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Okay, so I've really been into this feature with my credit card online thing-a-ma-bob that lets me download the last 18 months of my credit card transactions.

I started this process about maybe two weeks or so ago.  I'm not exactly sure when they added this feature. I imagine it's always been there though.  It puts the transactions in a nice and neat CSV/Excel sheet that lets you sort and filter how you please.

It's great.

First off, I started looking for recurring purchases.  Holy cow... I've been wasting money, that's for sure.

Okay, so not a complete waste... But some of the places I was going to over and over again.  I mean 12 bucks at Panera Bread, over and over, like I went at least 20 times in a year... Going a few times... Okay, but I mean, I've just been really kind of going out TOO much.

I can do the same stuff I do out at bars, or coffee shops... here at home instead.

The original reason I started skedaddling all about town was that I was hoping to bump into/cross paths with someone... Love probably doesn't work like that.  Or maybe it does.

What DOES work like that is... Spending money where I don't really need to spend it.

Again, a coffee shop maybe once a month, or a bar like once a month... Okay.  But 600 bucks spent at one bar alone?

That's just crazy talk.

That 600 bucks is my new iPhone that I've been meaning to buy.  My current phone is old as molasses.

New plan, comb through those transactions and really find places that I could take money from food/drink/bar/coffeeshops and put that money into buying a drum-set, recording equipment... buy new appliances.

Upgrade recording equipment and such.

It was fun going out, people watching, trying to make attempts at small talk... But let's face it... Where did that lead?

I'm not any closer to finding someone special right this moment.  Nothing stuck.  There's no one that I met out at food truck festivals (searched for all my Square purchases, there were quite a bit) or at any of the wine tasting events, or bars, or coffee shops.

I've met more people just going to yoga on the regular.  And that's costing me WAY less money than any of the other things I did.

Now, that's not to say I probably won't skip out on a few events.  I liked the goat race I went to last year at Slyfox... And the bethlehem Musikfest is fun too.

This Friday I actually plan to go see this band I first discovered at Musikfest.

But instead of trying to go out ALL the time... I'm going to pick and choose.

I guess I just feel more responsible staying in over going out.  Plus, I feel my time could be better spent working on recording music, or even just being creative in my own home.

The more I stay in, the more money I can put towards things that then generate more cashflow... Instead of things that cost money.

I feel like my go to default setting is to stay in and not to be out and about.  I just feel more comfortable when I'm staying in and being productive.

I guess my way of looking at it is that I like to make investments for the future, and if I'm home instead of out, I can better make investments for the future.

Be that investment just spending my evening relaxing and unwinding, saving money that I can then put into home renovations or to save to purchase things that can help me make music.

Or the music itself.  I can then record more and put more up online and then those songs get streamed... and then I can put that money back into making more music.

Anyways the key to it is to keep more of a watchful eye on where I'm spending money and put less money into nights where, for example, I'll drive downtown, pay for parking at a parking garage, pay for 2 or maybe 3 beers at 6 bucks a piece plus tip, and then also pay some kind of cover charge or a ticket to a show.

I mean, that's a waste of a good 40 or 50 bucks, sometimes more!  And what happens at the end of the night?

I just end up back home.

Why not just start at home, stay at home, and end at home instead?

Then in the time I would have spent driving, parking, trying to awkwardly make meaningless conversation...

I could have worked a few hours on a new song, or cleaned a part of my house, or moved some furniture around and reorganized...

And after enough of those nights, I can go over to IKEA and get some cool piece of furniture with the money that would have been spent on beer and parking.

Or, I can buy a new appliance, or whatever...

Or I can buy a drum set, and then practice drums for an hour.

Anyways, at 34, I guess I'm just not interested in running around chasing after some mystery girl who may or may not even exist.  I'd rather put my time and effort and money into just staying in, and being productive.

Maybe start painting some parts of this house and patch up some things that need to be fixed...  And in between I can take breaks to work on recording, and books, and what not.  Instead of stuck in traffic trying to get home late at night and having felt like I wasted money for no reason.

I think this is definitely a much better choice.

And then when I do go out, I'll go out just to see a band that I like, or something like that, such as this Friday night.

Seriously though, I recommend looking over where money is going for anyone.  At the time that I would whip out my credit card, I would say to myself, oh, it's just 15 bucks.  It's just 25 bucks.

And then you look over the report and you filter to show all purchases made at parking meter kiosks in the last year and a half?

Like, REALLY?  I spent THAT much money on just parking meters alone?!?!?!  I mean who knew!?!

Anyways, so I mean, and hey, I might be more likely to meet someone if I just stay in and work on projects, or even do a little extra work for my 9-5 job... Then who knows, some how THAT might actually lead me to meeting someone... And if I met someone through hard work and motivation and being responsible, that's a better way to meet someone as opposed to just stumbling into one another tipsy at a bar.  Of course, I'd be fine with either one as long as it worked out I guess...

But, at least by staying in, I know the outcome... I know that I'll get work done, and I'll get projects accomplished... By going out?  I just end up coming home with my to-do list still filled and nothing accomplished and having less money in my wallet, less gas in my gas tank, and feeling slightly sad that nothing came out of it.

It's better, in my opinion at the ripe old age of 34, to just stay in.

Oh, also the other cool thing about staying in and saving money, is that instead of going out locally... I could instead travel more.  I'm kind of finding out that a lot of other people that I meet they don't go out much locally, but they travel places.  Like, so instead of weekly coffeeshops at like 3 bucks for the cup of coffee, and another 3 or 4 bucks for some kind of muffin type thing to go with the coffee... PLUS another dollar or two for a tip...

They instead put that 8 bucks into a travel fund.  So, even on a Saturday or Sunday, instead of going to a coffee shop and spending 5 or possibly 10 bucks on a drink and a small pastry... I could stay in, working on things at home, and put that money instead towards a travel destination.

Like, I've never been over to England, or Ireland or Scotland!  Or anywhere in Europe for that matter.  8 bucks a week towards that seems like a better idea than just going around the area trying out coffee shops or what have you.

So, I might start a small travel fund with my savings.  Not sure yet.  Right now I'm just going to stay in and save and see how much I end up saving and then put that money towards something cool and new and great and wonderful and grand.