It has been six months since my union signed the 2-year contract with the wage and hour cuts. We are racing this year. Our sponsors helped out, we are doing less work to the bikes than we planned, and we found some money to buy parts and the entry fees. The unforseen side effects of the finding money part of this may interest others. Its the off season, so why not?
A look at the monthly budget showed a lot of money spent on beer, fast food, and gasoline. We are typical Americans. My doctor wants me to qiut drinking. This might be fatal. Maybe he wants to get rid of me? The beer got cut down to a six pack a week with a couple of extra cheater bottles. Eight 12 oz bottles a week, max. Money saved.
Next is gas (petrol). One tank a month in the truck, max. I have not been able to do this with the Bonneville apart, but I am getting close. We make a monthly trip to the big city to shop. We drive to the nearest streetcar station, buy a day pass, and use buses, trolleys, and streetcars to go all around Portland to all of the stores. I will do this on the day of the N.W. Bonneville Reunion. Its fun. Sometimes I will do the same in Salem using my bicycle. Salem is a lot smaller. I use the internet to order some things to save long trips. More $ saved.
Food. The goal is no fast or restaurant victuals, except once a month. The wife or husband also needs to do this to make it work. Frozen food and premade stuff at the supermarket will not work. It is as expensive as eating out. We use basic raw ingredients on sale. The doctor always tells me to eat healthy and he sends me to the clinic's diet expert. She gives me a list of healthy things to cook and eat. I put them in a drawer when I get home. A quick rummage through the drawer, below the old cegars, candy bar wrappers, wine corks, and beer bottle openers were fifteen years of healthy food info. I cannot remember more than a few things, so I memorized "no added salt, use olive oil instead of lard or butter, lots of fruit and veggies, and whole grains such as brown rice and whole wheat."
It takes time to cook this food. It also took time to drive to, and wait at the burger basket and chicken shack. Sort of breaks even, time wise. As for money, it saves big dollars. Last week I had saved enough to buy a pair of high compression racing pistons with teflon coating. The thing that might interest members on this forum are the food part. I still eat like a horse, but I am eating different food. It is not a diet in this respect. Diets are not successful for me in the long term for some reason, and this is. I eat three meals a day and get full. My tastes have changed so I actually prefer the healthy food and I feel a lot better. Lots of walrus lard has been sacrificed to the gods of speed.