Checking... Out.

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I use iBank to keep track of my finances on the Mac and the iPhone. It
works great--better than Quicken, for me, since it has the iPhone app
that goes with it. Like Quicken, it lets you pull reports and make
graphs to discover where your money is going. I made a graph today.
Next to rent, "Dining" is my second highest spending category. And
it's not a big margin. That's right--since the beginning of the year,
I've spent almost as much eating out as I have paying rent. In
contrast, I've spent about $20 on groceries. Sad.

I blame Foursquare, Yelp!, and Foodspotting.

The geeky goodness of "checking in" when I'm out, writing reviews, or
sharing pictures of my food with the world makes eating at home seem
lame and pointless.

Damn you, social media, (I still love you, shhh.)

So starting tomorrow (only because I'm writing this from a
restaurant,) I'm going to attempt to go two weeks without eating out.
I'll do some grocery shopping tomorrow, then I'm stapling the chef's
hat to my head. In addition to being cheaper, I have a sneaking
suspicion that it will be healthier, as well.

To Foursquare, Yelp!, and Foodspotting... I'll miss you. But I'll be back.

(Pictured is my last meal... An Original Spin salad from McMenamins. Yummy.)

Sent from my iPad