Tag Archives: budget

30-day Challenge: Day Eleven

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Eleven down, nineteen more to go!

My stomach looks flatter and I feel my body toning up but still no big change on the scale. I am not weighing or measuring myself until Friday because doing it every day was starting to depress me.

Crossfit

The last foundations session was today and I was quite proud of myself! I am going to track my progress daily (recommended by my CF trainers) and not compare myself with others when deciding whether to increase weight. Tomorrow will be the first real WOD I can do, and I’m told it’s going to be tough but I know I can scale every WOD back until I work my way up.

change mind

I’ve only been doing crossfit for, what, seven sessions or two weeks and already can see definition in my quads and tighter glutes! Okay, some of this may be in my head but my quads have definitely toned up a lot in the last two weeks.

Paleo

I am starting to get the hang of this caveman lifestyle! My big issue is getting enough calories in my body each day since I don’t feel hungry as much, and when I do the food isn’t always calorie dense. The cost of eating paleo-friendly is also starting to worry me since I am on such a tight budget, but I plan on adding up this month’s bills and sharing that tomorrow. Maybe there’s a way to reduce my costs a little more… there is a local, tiny produce seller by McDonald’s that I keep meaning to check out.

Goals for the rest of this week:

  • Go to CF 3x week

  • Eat more meat

  • Try 2 new recipes

  • Clean out my cupboard (again)

  • Create a budget for the next four months

My energy is picking up but my stomach has been acting funny and I’ve had a headache every two days. A possible explanation would be my secret trip to Starbucks yesterday and Sunday… but that couldn’t be it. (interesting, though, isn’t it?)

HOPEFULLY, these spells of crappiness will stay fresh in my mind the next time I feel the urge to drive to Starbucks or eat that Reese’s cup hidden in the back of my freezer.

Do you have a secret treat you allow yourself? How do you feel after having it?

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Prepare for the Freeze

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The real measure of your wealth
is how much you’d be worth
if you lost all your money.

~Author Unknown

As some of my loyal readers may have noticed, I stopped Insanity. No, it was not too tough… although my knees were sore. Yet, financially, I decided that it was a silly choice to purchase right now. My life needs to be on track physically, financially, and spiritually; purchasing more than I can afford does not allow that to improve.

While this decision may seem like I am “giving up”, I promise that is not the case. The last several weeks… and really couple of months… have allowed me plenty of time to reflect on my life and the choices I have been making. My relationship with my family has improved, my relationship with my best friend still exists, and my relationship with God has deepened. Nonetheless, the one common factor through everything that has caused issues in each area of my life is my financial stability. This summer I was blessed with the gift of restarting my life and never finding myself in financial debt, again. Unfortunately, though, through my over-enthusiasm in starting my business, I did not keep my overhead low. I am NO WHERE near where I was before, but I can see the trend starting. Therefore, I have decided in this moment to take control… yet again. 

Sitting here thinking about my financial situation, I happened upon a website that a twitter friend posted: And Then We Saved
 The site started as a blog by Anna Newell Jones on December 28, 2009 and now is a community that is devoted to Saving Fasts/Diets and all things about living a healthy, financial life!

From this moment on… I will not spend money on wants. I will make do with what I have and learn to adjust to the situation. Of course I will have a list of things that I must spend money on to survive, but I will stick to that list. Anna Newell Jones recommends doing this plan for 1 year; however, I have a trip planned to Vegas over Christmas break…. so I will do this for 3 months with a one week hiatus and then start it up again for another six months.

My needs

  • Rent
  • Tithe (10%-15%)
  • Electric
  • Water
  • Cell phone (The Spending Fast suggests removing internet but I may have to change my phone to do this…currently have an iPhone)
  • Hulu
  • Food (using everything in my cupboard before I go shopping and not purchasing anything on-brand)
  • Medicine
  • Gas
  • Doctors co-pays
  • Vet costs
  • Pet Check Technology ($29.99/month)

My Wants

  • Starbucks
  • Clothes
  • Acrylic Nails
  • Eating Out
  • Shoes
  • New business advertising
  • No Amazon purchases

I am also downsizing my appliances and electronics. My Keurig is *sold*, 46″ Samsung TV (only one month old) is listed on Craigslist, and I am trying to sell my cds/dvds. I am so sick of living on the edge, never knowing if I’ll be able to pay my bills. I NEED to stop this cycle and start anew. My business will hopefully grow and, assuming I do not spend anything, my ability to pay down my loans and start a savings account may be a reality!

My goals for Spending Diet

  • Pay down undergraduate loans
  • Create an 8-month rainy day fund
  • Save $5,000 for future business investments
  • $5,000 in savings account
  • Increase monthly income to $1,500

Checkbook Check-In

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My checkbook has taken over! Eh, not really, but I am paying more attention to it.

Over the holiday weekend, though, I did indulge myself with a trip to the mall. Now, I know what you are thinking:

“Is that in your budget?”

Well, it is not…however…I was able to control my spending to only necessary purchases. I spent $64.18 at Payless for two pairs of dress shoes for work and $145.52 at JcPenney’s for various clothing needs.
While I did not intend to spend as much money as I did I do believe that it was reasonable. Oh, I also stopped at Tim Horton’s while I was visiting my family because, well, I NEEDED an iced cappuccino!

Income news is also a snag in my budget. My department forgot to include a line-item for a legal intern in the budget, so I will not be receiving a paycheck for at least another two weeks. This is a bump in my plans and will require a temporary adjustment in my budget; nonetheless, thanks to the unexpected gift at summer’s start I do not need to stop eating or selling myself for gas money. Then again, with gas prices forever on the rise, I may need to start looking into organ donations (it’s legal, right?).

For now, the outlook is optimistic! My rent is paid until August, I am on track to pay off Chase 1, and my only “concerns” are utilities (phone, internet) andSAVING!

  • CC Debt: $ 4,441.02
  • Money Remaining: $3,906.69
  • Expected Income for Summer: $3,000

 

Budget 101: Progress

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            Yesterday I spent the morning writing out my bills for June. Surprisingly, it was the least stressed I have ever been while doing this monthly routine; I knew I had money to cover everything. It was the best feeling in the world!

This month I was able to pay off Chase 2 ($474.23) and was able to start paying down Chase 1 (down $200). God sent me an angel—more like angels—and thanks to them I am able to slightly relax.

            This is the beginning of my struggle, though. I need to take control of the reins by having trusting in letting go of them. I have been given a second chance 

to take control of my finances and life by giving up control. God has provided me with the people, resources, and support that I need to be successful in managing my finances. All I had to do was give control to God. It is easier said than done to trust God enough to relinquish control to Him. Yet, I am trying. I am striving to do what I know I should do by going against what I want to do.

 

Here is my current financial snapshot:

  • Chase 1: $4,230.77 Remaining
  • Chase 2: PAID IN FULL
  • Dentist: PAID IN FULL
  • PH.D: PAID IN FULL
  • Rent: PAID THROUGH AUGUST
  • Money Remaining: $4,211.88

Let’s hope I can keep this up!

Anyone else have any summer saving goals?