*Flash backward* Its FRIDAY!!!! You just got paid (and just in time for the weekend! coincidence?) What are you doing tonight? Calling your friends to join you in celebrating the week’s end by getting all dressed up for a night of drinking, eating and shenanigans. What does a typical night out look like?
1st stop: After work you stop by the mall and pick up a casual yet fancy dress or some new jeans and t-shirt from H&M or something like it ($50). Head home and get ready.
2nd stop: You get a ride to the newly opened hipster restaurant on Queen Street. Your friends are there and they’ve ordered a cheese plate, and a bottle of wine to start the night. You order a burger and fries to make sure you’ve got enough fuel to last the night, with an alcohol-absorbent base.($25)
3rd stop: You head to the lounge bar on Bloor afterward. A few bucks for cover, a few more for coat cheque and its time to find a seat. On your way to the washroom you bump into a few colleagues, and can’t refuse a celebratory shot with acquaintances. An hour or two goes by while you enjoy music, good company and some cocktails ($45), when suddenly a group member exclaims its time to get some greasy food.
4th stop: You walk to the first fast food restaurant you can find within a block or two; late night Poutine for all ($15). After a successful evening, the lethargy sets in and its time to call it a night.
5th stop: You call a cab, or an Uber ($40), and head home.
*Present* Its MONDAY. You try and avoid looking at your bank account on your mobile app because you know (or can’t remember) what you did this past weekend. Later that day, or that week, or that month you will have to face the consequences of your actions with the realization that you spent ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY DOLLARS ($170) on a night out.
How you do you feel? Regretful? Remorseful? Sick?
The financial hangover CAN be avoided. There is a way to make sure you never have to feel this way again. Be smarter about your spending. You don’t NEED a new outfit every time you go out. You don’t NEED to take a cab instead of public transportation. You don’t NEED to have that celebratory drink with friends for conventional sake. If your going to regret it later, why do it?
Visit Fast Access Finance to find out about our services and how we can help you bounce back!