november.

money.

now is the time to get serious! with the exception of buying the last of my christmas gifts/supplies, there will be NO MORE SHOPPING, online or otherwise. online shopping has really gotten out of hand for me. i'm supposed to be closing on the house in just a few short months -- my spending habits MUST change. any money i think about spending will be promptly transferred into savings or as a FCR payment. GET IT TOGETHER WOMAN!!

1. snowball #1: i used it to buy boots from sole society. they are en route back and i'll be refunded price - shipping, so i will owe $8.00 for shipping costs. PIF 11/6

2. snowball #2: pay at least $200.00

3. snowball #3: pay at least $200.00

4. rent/misc.:$1112.04 {incl. partial rent at old and new rates + water/misc.} paid 11/3

5. bills: i paid my car insurance, cell phone and internet bills way in advance on 10/30; electric
6. i almost forgot renters insurance. PIF 11/3

7. savings: deposit at least $100.00

8. christmas gifts left to buy/make: Baby Girl B.

self.

in addition to getting my financial health back on track, so shall my personal health. i was pretty consistent in august/september with walking almost every day and not drinking HFCS soda. in october, i survived without skittles but let myself have some soda. november...i'm going ALL IN. No skittles, no soda and the hardest one of all...no smoking. i know i can do it, i just have to try...and if i fail, then i'll ask for support from my doctor. also, with DLST beginning, it will be too dark to walk after work, so it's time to bring back the 5AM workouts. let's win november!! :)

1. sleep:  the goal is to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night which means no more staying up for the 11:00 news during the week. bed time is 10:00 PM or earlier. stay consistent on the weekends too...

2. sweat: continue walking after work until it's too dark; continue walking in the mornings on the weekends; add morning workouts during the week; workout/walk 5-6 days/week.

3. skin: continue to use R+F daily; beauty night (diy clay mask, face strips, mani/pedi, etc.) - saturday 11/4 after the campfire; saturday 11/18

4. oral: start oil pulling and do it 3x/week; brush/floss/use act after EVERY meal, even at work

5. hair: use leave-in conditioner 1-2x/month

6. 30 DAY CHALLENGE: No skittles. No HFCS soda. No smoking. Portion GF treats so i won't over-indulge.

fun.

1. church: 11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 11/26

2. schedule a massage

3. decorate for thanksgiving 11/10 - 11/11

4. celebrate thanksgiving

5. put up christmas tree over thanksgiving weekend :)

6. family photo sesh 11/12

7. hang art in living room, bedroom 11/10 - 11/13

8. touch up paint in bedroom 11/10 - 11/13

9. CLEAN my apartment - it is a MESS! 11/10 - 11/13

10. off 11/13

11. start making Baby Girl B's christmas gift over thanksgiving weekend (jerry's 11/18)

work.

1. town council 11/2

2. community campfire 11/4

3. town elections 11/7

4. office closed 11/10

5. off 11/13

6. UNRBA 11/15

7. PFC 11/22

8. office closed 11/23-24

pay days: 11/3, 11/17

october.

september recap.

this past month flew by. work was consumed with planning & executing the 2-day celebration to honor the 75th anniversary of the enactment of camp butner. the work was worth it...and we were all exhausted afterwards for a few days. honestly, it took me about a week to recover. i started walking in the evenings after work at the end of august and in the mornings on the weekends. last weekend, my favorite guy asked if i'd been working out. i plan to keep walking (until daylight savings time stops me - but even then i might get a flash light and a reflective vest until it gets too cold) and add post-walk body weight WODs to help motivate me to get back to my before-work WODs. i'm averaging over 20 miles a week and when i don't walk, i feel like poo. it's helping to keep me sane; at least, that's what i like to think. i've also lost about 10 lbs. which i think is a combination of walking and not drinking soda. we walked my lot on 9/27 with my construction manager. they're supposed to pour the slab during the first week of october. crazy. dreams really do come true.

here goes october...

money.
1. snowball #1: PIF in september (again)! my FICO score is the highest it's ever been!! :D
2. snowball #2: pay at least $100.00 toward balance minimum $27.00 paid 10/6; paid $100.00 10/20
3. snowball #3: pay at least $200.00 toward balance minimum $30.00 paid 10/6; paid $100.00 10/12; paid $200.00 10/20
4. savings: put at least $100.00 into account
5. rent/water/misc.: $1034.76 due 10/1-10/5 paid 10/2
6. bills: car insurance; cell phone; internet; electric
7. lease renewal: decide by 10/13 about short term lease i went with the 5 mo. lease for $1075/mo (+water/misc. = $1140 +/- which is only about a $100 increase each month)
8. christmas gifts: order gifts for Dad, Paul & Jacob + Ian B. + gesso board for Baby Girl B.'s gift at Jerry's
9. refrigerator fund: my parents let me count and roll their 2 piggy banks and keep the money to put towards a refrigerator. i added some of my change to be able to fill rolls and it was almost $200! if we can do that at least 6 more times, i'll have a fridge when i move in! :D

self.
1. sleep: get at least 7 hours of sleep each night (8 is best)
2. sweat: continue walking in the morning (weekends) and evening (after work); add body-weight WODs after walking to progress back to morning workouts when DSL starts
3. skin: use R+F daily; beauty night 2x/month (DIY mask, face strips, R+F, epsom salt bath, mani, pedi, groom, etc.)
4. oral: brush/floss/use act at least after each meal (2-3 times daily); begin using carbon coco
5. hair: use leave-in conditioner at least once a month; hair appointment 10/2
6. 31 day challenge: continue "no soda challenge;" add "no skittles" challenge

fun.
1. church: 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29
2. hair appt. 10/2 (bye blonde!)
3. unpack & organize fall/winter wardrobe 10/7-10/8, 10/14-10/15
4. finish hanging art/mirrors 10/21-10-22
5. sort/organize/purge/shred/file 10/27-10/29
6. decorate for halloween 10/13-10/15
7. celebrate halloween!

work.
1. national night out 10/3
2. public hearing 10/4
3. town council 10/5
4. cwep + ctp meetings 10/10
5. planning board 10/12
6. intern starts(!)
7. pfc meeting 10/25
8. pay days 10/6, 10/20
weekly/weekend schedules, code enforcement, weekly website updates for committee

september.

august recap.

time is flying by...must mean i'm having fun, right? basically, when i have time, i'm daydreaming about my new house and being excited by the fact that i'll have a garage and 4 big closets for storage!:D

my old man friend and i are no longer friends. i don't want to go into the details but the summary would be that he's a 50-year old man with the maturity of a 20-something who is super sensitive and can't handle it when i hold firm to my beliefs and convictions. i was beginning to wonder about the company my company keeps... honestly, the first week was hard not talking to him, but i'm okay now. it'll be weird the next time i'm at WW, but hopefully we can both act like adults.

what's next? only 4 months left for 2017 and i am determined to end the year on a high note since i know it will be hard to beat 2018 (dream house, #35, take exam again, etc.)!  also...it's football season! ECU v. JMU | Virginia Tech v. UWV | NC State v. South Carolina | Duke v. NCCU | UNC v. Cal AND all the others. :D :D :D I'm amped for the long weekend to change up my gallery walls, finish my room and start sorting the CLOSET of stuff...[even if it is the last scheduled day from work until Veterans Day in November]. let's do september! :)


money.
1. snowball #1 = pay off balance ($101.55) min. $25 paid 9/8; paid $76.55 9/12 = PIF!
2. snowball #2 = min. $27 paid 9/8; paid $41.67 9/12, new balance $250.00 {total paid so far: $68.67}
3. snowball #3 = min. $30 paid 9/8
4. rent/water/misc. = $1043.00+/- due 9/1-9/5
5. bills = car insurance due 9/9; internet due 9/14; cell phone due 9/15; electric due 9/22
6. 30 day challenge = NO EXTRACURRICULAR SPENDING [which will be hard with fall  fashions coming!]

self.
1. sleep: get 7-8 hours of sleep each night regardless of weekday vs. weekend [S-Th bedtime = no later than 10pm, 9pm would be better]
2. sweat: move for at least 30 minutes, at least 5 days a week [brisk walk, WOD at gym, home WOD]
3. skin: use R+F daily (i have been lately and my skin is awesome --no break outs during my last period!); have beauty night 2x/month = face strips, diy clay mask, epsom salt bath, mani/pedi, etc.
4. oral: brush/floss/act at least after each meal (2-3 times daily)
5. hair: use leave-in conditioner at least once a month; hair appointment 9/8
6. 30 day challenge = NO HFCS SODA, NO CRAPPY CHIPS/TREATS (no gluten), DRINK MORE WATER

fun.
1. church: 9/3, 9/9, 9/17, 9/24
2. labor day holiday 9/4
3. massage!! 9/4
4. sort/organize/file/shred/purge 9/30 - 10/1
5. hair cut 9/8
6. take down all art/fill holes/rehang art (finish 9/30)
7. trade super spring/summer wardrobe & decor for fall/early winter

work.
1. meeting with town attorney 9/1
2. office closed 9/4
3. town council 9/7
4. p&r advisory committee meeting 9/11
5. planning board 9/14 (a waste - we didn't have enough for a quorum, so we'll try again in october)
6. unrba board meeting 9/20
7. path forward committee meeting 9/27
8. pay days: 9/8, 9/22
9. celebrate 5 years! 9/25

august.

july recap.

and just like that, the year is more than half over. what happened in july? my old (16 years my senior!) man friend and i decided that pursuing a romantic any thing wasn't working out. in my opinion, dude be needy and i be too independent. as much as i would like to be in a relationship and have someone to care about & have them care about me again, having someone always asking to see you or hang out with you or watch a movie with you or have you cook for them (!), or want to kiss you in public was just...exhausting. i really do like him and value him as a friend but i put him back in the friend or fwb zone about 2 weeks before he realized things weren't working out for him; mostly due to some quite unattractive behavior/douche-iness he chose to throw at me. while i am not opposed to apologizing if i do something wrong or whatever, i do not want to be a doormat. trying to get me to apologize for responding to your asshole behavior is one big way to get me remove myself from the situation and just plain leave. so, i returned to my old lover...i can't help it. for me, he's my guy. we have good chemistry; we obviously like each other to some degree if it's been over 2 years since this whole thing got started; we've fought and made up; etc.

what else? my sister turned 40 and my nephew turned 3. :) so fun. i've continued to work to pay off my credit cards. i am THIS close...<$500 total to go. i'm increasing the good behaviors (most of the time) and trying to cut down on the bad....just trying to be the best me (& remembering to take all my vitamins and pills). haha. AND, i signed a contract for a townhouse in brier creek (on 7/27). :) here's what's on tap for august:

money.
1. snowball #1: $72.00 balance
2. snowball #2: $118.00 balance
3. snowball #3: $315.00+/- balance
4. rent/water/misc. payment due 8/1-8/5
5. bills: cell phone ($80); electric ($65); internet ($42); car insurance ($100)
6. car inspection/registration renewal due ($230) ended up being <$200 for both!!
7. 31 day challenge: no extracurricular spending
8. get financial "stuff" square for contract/loan for the house

self.
1. sleep: get at least 6 hours of sleep each night
2. sweat: work out at least 5 days a week
3. face: use r+f regimen daily; use diy clay mask at least 2x/month
4. teeth: floss at least once/day; use carbon coco/oil pull after 14 days expire
5. tan: use younique lotion on body & r+f foam on face; apply on weekends
6. hair: use leave-in conditioner treatment at least once/month
7. 31 day challenge: NO SODA; NO CHIPS (unless GF; and only in moderation); DRINK MORE WATER; NO CRAP; limit alcohol consumption (my liver, wallet and motivation-levels need a break) to 2 nights/month

fun.
1. church: 8/6, 8/13, 8/20, 8/27
2. colorado 8/12-8/15
3. extra day of vacation 8/16 ;)
4. schedule a much needed massage!
5. work on my apartment... (sort/organize/shred/PURGE!/update files...get rid of the random bags and boxes filled with stuff)

work.
1. ctp meeting 8/1
2. greenway ext. mtg; town council 8/3
3. planning board 8/10
4. pfc meeting 8/23
5. website subcommittee meeting 8/23
6. rpo tac/tcc meeting 8/24
7. pay days: 8/11, 8/25

july.

june recap.

it's hard to believe that june is over; even harder to believe that this year is already half over. if you asked me what happened last week, i'd have a hard time remembering. i am SO busy at work...it leaves little time for anything else. when i come home, i just want to relax...put on comfy clothes, watch a little tv, eat something tasty for dinner, and go to bed at a reasonable hour. the BEST part of june, other than my birthday, is the COLLEGE WORLD SERIES in Omaha! :) it's a bucket list item for me...i watched almost every game to its completion this year. i'm not much of an outdoor, water gal, but this just looks soooo relaxing... -->


fiscal.
1. snowball #1: $68.00 balance
2. snowball #2: $567.00 balance paid $200.00 7/7; paid $200.00 7/10; paid $100.00 7/14 balance $266.36 +$145.00 returns done. balance <$110.00
3. snowball #3: $460.00 balance paid $60.11 7/11; paid $100.00 7/14 balance $300.00
4. rent/water/misc. payment: $1043.05 due 7/1-7/5 paid 6/30
5. bills: cell phone ($80.00); electric ($65.00); internet ($42.00); car insurance (paid $100.00 on 6/20).
6. 31 day challenge: no extracurricular spending
7. house buying process begins...

fitness & health.
1. sleep: get at least 6 hours of sleep each night (7-8 would be best)
2. sweat: work out at least 5 days a week
3. face: use R+F regimen daily; use DIY clay mask at least 2x/month
4. teeth: floss at least once a day; use carbon coco; oil pull after 14 days is up
5. color: use younique tanning lotion (body), R+F lotion (face) weekly
6. hair: use leave-in conditioner regimen 1-2 times/month
7. 31 day challenge: NO SODA; NO CHIPS (unless they're GF); NO CRAP; make GF chewy chocolate chip cookies for my sweet treat; DRINK MORE WATER!
8. limit alcohol consumption - my wallet, liver and next day can't take going out all the time anymore....limit going out to 1 or 2 times this month (7/8 to see Glen & Heath at Tra'li - Morrisville)

fun.
1. church: 7/2, 7/9, 7/16, 7/23, 7/30
2. celebrate birthdays: sis turns 40!, nephew turns 3
3. schedule a MUCH needed massage (i got 2 gift cars for my birthday)
4. sort/organize/purge
5. tweak my apartment - fill holes, move furniture, rehang art, fold/reorganize clothes storage, reorganize my closets; etc.
6. start looking more seriously at houses/areas...
7. find papers for mortgage rep

work.
1. office closed 7/4
2. town council 7/6
3. cwep 7/11
4. planning board 7/13 cancelled
5. minimum housing inspection 7/21 postponed
6. board of adjustment 7/27
7. pay days: 7/14, 7/28

june.

may recap: may just really seemed to fly by! i took my exam on the 17th. i can't discuss it but i will say that it wasn't as hellish as i was anticipating. i have at least another month to wait for my results, but i'm not expecting to have passed (that would be a miracle). my man and i have rekindled our "relationship" so i'm happier than before. i've made a friend who seems pretty genuine. yes, he's made it clear he wouldn't mind of things went beyond the friend level but he also knows how much i care about my guy and knows he is clearly in the friend zone with me. but, he's fun. i feel like he knows more about me than people i've met in the past 5 years. life is crazy sometimes. what else? it feels like a lot has happened but it's a blur. i am excited for june, my birthday month. i was anticipating being able to go down to the beach and see my best friend, but that doesn't look like it's happening. whomp. her schedule changes and it doesn't seem like they are going to honor her request to have those couple days off. BUT, it may not be such a bad thing (other than the fact that i miss her!!) since i'm trying to hoard my pennies...saving a hundred or so dollars seems good to me. although i may not get my birthday trip to the beach, i'm still taking those days off from work. i plan on using a couple days to rework my apartment and then really go through all my papers and "stuff" to sort/organize/file/purge/shred. that would probably take 2 whole days alone. :) i think june will be fun! here are my goals for the month:

finances.

1. snowball #1: PIF in april :D :D :D i used it just a bit because i thought i needed some activity to be able to see my updated credit score. used twice; balance $150. paid $100.00 6/21. paid off balance 6/23. 2. snowball #2: paid $3,702.00 in may. pay any remaining balance. paid $200.00 6/7. +/-$200 returns to be made. paid $100.00 6/21. paid $100.00 on 6/26. paid $100.00 on 6/28. balance <$600.00. paid $69.12 on 6/30 to bring balance to $500.00.3. snowball #3: paid $5,140.96 in may. pay any remaining balance. paid $200.00 6/7. +/-$100 returns to be made. paid $200.00 6/19. paid $127.27 6/26 & 6/27. balance $300.00
.4. rent/water/misc. payment: $1,042.8
5. due 6/1-6/55. bills: cell phone ($80.00); electric; internet ($41.00)6. 30 day challenge: no extracurricular spending7. hopefully get my tax refund checks ($750.00)...which will completely pay the remaining balances.8. find the financial documents for the house buying process/loan approval process

as i explained last month, in order to pay down/pay off my credit card debt faster, improve my credit score and to put me in a better place to buy a home this summer, i decided on a 401k loan. in april, my parents helped me with snowball #1 and my score jumped 21 points. using my 401k loan to pay almost $9,000.00 on my debt and putting $3,000.00 into savings has pushed me into a much better place to start a new chapter. 

fitness & health.

1. sleep: get at least 6 hours of sleep each night (preferably 7-8)

2. sweat: work out at least 5 days a week going out friday nights kills saturday a.m. sessions; same for saturdays/sundays :(

3. stretch: stretch and roll muscles at least 3 times a week (evenings ok) FAIL

4. face: continue using R+F daily; use diy clay mask at least twice a month (maybe once a week) not really...and i got the whiteheads/zits to prove it.

5. skin: use younique tanning lotion (body) & R+F tanning lotion (face) weekly ...i ran out of younique...shit's expensive at $39/tube

6. hair: use leave-in conditioning treatment 1-2 times a month FAIL

7. oral: brush/floss/use act after every meal ...yeah right; order CarbonCoco set it arrived on Wednesday

8. 30 day challenge: no soda (i almost made it through may, had a couple days of caffeine and everything went wacky); stay away from everything that screws with my eczema; work out at least 5 days a week; NOPE...& the eczema flared and roared its ugly, itchy face

9. limit alcohol consumption...to once a week except to celebrate my birthday (that might be a 3 night adventure! lol)

fun.

1. church: 6/4, 6/11, 6/18, 6/25 FAIL

2. celebrate paul's birthday 6/3

3. hair appointment + eyebrow wax 6/10

4. beach trip 6/15-6/16??? bestie couldn't take the time, but i'm still going to take off from work

5. celebrate my 34th!

6. father's day 6/18

7. get a massage! not yet, but i did get 2 gift cards for my birthday! :)

8. sort/organize/purge -- i need to find what i need to get approved for a mortgage

9. tweak my apartment -- fill and paint holes; move furniture; rehang art; clean top to bottom...

10. start looking at houses/areas -- my folks are rooting for wake forest but i adore my neighborhood and its proximity to amenities, highways, family, etc.

work.

1. barking dogs meeting + town council 6/1

2. code enforcement day (inspections!) 6/2
3. chicken pickin' 6/3

4. transportation meeting 6/6

5. 75th anniversary meeting 6/7

6. planning board 6/8

7. boss on vacation 6/9-13

8. me on "vacation" 6/15-16

9. cwep media committee meeting 6/20 
10. stormwater meetings 6/21, 6/28

11. greenway meeting 6/22
12. planning board workshop 6/28

pay days 6/2, 6/16, 6/30

happy friday y'all! :)

i don't typically do a "mid-month" post and i don't even know if this blog is anything more than an online journal for myself BUT IT'S FRIDAY! it's pay day! 😊 😊 😊 😊 my exam is over and i don't have to worry about studying or feeling guilty about not studying. i have to wait 8 weeks after the testing window closes to get my results. if i fail, which i'm almost certain will be the case, i will regroup and retake the exam next year. the next exam is in november, but with the house hunt & house buying adventure on which i'm about to embark, i will postpone retaking the exam until may 2018. this would allow me time to get settled into the home, get my finances in order and set up an awesome study space.

i checked my credit score yesterday. since i paid off snowball #1, my score went up 21 points. this is my FICO score, but now it's in the yellow! i paid off that balance in april, so it only took about a month for my score to jump. that's another incentive to go ahead and pay off snowballs #2 & #3...to give my score(s) time to rebound before applying for a mortgage/loan/etc. for a house. i need it come up at least another 21 points. i am waiting for my loan to completely clear my account (should be next week) before i start moving money around. after i make the large payments on my snowballs, i will have about $600 left over to pay...as long as i pay them off by my 34th birthday, or close to it, i'll be happy.

in other money news, i am still waiting to receive my tax refund check. i've designated that to go towards paying my car insurance premium in full in july (for july - decemeber) and for my car registration renewal/inspection which is due in august. that should just about cover that amount. last year, i got my refund around this time so my eyes are watching the mailbox!

i was on vacation the first half of this week...which i really enjoyed. obviously. i was able to get in my workouts and study before wednesday. and apply my self-tanning lotion. i went from pasty white legs to gams with a little bit of color. love it. coming back to work yesterday started off fine...then i got some news that just destroyed my spirits. and the feeling kind of continues today with some snarky, condescending remarks from across the hall. but, i'm not going to let her ruin my day. it's friday! it's pay day! i'm going to stop and get some flowers to plant tomorrow! i am just glad i don't have to worry about anything for at least a couple days. there's been so much i've been putting off because of my exam...i'm FREE! :)

hope everyone has a great weekend. i'm going to have beauty night tonight = shave my legs/+, clay mask, pluck my eyebrows, trim and file my nails, watch "SING"...do some chores too, maybe.