Startup Fiance

I enjoy my life as a startup fiancee, but as with any relationship, there are certain sacrifices that need to be made. The biggest issue for us right now (besides moving) is working on how to best budget our money and stretch it to its fullest potential. While we have not actually ever sat down and made complicated charts or diagrams mapping out how best to use our resources, we have pretty much agreed on a common-sense approach to spending money. Our budget system basically translates into no beer, no going out to dinners, and no social life, but it also means more money for the startup, becoming a more conscious consumer, and spending more time together.

I have reluctantly learned to adjust to a beer-less existence, but I still have a hard time with not being able to go out to dinner in a restaurant a few times a week. We still eat a lot of take-out food, but it is very rare that we will go to a sit down establishment where they take your plates and bring you your check at the end. I am not sure why I enjoy dining out so much, maybe it reminds me of home, maybe I enjoy having alone time away from the house, or maybe I just like the idea of being able to sit and relax while someone else works on a dish especially made for you. Regardless of the reason, dining out really is a waste of money, especially when you consider how much these places tend to charge for cheap items like soft drinks and french fries.

From a time perspective, dining out can be a very time consuming process if you take into account the time it takes to get ready, to travel to and from your destination, and time spent in the actual restaurant. If we were to go out to dinner on a day when I got home from work at my usual time of 6 pm, we would not be back home until about 8pm, that is 2 hours of time lost that could have been spent working on a site, and that is just not practical or efficient. I will make up for this missed year of eating out once the startup takes off though, mark my words.

As for the lack of social life, I really do not mind so much. I am able to keep in touch with and spend time with the people I care about without shelling out butt loads of money at a bar, or wasting money at a tourist attraction that I have already been to a million times. In fact, being broke is a great way to determine who your real friends are, and thank you to all of you who have fed Butterfinger and I steaks and shrimp, picked up the tab at happy hour, given us fair tickets, sent care packages, and invited us to birthday gatherings. You all get some major karma points:)