Trimming the Fat - April Challenge

Ok so we took a semi-break the month of March as I was on vacay and couldn't FULLY commit to giving up anything. BUT yall were supposed to be trying Lady O's experiment. How many tried it??? I'd love to hear about your experience & what you learned.

Anywho "Trimming the Fat" is Step 2 of the 12-Step Urban Addict Recovery Program. So now that we've ushered in a new month it's time for a new challenge. This month's challenge is twofold. The main part focuses on giving up one aspect of "XXL Entertainment" - the movies! I know you're thinking that going to the movies doesn't cost THAT much (unless you go to the ArcLight or Grove in L.A.), but if you (like myself) hit up the theater almost every week each month it starts to add up! Think about the movie ticket, the must-have concessions which are RIDICULOUSLY priced (not to mention unhealthy) & if you live in a mega-metropolis you're probably also paying for parking.

I challenge you to give up the movie theater for the month of April. Hey you have nothing to lose from this little experiment. Maybe you discover that the movies doesn't have that much of an impact on your finances OR maybe you discover that you'll end up with an extra $100 of discretionary income. That's why it's called an experiment. And guess what? It's not awards season so there's no film coming out that you can't wait to see come May 1st! And like I said in my last post SATC won't be back for another year! So no excuses people!

Of course, there are some crafty strategies to still get your flick fix:

*Get your boo/some stupid guy to treat you to a movie.

*Find out about FREE movie screenings in your area. You know you always ignore those poor people standing outside the theater with their clipboards when they're begging you to come see a new movie FOR FREE!!!!!

*Make it a Netflix night! Netflix is one entity actually thriving right now. Since Jan. 1st they have enrolled 600k new subscribers! Even my mom (the most online illiterate person in Tennessee) signed up! Peeps are finally getting a clue. Too bad it took this recession-depression to wake them up. If you don't have a membership yet, you're really missing out. You can rent an unlimited number of DVDs for under $10 each month!

Now for the No, no's:

*Absolutely NO ordering On Demand! It's highway robbery. Don't do it!

*No buying DVDs. You shouldn't be spending unnecessary money anyway right now. The only exception is if YOU are in the movie. Then maybe you can make it a tax write off.

*No Red Boxing it. I didn't even know what that was til my recent trip down South. If you're gonna do all that then you should just sign up for Netflix.

The 2nd part of this challenge is this...I'm in disbelief regarding how little people know about current world affairs but they can tell you where Rihanna was last night! People get off the blogs (but not this one) - I mean the gossip sites, put down the tabloid rags & stop consuming all your free time with the make-believe world of TV & film. With this said I challenge you to watch a 24-hr news network/read a newspaper/listen to NPR for AT LEAST half an hour daily. I promise in that time-frame you will find out what has taken place in the world in the last 24 hours. Make it a priority to keep up with what's REALLY happening around you. It's lovely to be fab but it's critical to be ALERT.

Ok - I'm off my soapbox for now. So....

ON YOUR MARK! READY....SET....GO!!!!!!!