April was worse than I expected, given my challenges of no drinking or eating out. I had some budget busters in there like my friend’s birthday at a sushi restaurant, it was time to buy a 6 month round of contacts, and I also paid a special arts tax that was due. I also failed both of my challenges, in some way.
I think focusing on one thing at a time is better for me, rather than do two challenges at once. I ended up eating out about once a week, which is still better than my ‘normal’, but definitely not good if you are trying to do a 30 day challenge.
I slipped up one day on my drinking challenge. So I went 29 out of 30 days of April without drinking. I must say that my mood felt more stable, I was able to sleep better, my skin looked better and I had more energy. I realized in the 7 years I have been drinking, I’ve never taken a 30 day break. That’s a lot of work for your liver! Also, it made me really aware of my desires. When do I want to drink? And more importantly, why? I feel like here in Portland, the weather is so bad most of the time people just want to hole up in bars and drink. What else is there to do? On the other hand, when it’s nice out, it’s time to celebrate and do some drinking on the fabulous outdoor patios! Similarly, with my emotions, I drink when I am upset or stressed, or if I want to celebrate. In short, I realize there are many reasons why people drink and the key is to do it in moderation and for the right reasons.
Even though I had some budget busters, I still dropped, $1,100 on my student loans! I am so glad that I will be able to continue at this pace, now that I have a job lined up. In addition, I made $395 in side hustle income, which I am hoping to do more of in May.
Remaining student loan balance: $51,948.65
I cannot wait to get under 50k! I am so motivated now that I realized I’ve paid roughly 30k in the past 6 years and have this job.