Day 2: The Rules

I really, really should have made some guidelines for my thirty spend-free days before embarking on this experiment, because making them up as I go along may not be the best strategy.

Take today. Friday I have a sitter all day so that I can get some work done. I generally work from home, unless I have to be in court or meet with a client. I realize I'm very lucky.

However, home is where the generally full refrigerator and freezer live. It is also where the DVR lives. And the XBox. And the couch. And bed. And cuddly beagles. You see what can happen then, yes? A whole lot of screwin' around, and not a whole hell of a lot of motion writing.

This is problematic.

So, every once in a while, I head to a coffee shop with free wifi to grab a cup of coffee and get some work done. I have to sift through my work bag first, lest I accidentally bring headphones or whatever I'm reading to the coffee shop with me and end up reading "just a chapter" or watching "just ten minutes" of whatever show I missed this week and then...you know...no motion writing.

My current favorite coffee shop to work is the Root in Lakewood. There are always open tables, the staff are friendly and, should I get very hungry, there are some vegan options on the menu. And the locally roasted coffee? Please. Color me in love.

So...this begs the question...does working at the Root and paying for coffee count as "spending money on myself" when I could work from home for free (or, y'know, allegedly work?).

After pondering my dilemma while driving Barrett to the sitter, I concluded that working at the Root and buying coffee is really in the best interest of my clients (*cough*). Therefore, my coffee is actually a work-related expense and does not count as "spending money on myself." And, because I brought my own coffee cup, I'm not actually generating any consumer waste. And because I'm using Root's power to keep my laptop running, I'm actually saving money, right? Right????

[Shit, I just realized I left my power cord at home. Oh well, still work expense.]

I fear that the next 28 days may be spend merely justifying my expenses rather than feeling guilty about them.