New Years Resolutions 2012

   In a blog about changing your life, I would be remiss if I did not write about new years resolutions.  Tomorrow is New Years Day. It is the time when people everywhere promise to make changes in the coming year, but few of them last until February.  Does this mean we should give up on the whole resolution business? No.  We should instead examine our previous attempts and fix whatever we did wrong.
   One common error is that we often make our resolutions vague.  Without a clear plan of action, we almost never achieve what we set out to do.  For example, we may say we want to loose weight, but if we do not plan how we are going to bring this about, we will probably to loose anything.
   Another common error is to set unrealistic goals.  In our weight loss example, if I say I want to loose 75 pounds by the summer, I am setting myself up for failure.  Instead I could try to loose a more reasonable one to three pounds a week.  As long as you are taking steps towards your goal it is okay if it takes a while.

 
  Finally, don't be discouraged by your mistakes.  One of my goals for last year, was to learn how to keep a container garden for vegetables and herbs.  I have always had a bit of a black thumb and for years I gave up on growing plants.  But last year I decided to give it a go.  Well needless to say it did not go well.  After I planted we had a freak rain storm that completely swamped my pots and killed my little plants.  I was very discouraged, but now I know not to put the pots where they get all the runoff from the roof.  I don't know if I will succeed this year, but even if I fail, I will learn from it.
  So what are my resolutions this year.  I am not going to count my three goals as resolutions, because I am already doing them.  Instead, I am making smaller goals to help bring about the larger ones.

Resolution 1: Once again I am going to attempt to grow my own herbs and vegetables.  Do the upside down tomatoes really work?
Resolution 2: Pay off my car.  I'm not sure if I can actually do this in a year, but I can at least pay off most of it.
Resolution 3: Finish my novel. Okay I confess I've made this resolution every year since 2006, but with all the time management skills I'm learning I can pull this off.
Resolution 4: Remember to send people birthday cards this year.

What is your New Years Resolution?

Project Unclutter: Book Review

 One month ago, I wrote about Project Unclutter.  The first step of Project Unclutter was to read the book Unclutter Your Life in One Week by Erin Rooney Doland by the end of the year.  Well here it is December 28 and despite holiday madness and an increased work schedule I managed to make it.  In case you did not read my previous post, in Project Unclutter I will follow Doland's advice and see if I really can unclutter my life in one week.
  I initially scoffed at the title of this book.  I have been trying to get organized and uncluttered for years.  How can it be done in one week?  I still have my doubts, but with the guidance of Unclutter Your Life in One Week I should make tremendous progress.
  The first thing that won me over was Ms. Doland's testimony.  She admits that she was not always organized herself.  As she put it, she was "surrounded by stacks of papers, piles of shoes and clothes, and dozens of boxes of sentimental trinkets."  This is key.  Over the years I have read many articles and books on getting organized.  The only ones which have been of much use are the ones written by people who have actually changed their lives.  Someone who is born organized has difficulty understanding those of us who are not.  However, someone who has been unorganized herself knows what they were doing wrong and what they did to fix it.
  The book is organized by the days of the week, Monday through Friday with the weekend grouped together.  Each week day is divided into three parts: morning, at work, and evening.  This breaks the enormous task of organizing your life into manageable bite sized pieces.  I also liked the fact that she includes work.  I work from home now, but I can still apply her principles to my home office.
  As for the specific advice she gives, there is so much useful information that I could write about.  Some examples are, making a 30 minute playlist to clean to, and scanning information in your computer so you don't have to keep stacks of paper. There is much more, but instead of sharing it all now, I will let you know how it works after I've tried it.  Starting on Monday, I will begin the year by putting Unclutter Your Life in One Week to the test.  When I can, throughout the week I will let you in on my progress.
   Despite my initial scepticism, Unclutter Your Life in One Week is a very useful book.  I still doubt it can be done in a week, but I believe it will be a great help in my journey towards an organized life.

Project Unclutter: What it is

  I have discovered a new website: unclutterer.com.  So far I'm really enjoying it.  It has helpful tips and a bit of humor.  In exploring the site I found reference to a book Unclutter Your Life in One Week by Erin R Doland, Editor-in-chief of Unclutterer.com.  My reaction to the title: "Yeah, Right.  Like I could really get rid of all my clutter in one week."  But I did look it up on amazon.  The reviews were mostly positive and the sample pages looked like they contained helpful advise.  Plus I had another order to make and this book would qualify me for free shipping.  So I ordered despite my doubts about it's claims.
  It was then that Project Unclutter was born.  I decided that instead of just scoffing at the prospect of uncluttering in a week, I would put her claims to the test.  I have the first week of January off of work and I can devote that entirely to uncluttering.

   Project Unclutter will come in two parts.  First, I need to read the book.  I'll do this between now and the end of the year.  I plan on writing a review of what I find in a subsequent post.  Second, I will put it to the test.  I chose the week I was off, so I fully test the theory without distraction.  I will let you know how it goes.
   I still doubt I can completely declutter in a week, but I can at least make a dent in it. I know it's very early for a New Years resolution, but I will make mind now.  Here's hoping 2012 will involve a lot less clutter.  Who will join me in Project Unclutter?

Recipe: Texas Chili

  A couple of months ago my gym hosted a talk from a nutritionist.  In addition to all the helpful information she provided, she also gave us several recipes.  This is one of my favorites.  It is different from most other chili recipes I've tried, but I love it.  It's not spicy but very flavorful.  I added a couple of notes of my own to the recipe below.  It has quickly become a favorite in our house.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

1/2 lb ground turkey (omit for vegetarian)
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 can of diced fire roasted tomatoes (I use 1 cup fresh diced tomato)
1 can sauce
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)  (If you cook your own 1 1/2 cup = 1can)
1/2-1 cup water
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 green bell pepper (chopped or chunks)
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder

In a large soup pot cook meat, onions, and garlic together.  If not using meat, add some olive oil to cook the onion and garlic.  Cook until onions are tender, add the rest of ingredients, stir and bring to a boil on medium heat.   Turn down to simmer for 30 min.

1/2 cup serving w/ meat and beans is 19g protein, without is 9g protein.
1/2 cup serving w/ meat 225 calories, without meat is 125 calories.

Huzzah!! No More Credit Card!!

   Woo Hoo!  My days of paying my credit card bill are at an end.  Monday evening I went online and paid off the remaining $249.  For the first time in my adult life I have no credit card and no credit card payment.
   When I was younger, I believed that credit cards were a part of life.  I fell for the line: "you need a credit card in case of emergency."  At first I rarely used it,  I maintained a zero balance for several years.  Then I needed a little extra one month, so I used the card.  I intended to pay it off just as soon as I had extra.  But the next month I was a little short as well.  I did not have enough income and I had no emergency fund.  Eventually, I stopped using the card, but I still had a large balance.  Some months I had to decide if I was going to pay my car payment or my credit card payment.  I needed my car, so the interest and penalties soared.   For the past couple of years I have cut costs, found a better paying job, and payed extra on my two cards.  About two years ago I paid off my Discover card, and now the visa is finally gone.

   Never again!  I am prepared now.  If an emergency were to happen today I do not need a credit card.  I have an emergency fund for that.  I will never again be under the thumb of a credit card company.  I can now handle emergencies without them.  Neither do I have to worry about my credit score, for I no longer intend to borrow money from anyone.  If I don't have the cash, I won't buy it.  And if I'm sort on money again, I have one less bill to pay each month.
   Now to work on the car payments.

Happy Healthy Halloween

    Halloween is less than a week away.  It gestures in a new holiday season with all of the temptations that entails.  If you are not prepared yet, now is the time to get ready.  As a kid I always loved Halloween. I really loved to dress up in a costume (still do) and pretend to be something I'm not for a night.  Most of all I loved the candy.  We would always go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood and usually had a fall festival at church.  We would come home with those little orange pumpkins stuffed with candy.  One year my sister my sister won a cake walk, so we also carried home an enormous caramel cake (yum!).  Now I am older and finally have to grow up and worry about things like weight and "will this give me diabetes?"  I look at children today and the things they eat and I worry about the next generation.  The question I ask myself is:  Can I in good conscience distribute a food to children that is so profoundly unhealthy?  I have no answer to this.  I do love to answer the door and see all the cute little kids dressed in their little costumes.  I love watching their faces light up when I give them the candy.  Plus it is only once a year.  However, Christmas is once a year as well, so is Thanksgiving, and birthdays, and many other events all of which involve food.  The candy we distribute hopefully will not be eaten in one night, but over a period of days, weeks, or even months.  There is no way to know exactly how many kids will come to your door, so  you may very well have leftover candy, lying around begging to be eaten.
   So what can be done?  I have been trying to think of alternatives to sugary candy, but I don't want to be the woman who hands out toothbrushes.  I want kids to like what I give them.  I remember as a child that some people would give out boxes of raisins.  This is ok, but there are many kids who don't like raisins.  Even if they do, it's a bit of a let down to receive raisins when you were expecting candy.  Another possibility is to buy sugar-free candy.  This is slightly better, but falls short of being called healthy.  Companies such as Oriental Trading Company, offer small toys in bulk.  This way the kids can have something fun to play with, and I would avoid giving them the candy.  One final option comes from something I received in my little pumpkin as a kid.  I seem to remember someone handing out roles of pennies.  I liked this one, because I could do anything I wanted with it.
   Whether or not I hand out healthy alternatives, the kids will still get plenty of sugary snacks from others. And, when I have children, I am sure I will dress them in little costumes and take them trick-or-treating.  But, I do believe that I can make a difference no matter how small it is.

DIY Savings: Detergent

 In the quest to save money, DIY (Do it yourself) can sometimes save a bundle.  I plan on sharing various DIY money savers in future blogs.  Today, I will focus on a recent project of mine, making my own detergent. I have heard of making my own cleaners many times, and finally decided to try it.  About a month ago, I bought my ingredients and tried it out.  So far, it works just as well as the store bought variety and costs a lot less.  If you do a google search for home made detergent, you can find a dozen recipes.  The one I recommend is at a website called DIY Natural.  The directions are very simple and there are only three ingredients.  Plus is is made with simple natural ingredients for those of you who worry about chemicals.
      I also plan on making my own dishwashing detergent once my supply runs out.  Since it uses many of the same ingredients as laundry detergent, I will not have to spend any money.  I found a recipe that looks good at yahoo finance.  I will let you know how it works.
How do you DIY to save money?

Update: I tried the dishwashing detergent and it works great

Ode to a Timer

  My timer is awesome!  When my time, like a wild beast tries to runaway, my timer helps to keep it.  Sometimes, a task seems so large I fear I shall never finish.  My timer shows me that I can at least do fifteen minutes.  And if this time is not sufficient, I will try again tomorrow and the next day until it is complete.   My timer allows me to spend a little time on the unimportant and free time up for what is necessary.  So at the end of the day when I lay my head down, I know I may not have done all, but I have done what I could.  My home is improving fifteen minutes at a time.

Sample Schedule (Timer): (not my actual schedule)
5:00 Leave work
5:30-7 Exercise
7-7:30 Prep dinner
7:30-8  Eat Dinner
8-8:15 (15) Clean up
8:15-8:30 (15) Vacuum
8:30-8:45 (15) Clean Bathrooms
8:45-9 (15) Clean Hot Spots
9 -11  Relax

* Timer method adapted from flylady's Declutter 15 minutes a day and Home Blessing Hour.

How do you make time to clean?

Why I Joined a Gym

A couple of months ago, I mentioned in a post that I was considering joining a gym.  The problem is that I am not only trying to get healthy I am also trying to get out of debt.  I am cutting back on any extra expenses in order to use the money I save to pay down on my debt.  So why did I join a gym?  Why didn't I just start jogging in the mornings or use my workout videos?
  Everyone has there own set of challenges.  I have tried and failed to loose weight many, many times.  Before I started this time, I first thought back on all of my previous attempts to figure out what went wrong.  The answer I decided was accountability.  When I work out on my own, I tend to get caught up in other things and never get started.  It's not that I don't like to work out, I do, but I get caught up in a TV show or a book or realize I need to do the dishes.  The next thing I know it is time for bed and I still haven't worked out.  The times in my life when I have worked out the most consistently where when I had someone to work out with.  I couldn't put it off if I had someone waiting for me.  In grad school, I went to the gym with my friend Vanessa.  When I live overseas, my roommates and I took karate.
   So what does this have to do with the gym?   Well, I needed someone to work out with.  Most of my friends live too far away to work with.  As for the friends who live nearby, I have a crazy schedule and so do most of them.  I might be able to do one or two days a week with them, but that is not enough.  So I thought of the gym.
   The gym I go to is called Omni and it is right across the road from my apartment.  I have actually been a member in the past so I was already familiar with the facilities.  The deciding factor were the classes.  Classes meet at the same time every week.  Unlike working on my own, I can't put them off.  As I keep going to the same classes, I get to know people and they will know if I do not show up.  I have picked three classes I can attend on a regular basis and I try not to miss.  So far it's working.  I am working out 3-4 days a week for the first time in years.  My clothes are fitting better, and I feel stronger.
   The gym may cost a little extra per month, but I believe that the benefits to my health far out way the price. It's not for everyone, but it works for me.   How do you workout?

TIP:  If you do decide to join a gym, it may be possible to talk their price down.  I paid no joining fees and my monthly payments are less than they quoted, because I talked them down.

Saving On Groceries with Angel Food

   Has anyone seen the prices at the grocery store?  I'm looking at the Harris Teeter sales for this week and what strikes me is how high the sale prices are.  So when I try to shop on a budget, I often find myself buying a lot of carbs and not a lot of protein.  One way I combat this is through Angel Food Ministries.

About 90% of this is from Angel Food

   Angel Food Ministries was founded in 1994 by Joe and Linda Wingo of Monroe, GA.  It is a ministry to provide affordable food to people across the United States.  The concept is simple.  Every month Angel Food publishes a menu on it's website.  http://www.angelfoodministries.com/  This menu has several options or boxes. This month the boxes range from $17 (Just 4 Me- After School Fruit and Veggie Box) to $55 (Pastor Joe's Premium Box).  You can buy one box or a combination of boxes.  This is open to everyone.  They do not check family size, income level, or background.  There is a deadline for order's each month.  To find out what it is you must first find a host site.  The host sites are primarily churches (for my non-christian friends you don't have to be a christian for this I've never had anyone preach at me) you simply type in your address and chose the location most convenient for you.  This site will have list it's deadline and pickup time.  In my area there are about three host site's nearby.  The good thing about that is I can choose the one with the best pickup time for me.  For example, this month my online order deadline is August 21 and my pickup time is August 27 from 12:00pm to 2:00pm.  It is extremely important to pick up on time.  They will not save the food.  Any boxes leftover will be donated to a food kitchen.

  So is it worth the trouble?  Well that depends.  Usually the answer is yes.  I look at the menu every month an d decide.  But as a comparison,  let's look at this month's menu and compare it to Harris Teeter sales.  I tried to pick Harris Teeter sales that were similar to what Angel Food was serving.  This month:

 Angel Food's Bread of Life                                   Harris Teeter

1 deli sliced ham                                                    Deli sliced meat: $3.50

Roger Wood Sausage Dogs                                   Beef Franks $4.50

Ground Beef                                                          Ground Beef $7.99

Boneless Chicken Breast 1.5lbs                              Boneless Chicken breast $2.47lb (1.5lbs=$3.71)

Chicken leg quarters 4lbs                                       Chicken Drumsticks $1.27lb (4lbs=$5.08)

Ground Turkey 1lb                                                 Frozen Turkey Breast $1.37lb (1lb=$1.37)

 Steak Burgers 1.5lb                                               Boneless Chuck Steak $3.97lb (1.5lbs=5.96)

Mac and Beef                                                         Quick Sides $3.99

10 other items                                                       

Total: 18 items                                                        Total: 8 items

Cost: $35                                                                Cost: $36.11

I hope this helps.  How do you save money on groceries?

UPDATE:  Sadly, since writing this post Angel Food Ministries has gone out of business.  They will be greatly missed.  I will write again if I can find another similar program.

UPDATE: Organizing my time to organize my home

  In my last blog, I shared a link to print out an awesome planner.  The only problem was how to make something that I could carry in my purse.  I came up with a simple solution.

1. I printed out enough pages for the rest of the year (about 35 pages).  I folded each in half.
2. I laminated a plain black piece of paper. and folded it.
3. I placed the pages inside the black laminated paper.  
4. I punched wholes in the crease on each side
5. Finally, I used a ribbon to tie my book together.

    This seems to be working well.  It was cheap and easy to assemble.  What are some of your money saving DIYs.

Organizing my time to organize my home

   Okay, I have a confession.  I have been doing well with my first two goals (Get financially fit and Get healthy), but I have not been doing as well with getting organized.  For some reason it seems easier to get pumped up about money and fitness.  Cleaning on the other hand is not so exciting.  It's not that I can't organize.  I'm actually pretty good at it.  I just can't seem to keep things organized.  So I sat down and thought about how I can jump start my efforts.  I realized that while I sometimes read sites like getrichslowly.com and peruse any health related article that pops up on yahoo, the only organization site I know is flylady.net.  I don't even visit that one as often as I should.  Therefore I sat out on a mission to find any other websites that might offer valuable tools for keeping organized.
  At first I found what I expected, lots of adds for the container store.  This is not exactly what I need.  After all I am trying to save money, but eventually I did manage to find something really useful.  On a website called simpleorganizedliving.com I found a post about scheduling.  I have long known that this is the key to staying organized, and have been working on finding a system that works for me.  The author spoke of her planner and how the ones she bought did not meet all of her needs, so she made her own.  At the end of the article she has a link to a free download of her finished planner.

   The planner has virtually everything I need.  I am on my fourth day of trying it out, and I love it.  It is set up as daily planning sheets.  For my organization efforts it includes a to do list, a top five to do list, a place to write appointments, a meal plan, a "to buy" list, a space for notes, and best of all a daily routine similar to the one developed by the fly lady.  It also has eight little pictures of water cups for me to keep track of how much water I'm drinking, and a spot to write down how much exercise I'm doing.
  I'm trying to come up with a fun DIY to make a little book out of it to carry in my purse.  Any suggestions?
http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2011/02/09/my-daily-routine-free-printables/

My Purple Dress

I love my purple dress.  It's color suits me, It has a jacket for when it's cold, but when it's warm it transforms into a lovely sleeveless.  When it fits, it flatters me perfectly.  The only problem is that it hasn't fit in a long time.  It's probably out of fashion now, but I don't care.  I keep my dress because I know that some day I will wear it again.  That is my goal.  Some people have a weight goal, but mine is a dress goal.  I read recently in that I should get rid of the clothes that no longer fit me.  The author maintained that these clothes are reminders of our failure to loose weight.  I disagree.  Only clothes that are too big should go.  After all, there is no going back on this journey.  I keep a box of my old clothes, so that someday when my current size is too big I can wear them again.  This time next year I plan to wear my dress again.

Is HAES a good idea?

While surfing the web the other day, I found an article about Healthy at Every Size (HAES).  I had never heard of this and it peaked my interest, so I followed the link to it's web site.  The Health At Every Size movement is based on three ideas:

1. Self-Acceptance
2. Physical Activity
3. Normalized Eating

The idea is that normal diets do not work and can in fact cause more harm than good.  Studies show us that yo-yo dieters are in worse shape in the long run than those who do not diet at all.  HAES focuses instead of accepting yourself no mater what  size you are.  Put away the scale it's not important anyway.  What is important is health.  But how can we become healthy if traditional diets can not keep us healthy in the long run?  First, we need to add physical activity.  This does not mean we have to hire a personal trainer.  We should find something we enjoy doing even if it's just dancing around the house.  As for dieting, HAES argues that restrictive diets are impossible to keep up in the long run.  It encourages people to pay attention to their own bodies and eat only when they "eat in response to physiological hunger and fullness cues."  HAES seeks to dispel myths and prejudices about being overweight by sifting the focus of peoples sizes.

   In general, I applaud the HAES movement.  It recognizes that people come in all shapes and sizes and takes the attention off appearance and on to health.  I recognize some of the things I am trying to do in this movement (i.e. not dieting but maintaining a healthy lifestyle).  There is one thing that concerns me:  "We’ve lost the war on obesity. Fighting fat hasn’t made the fat go away. And being thinner, even if we knew how to successfully accomplish it, will not necessarily make us healthier or happier." (http://www.haescommunity.org/index.php)  I'm not ready to wave a white flag and just accept the way I am. I still think my size is very unhealthy and I wish to change it.  I have what I believe are reasonable goals I wish to reach.  I may not be putting an emphasis on the scale, but by restructuring my life along more healthy lines, I believe the weight will naturally improve.  What do you think about this?  Is this a more realistic way to achieve long term results?  Or is this just a way of saying we give up?

For more information:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar06/health0306.htm

http://www.lindabacon.org/HAESbook/

http://www.haescommunity.org/index.php

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36922036/ns/health-womens_health/t/can-you-be-healthy-any-size/

Goal 1: Finances the Dave Ramsey way

"If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else."

Dave Ramsey

Goal 1: Get financially fit.
   A couple of weeks ago I mentioned in the book The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.  This book centers around a series of baby steps.  Step 1 is "Save $1000 fast".  I have finished this step, and it is an enormous relief to know that it is there.  If something were to break, I have the money at to fix most minor problems.  Step 2 is "The Debt Snowball".  I am working on this one now.  Depending on the amount of debt and income, it can take anywhere from a few months to a few years.  The idea is simple, write down all you debts in order from smallest to largest.  Make minimum payments on all debts except for the smallest one.  Scrape together all the extra money you can and use it to pay off the smallest debt.  When that is paid off, use the money you were paying on that to pay off the next smallest debt.  By the time you get to the last one you are using the same amount of money you were when you started, but paying off debt at a faster rate.  Step 3 is "Finish the Emergency Fund".  Dave says "kick Murphy out.".  You should ultimately have three to six months of expenses saved up.  That way if you loose a job you still have enough money to live on for three to six months.  Plus if your car dies, you could buy a cheap used car paid for in cash.  Step 4 is "Maximize Retirement Investing."  Step 5 is "College Funding."  Hopefully with this your kids will never know the pain of student loans.  Step 6  is "Pay off the Mortgage."  Step 7 is "Build Wealth Like Crazy."  If you finish all seven baby steps, you will have complete peace of mind when it comes to finances.
   I highly recommend this book along with Dave's book Financial Peace.  Dave also has a program available in many churches called Financial Peace University.  I have not taken this course yet, but would like to in the future.  Have any of you taken it?  If so, feel free to share your experiences.

Goal 3: Get Organized

"We're the kind of people who, if we were deciding what absolute minimum essential items we'd need to carry in our backpacks for the final, treacherous ascent to the summit of Mount Everest, would take along some aquarium filters, just in case."

Dave Barry

   Goal 3: Get Organized.  I suffer from what flylady.net calls CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome).  When my friend calls and says "Hey, I'm going to be in your area this afternoon.  How about I stop by?",  I feel the panic rise.  I look around at my apartment and see the cat hair build up because I haven't vacuumed recently, my couch cushions in disarray, and a coffee table I can barely see the surface of.  That's just for starters.  I would love to walk into my apartment and see everything clean, but when I do clean up I can not seem to keep it that way.  I often wonder what is wrong with me.  It seems so simple for other people.  I don't know how many times I have been told that all I have to do is put something away when I'm not using it.     But try as I might, I cannot seem to do this.
  Several years ago, a friend (thank you Amy) introduced me to a book called 'Sink Reflections' by Marla Cilley aka The Flylady.  I have read book and articles about getting organized before, but this one was the first one that explained how to keep it clean.  The answer is time management.  The Fly Lady has developed a series of routines to ensure that things get clean and stay clean.  I don't start doing them all at once, but start small and gradually add more.  It is going to take a lot of time and work, but ultimately I hope to form new habits.

Goal 2: Get Healthy

   Out of my three goals, this is the hardest one for me.  I have been trying to loose weight since I was a kid, but have not been able to stick to any plan long term.  This has got to change.  I am not going to try any fad diets, nor do I plan to count every calorie.  The only way to achieve long term success is to eat healthier and exercise.  I am going to try to limit my shopping to healthier foods.  If the unhealthy food is not in the house, hopefully I won't be tempted to eat it.  Exercise is the main thing I need to work on.  It is not that I don't enjoy exercise.  Once I get started I have a great time.  I just get so distracted by other things that I usually get to the end of the day and realize that I never made the time.  I do best when I am held accountable by someone else.  Here's a question I am struggling with.  I am trying to save money, but if I join a gym and attend classes that might help keep me accountable.  I am trying to decide if I should save money and workout on my own, or if I should spare $39 per month and join the gym across the street.  What do you think?
Update:  I joined the gym after all.

Goal 1: Get Financially Fit

"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."

Dave Ramsey

Goal 1: Get financially Fit.  

About a year ago, my best friend, Karen, started telling me about Dave Ramsey.  Based on her recommendation I bought his book The Total Money Makeover. Thanks to Dave, I now have an emergency fund, and am paying off my debt.  I realized that if I am diligent, I can do this even with what I am making now. First, I am cutting back on my spending. Second, I am putting any extra money I have towards paying off my debt. Third, I am putting money into savings, so if something like a car or computer breaks down, I can pay in cash. Finally, I am looking for any way possible to earn extra money. Garage sale anyone? What are you doing to get financially fit?  

The Three Goals

God, Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to Change the things I cannot accept,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Serenity Prayer

Change is possible. There are three general areas of my life I have wished to improve upon for a long time. I have worked on each of these three goals for many years,  

focusing on one or another for periods of time. Although I have experienced limited 

success, for the most part I have not been able to obtain my goals. I believe that this is because in focusing on one area I neglect the others. Ultimately I plan to achieve all 

three goals and therefore must change my behavior in all areas to succeed.

So what are my three goals?

Goal 1: Get financially stable
Goal 2: Get healthy
Goal 3: Get organized

I will be posting once a week (probably on Wednesdays) about achieving these goals. In doing so, I hope to keep myself accountable to you, the reader, and to encourage any of you who may share my struggles. The change starts now.

The Start of an Adventure

  As my 33rd birthday draws near, I begin to think about my life.  I have a good life.  I am blessed with an amazing husband and awesome family and friends.  But there are still so many things I wish to change.  Therefore I am setting for myself specific goals, in order to effect this change.  In the following weeks I shall detail my goals and document any progress or set backs.  Change does not happen over night, but it can happen over time with hard work and planning.  Next month I turn 33, my goal is to create a more structured less chaotic life for myself, my husband, and someday my children.  In two years, by the age of 35, I hope to achieve the majority of these goals.  Wish me luck.

Iris