affording fords

Seven years ago, I was starving.  I wasn't making great money and I was probably going out to bars too often.  I was also spending WAY too much on mochas.  I remember when I discovered dumpstering.  It was a godsend.  Previously, I was living on a package of veggie dogs a week.  That was about it.  One time in particular, I was strapped for cash and I had no idea what I was going to eat in the morning before going to work.  Fortunately, I jumped into Trader Joes dumpster and found a box of granola (thrown out due to faulty packaging) and some okay bananas.  I remember being so grateful.

Today, I paid way too much for a sandwich, chips and a soda.  As I sat in Fords for the 1st time, I thought, wow, this would have been my total allowance for the days' food supply back then and instead, it is barely supplying a lunch.  It was good although a tad overpriced.  Since I paid off my credit cards and my student loans, I have been able to splurge a bit on food.  I'd feel a little guilty for it if I hadn't starved myself for so long to get to this point.  I'm still thrifty as a general rule.  I don't order too expensive, I judge places based upon their prices and I never pass up a free meal.  However, I have the option to go out to places that seem a little more bourgeois than my budget.

What else?
Speaking of free food, I biked down to Chipoltes downtown because Zipcar said they were giving free burritos to members.  Like I said, I don't pass over free meals...generally.  However, there was a line of at least 40 people waiting for their free lunch.  I had to decide that my time was more valuable than a free burrito.  I ended up at Southeast Grind where I got lost in paper-writing for four hours.  It is by far my favorite place to study.