Tale of the Tape to Be Posted Later and January Goals and Budget

I've down loaded my bank statement for the month and will be cross referencing it with my receipts over the weekend and will post my Tale of the Tape then.

I do already have a few January Goals as I've already stated, but here is a new one for me

Plan a zero based budget for February.

Since I've started this blog, I've put myself back on a budget, but while I was easing myself into it, I did not have a zero based budget. I needed a few months to figure out what my expenses were and where I could, can and must cut back. Like I've stated before, I'm in a huge re-learning curve with my personal finances.

Having a zero based budget will make me more accountable for those things I'm currently marking "miscellaneous" and should not be.

If I am serious about saving for a new to me car (and darn it I am), I need to be serious about doing a zero based budget. I know I can afford a new car, now to budget for it and be accountable for all my income.

No Spend Day #6

Yesterday was no spend day #6 and I had hoped to make today no spend #7, but I just realized I left my lunch at home on the kitchen table, so out to buy my lunch!

It's the little things that are killing the no spend days......

The Need to Purge Possessions

Like so many folks, I read my horoscope on a daily basis. For a number of years, I have been a fan of Yasmin Boland. I just really like her site and her 'scopes. The following message was on her home page this morning:

Friday December 28 – Moon into Virgo
As we cruise through “Christmas Week” the skies are quiet, in readiness for New Year.
This is a good time to start to work out your New Year’s Resolutions, as the next major astro link is between Mercury and Saturn – the planet of the mind and the planet who makes this stick. It’s also an excellent time to do any end of year decluttering that you want to get done pre-2008. The quick rule of thumb is to go through your pile of stuff, hold each item and ask “Do I love it?” and if the answer is no, throw it in the bin before you change your mind! Decluttering is very good for raising the energy in your home.

Last night I took a good look around my small little space and decided I really needed a good declutter. I'm feeling a little claustrophobic in my space and I know I have a bunch of possessions that just need to go. Plus I'm running out of room in what limited storage I do have! This part of my life is getting out of control. What really bothers me is my desk is becoming a repository for all sorts of things. I'm not using my lap top on a regular basis, so I find I'm just dumping stuff on the desk top and not filing, puttting away, etc.

I'm hoping to spend an exciting Saturday Night purging possessions so I can take them to the dump or Goodwill on Sunday or post on Freecycle or Craig's list. The stuff just needs to go.

I've given myself a goal this weekend to be fairly ruthless in picking out the things that can stay and the things that can go. And if I'm really good about this, it will help clean out space in my kitchen so I can paint it on New Years Day and start 2008 with a freshly painted kitchen.

Books are selling

I listed a bunch of books on Half.com just before Christmas and they are slowly selling. Which is good. Slow is ok for the new ones. I've earmarked any funds from those sales to my DVD purchase allowance. I still have a number of books in my inventory that have not sold. I'm going to bunch them in a bag as see if I can sell them on Craig's List. If not, as part of my decluttering plan, I'll take them to Goodwill or the local library as a donation.

Doing My Part To Be a Bit Greener

Not only will I be more "green", but I'm hoping I will reduce my energy consumption. My electric bill came the other day and I was more than a little surprised to see my energy consumption rose (almost doubled) November 2007 vs. November 2006. Thus my electric bill was higher than I anticipated. My local utility company has had two rate hikes this year and I am planning for larger bills than last year, but I was surprised to see that I supposedly used more electric this year than last for that time frame. I have this memory of being home more in November 2006 and using the electric heat, more lights, etc. I guess not!

Since it was part of my plan, I changed as many light bulbs as I could to CFL bulbs, I have the ceiling fixture in my bedroom to go. I don't have that many items that are plugged in and are sucking energy, but I did unplug my hardly ever used VCR and the USB hub for my home computer.

I did notice that I've been in the bad habit of leaving a lot of lights on when I'm home that I don't need. For example, I had four lights on last night, I only needed one. Why I had all four on is beyond me, my house is not that big and with only me in it, it's not like someone else will be stuck in a dark room. Off the lights went and I just have to remind myself I don't need all those lights on!

Sent in the Paperwork And I'm on My Way.

I spend this morning mailing out the appropriate forms for my real estate license. Between the reactivation and professional fees, I shelled out $610. YIKES. And in a down market, but something says, give it a go non the less.

I have a meeting on Monday with the real estate folks, (I get the day off from my regular job). So we shall see what's expected and whats happening.

What I Got for Christmas

Here be the list:

1) A bottle of Irish Whiskey.
2) Assorted Gift Cards (most to be used for my new TV) to various stores and some that are visa/mc/AE types.
3) A new dog toy storage bin, plus some toys for the dogs.
4) A 6 pack of new dish towels.
5) A set of holiday themed napkins (I actually can use these).
4) A new Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer.
5) A mini crate of oranges (Yummy!)
6) Two loaves of date nut bread (Yummy again).
7) A box of decent chocolates (already split up and part in the freezer for later consumption).
8) A new lunch sack.
9) A Black Watch plaid throw.
10) A travel set of body wash, conditioner, body scrub and shampoo-all in my favorite scents.

All in all, not too bad and I'm very happy with everything I got and the dogs were pleased with their new toys as well.