Day One 8:45 a.m. — I'm moving slowly this morning because of a stomachache (likely from eating hot wings last night) and dry throat (from Colorado's arid climate). I'm able to take it easy this a.m., as most of my company's permanent employees are on a retreat. (I am working on a short-term contract.) So instead of rushing out the door, I drink some coffee with my boyfriend, throw cereal and milk into a Mason jar, and grab some random snacks for lunch. 11:45 a.m. — Snack on a banana that I brought to work, but half of it is too mushy to eat. Now I know I NEED to stop for groceries on the way home. 1 p.m. — I consider going out for a bowl of soup, but decide to get by on the snacks I brought. I have snap pea crisps (amazing), some cheese, and a Fiber One brownie. As I'm eating lunch, I peruse job boards and send off some networking emails. My job contract is ending soon, so I need to figure out what to do next. 5 p.m. — I'm crashing hard today, so I make the decision to hit up Costco first on my grocery trip. (Free samples!) I quickly visit the sample stands, and get to shopping. Much easier to navigate this store on a weeknight than on the weekend. I try to only purchase $50 worth of food, but I end up with a few extras. $68.45 5:45 p.m. — I head next door to Target to fill in the gaps. I use a Redcard and Cartwheel to make grocery shopping at Target as reasonable (if not slightly more reasonable) than the traditional grocery stores. My boyfriend and I usually split groceries pretty evenly, but lately it has made most sense for me to stop on my way home from Denver. Either he will cover the next round, or more likely, he will spring for some meals and drinks when we go out. $54.39 6:30 p.m. — Finally arrive home! I had told my boyfriend how exhausted/hungry I was before I did the grocery shopping, so he brought home some meals from his work cafeteria. He gets them subsidized and deducted from his paycheck each month, and he is behind on using them because of the holidays, so, its a win-win to use them up tonight. I have a small salad and half of a mini pizza, and there are leftovers for the next couple lunches I need to pack. 8 p.m. — As I unwind on the couch watching Top Chef reruns and chat with my mom, she tells me that I should book a hotel for my Grandma's birthday trip to Vegas this summer. They have a block reserved and she wants to make sure I'm in the block. I book for the whole weekend, but they charge a one night deposit immediately. At least I put it on my Chase Sapphire card, so I'll get travel points. $147.55 Daily Total: $270.39