Saved $329 for an overnight trip this Friday for a 5k walk that my family is participating in

Paid $248 for my mom’s state taxes

Paid $500 extra on our car payment (instead of extra on the mortgage – more on that later)

Saved $200 towards our Christmas fund

Put $799 in our Emergency savings

Bought new workout shoes for both of us

Mostly kept up my workouts and made all of my meals at home instead of succumbing to the temptation to grab something quick on the way home. The last few weeks have been a little hard to squeeze workouts in, but I have been doing 30 or 45 minutes here and there whenever I can. Also with Easter and a weak will a couple of times I have had a few days when I have eaten more that I should.

I have to remember to keep up my efforts and not let the feeling that I haven’t done all that I could discourage me. I have made progress getting more fit. I have made money working tax season. So I have been keeping up with my “richer and thinner” mentality that I wanted to have at this time of year.

Looking forward to a quick trip down south for the 5k walk (my family members are doing the 10k run). Although I will probably have a HUGE pile of work waiting for me since it is the last weekend before the 15^th I am looking forward to a day off and some time away. I worked until 1:30 Monday night (Tuesday morning) and 1:15 last night (this morning) and I am feeling a little tired. I haven’t worked out for 2 days, so this is what I plan to do:

Go home at lunch to put together the casserole we will have for dinner

Walk on the treadmill at work for 45 minutes before I leave work

After work put the casserole in the oven for 30 minutes and do an exercise video while it cooks

Clean up and go to work!

Talk to someone who cares about you

I needed to talk to my mom. I always feel better after talking to my mom – even if I don’t let her know that I am under stress. Something about hearing her voice and listening to funny stories about her cat makes me feel better. I took a break from work and called her. We talked for about 15 minutes and I already feel better. I also talk to my husband, but sometimes don’t him to worry more than he should about me.

Remind yourself that this too shall pass

This is a temporary period which will be over in 5 more weeks and I can certainly get through 5 weeks. Once it is over it is done for another year.

Focus on why you are doing what you are doing

I need to remind myself why I am doing this: Richer and Thinner.

I am working to earn a little side money in a way that is available to me. I don’t have to learn anything new to do it and it is there for me every year if I want it. If I don’t have the late nights and long weekends spent working, I don’t make as much money. Every hour I work is one more hour I am paid for.

I am squeezing in exercise because in addition to having a few bucks, I want to be a little thinner and a little more fit at the end of the season. I don’t want to wait until I am done with the extra work to start focusing on my weight – I want to work on both of them simultaneously.

Write about it

What I am doing right now. It helps to analyze what I am feeling if I have to put it into words and come up with a plan to get through it. Sometimes I ask myself what I would tell a friend who was in a similar situation, then try to take my own advice J

Focus only on the present

Getting through one day at a time and not worrying about tomorrow can help. It’s like when I am hiking up a long hill and is seems to go on forever, but I focus on one step at a time until I finally arrive at the top.

I do have the strength to get through this and I know at the end I will feel a great sense of accomplishment. But one note of caution – sometimes we are truly worn all the way down and need some time off to avoid getting sick. If this is the case, you must take some time off and heal. Nothing in this life is more important than your health.

I was a little discouraged with my weight loss due to the fact that my weight hadn’t changed since I lost the initial 4 pounds, but I decided to get on the scale this morning and I was down to 195. That means a total loss of 9 pounds. I should be ecstatic, but I have to admit I am a little afraid it will creep up again. I will keep on top of the workouts and keep watching my portion sizes so that shouldn’t happen but I still don’t trust that the weight will stay off. I would like to lose 5 more pounds by April 15^th so I am down to 190.

Financially February was a good month:

$1249 from tax refunds into our savings account towards the $1800 truck replacement fund

$350 into our IRA’s ($50 more than planned)

$500 extra on the mortgage

$589 into emergency savings

$100 donated to church

$44 to the Christmas fund (I contributed extra last month so this is all I needed this month)

March looks good too!

Financial:

1 – We continued to contribute to our 401(k)s – $708.34 for me, $458.72 for my husband (not including company matches for either)

2 – We moved closer to our goal of $20,000 in our emergency/vacation fund by $510.35 through a $119 scheduled debit, $380 income surplus and $11.35 interest

3 – We paid $500 more on our mortgage from our budget surplus

4 – We put $300 into our IRA’s

5 – We didn’t do anything with our truck replacement fund as hopefully we will get a tax refund to cover that goal

6 – We put $76 in our Christmas savings fund from turning in our rolled change and an item I sold on Craigslist

7 – No action yet on finding an income stream

Physical:

From my high of 204 I am now at 200 so I lost 4 pounds. I have been eating less and trying to get regular exercise

I am getting more fit through going on the treadmill at work, hiking one day a week, and doing exercise videos at home

Spiritual:

We attended mass once in January

We donated $50 to charity

We spent a couple of Sundays hiking and spending time outdoors in a quest for Simple Sundays

I didn’t make any progress in going through my house and getting rid of things I don’t use or need.

Looking forward to February:

My car registration is due to the tune of $343, my husband quit one of his bands so we will be down a little in income.

I will probably start with my part time tax job about the middle of the month so I might have some income for this but I might not get a check until March so I can’t count on this. At this point it looks like we will probably only have a $643 surplus. I will allocate $119 to the savings account, $300 to our IRA’s and $224 extra to our mortgage.

We will continue on our weight loss and exercise plan with the focus of making sure I do not falter. When I start tax season I will have to remain committed so I squeeze in the daily exercise. If I can do that I will be both richer and thinner by April 15^th
J!

50 pounds

One pound at a time

One choice at a time

This phrase makes me feel encouraged and reminds me that I can lose the weight I want slowly but steadily. I have been gradually cutting back on my portions and my husband and I have both been working out. I have been using the treadmill at work, we have been going on a hike on the weekends, and we are doing exercise videos that come free on the exercise channel. I feel like I am consistently building new habits that I can stick with. The treadmill is convenient a couple of times a week, I love being outdoors hiking and it’ always a great workout, and I love the variety of all of the different types of workouts the videos offer.

At my highest I was 204 pounds according to my scale and now I am at 201. I can’t wait until I can see some visible results but until they come I will persevere and continue on. My biggest challenge will be keeping up the workouts when I start my second job during tax season but with a little planning and commitment I know I can do it.

Before a hike last week my husband and I were driving around a nearby town where we decided we would love to live. We liked the area, but couldn’t decide which part was our favorite (ignoring the fact that most of the houses are way beyond our price range). On this particular trip we took a street we have never driven up before and found a whole new area we fell in love with. The homes were gorgeous, set back in the woods with lots of space in between them, yet still just a few minutes away from town. Not only did we find the area we liked, but we both found the exact house
(yes it was the same one for both of us) that we absolutely LOVED. As is his custom, hubbie picked up some real estate magazines and was looking at them after we got home. He has always wanted a house that had a larger garage or work area so he could work on his art projects and metal work. He asked me what it would take to get into another house. I told him, “Well we owe $199,000 on our house and we could probably get $350,000 (conservatively) if we sold it and we could put all of that money into another house but we would still have to double our current mortgage payment to get us into even the lowest priced house.” His reply – “oh”.

When we drove home that day I talked with him about my conflicted feelings. I believe that I want a simple life without debt. I have worked and saved for years to make that a goal for my future. I am going to start paying more on our mortgage so we will have it paid off in 9 years versus the 17 that are left on it. If we were to go for something bigger and better it would take a lot more money and a lot more work. I asked him if it would be worth it to have a house like that but work so hard for it that we wouldn’t have time to do things like taking the beautiful hike we did that day. If we continue on our current plan we could change to part time work and spend several days a week doing anything we wanted to do. My solution: realize that if we want a house like that we need to find creative ways to make more money in the next few years so we can still have more than enough money but be able to afford a house that is better suited to us. The choice is ours.

This is an interesting January as I found out yesterday that my company will not be paying us on the 15^th as we are scheduled to be. This is the first time this has happened. We are a little short in the bank account and so it will be delayed a few days until our customer comes through with their payment (which is always on time so that’s not a concern). Also my husband quit one of his bands at the same time he is renting a rehearsal space with his main band which will both decrease our income a few hundred dollars a month plus increase our expenses by $62.50 for the rehearsal studio. They no longer have their old practice place so they will be giving this a try.

Here are my 2010 goals:

Financial

1 – Continue to fund our 401(k)’s

How: We are already doing this

2 – Increase Emergency fund/vacation fund/house account to $20,000: $3412 total needed

How: I already deposit $119 a month into it automatically = $1428

I will use money I earn during tax season at my second job and gig money to come up with the remaining $1984

3 – Pay $400 to $500 a month extra on the mortgage

How: From monthly budget surplus

4 – Put $300 a month into our Roth IRA’s

How: $250 reimbursement check I get monthly plus $50 a month from budget

5 – Put $1800 into truck replacement fund

How: Hopefully our tax refund will be around this amount, but that is not certain

6 – Save $60 a month for Christmas

How: Budget surplus

7 – Start one income stream by the end of the year

How: Research and try to find a way to make this happen

Physical:

1 – Lose 50 pounds

How: one pound a week by exercising and cutting back on my calories

2 – Become more fit and able to hike Cerro SLO without stopping

How: Weekly hikes and using different DVD’s from the library to do stretching, aerobic and toning workouts

Spiritual:

1 – Try to attend mass twice a month

How: schedule it at the beginning of the month and just do it

2 – Donate monthly to charity

How: Designate it in the budget at the beginning of the month, donate it at the end of the month

3 – Try to designate Sunday as Simple Sunday’s where I rest and reflect, get out in nature, and connect with family

How: Work during the week to get the house clean, chores done, and groceries bought. Teach myself to be still

4 – Get rid of physical clutter and simplify so things run smoother

How: Designate one area monthly to clean out

Well this is the blueprint, now is the time to do the work!

I have a brother who has distanced himself from our family due to his wife not wanting us around. We have always respected his wishes. Christmas Day I got a call from him which he basically said he was saying goodbye for the last time. I called my mom and she had received a similar phone call. I picked her up and drove to his house. His wife answered the door and said they had a fight. I got his cell phone number from her and we drove around looking for him. I told his wife (who I hadn’t seen for more than 12 years) to please call me if he came home. My mom and I pretty much knew we probably wouldn’t find him but we at least felt we were doing something. About an hour and a half later she called and said he was home. Two days later he came over to my moms and we sat with my husband and other brother for about 7 hours talking. He was lonely, depressed and missed his family. When he and his wife were fighting he felt isolated, like no one cared. It was hard for me because it was his choosing to distance himself from us. We never called his house because we didn’t want to get him in trouble with his wife.

I had six days off. They flew by. At the end I was exhausted both emotionally and physically. I actually had the 6^th day off because I got food poisoning and was throwing up at 1:30 that morning. I kept reminding myself to be grateful for my families because some people have no on that loves them. I love being around my relatives but I also find I need some time to myself and I didn’t get any of that. In addition, my husband still wasn’t feeling the greatest so he was a little crabby.

But I still had a great Christmas. Good food, lots of family, a late Christmas eve with my husband opening the presents we got for each other and agreeing that we have all in life that we need – in fact we have more than enough. A long walk on a rainy beach with my niece, nephew, sister, brother-in-law, and brother was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. The laughter, gathering of family we don’t often see, driving my mom around to look at Christmas lights are all wonderful experiences that I treasure.

I spent the time trying to live in the moment. Goals, resolutions, plans could all wait a few days. No thinking of the future, tracking progress, just a few days being.

Now it’s time to look to next year.

We missed our anniversary trip due to my husband being sick. We had decided for once we would do something special and go out of town overnight to a cozy lodge up the coast, but we postponed it until January.

Today I experienced an event that could have been a crisis had I not had savings in the bank to fall back on. I went online to look at our bank statement and discovered that my husband’s paycheck was exactly $8.48 cents. This week he was supposed to get a hefty check since he was doing piecework instead of hourly work and he worked really hard last week to finish up the job – the check he got was about $800 less that I was expecting – a pretty large amount for us. I paid the mortgage early this month to make sure I could write the interest off for this year’s taxes and I have been steadily buying Christmas presents so it could have really been a bad situation. He contacted his payroll person and it should be straightened out next Monday, but thankfully I have the money for food, gas and any activities my family might want to do without pulling our my credit card. It makes me reflect on earlier times when this would have been a hugely stressful event. I am truly grateful for our savings and the fact that my husband works with me to live frugally and consciously so we can have reserves when we need them.

I was hoping to be able to post some goals for next year, but I want to get together with my husband and work on making them so I’ll try to do it later this week. Usually I set my goals by myself, but this year I really want to involve him. I know the financial ones don’t excite him, but he works very hard to help us achieve them so I think he should be familiar with them.

I am so happy to get some time off of work. I will have Thursday, Friday and Monday off (plus the weekend) and I am so looking forward to it!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!! May you have a peaceful and grateful heart this Christmas

It seems like the most natural thing in the world to do would be to stop eating so much and start exercising religiously.

I am afraid. Afraid of the pain and work that it will take. Afraid that I will have to give up too much even though it is something I really want. Afraid that I do not have enough discipline to make it happen and I am truly going to be like this for the rest of my life. Afraid of something in my life that I can’t seem to control, that I don’t want to surrender to. I am lazy and lack motivation even though every day I wish I weighed less.

I need to break out of the cement shoes that seem to be holding me down and grow up. I know there can be no progress without action. I know if I keep doing things the way I have been that I will not get different results. The weight won’t magically fall off – it is a serious commitment even if I chose to do it as slowly as a pound every week or two. Why can’t I get myself going on something I know will make me happier?

I had a professor in college who said what you like is not always what makes you happy. I thought about this for a long time. I am happier when I get up earlier in the mornings and get a jump start on my day, but I hate getting up early. I’m happy when I reach the top of a difficult hike, but I don’t like how hard it is to get there. I can see that it is much easier to do things I like than things that make me happy.

I am looking forward to Christmas, but am finding I only have the drive to decorate for a little while each night instead of getting it done pretty quickly. I decided that for the first time my husband and I would celebrate our anniversary (Dec 20^th) by going out of town overnight to an inn up the coast that we really like. I really want to slow things down and enjoy every day from now until Christmas. It is such a fun time and I like the spirit of the holidays.

I need to refocus on my goals and develop new ones for next year. I will (of course) have my financial and fitness goals, but I also want to develop my spiritual side a little more, find ways to simplify my life and home, and spend more time with family and doing volunteer work. I think if I start giving more to others, I might get a better sense of perspective and a better appreciation of how truly blessed I am in life. I also recognize that simplification can take some effort and I need to be prepared to put forth the work.

If I can get into a Monday through Friday rhythm of work, exercise, healthy meals, and a little cleaning around the house I think I could feel good about each day. On the weekends I would like to have more time to take hikes, long drives, nap, and spend most of Sunday relaxing and bringing a little more reflection.

The last few weeks my boss and I were working on negotiating a contract with our biggest customer (we only have two) that will secure our company for several years to come. We had to present them with a rather large increase due to the fact that many things in our business have changed and it was really hard to throw the numbers out there. I kept assuring him that we just need to present them and get it over with and then the negotiating could begin. I was raised in a family where there was a certain amount of conflict, and as the youngest I always felt that I needed to be agreeable and not cause anyone anymore grief. I didn’t play sports and tend to be a person who tries to get everyone to work together, hence I do not like competition. I think that is one thing that has made it harder on me and my career – I am not a dog eat dog aggressive type. With a key person in our company being fired (he was horrible – a real bs’er and terrible person who used and abused everyone he came across including the company) it has come down just to my boss and me. I have been in on several conference calls recently where it used to be just him and I am glad to be included since my figures and projections are the ones being used. I feel like my boss has acknowledged my role a little more, but I have to admit I am struggling a little with it. It’s a lot easier to just present the numbers to him and then have him take it from there. But I am making myself rise to the challenge. I do have significant input. After our first calls, the customer came back and asked us to re-work it a bit, so we did that and have now submitted it to them a final proposal. As my co-workers come and go having no idea how critical getting this agreement approved by the end of the year when our current one expires (only my boss and me know the gravity of the situation) I remind myself that it is not just me at stake but all of them too. Although they moan and complain a lot (to me – I am like the company shrink – in fact they have joked about putting a Peanut’s like sign on my door saying the doctor is in) I still remind myself that even though I am not the go-getter type I am steady and consistent and am trying to do the right thing for all involved. When those around you don’t know how little you are making compared to them but you still have to tolerate them saying how they are underpaid for the industry, sometimes you just want to tell them to shut up and be grateful. There are many that do not have jobs and they do not realize how much it costs to run a business, especially a small one with limited resources. But there is a deeper calling for me. I feel that while I am not a great saleswoman, I do have what it takes to bring departments together, to get people to feel better when they get discouraged, to show them a good attitude and a friendly face while appreciating all the hard work that they do.

Wow – can you see from this wandering post that I am all over the map right now? I think getting this contract approved and getting into my workouts could go a long way towards my piece of mind!