"Commitment to Change": Hitting a Resolution Roadblock

I have hit a roadblock.  *sigh*  I’ll be the first to admit it, some of my resolutions are looking dismal at this point.  Resolutions #6 and #8 are at a standstill.  To refresh your memory, #6 refers to exercising at least 30 minutes a week, and #8 is completing the couch potato to 5k program and run my first 5k.  I have an injury even before I really started!

Confession:  I have a bum ankle, and I have my grandmother’s weak ankles.  A few years ago, my right ankle gave way as I was starting to cross the street at the University of Tennessee.  I thought my pride was the only thing injured, but more than likely I had a bad sprain which went untreated.  Somehow I have reinjured the ankle.  Dr. Mom said that I probably have tendonitis in my ankle.  For a couple of weeks, I’ve been dealing with shooting pains which stab through my ankle and shoot up my leg, in addition to some pain in the ball of my foot and through my toes.  Needless to say, I am at a resolution roadblock. 

Today, I had an “Oh crap!  What am I going to do now?” moment.  I’m a teacher, and spend 75% of my day on my feet.  I’m a big sister, and the little sister loves to be chased.  I’m a member of a team in a fitness challenge at work.  Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I challenged myself to look at the bright side.  Resolution #10 (make my health a priority) now comes into action.  I’m going to ask our school’s trainer to look at my ankle tomorrow and see what she thinks.  Then, I’m going to call our rheumatologist (my mom and I see a rheumatologist for our fibromyalgia) and set up an appointment.  And I’m feeling some blog entries coming about how to best use your time when you’re laid up with an injury!  What is the bright side?  If I do have to have physical therapy, at least I can learn some exercises to help strengthen my ankles.  And I will get a good check-up and doctor or therapist-recommended shoes before I do start running. 

Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I can make this work.  Do you have a resolution you’re struggling with?  Challenge yourself to look at the positive side and then work around it.  What are you recommendations for how I can work around my injury?

"Commitment to Change": Keeping Our Resolutions by Making a Plan

In this next part of our series on “Commitment to Change: Keeping Your Resolutions,” let’s talk about making a plan to keep our resolutions. I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m struggling so far! Some goals and resolutions are going far better than others. Let’s first do an accountability check. Today, I’ll talk about the first five resolutions, and tomorrow I’ll tackle the second five. After we examine where I’m struggling, then we’ll make a plan of attack!

Here are my resolutions again:
1. Clean out and organize closet.
2. Get the Frugal Bookworm back up and running.
3. Start history blog this year.
4. Finish all craft projects in progress (30 projects for 2010).
5. Read 30 books in 2010.
6. Start exercising at least 30 minutes a week.
7. Lose 30 pounds in 2010.
8. Complete the couch potato to 5k program and run my first 5k.
9. Finish what you start!
10. Make your health a top priority!

1. Clean out and organize closet.

My first two resolutions are in maintenance mode. I cleaned out and organized my closet when I had my Christmas vacation extended due to snow. I’m trying to maintain the neater appearance of my closet by hanging up clothes when I put up laundry. I’m also very careful about what goes into my closet, which means I’m avoiding buying things I don’t need (more purses or shoes). Finally, I’m donating things I no longer use.

2. Get the Frugal Bookworm back up and running.

The Frugal Bookworm is back up and running. I’ve been working on some new ideas for upcoming entries and series. I’m in the middle of forensics season at school right now, so the busier I am at work, the more exhausted I am when I get home. I’m using Microsoft OneNote to keep a list of ideas for future blogs, and I’m taking advantage of my “Snowcation, Part 2” to write some blog entries.

3. Start history blog this year.
I’ll be frank…I’ve done nothing on this. I’m going to set two small goals to move me more in this direction in the coming month.

•  Develop a plan for the blog. What am I going to include? How many posts should I write a week? What resources do I have?
•  Get a blogger address and purchase domain.

4. Finish all craft projects in progress (30 projects in 2010).

Besides the first two resolutions, this is probably the resolution which has seen the most progress. I’ve already completed nine projects, and I have two more that I’m about to wrap up. Stay tuned for a future blog with pictures of all my hard work!

5. Read 30 books in 2010. 

I feel really bad when I’m confessing my progress on this resolution. I have not completed the first book! I have started Elizabeth I by Anne Somerset. The book is over 500 pages, with tiny font! It’s a fantastic book, however. When I pick it up, it is an hour or two before I can put it down! Once I finish this book, I will pick a couple of shorter works to pursue. I actually have two books that I never finished in progress, and both are biographies. We have a snow day today (and likely tomorrow), so I’m going to log in some reading time. Nothing better than laying in a chair or in bed with a good book!

Join me soon as I discussion my progress on the second half of my resolutions!

Budget Cuts Follow-Up: Buying Ahead

 

As I mentioned in my recent article on Budget Cuts, I’m trying to find more ways to cut back on some categories of my budget.  I want to be able to shift those savings in budget categories for snowflake payments on my debts.  As I’ve mentioned, one of the categories I want to cut down on is gifts.  I’ve found that you have to buy out-of-season.  One of my recent deals is a great example of that!

As a new teacher last year, I signed up for Scholastic’s “New Teacher Survival Guide” e-mail.   When I received my most recent e-mail, it had a coupon code for 25% off.  I was so excited!  I failed to notice the fine print…it was only on Scholastic’s new teacher collections.  Some coupon!  So I didn’t get to use the coupon.  

But I went to Scholastic’s teacher store website, and they have their $1 sale up and running on several books.   I spent $14.23, but I’m happy to say that I bought eight books for my little sister for upcoming holidays, a book for myself on crocheting for kids (Hey, if it can teach a kid to crochet, surely I can learn!),  a book to use in an upcoming unit on the First World War, and a Japanese flag accent ($1.99) to use in units in both of my world history classes. 

Here’s how the books break down for my little sister:

• Two books for her Easter basket
• A book about Little Critter and his dad for her to give to my dad for Father’s Day
• A Clifford book about Halloween for her treat bag
• Three books for her Christmas stocking

Overall, looking at the breakdown, I spent about 15% of my classroom budget for the month, 36% of my gifts budget for the month (I counted shipping in with this category), and about 4% of my miscellaneous budget for the month.   

Cutting the Budget!

I started this article a couple of weeks ago and finally just finished it! Sorry for the delay...it's been crazy around here! 

This morning, while reading in my Google feed reader, I came across a gem from Frugal Hacks.  Merchant Ships wrote an article entitled “Budget Ruts:  5 No-So-Radical Cuts”.  If you haven’t read this article yet, I highly recommend it!  If you’re a devotee of Dave Ramsey, you’re probably always studying your budget, looking for more ways to cut back so you can snowball more!  I know I am!  This morning, after reading Merchant Ships’ article, I looked at my budget.    In fact, this led to me entirely redoing my budget!  Right now, I want to focus on three categories where I think I can trim my expenses.

GIFTS:  This is a category I’ve wanted to reduce for a while.  Every year, my intention is to make more gifts, and this year, I’d really like to commit to this.  If I could halve my gift budget, it would help tremendously!   I already dropped my gift budget $10 for next month, and I’m going to track my spending on gifts for the next three months.  You can look forward to a series soon on how we all can cut back on what we spend on gifts.

HAIR CARE:  This part of my budget will be slashed dramatically this year!  Last year, I had my hair colored every couple of months.  This year, I’ve decided to be happy with what the good Lord gave me, and stop coloring my hair.  I’m also anxious to see if this impacts my headaches…I do have concerns about how the chemical affect my health, including my headaches and facial breakouts. 

CRAFTS:  I used to spend a lot of money on craft supplies!  I had a bad habit of buying scrapbooking supplies and then letting things pile up!  I don’t buy all the supplies now, but I’m still behind in scrapbooking!  I’ve especially devoted a section of my budget to craft supplies, but I’m going to look for ways in 2010 that I can save on supplies by making the most of what I already have on hand.  

I’ve found that the Dollar Tree stores are a great resource for craft supplies!  Last year, I found skeins of “homespun” baby yarn on sale.  I bought every skein they had left (five skeins = $5), which should be enough to make two simple baby blankets.  That will also fit nicely with my goal for the gifts category of my budget!  By using what I have on hand to make gifts, I’ll be able to save money!

 I'll keep you posted on how my budget cuts work out!  How are you altering your budget in 2010?  Let me know in the comments below!