To save for a phone...

To touch screen or not to touch screen, that is the question I've been asking myself the past few weeks. I need a new phone. I have been using mine for almost three years now and I have loved it the entire time. I will say now that I am partial to LG phones and enjoy not having to figure out a whole new interface when I switch phones. However, this preference of mine does leave my phone choices rather limited. Instead of opting for the free upgrade, I will be saving up for either the LG EnV Touch (I'll have to get used to the touch screen and possibly get over my annoyance of fingerprints on screens) or the LG EnV 3.

In my attempt to save more money to purchase this "luxury item", I am abiding by some more money saving tips:

1. No more baths...showers only AND changing the water pressure so that I can save on energy and water bills
2. Not shopping on an empty stomach...I buy too many snacks when I do that. From here on out I will be shopping with a list of things I NEED (and probably buying store brands vs. name brands since for the most part they have the same ingredients), based on predetermined recipes I will be having for dinner and lunch
3. That ties me with not going out for lunch or dinner anymore. Sure, sometimes it is ineveitable or there's a birthday of sorts but for the most part, I am cooking dinner and saving leftovers for lunch
4. I also reuse those lil zip baggies when I am putting not too messy things in to them liek chips or fruit. Tupperware makes it easy to bring my lunch to work AND using my Umpqua cloth shopping bag sometimes gets me a discount at the grocery store for not using their plastic bags
5. The other thing that helps me save is the fact that I can drink hot chocolate here at work! (no, I'm not a coffee person) but if I were, my Umpqua has an espresso machine that makes pretty much everthing from espresso to latte's so I definitely wouldn't pay whatever the going rate is at the corner St*rbucks

I am really hoping that all these things will add up so that I can soon purchase a phone that does not randomly shut off on me at the most inopportune times