In a previous post, I commented how, since I am not going anywhere to do research, I am actually saving money during the sabbatical. Now I have a fuller picture of my habits during the sabbatical, so I can break down numbers better:
a)As I mentioned in the previous post, I didn't buy new clothing for the Fall, which probably saved me $150 (or around $50 a month). On the other hand, the fact that I put on 10 pounds in the last year also contributed to it, but let's change subjects.
b)I am spending less money on gas. I never drive too much, but during normal academic year, I spend between 1 and a half tank to 2 tanks of gas a month. Now, a whole tank lasts me throughout the month. That's probably saving me around $20 a month.
c) In addition, since there are many days I stay at home just reading, I am less lazy and feel less tempted to skip putting together my own lunch and just buy a sandwich at work (and a coffee, and so on and so forth). That means that I am saving 15 dollars a week (on average), which translates into $60 a month. Yay!!!
So far, I am saving $130 a month. However, I am spending more on certain things:
a) I am spending around $50 more on groceries.
b) And, even worse, I just saw my credit card bill, and I spent $120 on books on Amazon this month alone!!! Books that I thought I should have related to my project. That turned out to be true only sometimes. And no, I don't itemize my taxes, so I can't claim it as a business expense. But hey, new additions to my bookcase. I shouldn't be complaining.
So overall, I am not saving money during the sabbatical. Or I am, and that money is going towards buying books that would have constituted an additional expense otherwise (I know I would have bought them anyway). Oh well...
I'm wondering about this too -- and my breakdown looks almost exactly like yours, except my research requires me to be elsewhere for the year, and traveling is expensive. But I must say doing more cooking at home is really great for my sense of well-being.
ReplyDeleteIn my worst hours, I believe it's impossible for working people to cook at home very often. My typical week is 70-80 hrs of work during the semester... when am I supposed to find time to cook creatively? More often, my cooking follows this logic: "shit, the kale is about to go bad! What the hell can I do with kale and that leftover chicken stock? Wish I could have a slice of pizza instead." And thus the problem with gaining weight during the semester.
books are definitely my #1 expense so far in sabbatical. thus far I've been getting my travel paid YAY and yes sabbatical is fattening!
ReplyDeleteOnly $120 per month in books?! Obviously, this is a slow month for you.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the money is like water and gravity. If you don't spend it one place you will find yourself spending it somewhere else.
ReplyDelete@feminema: I would say during a regular semester, I work around 50 hours a week. But I hate cooking, so time is not the main issue. And as far as gaining weight, turning 35 sucks for your metabolism.
ReplyDelete@feMOMist: Good to see I am not the only one spending too much on books. On the other hand, I have 20 books waiting for me at the library requested through Interlibrary Loan. I wonder if there is a limit to it.
@Diego: My husband and I live mostly on my income. And I live on the Midwest. So a) we have to be somewhat careful with spending and b) we will never say no to an invitation to have a beer with a friend (even the worst bar in town has amazing beer on tab). So there goes another sizable chunk that could be devoted to books. And by the way, I am very happy about that. No regrets about that kind of spending.
@Jonathan: What can I say? You always manage to articulate my thoughts in more beautiful ways I could even dream of.