Last week I discovered that due to several trips to the grocery store, I had ended up spending over $100.00 on food in one week. Oops. This week I decided to give myself a budget. My goal: to spend no more than $70 on food (including eating out). Well… I succeeded!

I used my debit card exactly 3 times this last week. They are as follows:

Transaction 1:

I took out $20.00 on Monday, March 25 for miscellaneous costs throughout the week. This included coffee, laundry, and cover for a year end party for the Capilano Courier (a student newspaper that I write for).

Transaction 2:

On Tuesday, March 26 I made my one and only trip to the grocery store where I spent…. $43.14

Transaction 3:

After running 14.5k in preparation for the half marathon I will be running on May.5, I treated myself to a granola bar at a coffee shop for $3.33

So if you add all of this together. This week I spent a grand total of… $66.47

I’m a little bit proud of myself. Let’s see if I can keep it up next week, although next week is bill week so it is going to be significantly more money, but oh well.

I STRONGLY encourage everyone to do this exercise. It has been hugely effective for me. Maybe you will enjoy similar results.

_________________

Next on the agenda. One of the tasks for this week is titled “Creation.” Here’s how Julia Cameron describes this task:

“Bake something. Creativity does not have to always involve capital-A art. Very often, the act of cooking something can help you cook something up in another creative mode. When I am stymed as a writer, I make soups and pies.”

Although I love pizza, I don’t eat it because I have an intolerance to wheat. For this challenge I made a healthy alternative to my favourite treat, and it was absolutely delicious. Wait for it… portebello mushroom pizzas. You can find the recipe by clicking here. They were absolutely delicious (I switched up the recipe on the site a little bit and cooked some kale into it. Yum!

Did this exercise draw my muse out? Not really, but as the aroma of my dinner floated through my apartment I did take a moment to appreciate how far I’ve come in regard to health and self-sufficiency.

______________

Finally, this was the final day of Week 6 (Rediscovering a Sense of Abundance) for the Artist’s Way, so here is my wrap up.

Week 6: CHECK-IN

How many days this week did you do your morning pages?

I did them every day thanks to the wonderful site http://750words.com. Actually I have written every single day for the past 2 months, and I look forward to the opportunity to explore my mind every morning.

Did you do your artist’s date this week?

Although I wasn’t conscious that this is what it was when I did it. I’m going to call my meditation on the beach an artist’s date. If the purpose of the artist’s date is to unwind, step away from your “work” and put you more inline with your soul and the present… then this is exactly what this little excursion did for me.

Did you experience any synchronicity this week? What was it?

Last weekend I auditioned for a short student film (from SFU) mainly with the objective of getting some auditioning experience. A few days later I received an e-mail sincerely thanking me for coming out, but telling me that they had decided to go another direction. I was disappointed, but I brushed it off and continued on with my day. Then, on Wednesday night I received a call from the director. The actor they had chosen had dropped out, and they asked if I could play the role. Yes! We filmed yesterday, and I had an incredible experience. The scene we filmed was completely improvisational, and taught me some valuable lessons about acting. I learned what it meant to really listen, to go after your objectives, and about how large a role relationships play in how you interact with a person. I also had an opportunity to meet a local actress (she was the lead of the film) with whom I really hit it off.  I’d say that this was synchronicity at its finest.

Were there any other issues this week that you consider significant for you recovery? Describe them.

The big realization that I came to this week was that making money can be fun. By making this into an affirmation, I am also asserting that making money is possible and easy for me to do. This has been a huge break through for me, and has kept me in an upbeat and excited mood all week. Although my bank account doesn’t show it yet, I truly feel abundant right now.

__________

In closing, I would like to share a blog post written by a friend of mine on your responsibility to acknowledge your creative muse. This post brought tears to my eyes. If you are moved by it as well, please share it and spread the message around.

“A conch is being raised to trembling lips – will you blow?” by Ren Kennedy