Yeah so I am 3 months late and a dollar short
Well here we are in March and I have finally figured out what I am going to do this year...of course it is the same thing I do every year pinky...Try to take over the WORLD...oh wait wrong resolution.
This year (like so many before it) is the "Get out of Debt and stay there" year. Only this time I actually have the means to do it and the ability to make it work. See I don't live in the US right now. I don't have a book store within easy reach of my debit card (nor my roving eyes for something good to read). The closest mall to me has absolutely nothing that fits my fat ass (yes I have a fat ass...I also have no shape currently except round but that is to be addressed later). I have no temptation to buy electronics (except PS3 which even though it is cheaper here than in the states is still far to expensive for me) and when I do 90% of the time they won't work with anything in the US (again PS3 is the only exception to this and if you want to know why I don't have one yet please see the previous mention about it). Plus on like everything on AFN they keep talking about Finance...cause this is supposed to be military saves week. I also have a renter paying more than 50% of my mortgage payment for me so I suddenly have 700 more dollars than I used to at the end of the month. NO this does not mean everyone I know who is into gaming is getting a PS3 for christmas.
What this means is I am able to formulate a plan (also helps that my only "bills" on base are phone and internet)that will have at a minimum all of our credit card debt and at least one student loan paid off in full by the end of the year. Ultimate goal is to have both student loans paid off but we can't get what we want all the time (LOL my mother used to say that to me). If I manage to actually do this and stick with it (which shouldn't be to hard) I will have paid off in one year almost 7300 in debt and that is if I only pay off one student loan. If I am able to pay off the other student loan then the amount I was able to reduce my debt by would be over 10k. This would be freaking Amazing cause then I could roll all of those payments to focus on other things like the car loans or the mortgage and still be able to save moeny. I know from past experience (as well as my current one) that I will need a good store of money for "unexpected/unexplaied" expense. I also know that should we not find a way to get our "store of nice, sturdy and long lasting" house furniture that we will need money to do that at the next duty station too. we got lucky at this one and found some that while seems costly actually wasn't any more than we would have spent on lesser quality items at walmart.
Now about the shape thing. I was appalled to go to the mall here and be able to fit into any shirt I tried on but not the pants. I was then further appalled to look in a mirror and notice I had no shape. I am a blob in my midsection. SO I have taken advantage of the fact that this base has 2 gyms, one of which is open 24/7 to try and work out some and get back some form of Hour-glass figure that I had managed to acheive so easily after Tristan with the help of DDR. I even invested in a step machine (it was like 50 bucks) to help me work out even when I can't make it to the Gym (usually during the day when matt is at work with our car). I have an Ideal weight i want to get to and I have a target goal to be at by next month. I know as part of this I need to cut back or out a lot of the calorie intake I do, simply because I am not in enough shape yet to spend hours at the gym. Right now I can spend 30 minutes working out and another 15 trying to regain normal breathing. As time goes on I am planning on increasing my time at the gym until I can spend an hour or more on the treadmill. I won't post what my weight goals are simply because I have enough people monitering it here.
So this is my plan for this year, even though I only have about 9 months left to really work at it. I have already put it into action and I will update on it in a few months time.
Wish me luck guys!
This year (like so many before it) is the "Get out of Debt and stay there" year. Only this time I actually have the means to do it and the ability to make it work. See I don't live in the US right now. I don't have a book store within easy reach of my debit card (nor my roving eyes for something good to read). The closest mall to me has absolutely nothing that fits my fat ass (yes I have a fat ass...I also have no shape currently except round but that is to be addressed later). I have no temptation to buy electronics (except PS3 which even though it is cheaper here than in the states is still far to expensive for me) and when I do 90% of the time they won't work with anything in the US (again PS3 is the only exception to this and if you want to know why I don't have one yet please see the previous mention about it). Plus on like everything on AFN they keep talking about Finance...cause this is supposed to be military saves week. I also have a renter paying more than 50% of my mortgage payment for me so I suddenly have 700 more dollars than I used to at the end of the month. NO this does not mean everyone I know who is into gaming is getting a PS3 for christmas.
What this means is I am able to formulate a plan (also helps that my only "bills" on base are phone and internet)that will have at a minimum all of our credit card debt and at least one student loan paid off in full by the end of the year. Ultimate goal is to have both student loans paid off but we can't get what we want all the time (LOL my mother used to say that to me). If I manage to actually do this and stick with it (which shouldn't be to hard) I will have paid off in one year almost 7300 in debt and that is if I only pay off one student loan. If I am able to pay off the other student loan then the amount I was able to reduce my debt by would be over 10k. This would be freaking Amazing cause then I could roll all of those payments to focus on other things like the car loans or the mortgage and still be able to save moeny. I know from past experience (as well as my current one) that I will need a good store of money for "unexpected/unexplaied" expense. I also know that should we not find a way to get our "store of nice, sturdy and long lasting" house furniture that we will need money to do that at the next duty station too. we got lucky at this one and found some that while seems costly actually wasn't any more than we would have spent on lesser quality items at walmart.
Now about the shape thing. I was appalled to go to the mall here and be able to fit into any shirt I tried on but not the pants. I was then further appalled to look in a mirror and notice I had no shape. I am a blob in my midsection. SO I have taken advantage of the fact that this base has 2 gyms, one of which is open 24/7 to try and work out some and get back some form of Hour-glass figure that I had managed to acheive so easily after Tristan with the help of DDR. I even invested in a step machine (it was like 50 bucks) to help me work out even when I can't make it to the Gym (usually during the day when matt is at work with our car). I have an Ideal weight i want to get to and I have a target goal to be at by next month. I know as part of this I need to cut back or out a lot of the calorie intake I do, simply because I am not in enough shape yet to spend hours at the gym. Right now I can spend 30 minutes working out and another 15 trying to regain normal breathing. As time goes on I am planning on increasing my time at the gym until I can spend an hour or more on the treadmill. I won't post what my weight goals are simply because I have enough people monitering it here.
So this is my plan for this year, even though I only have about 9 months left to really work at it. I have already put it into action and I will update on it in a few months time.
Wish me luck guys!