Confession

The past few days, I've been paying attention to what I haven't been paying attention to.  I must admit to becoming VERY LAZY over the past few months :(  If I were to show my check register, you would see my recent dedication to helping the fast food/restaurant industry stay afloat in this sluggish economy!  You would also see I've done my part to line the pockets of the gasoline giants and the electric industry.  The local refuse/recycle collectors are either thankful for my help in keeping them busy OR pissed at me for my sudden lack of consideration for the environment.  


This is not who I typically am - just who I've become while dealing with all of the pebbles, thorns, logs and frogs that life has thrown in my path lately.  This upsets me as I have allowed my money to seep every which way accept for the direction I wished it to go.  


This has set me back on my home remodeling.  


This can go on no longer.


Today, I woke and paid attention to undo what has been done lately.  I did not waste electricity.  Errands were done on the way home from the office.  I fed myself breakfast at home, brought lunch to work and made dinner at home.  


What can improve on that?  Well, I used disposable items at lunch.  I can fix that!  On this weekend's shopping list is a stop at the local Salvation Army store to pick up a plate, cereal/soup bowl, cup and set of utensils to keep at the office.  

Year 44 Goals - Getting Started

It's always good to know your starting point, right?  Well, here goes.


Health - AGH!  A few weeks ago, I had expected to only have 10 pounds left to lose in year 44.  Since I had to up that amount to 16, that pretty much sums it up.


Finances - I just finished setting up May's budget.  IF I can stick to it, I will be living off of 91% of my income - shifting 9% into the home remodeling savings account.


Home - The home remodeling savings account currently has 9% of the goal amount.  (9% must be my lucky number right now.)  If I stick with only the above 9% monthly contribution, I will fall short of my goal.


Personal Growth - Well, I have my crochet hook.  I've also tentatively registered for 2 classes this summer.  Right now (since I'm talking starting point), I spend almost zero time on my crafting and almost zero time exploring the world around me.  I find any excuse to get out of cooking and I have been seriously slacking in the waste reduction area.


So, as you can see, I have LOTS of work to do.  However, challenges keep one busy, right?  I can use busy right now.


Because I tend to rebel against myself, I am setting no specific mini goals for the upcoming week.  I'm simply going to attempt to be more aware.

Year 44 - Here I come with new goals!

It's that time of year again.  Well, a few days early, but ~ 


I've thought about it and decided the time was right to have some aggressive goals. Here's what I'll be focusing on for the next year.


Health

• Drop 16 pounds - This will put me 9 pounds under the maximum healthy weight for my height.

Finance

• Reduce monthly expenses to 75% of my current income. 

Home

This area is a bit difficult to set/monitor since lots of things depend on the schedule of someone else, so I've set more of a financial part to the project.

• Fund 1/2 of the home remodeling account (with current estimates).  If I posted how much this would mean, it could make someone choke.  (It will take more than the above financial goal to meet this one - *sigh*)

Personal growth/other

There are many items on this plate and many need a bit of research to determine if they can be taken on.  So, this one will be broken down into monthly tasks/goals to see which one(s) filter through to "doable."  


For now, here's what has made it through the filter:

• run a 5k - Not an easy task at my age after 2 heart surgeries, but I think I can do it.
• spend time on my crafty projects
• spend time exploring the world around me
• learn to crochet
• continue working towards my degree
• take a dance class
• continue decreasing household waste

Someone may have to stay on my rear to move forward on all of this, but...here goes!

Oh, and yes, I still have the "Gifts on the Sly" project going for 2012 and I'll still be working on the new recipes as well...first one coming up soon!

Challenge: 26 new recipes over 52 weeks (or less) - Introduction

This is the first of many challenges I am presenting to myself.  I am not the best cook and my kitchen is not ideal, so this will be a learning experience for me.  There are only a few requirements:

1.  It must be wheat-free.
2.  It must be quick to prepare. I have no tolerance for spending hours preparing something that will be devoured in minutes.  I'm thinking definitely less than an hour prep time.
3.  It must be easy.  That means the ingredients must be easily identifiable, easily located and require no "special" skills or equipment.
4.  It must not "break the bank."  While I haven't exactly set a limit, The goal is to find things I can then recommend to my daughter, who is on a budget.

While I am hopeful I will find (and try) 26 new recipes in a much shorter time, I am a realist.  I know I sidetrack myself, trip myself up and sometimes simply don't feel like doing something, so I am aiming for 1 new recipe every pay period.  Let's see how it goes.

*all related posts will be titled as "Challenge: 26 new recipes..." and labeled as "recipes"