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!

the push to purge!

Just a few days left in the year and before a new one begins! While I will make a
list of goals for my professional life, I've already made my goals for myself. I got wise and broke them into 3 main goals with 3-5 mini goals to help me achieve the larger task instead of just making a "bucket list" of resolutions. For me, 2015 brings the year of the purge! Purge the debt, purge the excess, purge the flab, and purge the inactivity. Let's do this!

2015
Get FISCALLY fit!
 - Debt free in 2015! (credit card debt)
     - Debt Snowball Goal #1 (+/- $500.00)
       *Balance will be paid by end of February
     - Debt Snowball Goal #2 (+/- $2500.00)
       *Got an unexpected boost; balance will be $0.00 by end of August
 - Open a savings account 
     - $300.00 minimum
     - Mainly from rolled currency
       *Got a little help from Christmas - almost 1/2 way there already!
 - Pay car insurance in full/timely manner at each renewal period
     - January
       *Paid minimum; balance will be paid by end of February
     - July
       *Hope to pay in full when due

Get PHYSICALLY fit!
 - Limit/eliminate soda consumption
     - Begin with quarterly 30-day challenges
       *January, April, July, October
 - Monthly exercise challenges
 - Invest in equipment (birthday wish requests?!)
 - Quit

Get EMOTIONALLY fit!
 - Return book & magazine to L.S.
 - End of season, donate at least 25% of wardrobe
 - Donate at least $100.00 to a/some non-profit(s)
 - Hoard sick & vacation hours; accumulate comp time
 - Gossip less (I've been caught up way too much in other people's business socially and at the office)
      - Gossip less may lead to less stress?!
 - Get adequate sleep
      - Watch the 6:00 news instead of the 11:00 news
      - Start preparing for sleep at 10:00
      - Weekdays: be in bed by 11:00; Weekends: something similar

       

another door closes

it's officially the end of another love journey. the boy and i broke up in july...i actually did it the night before i took him to the airport for his trip home. shame. he cried. he's always been the crier of the pair of us. more emotional. i like to try to keep my emotions closer to the cuff, heart of stone so to speak. we were together for over two years. we had talked about getting engaged and what marriage could be like; whether children would fill our life or just dogs (just dogs!). but somewhere along that path, i started to feel like something was missing, that i wasn't my whole self, that something was missing. so we broke up. it lasted a week. i didn't want anyone else scooping him up while i was trying to figure it all out. two months later, i called it quits. immediately, i felt free. like a million pounds were off my shoulders. don't get me wrong, i still loved him. i still cared but i needed a break. so we were "dating" - free to see other people but free to see each other if we wanted to. i basked in my new-found "freedom". i left the house, i met new people. it has been fun.

he moved to michigan on halloween. gone a little more than a month, he came to visit and it was so awkward. it felt almost like we were strangers. lots of silence. lots of pretending we were having fun. some talking about our past, present and whether a future exists. but, something he told me really struck a chord. yesterday i said - i'm pretty much done. there are a lot of things i will take, i will endure. and i know that we both have been single and able to mingle and i fully expected him to meet someone up there -- but not so fast. and not be doing whatever it is they've been doing. to come down and try to smooch on me while he's been smooching on someone else (before i knew about it) is not cool, no matter how single a person is. to tell me he wants to be with me, that i'm his "one", that he wants to marry me but participate in whatever is going on (could be a relationship developing or maybe it's just a good time). i deserve better than that. i put in over two years with him and our relationship. some of it i suffered through, with a smile.

i'm over it. wolf in sheep's clothing - that's what a man is. and, honey, i don't have time for that!

wonder what the new year will bring.....