june 2015

it's a beautiful morning! a season of change is upon us (literally, since summer starts this month!), a month full of hope and promise! here's my box full of optimism for the month ahead...

fiscal
1. make minimum $400.00 payment on debt snowball #1 (using fed tax refund; $500 would be better) (with goal of having #1 paid off by end of july) $100.00 paid. Should make another $100.00 payment before end of month.
2. make a minimum $300.00 payment on debt snowball #2 ($350.00 would be better; this is the last month to use it and then it's gazelle mode towards pay off!) $200.00 paid. need to make at least another $100.00 payment but $400.00 would be better.
3. open a savings account - i'm THIS close to the $300.00 minimum contemplating using what i've saved ($300.00) to go towards my debt...hard to have savings when you have debt.
4. final car insurance payment before renewal period (<$100.00)
5. delete candy mania off phone, leaving only solitare AND drop data down to 2 GB (to drop base rate down to <$60.00)
*even though i should knock out snowball #1 first because it is the smaller amount, i'm also trying to bring #2 down to a level that is doable in 6 months. my aunt & uncle gave me money for my birthday for my debt pay-down as they are "impressed" with my determination to get this thing knocked out...so, i have more money to play with than in any other given month.

physical
1. food challenge has begun! 30 days of no CRAP! (no soda, no potato chips, no processed/non-organic foods)
2. physical challenge! minimum 5 days a week of activity (dance dvd, go for a walk, work up to a jog, movement combinations) -- this coupled with the food challenge should produce good results
3. one more month of b12 pills before i get my bloodwork retested
4. doctor appointments: lady doctor 6/1, dermo #1 6/2, dermo #2 6/12
5. quit -- i am serious about it this time and i think i'm finally ready to let go...

good stuff
1. bathroom reno *mom's getting painters to paint 6/24, so i just have to do the decorative stuff like pick out new hardware, lighting and put it all together! :)
2. clean out my old room -- PURGE! *this moves to july 4 weekend
3. goodwill/rescue mission donations
4. my birthday 6/16
5. father's day / summer begins 6/21
6. so you think you can dance premiere 6/1
7. mistresses premiere 6/18
8. rookie blue premiere 6/25

eight to five
1. pfc 6/2
2. s.e.t. committee meeting / town council 6/4
3. nc 56 meeting 6/5
4. chicken pickin' 6/6
5. county rec meeting 6/16 meeting cancelled!
6. unrba 6/17
7. development review discussion 6/23
8. gtc (greenways) meeting 6/25
9. board of adjustment 6/25
10. ctp meeting 6/30
11. no sick days! be on time! no breakfast at work! be less involved in the nonsense!
12. finish map projects: watershed map, zoning map

good news!

on wednesday, i found out that i PASSED my exam. once the official letter comes, i can add "CZO" after my name to identify me as a certified zoning officer. :) AICP, here i come!!

between last week and tuesday, i dropped 6+ pounds due to stomach issues/virus. my mom thinks i might have celiac. i think i'm gluten-sensitive. but i have been doing better. i want to watch portion sizes, drinking less soda, eating less gluten-rich foods (bagels! biscuits! pizza!), drink less, work out more, and start to find healthier things to snack on. i love the peanut butter covered pretzels from earth fare but damn if i can't eat the whole container in one day!

plans for the weekend: buy & plant flowers on my balcony (full sun lovers only); pick out a ceiling fan for my living room; sleep; clean; laundry; cook; celebrate paul's birthday; enjoy the boys; etc. no rest for the weary! party on my friends, PARTY ON!

may 2015

it's may...which means it's crunch time. literally and figuratively. :) one month until the thermostat rises and people start wearing less clothing, which for me means shorts and maybe a conservative swim suit, which means there's some toning that needs to happen. one month until my birthday month to accomplish last minute things while i'm still 31; things to quit doing before i'm 32; buckle down and really start to make some headway on my goal to be debt free by the end of the year; bite my cheek and tell that guy officially, i am out and maybe the other one that i've met someone i'm pretty jazzed about and that we should take it down to the platonic level on all levels. i have high hopes for the second third of the year and it begins with this month, MAY.

here are my goals for may 2015

fiscal
1. make at least a $100.00 payment towards debt snowball #1 (preferably $200.00)
2. make at least a $200.00 payment towards debt snowball #2 (preferably $300.00)
3. open a savings account: i have the $200.00 needed for an online account; need $100.00 for a traditional in-the-bank account
4. make at least a $100.00 payment towards my car insurance (my goal for July-Dec is to make 2 large payments and ditch the monthly payments)

physical
1. minimum 4 days per week do some type of exercise: use dvd (dance), go for a walk, movement combinations (sit ups, push ups, squats, lunges, etc.)
2. continue to primarily drink water at work | limit at work soda consumption to 1 per week
3. add milk to the beverage rotation (at least as a soda substitute)
4. start taking a fiber supplement

good stuff
1. wash & detail my car
2. mother's day 5/10
3. "they call me bruce" at cornerstone tavern 5/14
4. paul's birthday 5/15
5. begin bathroom remodel at my parents' house 5/22-25 (fill holes, sand and prep walls, trim, door, paint walls, trim; reappoint bathroom accessories) in advance of jacob's 1st birthday party in july --> on hold until my mother decides if the painters will do the bathroom or if i will...project may be moved to july 4th weekend. :)
6. memorial day 5/25

eight to five
1. czo certification part II/test 5/5-7
2. town council 5/7 (rezoning)
3. nc 56 public meeting #2 5/12
4. planning board 5/14
5. pfc 5/15 
6. unrba 5/20
7. office closed 5/25
8. tac/tac meeting at cog 5/28

april 2015

fiscal
1. debt snowball #1: make +/- $200.00 payment
2. debt snowball #2: make +/- $300.00 payment
3. car insurance payment
4. taxes due by 4/15!
5. bring "saving for a savings account" balance to $200.00

physical
1. minimum 5 days a week, any combination of at least 3 movements for 30 reps each (push ups, sit ups, squats, lunges, etc.)
2. continue drinking only water at work
3. continue to limit soda consumption at home (& drink more milk!)

good stuff
1. Good Friday 4/3
2. Resurrection Sunday 4/5
3. celebrate my mom's birthday from 3/19
4. a&z's engagement lunch 4/11
5. Earth Day 4/22
6. hair appointment 4/25
7. birthday: grandma's 92nd

eight to five
1. Easter Egg Hunt 4/2
2. office closed 4/3
3. pfc meeting 4/8
4. council meeting 4/9
5. nc 56 meeting 4/10
6. czo cert class, part i 4/14-17
7. rss webinar 4/22
8. get some major **** done!

march 2015

fiscal fitness
1. debt snowball #1: bring balance to +/- $500.00
2. debt snowball #2: bring balance to +/- $1600.00
3. add to the "IOU" at the 'bank of mom & dad' for new tires (+/- $500.00) my spender dad pushed the total up to almost +/- $700!!
**funds will be tight with traveling for 2 of the 4 weekends!

physical fitness
1. monthly exercise challenge involves any combination or all of the following: squats, push ups, sit ups, lunges (31 reps per movement per day); wall sits (2-15 sec sits per day 3/1-15 & 2-30 sec sits per day 3/16-31)
2. bloodwork to see if b12 shots worked

emotional fitness/fun
1. charleston 3/13-15
2. emerald isle 3/21-22
3. celebrate birthdays
4. sell or donate tall espresso cabinets (MUST be gone by 4/4!)
5. take a load or two to the durham rescue mission

dates to remember
3/8 "spring forward" (daylight savings time begins)
3/17 "kiss me, i'm irish!" (st. patrick's day)
3/19 mom's birthday
3/20 first day of spring
3/23 beana's birthday

eight to five
3/3 pinehurst
3/5 town council
3/6 corridor study meeting
3/9 parks & rec committee meeting
3/12 planning board
3/17 gateway public meeting
3/18 unrba
3/25 rss webinar
3/26 rpo meeting

february 2015

fiscal fitness
1. snowball #1: pay at least $200.00 to bring balance to $500.00
2. snowball #2: pay at least $150.00 to bring balance to $1500.00
*my fiscal goals suffered major setback with unexpectedly needing new brakes for my car. money is TIGHT since i had transferred from my reserve to checking last time to cover my elfa investment & it's a "rent is due too" moment!

physical fitness
1. monthly exercise challenge: 14 reps per day 2/1-14, 28 reps per day 2/15-28
   any combination of each or all: squats, push ups, sit ups, lunges
   wall sits: (2) 30 sec per day 2/1-14, (2) 1 min per day 2/15-28
2. 1 hour massage 2/16 (pre-paid) moved to 2/23
3. last monthly B12 shot 2/17 moved to 2/18

emotional fitness
1. delete apps off my phone: candy mania, candy crush, fb messenger
2. read historic preservation book (10 chapters): read 2-3 chapters each week!
3. trali: saturday 2/7
4. babysit the cutest baby - my nephew - so his parents can go on a date or two!

other
1. dad's birthday: thursday 2/5
2. valentine's smalentine's day: saturday 2/14
3. neal to paris friday 2/20

It is 8 days into the new year. It may be a little early to take stock and reflect on the progress that's already been made, but I'm going to do it anyways. :)  I realized the other day that while I made resolutions for the new year, I failed to make a goal list for January. Oops! Maybe I'll get it together for February. :) Anyways, I am so amped for 2015 and the goals that I have made for this year - all doable & good for me. 

Fiscal fitness
      1. Debt free in 2015 - I was generously gifted at Christmas.
          Savings Account - already 1/2 way there before January 1!
          Debt Snowball #2 - in just one week I've paid more than $500 off my debt.
                                      This debt could be paid off 6 months early!
          Debt Snowball #1 - still on track to be paid off by the end of February

Physical fitness
      1.  Limit/eliminate soda consumption - M & T, I only had 1. W, I had 2.
           Either way, I am drinking WAY more water than I have in a long time!

I'm sure it's not much to some people, but even just these few things are HUGE! Wish me luck on my "fitness" journey for 2015!