Four Days in and Frustrated!

Well, I've stuck to my plan so far but I am frustrated.  I just paid my Discover card bill and got the new statement today.  Every month is goes up about $10! I know it's because I just pay the minimum and that probably doesn't even cover the interest.  I truly feel like I will never get ahead.

Oh well, what are you gonna do?  I got myself in this mess, now I need to work on getting out of it.  My Dave Ramsey book is in at the library so I'll be reading that this weekend.  Hopefully it will encourage me and not discourage me further.

Here's hoping that my next post is more positive!

Deb is in Debt!

My church, Palm Valley Church, is currently doing a series called "I've Got Issues". I think that this may be my most favorite series they've done. I can relate to so much of it and it makes me feel less alone. So far, we've covered: "I've Messed Up", "I'm Stressed Out", and "I'm In Debt". Yesterday's message on Debt and how to climb out from under it was powerful!
I am in more debt that I even imagined! OK, I guess I knew, in theory, but seeing the numbers written down was so depressing.
However, I am going to do something about it.
Since I am well on my way to conquering my weight and health issues, I am now going to tackle the debt. And you, my lucky blog readers, can come along for the journey! :-) I figure the accountability worked with the diet, so it will work with the debt, too! [Sidenote: I smile everytime I type "debt" because it is my name with a "t" at the end. Don't know why I find that funny!]
I decided yesterday that I will follow the steps that were outlined for us.

• Track Everything You Spend: I got a notebook and starting yesterday I am writing down every penny I spend, including the money I spent on the notebook. :-) Not only will this help me see where my money is going, but I think it will also help me not to buy People magazine almost every week. It works on the same principle, for me, as a diet journal ~ I don't want to write down a "cheat" so I don't eat it!
• Establish An "Oh-No" Fund: This should be a fund of at least $500-1,000 that you set aside for any emergencies that come up. One suggestion was to have a yard sale or sell unwanted/un-necessary items in your house. With the exception of a couple of old TV's and a few items of clothing, I don't think I have enough stuff to even make it worthwhile to have a yard sale. So, I will need to come up with an alternative way to establish my fund. This morning, while I was paying bills, I did transfer $100 into my fund, which made me feel like I'm on my way.
• Eliminate Expenses: As of right now, I don't feel like I spend foolishly, but I know that I will find stuff to eliminate as I start tracking my spending. I think my first step in this area will be to contact Qwest and DirectTV to see if I can cut back my bill in any way. I know that many people say that Satellite TV is a luxury, and a part of my definitely agrees, but I don't think I can completely cut it out yet. It is a large part of my entertainment ~ you know, all those shows I DVR and then delete when the DVR is full. And I believe I need to keep my landline for my security system which I REFUSE to give up. I am a big chicken and my security system is what makes me able to sleep well at night.
• Expect God To Help: I know it sounds bad, but this is a hard one for me. I have committed to tithing regularly, which I got a good start on over the past few months. It is just such a leap of faith. So, I am working on trusting that God cares about me and my finances.

My church is offering a Financial Peace University but I am not sure that I am going to sign up at this time. I had already requested Dave Ramsey's book from the library and have looked up several online sites/stories about people getting out of debt.

Here is my plan-of-action, which I will update on a regular basis:

1. Establish my emergency fund: I started this one today, 1/17/11, with $100

2. Track everything I spend: Started this on 1/16/11 and will maintain it for one full month and then go from there with seeing what can be cut.

3. Eliminate expenses: I will contact Qwest and DirectTV to see if I can lower either of those bills.

4. Establish a budget: I will use my spending journal as a starting point for the budget, so that I can see realistically where my money is going and needs to go.

5. Pay down debt: I am going to use the "snowball effect". Today I wrote down all of the outstanding debt I have: Visa, Discover, Car Loan, Student Loan, and Mortgage. My first goal is to pay off my Visa card ~ to do this I will throw any extra money I have each month at this balance.

6. Use the Cash Envelope system: After I have established my budget, I am going to convert to a cash-only system for my monthly expenses. I will still pay my bills online but items like groceries, household goods, entertainment, clothing, etc. will be budgeted and paid for in cash. I am still reading up on this area and how best to implement it.

So, there you go. A REALLY long post, mainly for my own benefit, of how I am going to get out of this hole I've dug for myself. It's really discouraging right now, but I am hoping that as I work on it, I will begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

New Year's Resolution

This year I decided to approach this a little differently. EVERY year, for as long as I can remember, my resolution has been to lose weight ~ except last year I just said I would exercise every single day (and that lasted until January 1). Since I have been working on my weight loss, this year it is not my resolution. I am just going to continue on with my journey. It was actually refreshing to start back on my protocol this week. I really enjoy eating so clean and was getting frustrated with and mad at myself when I found myself slipping with the Oreos~although I did dip them in Skim milk! :-)
Which leads me to my resolution:

• This year, my goal is to not be so hard on myself and realize that I deserve to be happy!

In talking to several friends and family members over the past few weeks, I realized that I put a lot of unreal expectations and "rules" on myself and then feel such guilt when I don't follow through. I would never hold another person to such high standards or be so hard on them if they have a little set-back. So I need to extend the same grace to myself.

This is hard for me because I have such an "all-or-nothing" mentality about things, especially when it comes to my weight. I use it as an excuse, as a shield, and let it define who I am.

So, I am telling myself some of the following:

• I am more than a number on the scale!
• It is OK if I eat more than I should or eat junk occasionally. That is real life!
• It's fine if I tell someone how I feel. I am so afraid of conflict (which is only imagined in my ming) that I try not to ever rock the boat.

One result of this is that I have decided that I may not, in fact, lose 100 lbs. That was my goal at the beginning of this journey. But I am now realizing that if I were to lose the 100 pounds, I may actually be too thin (never thought I'd say that). So, instead I am going to continue on and see what works for me and my body. BUT, I can safely say that I am currently 100 pounds less than my highest-ever weight!! :-) And that will have to satisfy me.

So far, 8 days into the new year, I am doing pretty well with my resolution. Can't say that I'm perfect, but I will keep it up!

Happy New Year

Well, it's not quite Valentine's Day but it has been almost a month since I posted. Here's what's up with me ~

• Christmas was interesting this year. The week before Christmas my brother and sister in law got the flu. They were then kind enough to share it with me and I was sick from the 23rd and didn't really feel completely better until the 26th. I am thankful, because some people I know were really sick for much longer. We had a casual Christmas morning and stayed in pajamas all day, which was really nice!
• Spent New Year's Eve with friends at my brother's house. Mexican food, playing Dominoes and setting off fireworks. It was a noisy and fun way to welcome in 2011.
• Started back to school way too soon!! We have only been back one week but I was convinced we've been back for two. This was a very long week!
• The 1st marked my day to start back on HcG for my final round. I really don't want to jinx myself, but this has been my best round yet!! Although I had gained back a few pounds over Christmas, I am down 13.1 pounds since Monday ~ yes in 6 days!!! I have started drinking herbal tea and I think that might have something to do with it. So far, I am down 66 pounds since June and that includes my "in-between" times where I was on my own.
• I was thinking of doing (walking) a 10K in Sedona in February. However, I will barely be off the HcG ~like 1 day~ so I am afraid that I will just be going as a spectator/cheerleader. I am looking forward to getting away for a couple of days, though. :-)

I guess that's a good summary of what's been up with me. Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year!

I am still here . . .

Wow! I have been a slacker when it comes to blogging. I finished up my maintenance and have been free to do whatever I want since the weekend before Thanksgiving. I have maintained very well, just playing around with the same couple of pounds. Although I'd love to say I am losing 2 pounds a week, I am happy with maintaining. I'll start my last round on January 1 ~ whoo-hoo!!!!
Lots of things happening right now but I am at a loss to tell you what they are :-)

• My Dipped Delights is going really well (www.dippeddelights.blogspot.com) I have several orders for Christmas and lately it has looked like Christmas vomited all over my kitchen!
• School is school. Still really struggling this year and not sure if a change is in order.
• My Christmas shopping is done and wrapped! Granted, I don't have a lot of people to buy for but I am still happy that it is done.
• The new year is bringing lots of new possibilities. I am not going to make the "I want to lose weight" resolution this year since I am already well on my way. This year I am going to resolve that I am going to have the life that I deserve to have. It's hard sometimes to realize that I do deserve it ~ but I do!

Not a lot more here . . . I might as well wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year since it will probably be Valentine's Day before I blog again. :-)

I'm Not A Liar Anymore . . .

Well, after my absolutely m.i.s.e.r.a.b.l.e day and night yesterday, this morning started out with a bang! I got on the scale and was down 2.3 pounds!!! I had to get on the scale three different times throughout the morning to make sure it was accurate. So, as of this morning, I officially weigh what my Driver's License says I weigh. I haven't been able to say that for a LOOOONG time. :-)

Just Blah . . .

I don't know what's up with me lately, but I'm just so "blah" feeling. I know a lot of it is work-related. With the results of the election last week, there are going to be HUGE changes at school ~ to the tune of $1.5 million being cut this school year and and ADDITIONAL $5 million next year. Not good news in any way, shape, or form. And, I am just struggling with finding my joy in teaching (or, more accurately, all of the other #*(*@ that goes along with teaching).

How's that for a downer of an opening paragraph? Let's see what else is up . . .

• I have gotten a few orders for my Dipped Delights. Check out my other blog at www.DippedDelights.blogspot.com for more details. I love doing these but, unfortunately, they aren't enough for a main career. :-)
• Maintenance is going well. I am down a couple of more pounds, but the point here isn't to lose but maintain so I am succeeding.
• Getting excited about the Holidays. Went to Costco Saturday and walked through the Christmas aisles . . . I love seeing all the decorations they have out. :-)

I guess this was a pretty pointless post ~ just felt like I needed to put something up to prove that I hadn't fallen off the face of the earth.