27 November: 6792 руб
Today I woke up late again (don’t judge me) but I have many things to do. Saturday is a recovery day for me, so I cross-train, usually swimming because it has less impact, but I cancel my swimming session last minute because I know I will be late for my other engagements.
At 10:00 am, I make some breakfast (mushroom omelette). Yesterday I made plans with my girlfriend to go check out this hipster gallery exhibiting the art of Van Gough and other artists, so whilst eating, I purchased a ticket online with a student discount for 400 руб.
At 11:30 am, I left my house for my lash appointment, but I was afraid of running late, so I called an Uber to the beauty studio. The cost of the uber from my house to the studio was 759 руб.
Around 12:20, I arrived at the studio, and the lash technician worked for almost 2 hours. The cost is 3000 руб. At 15:00, I have a date with my girlfriend, so I call another Uber to take me to the gallery. The gallery is close to where I am, so the uber cost is 317rubles.
We decide to grab some lunch before we go in at burger heroes. I order the black mamba burger and a bottle of water for 550 руб. After lunch, we head in, and it’s a digital exhibition, it’s something that I have never experienced, but I thoroughly enjoy myself.
The paintings are projected on the wall, the music is magical, and everything is dynamic, sort of like coming to life, well I don’t know how to explain it. We spent about an hour there and headed home.
We used the subway, and for the subway, I have a prepaid social card that costs 350rubles a month with a student discount. I don’t live in the centre of Moscow, so I commute to and fro the centre using the suburban train, and it costs 96rubles from where I am to my home station.
We arrive at our station, and my friend treats me to some coffee, then we part ways. I arrive home at 19:00. I feel like swimming, so I pack my gear and order an Uber to my gym for 357 руб. I do approximately one hour.
For some reason, I am always ravenous after a swim session, so I walk to a nearby Japanese place, and I order tea and some rolls. Including a tip, my dinner bill is 910 руб. At this point, it’s approximately 01:00hrs, and there are no more buses, so I order an Uber for 349 руб and head home.
Once I am home, I brush my teeth because I showered already at the gym after my swim and around 01:45, I got some shut-eye.
Sunday 28 November: 1830руб
I am a morning person, so in summer I wake up at 6:00 am; in winter I wake up even earlier because I sleep very well. Once my alarm goes, I wake up and study for 70 mins. At 7:30 am, I head out to the park for our club long run.
The park is 2km away, so I use this distance to warm up. Club members start trickling in a couple of minutes before 08:00. We exchange pleasantries and take team photos and start. The girls and I do a 2hr trek, and during this time, we are swapping stories, catching up, recommending places and activities to check out.
I love running in this club because it’s pretty diverse. Women of all age groups come to this club, and it’s a fantastic opportunity to network, create connections and establish friendships.
It is funny how there are so many dating apps, but apps, where women can meet other like-minded women to network and interact are virtually non-existent. If you know of a platform like this, please, please tell me.
After the run, we grab breakfast at the local café, and I order a small vegan cappuccino and a slice of cheesecake. This costs me 530 руб. When I am done, I bid my farewells to the team and trek back home.
I arrive home at 11:45 and head straight into the shower. I work on my research proposal, and around 14:00hrs, I prepare some lunch. After lunch, I start planning my experiments for the week by researching methodologies, reading some articles related to my work, and at 17:00, I start preparing for church.
I order an uber to church for 726 руб. Our service commences at 18:30 for a duration of 2hrs. When the service ends, we stay and catch up, fellowship, and eat some snacks. Around 22:00 I ordered another Uber to take me home, this cost me 574 руб. Once I arrive home, I brush my teeth, grab my kindle read till 23:00hrs then sleep.
To be continued…
By Comfort Lulu
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