No Spend November-Mid-Way Link Up!

What an interesting couple of weeks this has been! I've learned a lot about myself as I've powered through a month of (attempting) to not eat out.

Here's what I've figured out.

What my challenge really should have been was to not eat out for lunch, or maybe even to not eat out alone. The thing that I always forget is how much time I spend with my friends/family/community around a table at a restaurant. I've cheated a couple of times (and tried to make up for it...)

This past Monday I had a free session with a personal trainer a.k.a. the most insane workout I've had in a LONG time. As I was leaving the gym, barely able to lift my arms, I knew just what I needed, a beer and a burger, and my friends. So sent out a text to my two most reliable friends and we got just that. It was needed, it was an hour that I got to spend with two of my favorite people. To make up for it, I brought my lunch to work on Tuesday (and passed up on the food truck, which was my pre-determined cheat).

There have been a couple other moments. I'm still on the fence about pastries, but considering that I never bought them all that often I've let myself have a few. It's been a fun experience.

My sister and I went to concert this week in a super cute part of Denver called The Highlands. I don't make it up there very often, so we stopped at a place across the street and grabbed a quick dinner. How could you say no to this decor!

I learned that bringing my lunch to work is SO much less stressful than eating out on my 30 minute lunch break. I was never able to relax because I was also so concerned about making it back on time, it was ridiculous. Now all I have to do is walk down the hall and I can take full advantage of all of my 30 minutes, so much better!

I hope to be a little better in the next two weeks about eating out with friends, we can really have just as much fun at one of our houses, however if it happens I'm not going to feel guilty. Community is incredibly important to me and if community is happening around a table full of pizza/burgers/beer/etc. I will be there with a smile on my face.

I hope you join our link up! If you missed the one at the beginning of the month, it's not too late to start now! 

Are there any changes you might make to your "fasts" in the rest of the month?

Welcome back everyone!