Dollars down the drain for food, fun and frolic

It is literally terrifying how easy it is to spend money without really buying anything at all. Say it's a beautiful Saturday morning, you have no plans to start your homework until Sunday night, and you feel so free with the whole day ahead of you that you want to take an adventure with your roommates.

Naturally, you decide you need to start off the day with the grande non-fat pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks because the taste of fall in a cup is only available for a limited time. And lord knows we could all use as much fall as we can get after this outrageously scorching and sweat-provoking summer.

So you leave Starbucks $5 poorer than when you went. OK, back to adventuring. You and your roommates decide it might be a good day to go grocery shopping so you get the essentials for the week: Chobani yogurt, Stacy's pita chips, hummus, Perdue individually wrapped chicken breasts, carrots, lettuce, skim milk, peanut butter, wheat bread and probably something you tell yourself you're going to eat but just sits in your fridge for a week until you decide it's time to clean it out because it's starting to smell funky.

In my case, this is usually a green pepper or some other vegetable I swear I'm going to incorporate into my diet and I never do. So there's about 40 bones down the drain. After unpacking your groceries you realize it's lunchtime and you guys are starving! So you hop into the car and head to Chipotle, because where else would you go when you're hungry and in the mood for some culinary fantastic-ness?

Exactly, Chipotle is the pinnacle of quick and tasty, middlebrow weekend lunches with friends. But after a burrito, chips, guac and a drink, you can kiss $12 goodbye! So you all agree, as you drive back to the apartment, that you're not going to spend any more money for the rest of the weekend.

But soon you're out the door to go get your nails done with another friend who's having a bad day. Before you know it, you're sitting there making plans with a bunch of friends for dinner with your fresh, $15 manicure.

What can you do about dinner? Everyone's going and you can't be anti-social, so you agree to go and end up spending another $30 followed by another $20 out at the bars later for drinks. At this point you've officially spent a ton of money and have nothing really to show for it except chipped nails, a massive food baby and a drunk friend who insists on staying out and dancing when all you really want to do is curl up in the fetal and sleep for a decade.

Maybe my roommates and I just eat a lot. Regardless, it is outrageous how easy it is to spend money on food. Because we're so close to so many restaurants at Richmond, there is a huge going-out-to-get-food culture. If you think about the majority of cravings you have, chances are you can satisfy them on West Broad, on Cary Street or in the Village plaza. It is expensive to be a social eater.

And you guys know how I feel about eating and being social - I'm certainly not about to give them up by any stretch of the imagination.

I could eat and catch up with people all day every day but, good god, I'd never have money for anything else. And, shockingly enough, I do occasionally have to do other things besides eat, like get gas, or buy school supplies or add to my "in case I ever have to pay anyone back for posting bail" fund.

But as much as we all love to go out to eat, I'm starting to find that I haven't added any money to that fund yet and my note card selection is pretty minimal.

I hope I don't get arrested or have to take a test any time soon because I have a feeling the eight times I got sushi in the past two weeks are not worth jail time or an F.

Perhaps it's about time to use those cooking skills my mother worked so hard to instill in me as a youth... or maybe I should just find a man friend who will take me out to eat. But whatever the solution, it better come quickly because I'm broke and hungry and still need to buy note cards.