april.

the pollen arrived for real last weekend, which means spring is really here! we had an early dusting of yellow in late february/early march, but nothing like the coating we have now. thankfully, we've had rain a few times this week to help wash it away. i can't wait until it's gone so i can go over to my folks' and wash/detail my car. spring is by far my favorite season...sunshine, flowers, sandal season, white pants, sundresses, warmer temperatures without the humidity of a north carolina summer, sunless tanning lotions. gimme, gimme, gimme! :)

march recap: i started going back to church and went 3 of 4 sundays. i only went out one night. my mom, sister and i went to the casting crowns/unspoken/danny gokey concert at pnc arena. it was AWESOME! my mom had a great time and it was so nice for the three of us to spend time together. we only had two complaints: 1) that unspoken didn't play longer, and 2) casting crowns took a really long break! we could've been out almost an hour earlier...with traffic, i didn't get home until midnight. but, other than that, so fun!
i did fairly well with not spending much in march. i did order more gifts, but i don't really count that as "spending." it is, but it's not wasting money on stupid crap. i ordered a book for my grandma's birthday, a book for father's day, and a couple christian albums. i met with a family friend who is a realtor. with the anticipation of a hike in interest rates, my parents really want to buy and if i want to stay in my neighborhood, the time to buy is now (!). it's a very exciting time...i just have to get through may 17th first. my exam is in less than 50 days. eek! i also attended my first young adults night at rfa. it was fun. everyone was really nice. a smallish group of 30-40. everyone seems to be in their mid-to late 20's. which means i'm still at least 4 years older than everyone. :/ the group will probably skew even younger once colleges let out. we shall see. they meet about once a month.

i am looking forward to what april will bring! here are my goals for the month.

fiscal.
1. pay off balance on snowball #1 made another $500 payment 4/7; < PIF 4/21!!
2. pay at least $200.00 on snowball #2 paid 4/7
3. pay at least $255.00 on snowball #3 paid $155.00 on 3/24, $100.00 on 3/30; $100.45 on 4/21
4. rent/water/misc. payment: $1034.26 paid 3/30
5. bills: car insurance, cell phone, electric, internet made second payment on car insurance to PIF for may & june! :)
6. purchase gifts for may: brother-in-law's birthday and mother's day (4/21-4/22)
7. file my taxes by 4/18
8. adjust withholdings/dependents for my paycheck (advice from my realtor)

physical.
1. consistent sleep schedule: bed @ 9pm, rise @ 4am for weekday workouts; bed by 11pm, rise by 8am for weekend workouts
2. consistent workouts - work out at least 5 days a week
3. remember to stretch and roll out my muscles
4. get a massage! (i have needed one since november in the worse way -- even if it's just a quick 30-min squeeze on my shoulders and back)
5. continue using R+F regularly
6. continue using diy clay mask once a week
7. continue weaning off caffeinated soda - i cheated a little bit but have mostly stuck with cherry 7up
8. start coconut oil pulling - begin 2x/week
9. floss/brush/act after every meal, even at work

fun.
1. church 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/30
2. raleigh sports club's annual banquet 4/6 so fun. spent an evening with mostly men 65+ and met coach logan.
3. comp time! 4/8
4. hair cut 4/15
5. easter 4/16
6. grandma's birthday 4/18
7. not so fun --- STUDYING when i'm not at work, working out, sleeping or eating

work.
1. ctp meeting 4/4
2. cwep meeting 4/6
3. town council 4/6 i'll miss it because i have the rsc banquet
4. website subcommittee meeting 4/13
5. planning board 4/13 cancelled
6. office closed 4/14
7. county parks & rec advisory committee 4/18
8. pfc meeting 4/26
9. board of adjustment 4/27
10. pay days 4/7, 4/21
11. website updates - ongoing

march 2017.

since my mid-month attempt to make february a "no non-essential spending month" failed, i am going to begin again, at the beginning of march. march will be a month of fresh starts! i have finally finished hanging most of my art (3 gallery walls) and feel like my apartment is livable and feels like me (minus the corner of the closet that needs to be sorted/shredded/purged/reorganized). and, i love it. i will begin again with workouts before work (which are growing even more important as my frustrations with my job continue and my mid section continues to jiggle). studying is in full force...exam is just over 2 months away - eek! and, the ongoing goal of quitting. i'm going to give it a real chance. which, if i'm designating march as a no spend month, makes total sense because this habit/choice is non-essential. and church...i haven't been in months. i need my 'at least once a week' solely focused on jesus time back. he helps even me out and not constantly want to punch or kick people in the workplace (i don't, but there have been times i've been "this close" to potentially getting to that point where i've completely lost my mind and my last shred of patience).

march also brings some fun. for my mom's birthday (#65), i surprised her with tickets to the casting crowns/unspoken/danny gokey concert. she is EXCITED. i am too. and we're making it a mother-daughters' night out because my sister is coming too. i sprung for her ticket as part of her birthday present (even though her birthday's not until july). tickets were reasonable at $25.00 each (+ fees of course), so just over $100.00 for the 3 of us to go. they can buy my pretzel and soda. ;) it will be fun. casting crowns is an old favorite and my mom turned us onto unspoken. later in the month, i'll head down to the beach to see my bestie for her birthday. i love getting to spend time with her and her last pop-through wasn't long enough.

let's do this march!

fiscal.
1. pay at least $50.00 on snowball #1 paid 3/10
2. pay at least $200.00 on snowball #2 paid 3/10
3. pay at least $50.00 on snowball #3 paid 3/10
4. rent/water/misc. payment: $1041.95 paid 3/5
5. bills: car insurance, cell phone, electric, internet paid 3/9, 3/10
6. purchase birthday gifts for mom, grandma and bestie i'm glad i waited b/c both mom's and grandma's gifts were on sale ($10 off each --both getting the same thing). 
7. travel reimbursement from work for ncazo workshop means +$300.00 comes back to me (and will be split between snowball #3 - hotel purchase and snowball #1 - just because)

physical.
1. consistent sleep schedule: bed @ 9pm, rise @ 4am for weekday workouts; bed by 11pm, rise by 8am for weekend workouts
2. consistent morning workouts - work out at least 6 days a week
3. remember to stretch!
4. use R+F regularly
5. quit - if only as part of no-spend challenge
6. 31 day challenge: no caffeinated soda, no skittles...just homemade goodness :)

fun.
1. church 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26
2. birthdays: mom 3/19, bestie 3/23
3. concert 3/10 my mom LOVED her bday present! we had so much fun! :)
4. st. patrick's day 3/17
5. beach beach trip has been pushed to june -- i never get to see my bff during peak season!! time to really start working on my bikini body! :)

work.
1. town council 3/2
2. ctp meeting 3/7
3. rpo meeting 3/8
4. p&r advisory committee 3/13
5. county rec advisory committee 3/21