MONEY FOR FLYING almost free

Ok I don't have a source for anyone to get $10k needed for a private license, but I do have one money saving suggestion that I use. A computer cd rom from Sports or King is about $300 for the private pilot. Where can that come from? A lot of us are like most Americans a few pounds overweight, and not as young and active as we were back in college days, even if pilot may tend to be a little more health conscious than average. So we don't need to eat more, rather to eat less of at least better. I eat out often, both in the summer when traveling. like Oshkosh and during football season when I usually watch the college games on the big screen tv at the FBO or sports bar at a 4 star hotel. And my Son tells me to get a drive in movies size tv but my vintage one works just fine for normal programs.
So Ive noticed that an entrée at a decent restaurant, lunch or dinner is larger portions than I or most of us need, even if habit makes us conditioned to finish it all. So I often eat half of it and get to go box for the rest. Our best hamburger, at a 4 star hotel is $20, which seems exorbitant, but it is ground steak, and of course in a historic bar with a nice atmosphere. Add in a drink, tax, tip and its a $30 burger. BUT not so fast, I take half it to go for dinner with half the fries and now its 2 meals for $15 each and no cooking involved. Of course you can get cheap food at the not so golden arches , but its like eating cardboard. Yesterday, I had a cup of great mushroom soup for lunch with a shrimp and spinach quesadilla and again took part of it home for dinner. Now you can save money just by eating at cheap places or even more by buying a the grocery store, either prepared food or raw and cooking at home, but that's effort on its own.
So the eat half now and take the half to go works for me, lets say I eat out average once every other week and save $15 each time, that's the $300 for the written course. Now its not foolproof, we ate at a 4 star place at Christmas and all of that trout with wild rice washed down with champagne went home only inside me!
I do have a friend who was a large guy, 245 lbs and lost 40 of it by changing only one thing, he started on eating half of every pizza, worked for him. Not for my Son's fiancée who runs marathons, did the whole 40k in Mexico City, and the only thing she leaves on her plate is the porcelain.
One other tip, when you are spending money on flying or whatever you love, never look at the numbers just be glad you can.

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So I often eat half of it and get to go box for the rest.

We often do that. Last night we ate at Olive Garden (Stuffed Chicken Marsala) and brought half home, which we'll eat tonight. We probably shouldn't have gone out yet, though, since we've still got (Honeybaked) ham and twice baked potatoes (and more) left over from the holiday meal(s), plus homemade chicken/vegetable soup (wife always makes a huge pot) and a couple of other things. But, we wanted the change.

Along that line, I'll share some wisdom I received some years ago from an Australian Army Sergeant. "If there's something you want to do, you'd best be about it now, as it won't be any easier the longer you put it off. And hang the cost; 10 years from now you won't miss the money, but you'll always have the memories."