I’m going to Paris in October to visit my friend Cara Tobe. If I continue with my current savings plan, I will have an additional $1,750 by the day I leave. If, however, I am able to stay extra diligent and drastically cut going out to eat and drink, I could have as much as $4,000 put away by that time. I had already been making an effort to go out less, but with this trip now on the horizon, I couldn’t imagine any better motivation.

I don’t post many personal entries, but I felt by throwing this up on the internet it sort of makes it an official, and public, goal. Here goes.