First off, I have to say that I’m in love with our house. It’s everything and more we dreamed about during those long months of preparation. But man, does buying a home do a number on the finances. Since paying off my credit card debt and starting my method of using my rewards card for all my spending, I’ve loosened up on the day to day budgeting. It worked well for a while and was quite freeing. I felt I’d earned it. But now, with all the little things that come up both for myself and the house? I’m way off track. I have to come clean… Over the past few months both before and after the home purchase, I’ve been raiding my savings like there’s no tomorrow. It boils down to overspending – nothing huge, just inattention to the details, giving in to immediate gratification, and just plain impulse buying. It’s time to buckle down and pay attention!
Cute Man and I like to keep our finances separate. It’s not about trust, it’s about control. It’s just easier to keep track of one set of in and outflows and just negotiate the common expenses. This is what works for us. Now, with the house, we have had to realign who pays what and sorting out all that has really been a reality check. The bills! They’re killer! Savings, what’s that??? After the panic subsided, we came up with a plan that will keep us on track and allow us to continue saving a little bit, at least. As long as I keep a handle on my discretionary spending, I’ll be OK. I’m lucky as hell to still HAVE any discretionary spending money at all. It just has to remain a very finite amount if we’re to stay on track with our short and long term goals.
If I was able to keep up my debt repayment while working at the salon for peanuts per hour (with Cute Man’s major support!) I can do this. I have the incredible perk of being able to go home and enjoy the fruits of all this effort every single night. It is truly a wonderful thing to go home to our house every evening and spend time with Cute Man. It’s nice to have a tangible reminder of what we’re working toward – maintaining and building our happy life and future together.
Showing posts with label Finances. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Finances. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Why Incentive and Penalty Programs to Encourage Health are a Bad Idea
Over at Budgets are Sexy, J. Money brought up the subject of Employer and/or health insurance incentive/penalty programs. It really got me fired up! My comment got so long, I decided to bring the discussion over here.
The problem comes up with who decides what’s healthy and how to incentivize “healthy” behaviors. When you bring up something like smoking, it’s seems easy and kind of clear cut. Smoking is indeed 100% a choice. It’s good to not smoke. However, something like obesity is much more nuanced. How are we going to police that and do we really want to?
Being overweight is not a behavior, it’s a descriptor or you could say, a symptom. Same with high blood pressure, etc. Things like the kind of food you eat and exercise you do are behaviors. As an aside, we all know thin people who can eat “whatever” they want and never seem to gain weight (maybe like my friend J. Money?) We also know fat people who have dieted their whole lives who nonetheless, remain fat (me). Somehow, the former “makes sense” and we can assimilate that info but the latter somehow means that the person must be lying about their habits or “not trying hard enough”. And on the flipside, what about all the people training for marathons well into middle age and “draining” the health system with all their joint replacements and doctors visits? Somehow, pushing your body to the max is OK and dealing with all the injuries is a small price to pay for so-called “good” health. Not to really knock marathoners – I’ve completed 2 myself – shocking for a fat girl, but true. Was I being irresponsible to risk such an endeavor at my weight? Did anyone suggest that I might be a burden on the medical system? No, I got congratulated for my efforts. I’m making a point that it’s all about CHOICE – and who gets to decide which ones are good and bad. We do not want third parties deciding this stuff for us because in the end, it’s more about moral judgments than budgets and certainly more than actual real concern about health.
In any case, if we can agree that determining health can’t be as simple as looking at someone’s weight or BMI (which I hope we can!) do you really want to be turning in food diaries and tally sheets of your exercise to your employer or insurance company? As an individual, do you really want to give over that much info and control so that you can get a fair price for medical coverage? Should we really be penalizing those that need the most help? An example of a corporate wellness program I’m aware of is one rolled out by Whole Foods where they give an extra discount to employees who meet certain criteria (BMI, blood pressure, and cholesterol must be in the “normal” range) and are willing to share it with the company. Sounds great, right? But when you think about it, why wouldn’t you want to impede access to healthy food to the employees who are overweight, etc? Aren’t they the ones who (supposedly) need it the most? Who’s to say they won’t use that info to quietly weed out these “undesirable” employees?
As always, the devil’s in the details and I don’t think anything good can come from these types of programs when they’re tied to incentives or penalties. How about our private lives remain our private lives? How about we funnel public resources into making sure every family in America has food to eat? Grocery stores nearby that carry fresh produce? Bike paths and parks to encourage exercise for fun and socializing (moving your body isn't a punishment, it's fun, remember)? Money to fund quality school lunches, physical education, and ball parks for ALL students? How about we take worrying about “obesity” out of it? Don’t we all deserve to have access to healthy food and activities? Isn’t it good for EVERY body? We do not need to stigmatize people to get us (as a whole) to collectively do a better job of providing healthy options.
From a personal perspective, I work for an organization that offers an array of healthy workforce initiatives – yoga, pilates, and Zumba classes, seated upper body massages, and two fitness facilities – all onsite at reduced cost (the gyms are free). I don’t have to prove to anyone that I’m making progress or give them ANY personal info to take advantage of these things. Do they make me enjoy working where I do? Do they add to my quality of life? You bet. Do I feel pressured to use them under threat of losing privileges? Nope. I think it’s a fallacy and insulting to suggest that people just don’t know what’s good for them and we need to give out gold stars and detentions to get it into their heads. Taking good care of yourself takes time and it takes money. Providing that as a society to people will do far more to improve our overall health as opposed to creating invasive programs to police our personal lives.
The problem comes up with who decides what’s healthy and how to incentivize “healthy” behaviors. When you bring up something like smoking, it’s seems easy and kind of clear cut. Smoking is indeed 100% a choice. It’s good to not smoke. However, something like obesity is much more nuanced. How are we going to police that and do we really want to?
Being overweight is not a behavior, it’s a descriptor or you could say, a symptom. Same with high blood pressure, etc. Things like the kind of food you eat and exercise you do are behaviors. As an aside, we all know thin people who can eat “whatever” they want and never seem to gain weight (maybe like my friend J. Money?) We also know fat people who have dieted their whole lives who nonetheless, remain fat (me). Somehow, the former “makes sense” and we can assimilate that info but the latter somehow means that the person must be lying about their habits or “not trying hard enough”. And on the flipside, what about all the people training for marathons well into middle age and “draining” the health system with all their joint replacements and doctors visits? Somehow, pushing your body to the max is OK and dealing with all the injuries is a small price to pay for so-called “good” health. Not to really knock marathoners – I’ve completed 2 myself – shocking for a fat girl, but true. Was I being irresponsible to risk such an endeavor at my weight? Did anyone suggest that I might be a burden on the medical system? No, I got congratulated for my efforts. I’m making a point that it’s all about CHOICE – and who gets to decide which ones are good and bad. We do not want third parties deciding this stuff for us because in the end, it’s more about moral judgments than budgets and certainly more than actual real concern about health.
In any case, if we can agree that determining health can’t be as simple as looking at someone’s weight or BMI (which I hope we can!) do you really want to be turning in food diaries and tally sheets of your exercise to your employer or insurance company? As an individual, do you really want to give over that much info and control so that you can get a fair price for medical coverage? Should we really be penalizing those that need the most help? An example of a corporate wellness program I’m aware of is one rolled out by Whole Foods where they give an extra discount to employees who meet certain criteria (BMI, blood pressure, and cholesterol must be in the “normal” range) and are willing to share it with the company. Sounds great, right? But when you think about it, why wouldn’t you want to impede access to healthy food to the employees who are overweight, etc? Aren’t they the ones who (supposedly) need it the most? Who’s to say they won’t use that info to quietly weed out these “undesirable” employees?
As always, the devil’s in the details and I don’t think anything good can come from these types of programs when they’re tied to incentives or penalties. How about our private lives remain our private lives? How about we funnel public resources into making sure every family in America has food to eat? Grocery stores nearby that carry fresh produce? Bike paths and parks to encourage exercise for fun and socializing (moving your body isn't a punishment, it's fun, remember)? Money to fund quality school lunches, physical education, and ball parks for ALL students? How about we take worrying about “obesity” out of it? Don’t we all deserve to have access to healthy food and activities? Isn’t it good for EVERY body? We do not need to stigmatize people to get us (as a whole) to collectively do a better job of providing healthy options.
From a personal perspective, I work for an organization that offers an array of healthy workforce initiatives – yoga, pilates, and Zumba classes, seated upper body massages, and two fitness facilities – all onsite at reduced cost (the gyms are free). I don’t have to prove to anyone that I’m making progress or give them ANY personal info to take advantage of these things. Do they make me enjoy working where I do? Do they add to my quality of life? You bet. Do I feel pressured to use them under threat of losing privileges? Nope. I think it’s a fallacy and insulting to suggest that people just don’t know what’s good for them and we need to give out gold stars and detentions to get it into their heads. Taking good care of yourself takes time and it takes money. Providing that as a society to people will do far more to improve our overall health as opposed to creating invasive programs to police our personal lives.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wedding Preparations
Nothing combines personal finance and body image issues better than being in a wedding. The bride-to-be is one of my dearest friends and I am very excited to be there with her next week. Even though I’m not the one getting married, there’s still a ton to do just to get myself into wedding-worthy shape.
I’m not talking starvation dieting to look my “best” for the big day (I didn’t even pull that crap for my OWN wedding, thank goodness). I’m more talking about all those little things that add up to feeling and looking great while standing up there beaming with joy for your friend. Those things take time, money, and add up to a healthy dose of body confidence when you know you’ll be seeing lots of old friends, acquaintances, and possibly former nemeses.
The first step to feeling like a million bucks involves a trip to the spa. I was thrilled to find a daily deal on Living Social for $200 worth of services for $100. This is a God-send. I will be maxing out this deal on Saturday getting my fingers and toes done, my brows waxed, and a massage. Although no one will see that last one, there’s nothing like a good rub-down to help work out the kinks and leave me feeling ready to face it all.
The next part of the equation involves foundational garments – I will be rocking my Spanx and some kick-ass toeless hose under my bridesmaid and rehearsal dinner attire. I generally don’t have much patience for those types of things on the daily but for an event, they are a big part of feeling sleek and smooth while standing up straight in front of people.
And most importantly, there are the dresses. The bride graciously let us pick the styles of our various dresses dictating only the color choices, which are lovely and flattering on everybody (lapis with wisteria trim aka dark and light purple). I’m pretty sure we all picked the long strapless one with some sort of shrug. I was afraid that it wouldn’t fit given the fact that I bought it back in October or November of last year and I’ve been making my peace with food with some serious gusto. But all is well and it will be fine. I got some lovely silvery-gray shoes to go along with it and we’re good to go. I also snagged myself a deal on a smokin’ rehearsal dinner dress from Kiyonna. There’s nothing like a new dress! It arrived yesterday but I have yet to try it on. I’m hoping it’s as fabulous and it looks online.
So, I pretty much have everything in place to feel terrific going into this affair. I managed to do much of this on a relatively tight budget ($100 for the spa, $85 for the rehearsal dress – gotta love coupon codes, and $150 for the shoes – well, a girl’s got to splurge somewhere and I’m serious about comfort when it comes to my feet! I can’t remember the cost of the bridesmaid dress, but it was extremely reasonable. I think I’ll try to find a cute little silver bag to go with the shoes and maybe some earrings or some other inexpensive jewelry to complement the dress. All in all, not bad at all considering I will feel completely prepped and great going into the weekend of wedding fun. That will free me up to bask in happiness for my friend and her groom without worrying too much about myself. And that is the best deal of all.
I’m not talking starvation dieting to look my “best” for the big day (I didn’t even pull that crap for my OWN wedding, thank goodness). I’m more talking about all those little things that add up to feeling and looking great while standing up there beaming with joy for your friend. Those things take time, money, and add up to a healthy dose of body confidence when you know you’ll be seeing lots of old friends, acquaintances, and possibly former nemeses.
The first step to feeling like a million bucks involves a trip to the spa. I was thrilled to find a daily deal on Living Social for $200 worth of services for $100. This is a God-send. I will be maxing out this deal on Saturday getting my fingers and toes done, my brows waxed, and a massage. Although no one will see that last one, there’s nothing like a good rub-down to help work out the kinks and leave me feeling ready to face it all.
The next part of the equation involves foundational garments – I will be rocking my Spanx and some kick-ass toeless hose under my bridesmaid and rehearsal dinner attire. I generally don’t have much patience for those types of things on the daily but for an event, they are a big part of feeling sleek and smooth while standing up straight in front of people.
And most importantly, there are the dresses. The bride graciously let us pick the styles of our various dresses dictating only the color choices, which are lovely and flattering on everybody (lapis with wisteria trim aka dark and light purple). I’m pretty sure we all picked the long strapless one with some sort of shrug. I was afraid that it wouldn’t fit given the fact that I bought it back in October or November of last year and I’ve been making my peace with food with some serious gusto. But all is well and it will be fine. I got some lovely silvery-gray shoes to go along with it and we’re good to go. I also snagged myself a deal on a smokin’ rehearsal dinner dress from Kiyonna. There’s nothing like a new dress! It arrived yesterday but I have yet to try it on. I’m hoping it’s as fabulous and it looks online.
So, I pretty much have everything in place to feel terrific going into this affair. I managed to do much of this on a relatively tight budget ($100 for the spa, $85 for the rehearsal dress – gotta love coupon codes, and $150 for the shoes – well, a girl’s got to splurge somewhere and I’m serious about comfort when it comes to my feet! I can’t remember the cost of the bridesmaid dress, but it was extremely reasonable. I think I’ll try to find a cute little silver bag to go with the shoes and maybe some earrings or some other inexpensive jewelry to complement the dress. All in all, not bad at all considering I will feel completely prepped and great going into the weekend of wedding fun. That will free me up to bask in happiness for my friend and her groom without worrying too much about myself. And that is the best deal of all.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Reframing Resolutions
It’s that time of year – you know, when everyone and their mother is talking about how they’re going to make this year better than the last. And for many, that means self-improvement which often translates to TIME TO LOSE WEIGHT! The commercials are on a perpetual loop – NutriSystem! Jenny Craig! Weight Watchers! Even the cereal Special K is in on the action this year. How nice of them to remind us all that we’re big fat losers and we should go give them our money RIGHT NOW. Because, you know, science proves that giving them money makes us skinny.
However, for most of us, that promise just doesn’t pan out in any real or lasting way. Sure, we may see the scale dip lower for awhile (and doesn’t it just feel GREAT?!), but it’s the rare exception that sees that result last very long. And at what price? The thought of being on food restriction and being hyper-aware of all choices for the rest of my life is exhausting.
But still, I’m tempted. I cannot lie. I look at Valerie Bertinelli and think, “well, maybe…” I have to almost physically shake myself back to reality sometimes. Eating prepackaged food might work temporarily and offer a short respite from having to think about food and it’s affect on body size, but it’s not sustainable. The rebound alone is just not worth it. So, I must work with what I’ve got: my brain and my wonderful body that gets me through life each and every day. Isn’t that amazing?
Even so, the urge to get fit and focus on self improvement persists. I want to look and feel better than I do now. So what’s a Intuitive Eater in training to do? Well, you may call it just semantics but I choose to focus on behaviors and habits rather than the outcome. I choose to put my energy into doing things that are positive for my health – buying yummy whole foods, putting time and care into preparing meals, and moving my body. That’s it. I just let go of any expectation of weight loss. I’m recommitting to doing these things for my overall well-being so there is no pressure of disappointment if weight loss doesn’t happen as a result.
This outlook has a positive impact financially as well. I’m not forking over my cash with my self efficacy to some corporate conglomerate selling snake oil in the form of the fantasy of being thin. I’m not choosing to spend lots of money on classes or equipment to “motivate me”. In reality, getting fit and moving more doesn’t have to cost a thing. Paying for classes, etc. is nice (and I do spend some money on low cost yoga classes so I’m not hating on all expenditures). I just don’t think that spending money can substitute for actual follow-through – a lesson that’s taken me a long time to learn. There are so many free/low cost things to do, it’s incredible.
In my own particular (charmed) world, I have access to two free fitness rooms at work, low cost yoga classes at work, tons of free exercise classes On Demand (I’ve been using those for strength training), and my own two feet :) I also invested a couple bucks in some hand weights and a resistance band to help with my goal of getting stronger this year. That’s it.
To help get me going, I’ve lowered my threshold for what constitutes a good workout. I used to think that if I didn’t do at LEAST 30 minutes, it basically wasn’t worth it. Well, now I’m committing to just 20 minutes most days. Not all days, but most. I will have my 2 one-hour-long yoga classes each week, but the other days just require me to suit up and do 20 minutes. I can DO that. And starting where I am now (feeling very out of shape), it’s a good start that is least likely to result in injury. Will I up the time commitment as I rebuild my stamina? Probably, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I just want to enjoy the effects of getting some exercise each day without all the pressure and obsession on results. I’m going to do it just to do it and see where it gets me.
So, how has the New Year impacted your motivation to get healthier in 2010? Are you a sucker for the urge to reboot your bod come January, like me? What steps are you taking in your quest? Or, are you immune to the social pressure and living life as usual, focused on your goals but no more or less so due to the calendar? How do you stay so sane? Please share your take in the comments.
However, for most of us, that promise just doesn’t pan out in any real or lasting way. Sure, we may see the scale dip lower for awhile (and doesn’t it just feel GREAT?!), but it’s the rare exception that sees that result last very long. And at what price? The thought of being on food restriction and being hyper-aware of all choices for the rest of my life is exhausting.
But still, I’m tempted. I cannot lie. I look at Valerie Bertinelli and think, “well, maybe…” I have to almost physically shake myself back to reality sometimes. Eating prepackaged food might work temporarily and offer a short respite from having to think about food and it’s affect on body size, but it’s not sustainable. The rebound alone is just not worth it. So, I must work with what I’ve got: my brain and my wonderful body that gets me through life each and every day. Isn’t that amazing?
Even so, the urge to get fit and focus on self improvement persists. I want to look and feel better than I do now. So what’s a Intuitive Eater in training to do? Well, you may call it just semantics but I choose to focus on behaviors and habits rather than the outcome. I choose to put my energy into doing things that are positive for my health – buying yummy whole foods, putting time and care into preparing meals, and moving my body. That’s it. I just let go of any expectation of weight loss. I’m recommitting to doing these things for my overall well-being so there is no pressure of disappointment if weight loss doesn’t happen as a result.
This outlook has a positive impact financially as well. I’m not forking over my cash with my self efficacy to some corporate conglomerate selling snake oil in the form of the fantasy of being thin. I’m not choosing to spend lots of money on classes or equipment to “motivate me”. In reality, getting fit and moving more doesn’t have to cost a thing. Paying for classes, etc. is nice (and I do spend some money on low cost yoga classes so I’m not hating on all expenditures). I just don’t think that spending money can substitute for actual follow-through – a lesson that’s taken me a long time to learn. There are so many free/low cost things to do, it’s incredible.
In my own particular (charmed) world, I have access to two free fitness rooms at work, low cost yoga classes at work, tons of free exercise classes On Demand (I’ve been using those for strength training), and my own two feet :) I also invested a couple bucks in some hand weights and a resistance band to help with my goal of getting stronger this year. That’s it.
To help get me going, I’ve lowered my threshold for what constitutes a good workout. I used to think that if I didn’t do at LEAST 30 minutes, it basically wasn’t worth it. Well, now I’m committing to just 20 minutes most days. Not all days, but most. I will have my 2 one-hour-long yoga classes each week, but the other days just require me to suit up and do 20 minutes. I can DO that. And starting where I am now (feeling very out of shape), it’s a good start that is least likely to result in injury. Will I up the time commitment as I rebuild my stamina? Probably, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I just want to enjoy the effects of getting some exercise each day without all the pressure and obsession on results. I’m going to do it just to do it and see where it gets me.
So, how has the New Year impacted your motivation to get healthier in 2010? Are you a sucker for the urge to reboot your bod come January, like me? What steps are you taking in your quest? Or, are you immune to the social pressure and living life as usual, focused on your goals but no more or less so due to the calendar? How do you stay so sane? Please share your take in the comments.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Credit Card Declined? That and Amex Thinks I’m Dead
What a shock THAT was at the Starbucks this morning! Well, it turns out someone was having a ball at Walmart and Food Lion somewhere in South Carolina with my card. Sheesh! Good thing the folks at Chase caught that early and are taking care of the fraudulent charges.
It’s just annoying at this point. Cute Man (an authorized user) and I will have to wait until they send us a new cards in order to use them again. It’s just a minor crimp in my strategy of using the card for all purchases, building up reward points, and paying the balance each month. Then there are all the automatic withdrawals linked to that card that I’ll need to update when I get a new card number. Oh, well. A few minutes of my time to make those changes isn’t exactly a big deal.
But how did they get my card? Neither of our physical credit cards is missing so I’m thinking that the number was somehow hijacked and then a fake card was made. I mean, they used it at Walmart, so they probably needed an actual card, right? In any case, I’m hoping this is the end of it. We’ll get new cards next week, I’ll fill out the fraud paperwork, and that will be it (cross your fingers!)
In other news, I finally dealt with the mistake on one of my credit reports. One of my old credit cards was listing me as “deceased”. Yep, as in no longer among the living. I put in my request for an “investigation” which I find kind of funny in this case – how much investigating is necessary to prove I’m still breathing… I mean, I could be a pretty good eye-witness…
So I’m in pretty much in a “deal with stuff” kind of mood, which is actually quite contrary to my normal state. It’s crazy to see how dealing with this stuff really isn’t all that bad once I just go ahead and just do it already. It’s the dread that keeps me from dealing… This is of course all in the quest towards home ownership. Hopefully, with this credit snafu cleared up, we’ll be able to move forward with the home-buying process with NACA in January!
It’s just annoying at this point. Cute Man (an authorized user) and I will have to wait until they send us a new cards in order to use them again. It’s just a minor crimp in my strategy of using the card for all purchases, building up reward points, and paying the balance each month. Then there are all the automatic withdrawals linked to that card that I’ll need to update when I get a new card number. Oh, well. A few minutes of my time to make those changes isn’t exactly a big deal.
But how did they get my card? Neither of our physical credit cards is missing so I’m thinking that the number was somehow hijacked and then a fake card was made. I mean, they used it at Walmart, so they probably needed an actual card, right? In any case, I’m hoping this is the end of it. We’ll get new cards next week, I’ll fill out the fraud paperwork, and that will be it (cross your fingers!)
In other news, I finally dealt with the mistake on one of my credit reports. One of my old credit cards was listing me as “deceased”. Yep, as in no longer among the living. I put in my request for an “investigation” which I find kind of funny in this case – how much investigating is necessary to prove I’m still breathing… I mean, I could be a pretty good eye-witness…
So I’m in pretty much in a “deal with stuff” kind of mood, which is actually quite contrary to my normal state. It’s crazy to see how dealing with this stuff really isn’t all that bad once I just go ahead and just do it already. It’s the dread that keeps me from dealing… This is of course all in the quest towards home ownership. Hopefully, with this credit snafu cleared up, we’ll be able to move forward with the home-buying process with NACA in January!
Friday, October 9, 2009
Oh, to be a Red Shoe Blogger
I love my little piece of the internet – it’s right here and it’s all mine. AND, I love The Wizard of Oz – so much so that I went to see it in the theater for its 70th anniversary a couple weeks ago. What do these two things have in common? Blogging is like The Wizard of Oz and there’s no place like home.
This has to be my #1 favorite blog post, like EVER. And it has nothing to do with health or finances (well, a bit, actually…) It boils down to talking about what really makes a blog successful. You see, many people have gotten into the biz of blogging to *gasp* try to make money. They learn and employ all the tricks to drive traffic and boost revenue. But if the content isn’t there, if there’s nothing behind all the bells and whistles, you’re left holding a bag of useless trinkets. Eventually, the whole thing will pop like an overinflated hot air balloon.
Well, no one could accuse me of THAT. I write what I want when I darn well feel like it. I must confess that it tickles me to know that you all (both of you!) are reading, but I don’t do anything specific to try to get more eyeballs. I don’t go around commenting on other blogs just to get people to track back to me. If I’m moved to share my thoughts, I do, if not, I cruise on by… I’ve also abandoned all hope or effort to make any money at this. I used to have some ads but they were awful weightloss or payday loans, most of the time. And who has the time or energy to police that stuff? All for a few pennies (and by this, I mean that literally). So, the ads went by-by and I like how uncluttered this space is. As I said, it’s mine and I love it.
So I’ll keep doing my thing, sporting my Beautifeel Size 9-wide sensible red heels (they may not be sparkly, but they FIT), strutting in and out as I please, talking about what’s important to me, on my schedule. Thanks for coming along for the ride!
This has to be my #1 favorite blog post, like EVER. And it has nothing to do with health or finances (well, a bit, actually…) It boils down to talking about what really makes a blog successful. You see, many people have gotten into the biz of blogging to *gasp* try to make money. They learn and employ all the tricks to drive traffic and boost revenue. But if the content isn’t there, if there’s nothing behind all the bells and whistles, you’re left holding a bag of useless trinkets. Eventually, the whole thing will pop like an overinflated hot air balloon.
Well, no one could accuse me of THAT. I write what I want when I darn well feel like it. I must confess that it tickles me to know that you all (both of you!) are reading, but I don’t do anything specific to try to get more eyeballs. I don’t go around commenting on other blogs just to get people to track back to me. If I’m moved to share my thoughts, I do, if not, I cruise on by… I’ve also abandoned all hope or effort to make any money at this. I used to have some ads but they were awful weightloss or payday loans, most of the time. And who has the time or energy to police that stuff? All for a few pennies (and by this, I mean that literally). So, the ads went by-by and I like how uncluttered this space is. As I said, it’s mine and I love it.
So I’ll keep doing my thing, sporting my Beautifeel Size 9-wide sensible red heels (they may not be sparkly, but they FIT), strutting in and out as I please, talking about what’s important to me, on my schedule. Thanks for coming along for the ride!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The iPhone and My Healthy Life
It’s been a week since the Cute Man and I gleefully made our way to the Apple Store and bought our iPhones. I must say that it has more than compensated for the sadness of having to give back the Mini (HP Netbook). It really is everything I thought it would be and I have absolutely no regrets about the purchase (financial or otherwise). Good financial management is about making choices based on what’s important to you. And after 2 years of waiting for our contract to be up (we regretted not doing this almost right away when we chose Verizon over going with AT&T and the iPhone), we wanted these puppies and we wanted them something fierce. So, we planned for this expense and are thrilled with the result. It doesn’t even look like we’ll be paying THAT much more, especially considering how much more we’re getting for the money.
It’s a whole new world, especially for me. CM had his iPod Touch so it was basically just an upgrade/consolidation thing for him. But for me, the “just give me the free phone” girl, it was a revelation. It is the most fantastic thing I’ve ever owned. I’ve downloaded applications for everything from free music to stream based on my preferences (Pandora), to ones that help me practice my German with fun little games, to full-on yoga classes. It’s incredible. Not to mention the old standbys of weather, online banking, and maps. And I can read my Kindle books on it! I even downloaded the entire Firefly television season (plus the movie Serenity among others), which I have been watching every free moment.
To complement my new toy, I’ve gotten some accessories as well: a Sony iPhone alarm clock with great sound from the speakers, a charger for my car, and my new favorite FREE DIY iPhone stand that I made out of an old card.
At this point, it’s time to put on the breaks and just enjoy what I’ve got. There are so many free things to do/get with it (podcasts, free apps, Pandora and music I already have, Kindle books I already have, and free audio books that I found in an app) that I can stop the bleeding (spending) now and be quite content for some time.
I also plan to save some cash by using the low cost strength training and yoga apps that I downloaded. I will keep up with my paid yoga classes (2 times per week), but I’m going to forgo at least one of the two weekly paid Pilates classes and work out with my apps in the free work gym instead. We’ll see how that goes. I like the classes because they are an appointment to keep so it lends some structure. However, I think I can capitalize on my love-affair with my new gadget to lend some added motivation to hit the gym on my own.
After only one week, I know I’ve just scratched the surface of what my iPhone is capable of but I’m thrilled with what I’ve discovered so far. Going forward, I will have to be mindful to take the most advantage of the capabilities without frivolously buying things with little thought (which is EASY to do, I know). But all in all, I couldn’t be happier!
It’s a whole new world, especially for me. CM had his iPod Touch so it was basically just an upgrade/consolidation thing for him. But for me, the “just give me the free phone” girl, it was a revelation. It is the most fantastic thing I’ve ever owned. I’ve downloaded applications for everything from free music to stream based on my preferences (Pandora), to ones that help me practice my German with fun little games, to full-on yoga classes. It’s incredible. Not to mention the old standbys of weather, online banking, and maps. And I can read my Kindle books on it! I even downloaded the entire Firefly television season (plus the movie Serenity among others), which I have been watching every free moment.
To complement my new toy, I’ve gotten some accessories as well: a Sony iPhone alarm clock with great sound from the speakers, a charger for my car, and my new favorite FREE DIY iPhone stand that I made out of an old card.
At this point, it’s time to put on the breaks and just enjoy what I’ve got. There are so many free things to do/get with it (podcasts, free apps, Pandora and music I already have, Kindle books I already have, and free audio books that I found in an app) that I can stop the bleeding (spending) now and be quite content for some time.
I also plan to save some cash by using the low cost strength training and yoga apps that I downloaded. I will keep up with my paid yoga classes (2 times per week), but I’m going to forgo at least one of the two weekly paid Pilates classes and work out with my apps in the free work gym instead. We’ll see how that goes. I like the classes because they are an appointment to keep so it lends some structure. However, I think I can capitalize on my love-affair with my new gadget to lend some added motivation to hit the gym on my own.
After only one week, I know I’ve just scratched the surface of what my iPhone is capable of but I’m thrilled with what I’ve discovered so far. Going forward, I will have to be mindful to take the most advantage of the capabilities without frivolously buying things with little thought (which is EASY to do, I know). But all in all, I couldn’t be happier!
Monday, September 28, 2009
The Mini is No More: A Lesson in Impulse Purchasing
Last week I had a minor break with reality and decided to buy an HP netbook (aka The Mini) on a whim. Nevermind that I am planning to buy an iPhone a couple weeks later. It was cute as a button and I just HAD to have it. It was shades of immediate gratification past and I just went for it. As the Cute Man pointed out, it’s not like I haven’t been talking about getting a laptop for awhile now. So why not? The CM certainly meant well and he was right in theory. However, the devil’s in the details. I don’t do so well when I don’t carefully research large purchases. Buyer’s remorse is a bitch.
I got that cutie home and fired it up. I even did some organizing/cleaning to make room for it on the bookshelf that serves as my catch-all space in the living room. The CM helped me connect it to our wireless network and my anticipation was building. And then…. nothing. The darned thing wouldn’t load a page! It would do so when connected with a hardline, albeit at an agonizingly slow pace, but it’s a freaking netbook, it needs to work wirelessly. Poor CM in his infinite patience trouble-shooted his little heart out, all to no avail.
Enter, heart-wrenching buyer’s remorse. I was glad to see that I could return it when I checked the receipt. I’d likely have to pay a 15% “restocking fee”, but it’s better than keeping a useless item, right? All the same, I hemmed and hawed, hating to lose what would amount to $50.00 in an idiot tax. But knowing I’d have my beloved iPhone next week helped me make the decision. And what would you know… the thing was actually truly defective. They couldn’t get it to connect to the internet in the store, either! So, no restocking fee. It’s like it never happened! Except that I learned another lesson in what not to do.
Sure, I’d like to have a small laptop to use here and there. It would be good for doing work if ever I need to do so away from the office (not a regular thing in my life so really not a good enough reason), but for 9/10 things I’d use it for, the iPhone will more than compensate. And that’s not even taking into account that the iPhone will be another major purchase, the planning for which should have stopped me from dropping that unexpected cash. But that’s all water under bridge and I will return to my gun-shy frugal ways, having paid my penance in some serious angst (but not in cash, thank goodness).
I got that cutie home and fired it up. I even did some organizing/cleaning to make room for it on the bookshelf that serves as my catch-all space in the living room. The CM helped me connect it to our wireless network and my anticipation was building. And then…. nothing. The darned thing wouldn’t load a page! It would do so when connected with a hardline, albeit at an agonizingly slow pace, but it’s a freaking netbook, it needs to work wirelessly. Poor CM in his infinite patience trouble-shooted his little heart out, all to no avail.
Enter, heart-wrenching buyer’s remorse. I was glad to see that I could return it when I checked the receipt. I’d likely have to pay a 15% “restocking fee”, but it’s better than keeping a useless item, right? All the same, I hemmed and hawed, hating to lose what would amount to $50.00 in an idiot tax. But knowing I’d have my beloved iPhone next week helped me make the decision. And what would you know… the thing was actually truly defective. They couldn’t get it to connect to the internet in the store, either! So, no restocking fee. It’s like it never happened! Except that I learned another lesson in what not to do.
Sure, I’d like to have a small laptop to use here and there. It would be good for doing work if ever I need to do so away from the office (not a regular thing in my life so really not a good enough reason), but for 9/10 things I’d use it for, the iPhone will more than compensate. And that’s not even taking into account that the iPhone will be another major purchase, the planning for which should have stopped me from dropping that unexpected cash. But that’s all water under bridge and I will return to my gun-shy frugal ways, having paid my penance in some serious angst (but not in cash, thank goodness).
Friday, August 28, 2009
Personal Finance?
I haven’t been writing much about this lately – I’ve been more into exploring intuitive eating. The latter is much more new to me so I guess there’s just more on my mind to talk about. As for personal finance, it’s honestly been on autopilot for awhile. I did a lot of work to get things sorted out and put some great systems in place. As a result, it requires far less attention and headspace from me most of the time.
My 401k contributions are automated and my ING savings transfers happen like clockwork on their own, too. I love this! Cute Man and I are gearing up to go into our house-hunting phase so saving is a big part of this. We need to demonstrate that we can save the difference between our current rent and anticipated mortgage for at least 3 months per our NACA program requirements. I’ve been doing this for awhile now, but CM is beginning this in earnest this month. Previously, his focus was credit card repayment, which he has rocked!
Another thing we’ve got sort of automated, is our vacationing! Say what you will about timeshares, but they cannot be beat for encouraging us to take a full week off. I had serious concerns about the wisdom of that purchase (mostly due to the poor reputations they have), but it has turned out really well. We just got back from our lovely vacation in Orlando, which did not break the bank. Having your own kitchen at a resort is a money saver for sure. Most of our cash went to transportation – we didn’t rent a car, but took shuttles and cabs instead. It probably cost us a bit more this way. I think next time a car would be good. Live and learn!
I’ve also streamlined my spending strategy. For the past few months I’ve been experimenting with a new system. I put everything onto my Amazon Chase Visa. I only use cash or my debit card when I have no choice. I wanted to see if I could smooth out my spending and not be hyper-conscious of what I have to spend paycheck to paycheck, constantly checking balances. I just use my “good judgment” that I have cultivated and buy what I want when I choose to. With the safety of a buffer of savings in the bank, I wanted to see if it would even out. So far, it has! I have not had to dip into saving to cover over-spending even once. This is a victory, for sure.
As long as I can live below my means (automated savings comes out first anyway), I am thrilled with this method. It takes out the stress of constant balance checking and I earn mad points that I can turn into $ to spend at Amazon. As a Kindle owner, this is golden. I have also redeemed them for a gas card that works at the station near my house, too. Very handy. Now that I don’t’ drive as much, I could feasibly not have to pay for my own gas again. Really. I can’t believe they’re basically giving me free money just for using the card for all my purchases. As someone who pays off my balance every month, it is a huge benefit because I’m not paying any interest charges.
In short, things are pretty smooth on the financial front. As I learned the painfully hard way, it’s not how much I earn that matters. It’s setting up my life so that it functions within the parameters of what’s coming in. As two people working at non-profits, CM and I do not make a whole lot, especially for living in an expensive city. We’ve just learned a thing or two about prioritizing what’s important to us and making hard choices. It’s good to know that we can have pretty much anything that we truly need or want – we just can’t have everything that we want. So, the former gets priority and the latter gets indulged within reason.
So now we’re looking into buying a house or condo. This is a whole new world to explore so I will probably be talking a lot about that and soliciting advice as we get into the thick of it. The rest will hopefully continue to take care of itself.
My 401k contributions are automated and my ING savings transfers happen like clockwork on their own, too. I love this! Cute Man and I are gearing up to go into our house-hunting phase so saving is a big part of this. We need to demonstrate that we can save the difference between our current rent and anticipated mortgage for at least 3 months per our NACA program requirements. I’ve been doing this for awhile now, but CM is beginning this in earnest this month. Previously, his focus was credit card repayment, which he has rocked!
Another thing we’ve got sort of automated, is our vacationing! Say what you will about timeshares, but they cannot be beat for encouraging us to take a full week off. I had serious concerns about the wisdom of that purchase (mostly due to the poor reputations they have), but it has turned out really well. We just got back from our lovely vacation in Orlando, which did not break the bank. Having your own kitchen at a resort is a money saver for sure. Most of our cash went to transportation – we didn’t rent a car, but took shuttles and cabs instead. It probably cost us a bit more this way. I think next time a car would be good. Live and learn!
I’ve also streamlined my spending strategy. For the past few months I’ve been experimenting with a new system. I put everything onto my Amazon Chase Visa. I only use cash or my debit card when I have no choice. I wanted to see if I could smooth out my spending and not be hyper-conscious of what I have to spend paycheck to paycheck, constantly checking balances. I just use my “good judgment” that I have cultivated and buy what I want when I choose to. With the safety of a buffer of savings in the bank, I wanted to see if it would even out. So far, it has! I have not had to dip into saving to cover over-spending even once. This is a victory, for sure.
As long as I can live below my means (automated savings comes out first anyway), I am thrilled with this method. It takes out the stress of constant balance checking and I earn mad points that I can turn into $ to spend at Amazon. As a Kindle owner, this is golden. I have also redeemed them for a gas card that works at the station near my house, too. Very handy. Now that I don’t’ drive as much, I could feasibly not have to pay for my own gas again. Really. I can’t believe they’re basically giving me free money just for using the card for all my purchases. As someone who pays off my balance every month, it is a huge benefit because I’m not paying any interest charges.
In short, things are pretty smooth on the financial front. As I learned the painfully hard way, it’s not how much I earn that matters. It’s setting up my life so that it functions within the parameters of what’s coming in. As two people working at non-profits, CM and I do not make a whole lot, especially for living in an expensive city. We’ve just learned a thing or two about prioritizing what’s important to us and making hard choices. It’s good to know that we can have pretty much anything that we truly need or want – we just can’t have everything that we want. So, the former gets priority and the latter gets indulged within reason.
So now we’re looking into buying a house or condo. This is a whole new world to explore so I will probably be talking a lot about that and soliciting advice as we get into the thick of it. The rest will hopefully continue to take care of itself.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Making Peace with Food and My Finances
It just occurred to me that this process of making peace with food is having not only a mental/emotional/health impact, but a financial one as well. As I worked to get my finances under control, I came up with a series of habits that really helped keep me on track. Chief among them were the habits related to food shopping. I almost always had a shopping list and I found it very helpful to shop for two weeks at a time, with very few if any in-between forays to the store. I did get fresh produce delivered on the off weeks to keep that stuff stocked.
However, over the past couple of months I’ve started to see a shift. Part of that is a conscious move away from meticulous money tracking – a gift I gave myself for having resolved most of my issues and gotten into an established saving pattern. With that, came a more relaxed shopping list and more frequent trips to the store. The additional cost was not significant at first, which was gratifying. Even going on autopilot, I spent about the same as usual.
Over the past couple of weeks, though, I’ve noticed that I’m stopping at the store a LOT. This is mostly to indulge cravings and round out meals I planned to prepare. In my effort to make peace with food, I have been indulging whims in my eating and shopping habits in a way that I have not in a long time. I have not totaled up with amount of spending but it “feels” like I’m spending more.
I know that this phase is just that, a phase of my healing where I need to indulge myself a little bit. I need to feel like nothing is off limits and what I want really is worth an extra trip to the store. I am fortunate to be tackling this issue at a time when money is not nearly as tight as it once was. This gives me a freedom for which I’m grateful.
At the same time I know I’m out of balance. I can feel it. I am eating a bit too much and I’m spending a bit too much. After taking some time to really let loose, I feel pulled toward the middle. I crave the feeling that comes with being in tune with not only what my body wants (ice cream!) but what it also needs (vegetables!) What’s different now is that instead of looking to some program (Weight Watchers/counting calories) to tell me how to find that balance, I’m looking inward to find the answer. Now that I’m actually listening, the message is starting to get through.
Although things (my eating/finances) are a bit out of whack right now, it’s OK. I realize that’s just part of how this process unfolds. I need to trust myself to move through this in whatever way feels right to me. I think I’m finally starting to really trust that food will always be there for me when I’m hungry – that the days of restriction are over. Once that completely truly sinks in, I know that the urge to eat half a box of Grasshoppers will subside :D
However, over the past couple of months I’ve started to see a shift. Part of that is a conscious move away from meticulous money tracking – a gift I gave myself for having resolved most of my issues and gotten into an established saving pattern. With that, came a more relaxed shopping list and more frequent trips to the store. The additional cost was not significant at first, which was gratifying. Even going on autopilot, I spent about the same as usual.
Over the past couple of weeks, though, I’ve noticed that I’m stopping at the store a LOT. This is mostly to indulge cravings and round out meals I planned to prepare. In my effort to make peace with food, I have been indulging whims in my eating and shopping habits in a way that I have not in a long time. I have not totaled up with amount of spending but it “feels” like I’m spending more.
I know that this phase is just that, a phase of my healing where I need to indulge myself a little bit. I need to feel like nothing is off limits and what I want really is worth an extra trip to the store. I am fortunate to be tackling this issue at a time when money is not nearly as tight as it once was. This gives me a freedom for which I’m grateful.
At the same time I know I’m out of balance. I can feel it. I am eating a bit too much and I’m spending a bit too much. After taking some time to really let loose, I feel pulled toward the middle. I crave the feeling that comes with being in tune with not only what my body wants (ice cream!) but what it also needs (vegetables!) What’s different now is that instead of looking to some program (Weight Watchers/counting calories) to tell me how to find that balance, I’m looking inward to find the answer. Now that I’m actually listening, the message is starting to get through.
Although things (my eating/finances) are a bit out of whack right now, it’s OK. I realize that’s just part of how this process unfolds. I need to trust myself to move through this in whatever way feels right to me. I think I’m finally starting to really trust that food will always be there for me when I’m hungry – that the days of restriction are over. Once that completely truly sinks in, I know that the urge to eat half a box of Grasshoppers will subside :D
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Personal Finance at the Dentist
I loathe dental procedures. The last time I had fillings, I came out in a full blown anxiety attack. This is a rare thing for me and truly a frightening experience. I went in to have three fillings done. The first Novocain shot didn’t work properly and I jumped about a foot when the drill started in on the tooth. The dentist yelled at me for jumping, which was dangerous, and gave me another shot. Although I was physically numb for the fillings after that, I holding in the emotional trauma from the first experience. Tears were literally spilling out the whole time.
When I got out to the car, I completely LOST it. I had a total breakdown, sobbing for at least a half an hour before I could even think about driving away. Meanwhile, Cute Man had also just experienced worse procedures, including a tooth extraction, but he was comparatively OK. I was a mess. I did not return to a dentist for something like 4 years (I’m just guessing based on how long I’ve been with Cute Man).
Thanks to some great advice from Megan at Counting My Pennies I managed to make an appointment at the Bethesda Dental Spa. They were supposed to be sensitive to anxiety issues, etc. and offer sedation for services, if you want. Although the cost of all-out sedation was out of my realm, I opted to try nitrous oxide during my two fillings yesterday. It cost an additional $140.00 since it’s not covered by insurance but that is money well spent, I tell you. If nothing else, it made me concentrate on my breathing and I took deep breathes continuously, which is calming in itself. Regardless if it was just that, the placebo effect, or whatever, it was so much better. I was calm the whole time and got through with little anxiety. The only anxiety I had was the stress in anticipation of this dreaded experience in the weeks since my cleaning. Now, if I ever again need fillings, I won’t have that issue either, since I know what to expect now.
It may seem like a waste of money to spend $140.00 for something that’s not strictly medically necessary, but for me, the peace of mind it gave me was priceless. Thanks again, Megan, for letting me know about this!
When I got out to the car, I completely LOST it. I had a total breakdown, sobbing for at least a half an hour before I could even think about driving away. Meanwhile, Cute Man had also just experienced worse procedures, including a tooth extraction, but he was comparatively OK. I was a mess. I did not return to a dentist for something like 4 years (I’m just guessing based on how long I’ve been with Cute Man).
Thanks to some great advice from Megan at Counting My Pennies I managed to make an appointment at the Bethesda Dental Spa. They were supposed to be sensitive to anxiety issues, etc. and offer sedation for services, if you want. Although the cost of all-out sedation was out of my realm, I opted to try nitrous oxide during my two fillings yesterday. It cost an additional $140.00 since it’s not covered by insurance but that is money well spent, I tell you. If nothing else, it made me concentrate on my breathing and I took deep breathes continuously, which is calming in itself. Regardless if it was just that, the placebo effect, or whatever, it was so much better. I was calm the whole time and got through with little anxiety. The only anxiety I had was the stress in anticipation of this dreaded experience in the weeks since my cleaning. Now, if I ever again need fillings, I won’t have that issue either, since I know what to expect now.
It may seem like a waste of money to spend $140.00 for something that’s not strictly medically necessary, but for me, the peace of mind it gave me was priceless. Thanks again, Megan, for letting me know about this!
Friday, April 10, 2009
How Exercise Affects Weight Loss
In today’s Hungry Girl Email, she explains how some fitness efforts can actually backfire, if you’re not careful:
I have noticed this myself – big time. I started working out again in earnest last November. I joined the circuit training class with my trainer, Scott. I was exercising at least 3 times a week, but my eating was out of control. I was starting to feel better physically, but it wasn’t until January that I started to lose weight. What changed? I started tracking calories with FitDay so I was clear about the calorie restriction I was creating.
I loved seeing my calories burned per day go up so I thought, hey – why don’t I start exercising MORE? I was already doing the circuit training 3 times per week plus yoga 2 times per week. How about adding 3 or more extra cardio sessions to burn more calories? I started hitting the cardio machines (elliptical and/or treadmill) for 30-60 minutes BEFORE going to Scott’s class. I felt like I was so hardcore. The problem? I was ravenous!!! I was still tracking calories but I just couldn’t restrict myself down below 1650 per day. And often, I was reaching 1900-2000 calories eaten. That’s not horrible, and it was understandable considering how much I was working out. But what was the net effect? Not a whole lot. My rate of weight loss was about the same, if not a tad slower.
So, I came to the realization that I was wearing myself out needlessly. I was struggling to get through Scott’s workouts because I was already tired from a whole day of work plus an hour on the cardio machines. I was choosing quantity over quality and not really getting where I wanted to go. That led me to take a step back and reassess. Right now I’m sticking to the 3 training and 2 yoga sessions per week, for the most part, and filling in with cardio only when one of those things can’t happen – like when yoga was canceled on Tuesday, I did 45 minutes on the treadmill instead. I’ll also do the same today, Friday, because nothing else is scheduled and I feel like doing it (I know, who is this and what did she do with Amelia?) If I didn’t, I would take today off, too. Sunday is my mandatory rest day to let my muscles recover. I think that 5-6 times a week a just fine, thank you very much!
The issue is really about balance. Exercise was making me feel so great so would more just be even better? No, not so much. I’m back in a more realistic groove and the proof is in the results. I’ve found it much easier to stick with closer to 1500 calories each day and I’m not exhausted. Win-win. And if that wasn’t enough, the scale is showing me love, too. As of this morning, I’m down to 228.2 for a grand total of 15.5 lbs lost!
I am coming up on a pretty challenging weekend. I’m going to NJ to seeing my family. Between a nice dinner out with my Dad and Stepmother and the Passover Seder with my Mom and Grandmother, I’ll be surely tested. But like I found with exercise, balance is important. I have been 99% on point this week so I plan to loosen up a little over the weekend. I’ll use some WW shorthand in the manner of Points to track my intake – shooting for more of maintenance level of 2000 calories per day on Sat and Sun.
“…research shows that people grossly overestimate how many calories they burn during exercise. Not only that, but physical activity often makes people hungry. And since we tend to think we've burned more calories than we really have, we can end up consuming MORE calories than we've burned.”
I have noticed this myself – big time. I started working out again in earnest last November. I joined the circuit training class with my trainer, Scott. I was exercising at least 3 times a week, but my eating was out of control. I was starting to feel better physically, but it wasn’t until January that I started to lose weight. What changed? I started tracking calories with FitDay so I was clear about the calorie restriction I was creating.
I loved seeing my calories burned per day go up so I thought, hey – why don’t I start exercising MORE? I was already doing the circuit training 3 times per week plus yoga 2 times per week. How about adding 3 or more extra cardio sessions to burn more calories? I started hitting the cardio machines (elliptical and/or treadmill) for 30-60 minutes BEFORE going to Scott’s class. I felt like I was so hardcore. The problem? I was ravenous!!! I was still tracking calories but I just couldn’t restrict myself down below 1650 per day. And often, I was reaching 1900-2000 calories eaten. That’s not horrible, and it was understandable considering how much I was working out. But what was the net effect? Not a whole lot. My rate of weight loss was about the same, if not a tad slower.
So, I came to the realization that I was wearing myself out needlessly. I was struggling to get through Scott’s workouts because I was already tired from a whole day of work plus an hour on the cardio machines. I was choosing quantity over quality and not really getting where I wanted to go. That led me to take a step back and reassess. Right now I’m sticking to the 3 training and 2 yoga sessions per week, for the most part, and filling in with cardio only when one of those things can’t happen – like when yoga was canceled on Tuesday, I did 45 minutes on the treadmill instead. I’ll also do the same today, Friday, because nothing else is scheduled and I feel like doing it (I know, who is this and what did she do with Amelia?) If I didn’t, I would take today off, too. Sunday is my mandatory rest day to let my muscles recover. I think that 5-6 times a week a just fine, thank you very much!
The issue is really about balance. Exercise was making me feel so great so would more just be even better? No, not so much. I’m back in a more realistic groove and the proof is in the results. I’ve found it much easier to stick with closer to 1500 calories each day and I’m not exhausted. Win-win. And if that wasn’t enough, the scale is showing me love, too. As of this morning, I’m down to 228.2 for a grand total of 15.5 lbs lost!
I am coming up on a pretty challenging weekend. I’m going to NJ to seeing my family. Between a nice dinner out with my Dad and Stepmother and the Passover Seder with my Mom and Grandmother, I’ll be surely tested. But like I found with exercise, balance is important. I have been 99% on point this week so I plan to loosen up a little over the weekend. I’ll use some WW shorthand in the manner of Points to track my intake – shooting for more of maintenance level of 2000 calories per day on Sat and Sun.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
A Return to Using Credit
After 5 years without having a credit card (that worked – I was paying off a bunch of old ones), I have bitten the bullet and gotten a new one. Am I scared that I’ll return to my old ways and run up a huge balance? Hell, no. I’m not the same person I was back when I was wracking it up. Rest assured that since then, I’ve learned through the bitter pill of experience what NOT to do with a credit card.
So, if I was going along so well for the past 5 years without a card, why start now? Well, it’s really about convenience. I am super proud of the emergency fund I’m building but it’s not that helpful at the side of the road when your car breaks down. ING takes several days to send the money back to my checking account. Having access to a credit card would allow me to use it in emergency situations and then continue to pay off the balance at the end of the billing cycle using my savings. It just adds a buffer.
Another reason I chose to get a new card is the rewards. I got an Amazon card because I seem to be using their site a lot lately. And with my Kindle habit, rewards in the form of Amazon gift cards will be great. I will always be able to use them. I’ll use the card instead of my debit card to get rewards points but pay the balance each month. This will also allow me to smooth out my spending instead of focusing on what’s available with each new paycheck. I’m going to try to release the kung fu grip I have on each penny. By this I don’t mean I’m going to start spending like a madwoman, but rather, I’ll take the focus off tracking every single transaction every single day. I’m pretty obsessive, really. I will still reconcile my receipts, etc. but maybe not as often.
We’ll see if this turns out to work or if I really just need to track everything meticulously like I’ve learned I need to (at least for now) with my food. Like I’ve mentioned before, the two issues are very similar for me but I’m much further along in my relationship with money than in the one I have with food. I think I’m ready to trust myself a little more to make good choices with my money without artificially imposing stop points (I’ve run out of spending money for this pay period so I can’t get ___). Of course, I’m not really out of money – it’s just someplace else. This tactic has worked well for me but I’m hoping that I’m ready to take the training wheels off. If I start careening downhill and find the brakes are shot, I can put them back on. I’ve gone back to tracking my intake carefully and I’ll do it for however long it takes for me to gain control over it (if ever). I’m fine with that. But I feel in my gut that I’ve grown financially and can handle it.
So, if I was going along so well for the past 5 years without a card, why start now? Well, it’s really about convenience. I am super proud of the emergency fund I’m building but it’s not that helpful at the side of the road when your car breaks down. ING takes several days to send the money back to my checking account. Having access to a credit card would allow me to use it in emergency situations and then continue to pay off the balance at the end of the billing cycle using my savings. It just adds a buffer.
Another reason I chose to get a new card is the rewards. I got an Amazon card because I seem to be using their site a lot lately. And with my Kindle habit, rewards in the form of Amazon gift cards will be great. I will always be able to use them. I’ll use the card instead of my debit card to get rewards points but pay the balance each month. This will also allow me to smooth out my spending instead of focusing on what’s available with each new paycheck. I’m going to try to release the kung fu grip I have on each penny. By this I don’t mean I’m going to start spending like a madwoman, but rather, I’ll take the focus off tracking every single transaction every single day. I’m pretty obsessive, really. I will still reconcile my receipts, etc. but maybe not as often.
We’ll see if this turns out to work or if I really just need to track everything meticulously like I’ve learned I need to (at least for now) with my food. Like I’ve mentioned before, the two issues are very similar for me but I’m much further along in my relationship with money than in the one I have with food. I think I’m ready to trust myself a little more to make good choices with my money without artificially imposing stop points (I’ve run out of spending money for this pay period so I can’t get ___). Of course, I’m not really out of money – it’s just someplace else. This tactic has worked well for me but I’m hoping that I’m ready to take the training wheels off. If I start careening downhill and find the brakes are shot, I can put them back on. I’ve gone back to tracking my intake carefully and I’ll do it for however long it takes for me to gain control over it (if ever). I’m fine with that. But I feel in my gut that I’ve grown financially and can handle it.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Savings Plan Revisited
Just a few weeks ago, I came up with a plan to start a whole bunch of ING sub-accounts to help me save for irregular expenses such as presents, vacations, clothing purchases, etc. It seemed like a great idea and I even opened the accounts and set up the automatic withdrawals. But over this past weekend, Cute Man and I had a great talk about what we really want to do in terms of housing. We’ve lived together in our 1BR basement apartment for 5 years now. We love it and we love our landlady but it does lack a bit of privacy and space, especially for when we have a kid (no immediate plans, don’t get overexcited, Mom). So, we think it’s time to get serious about buying something.
Since our budget is small and we are both committed to avoiding consumer debt and long commutes, we’re thinking condo in DC. We don’t mind smaller spaces and I, for one, would rather pay a condo fee than deal with mowing the lawn, doing landscaping, etc. My ideal: 2 BR 2 BA close to a Metro with a parking spot. And I think I’d prefer a small building with just a few units over a large one, but we’ll see. I don’t necessarily need/want fancy amenities like fitness rooms, pools, etc. What is important is to have an updated kitchen and bathrooms. I’m NOT all about the home improvement projects.
The reason I think this is at all feasible anytime soon is that we’ll probably go through the NACA Program. They help low-moderate income people find homes and offer lots of counseling, assistance, etc. They also offer below market loan rates and no closing costs. The first step is to go to a workshop and we’ll do that next month. This will not be a quick process but a thorough one. I am very excited and can’t wait to get started.
One of the many important things they will require is that we save the difference between what we pay in rent now and our expected condo monthly cost (mortgage plus insurance, condo fee, and taxes – the complete monthly cost of ownership). This brings me to the main point of this post: how I’m adjusting my savings strategy.
First off, I’ve changed my 401k contribution back down to the minimum amount to get my employer’s match. That frees up a bit more funds to go into my savings strategy. Right now, my share of the rent is $470 per month. We’d like to keep our condo monthly cost to no more than $2000/month (my share = $1000). So, I need to up my monthly savings to at least $530. To do this, I’ve rearrange my biweekly contributions to go to these accounts:
Emergency Fund = $75
House Fund = $100
Family Fund* = $100
That brings me to $275 per check or $550 per month. I will also have a Trainer Fund to save up for that irregular expense that I pay quarterly as well as a Slush Fund that exists for fun stuff – that will be snowflaked rather than auto-deducted. But those two won’t “count” towards what I’m actually saving.
The great thing about the NACA plan is that we won’t necessarily have to put much if any money down or pay closing costs. Therefore, this money we’ve saved will all be there as backup as we start down the road of condo ownership. It will be a great hedge against our good friend Murphy, who I know likes to visit new homeowners all too frequently.
Since this is our first foray into the world of home buying, any and all advice is welcome! Have you recently bought a home in this market? Is there something we should really know before embarking on this plan? I am missing anything vital? Please share in the comments.
*This will be there to pad our budget if/when I ever need to take maternity leave, not all of which will necessarily be paid, depending on how long I take off.
Since our budget is small and we are both committed to avoiding consumer debt and long commutes, we’re thinking condo in DC. We don’t mind smaller spaces and I, for one, would rather pay a condo fee than deal with mowing the lawn, doing landscaping, etc. My ideal: 2 BR 2 BA close to a Metro with a parking spot. And I think I’d prefer a small building with just a few units over a large one, but we’ll see. I don’t necessarily need/want fancy amenities like fitness rooms, pools, etc. What is important is to have an updated kitchen and bathrooms. I’m NOT all about the home improvement projects.
The reason I think this is at all feasible anytime soon is that we’ll probably go through the NACA Program. They help low-moderate income people find homes and offer lots of counseling, assistance, etc. They also offer below market loan rates and no closing costs. The first step is to go to a workshop and we’ll do that next month. This will not be a quick process but a thorough one. I am very excited and can’t wait to get started.
One of the many important things they will require is that we save the difference between what we pay in rent now and our expected condo monthly cost (mortgage plus insurance, condo fee, and taxes – the complete monthly cost of ownership). This brings me to the main point of this post: how I’m adjusting my savings strategy.
First off, I’ve changed my 401k contribution back down to the minimum amount to get my employer’s match. That frees up a bit more funds to go into my savings strategy. Right now, my share of the rent is $470 per month. We’d like to keep our condo monthly cost to no more than $2000/month (my share = $1000). So, I need to up my monthly savings to at least $530. To do this, I’ve rearrange my biweekly contributions to go to these accounts:
Emergency Fund = $75
House Fund = $100
Family Fund* = $100
That brings me to $275 per check or $550 per month. I will also have a Trainer Fund to save up for that irregular expense that I pay quarterly as well as a Slush Fund that exists for fun stuff – that will be snowflaked rather than auto-deducted. But those two won’t “count” towards what I’m actually saving.
The great thing about the NACA plan is that we won’t necessarily have to put much if any money down or pay closing costs. Therefore, this money we’ve saved will all be there as backup as we start down the road of condo ownership. It will be a great hedge against our good friend Murphy, who I know likes to visit new homeowners all too frequently.
Since this is our first foray into the world of home buying, any and all advice is welcome! Have you recently bought a home in this market? Is there something we should really know before embarking on this plan? I am missing anything vital? Please share in the comments.
*This will be there to pad our budget if/when I ever need to take maternity leave, not all of which will necessarily be paid, depending on how long I take off.
Friday, April 3, 2009
My First PF Blogger Happy Hour
Although I was a nervous wreck as I headed into the pub last night, it turned out fabulous! J Money did a good recap of the evening and who was there so I won’t rehash it. It was such a hoot to see what everyone looks like and what they’re like in person (awesome).
Now I just have to get my butt back in gear and do some serious PF blogging. I’ve been a mite obsessed with the weight loss end of things lately, which is both good and bad. But a little balance may be in order. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how to maximize my savings and set things up for the future. I guess a post about that could be up next.
Now I just have to get my butt back in gear and do some serious PF blogging. I’ve been a mite obsessed with the weight loss end of things lately, which is both good and bad. But a little balance may be in order. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how to maximize my savings and set things up for the future. I guess a post about that could be up next.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Creating Savings Sub-Accounts
I’ve had an ING savings account for awhile now, but have never set up any sub-accounts. I just didn’t see the point. But after reading JD’s post about prioritizing savings goals at Get Rich Slowly, I’m coming around to the idea. It would be great for things like saving up to buy clothes and shoes. It’s always hard to go make any sort of major wardrobe upgrade without decimating the spending money set aside for that particular pay period. Saving up a bit out of each check to then go and spend all at once would be MUCH more fun. The same would be true for vacations, presents, and pampering (things like massages). If I created accounts for those things, the money would just build over time, so I’d have decent chunks of money available when the various needs arise.
I also like JD’s idea of “snowflaking” when it comes to savings. It’s similar to the debt snowball but uses the concept to augment savings goals in a way that prioritizes them. Any extra money not spent at the end of a pay period would go into the sub-account currently with the highest priority, while all the others would just get the minimum amount set as an automatic transfer. When the first priority goal is met, the extra funds would be rolled over to the next highest.
Right now, I put $200 into my one ING “emergency” fund with each bi-weekly check. Many small things have come up lately and that fund hasn’t grown much beyond my initial goal of $1000. That amount seems sufficient for most unexpected things (knock wood!) but I’d like it to grow to about $2500. To reach that level by this time next year, I will put $60/check. I also realize that I’ll inevitably make withdrawals at some points, but I will make sure to snowflake money back into it after that so I can stay on track.
Here’s how I will allocate my bi-weekly auto-transfers to the new sub-accounts:
Emergency Fund: $60
Wardrobe*: $25
Presents: $25
Vacations: $25
Pampering: $25
House: $40
Total transfers each check: $200
*Snowflakes will go toward wardrobe right now. It needs HELP.
I think this plan will take some of the stress out of the main draws on my spending cash: clothes, shoes, presents, pampering, and vacations. So, in essence, I’ll still be spending much of this money – it’ll just be in a more controlled, easier to manage way. And the great thing is that in the end, it’s still all my money. In reality, should I (god-forbid) find myself in a true emergency, all of these funds would be available to carry me through. ING sub-accounts, here I come!
I also like JD’s idea of “snowflaking” when it comes to savings. It’s similar to the debt snowball but uses the concept to augment savings goals in a way that prioritizes them. Any extra money not spent at the end of a pay period would go into the sub-account currently with the highest priority, while all the others would just get the minimum amount set as an automatic transfer. When the first priority goal is met, the extra funds would be rolled over to the next highest.
Right now, I put $200 into my one ING “emergency” fund with each bi-weekly check. Many small things have come up lately and that fund hasn’t grown much beyond my initial goal of $1000. That amount seems sufficient for most unexpected things (knock wood!) but I’d like it to grow to about $2500. To reach that level by this time next year, I will put $60/check. I also realize that I’ll inevitably make withdrawals at some points, but I will make sure to snowflake money back into it after that so I can stay on track.
Here’s how I will allocate my bi-weekly auto-transfers to the new sub-accounts:
Emergency Fund: $60
Wardrobe*: $25
Presents: $25
Vacations: $25
Pampering: $25
House: $40
Total transfers each check: $200
*Snowflakes will go toward wardrobe right now. It needs HELP.
I think this plan will take some of the stress out of the main draws on my spending cash: clothes, shoes, presents, pampering, and vacations. So, in essence, I’ll still be spending much of this money – it’ll just be in a more controlled, easier to manage way. And the great thing is that in the end, it’s still all my money. In reality, should I (god-forbid) find myself in a true emergency, all of these funds would be available to carry me through. ING sub-accounts, here I come!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Tackling Credit Card Debt: How to Get Started
Yesterday, I got a very thoughtful question from a friend and reader of this blog:
To answer him, I pulled together some information I wish I had five years ago. Please add any other helpful hints you might have in the comments! Here is my response (edited slightly for reposting here):
In terms of strategy, I had none 5 years ago. I was at the end of my rope and just felt completely unknowledgeable and overwhelmed by my bills. I really didn't have a clue what to do. I turned to a non-profit credit counseling program which consolidated all of my cards into one payment that I made to them each month. They also got my interest rates reduced (to the 8-9% range or so). The only catch was that I paid them $20/month for them to do this for me. I was happy to do so because I was incredibly overwhelmed and it helped just to have the one bill to pay each month. The thought of it taking over 4 years was scary, but it felt good to have a plan. It was a hard transition. One of the terms of the agreement was that I had to completely stop using all cards and not apply for any new credit. That means I had to start actually living within my means and stay on top of what I was spending.
Since that time, I've learned a LOT. First, in terms of just learning the ins and outs of staying on top of my day to day finances so I wouldn't overdraft using my debit card (I had to start somewhere!) But in the last couple of years, I stumbled on the world of personal finance blogs and have learned so much I wish I'd known earlier.
I do not regret using the counseling service to consolidate my debt, but I wouldn't advocate it as the first option now. They really didn't do anything that you can't do yourself. I just didn't know enough and wasn't in the mental "place" to take those steps myself at that point. It is possible to call credit card companies to either request interest rate reductions or to work out a payment plan directly with them. To learn more about how to do stuff like that, check out The Simple Dollar and click on '31 days to fix your finances'. Day 25: Evaluating Your Expenses - Credit Cards, in particular, is a good primer on how to go about dealing with your cards. Also, check out his 'Recommended Reading' listing of books on the right side.
The best thing I can recommend is to check out the blogs (another good one is Get Rich Slowly) and maybe one or two books on the subject and just dive in. I am proof that people really can change – I went from someone with a total head-in-the-sand approach to finances, to a complete geek about it. I now find it fascinating and fun to talk about. I never would have imagined that!
But if all this seems like a huge overwhelming chore, there is nothing wrong with asking for help by way of consolidation. It's like paying someone to clean your house because it's worth the money to not have to deal. It was for me at the time I started this. But if you're willing to dig in and take a DIY approach, it certainly can be done. You pay with your time/attention rather than money. Either way, as I said before, I've become really into the whole thing and would be happy to help if you ever have questions, etc.
That’s all I got but please add further advice below. Thanks!
*Update: I just read a great A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Credit Card Interest Rates Reduced over at The Simple Dollar. It's a great place to start.
Can I ask you - I saw on your blog (yes I'm an avid reader of it) that you went from 20K to 0!!! I have about 10k in cc debt... can i ask you what strategy you used?
To answer him, I pulled together some information I wish I had five years ago. Please add any other helpful hints you might have in the comments! Here is my response (edited slightly for reposting here):
In terms of strategy, I had none 5 years ago. I was at the end of my rope and just felt completely unknowledgeable and overwhelmed by my bills. I really didn't have a clue what to do. I turned to a non-profit credit counseling program which consolidated all of my cards into one payment that I made to them each month. They also got my interest rates reduced (to the 8-9% range or so). The only catch was that I paid them $20/month for them to do this for me. I was happy to do so because I was incredibly overwhelmed and it helped just to have the one bill to pay each month. The thought of it taking over 4 years was scary, but it felt good to have a plan. It was a hard transition. One of the terms of the agreement was that I had to completely stop using all cards and not apply for any new credit. That means I had to start actually living within my means and stay on top of what I was spending.
Since that time, I've learned a LOT. First, in terms of just learning the ins and outs of staying on top of my day to day finances so I wouldn't overdraft using my debit card (I had to start somewhere!) But in the last couple of years, I stumbled on the world of personal finance blogs and have learned so much I wish I'd known earlier.
I do not regret using the counseling service to consolidate my debt, but I wouldn't advocate it as the first option now. They really didn't do anything that you can't do yourself. I just didn't know enough and wasn't in the mental "place" to take those steps myself at that point. It is possible to call credit card companies to either request interest rate reductions or to work out a payment plan directly with them. To learn more about how to do stuff like that, check out The Simple Dollar and click on '31 days to fix your finances'. Day 25: Evaluating Your Expenses - Credit Cards, in particular, is a good primer on how to go about dealing with your cards. Also, check out his 'Recommended Reading' listing of books on the right side.
The best thing I can recommend is to check out the blogs (another good one is Get Rich Slowly) and maybe one or two books on the subject and just dive in. I am proof that people really can change – I went from someone with a total head-in-the-sand approach to finances, to a complete geek about it. I now find it fascinating and fun to talk about. I never would have imagined that!
But if all this seems like a huge overwhelming chore, there is nothing wrong with asking for help by way of consolidation. It's like paying someone to clean your house because it's worth the money to not have to deal. It was for me at the time I started this. But if you're willing to dig in and take a DIY approach, it certainly can be done. You pay with your time/attention rather than money. Either way, as I said before, I've become really into the whole thing and would be happy to help if you ever have questions, etc.
That’s all I got but please add further advice below. Thanks!
*Update: I just read a great A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Credit Card Interest Rates Reduced over at The Simple Dollar. It's a great place to start.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Meal Planning
It’s now the second week of Sally’s year of self care series and it’s time to Commit to Weekly Grocery Planning. I started with Step One at The Path to Gradual Change.
I have not been planning out each meal for the whole week, although I have done that in the past. Due to the nature of what Cute Man’s eating plan is like right now (VERY simple eating – low carb, no sauces, etc.), I just buy staples of whole foods that we mix and match. I make a big batch of a veggie/bean based soup each weekend to use for our lunches. This week I incorporated fresh turkey sandwiches for my lunch (CM stuck with soup, I think). I have a bunch of fresh chicken and fish in the freezer that we eat each night with a side veggie and a salad. I will start cooking more elaborate recipes soon but for now, this is working well for us. I often use dinner leftovers for our lunches the next day.
As for the grocery list – we keep one on the fridge so Cute Man can add things he wants/needs and I can jot down things as I think of them. Sometimes, I type it up in the order in which I can find them in the store (when I’m feeling overly ambitious!)
Sally mentions a CSA for local produce. I use www.washingtonsgreengrocer.com, which delivers my fresh stuff weekly. I LOVE this. Ideally, this allows me to only do the Trader Joes/Whole Foods/Safeway (usually I pick one) run every two weeks. Lately, I’ve indulged myself in going more often but I should be able to cut back on the impromptu trips as I get more organized. Sticking with a set plan will certainly help me keep food budget more in line.
This step has inspired me to get even more proactive in my planning and has encouraged me to start incorporating/planning for recipes throughout the week. This weekend will be a big travel one but the following one should give me the time to plan out our meals more methodically. I will bring out my Ellie Krieger cookbook again and try something new. I like that she has calorie counts/other nutritional info included, which makes it easier for me to keep track.
Working on my eating and exercise habits is my number one priority right now so I am at peace with making/using more time to plan and implement strategies that will help me do just that. Meal planning is a great way to organize not just what we’re going to eat, but how we live and manage our days as a whole. I know it can only help!
I have not been planning out each meal for the whole week, although I have done that in the past. Due to the nature of what Cute Man’s eating plan is like right now (VERY simple eating – low carb, no sauces, etc.), I just buy staples of whole foods that we mix and match. I make a big batch of a veggie/bean based soup each weekend to use for our lunches. This week I incorporated fresh turkey sandwiches for my lunch (CM stuck with soup, I think). I have a bunch of fresh chicken and fish in the freezer that we eat each night with a side veggie and a salad. I will start cooking more elaborate recipes soon but for now, this is working well for us. I often use dinner leftovers for our lunches the next day.
As for the grocery list – we keep one on the fridge so Cute Man can add things he wants/needs and I can jot down things as I think of them. Sometimes, I type it up in the order in which I can find them in the store (when I’m feeling overly ambitious!)
Sally mentions a CSA for local produce. I use www.washingtonsgreengrocer.com, which delivers my fresh stuff weekly. I LOVE this. Ideally, this allows me to only do the Trader Joes/Whole Foods/Safeway (usually I pick one) run every two weeks. Lately, I’ve indulged myself in going more often but I should be able to cut back on the impromptu trips as I get more organized. Sticking with a set plan will certainly help me keep food budget more in line.
This step has inspired me to get even more proactive in my planning and has encouraged me to start incorporating/planning for recipes throughout the week. This weekend will be a big travel one but the following one should give me the time to plan out our meals more methodically. I will bring out my Ellie Krieger cookbook again and try something new. I like that she has calorie counts/other nutritional info included, which makes it easier for me to keep track.
Working on my eating and exercise habits is my number one priority right now so I am at peace with making/using more time to plan and implement strategies that will help me do just that. Meal planning is a great way to organize not just what we’re going to eat, but how we live and manage our days as a whole. I know it can only help!
Monday, January 5, 2009
The Path to Gradual Change
I am going to be following along as Sally at Aprovechar lays out her series for better self care in 2009. I think this will be a great complement to what I’m trying to do with the Beck Diet. I have the goal of gradually making changes to improve my health but I get easily sidetracked by my impatience. I want to relax and slowly make changes but it’s like I want to take advantage of this motivation that I feel – make the most of it, I guess. But I realize that this approach has NOT worked for me in the past and has only led to disappointment. I need to give myself the gift of letting this process take as long as it takes.
It’s funny how I seemed to grasp the concept so much more easily when it came to the financial overhaul. That process of getting rid of my credit card debt took 4 years – a time that seemed so long at the beginning. Now that those debts are gone, I feel so proud of what I have accomplished. But I am not so naïve to think of it as “finished”. I have to practice what I’ve learned every single day so that I do not return to a life of living beyond my means. I funnel that energy into saving for the future now and I am very confident in my ability to stick with it and reach my goals. I want that feeling to extend to how I approach my health/weight.
I love that Sally is outlining a series of concrete steps for this process. Yes, I want to make gradual changes. But how? She has a plan and has graciously decided to lay it out, step by step, every two weeks. Step One is to Embrace Gradual Change. I’m going to post about how I am taking her advice and implementing her strategies, starting here with my thoughts regarding her ground rules outlined in Step One (her words are italicized):
1. Accept where you are: I have a lot of difficulty with this one. I am not at all happy with myself for getting to this point. I realize that I need to let this go, however. Feeling bad about myself is doing me no favors. I have to start where I am right now and focus on what I need to achieve my goal, not focus on my past mistakes.
2. Be gentle with yourself in general: It’s funny how my inner voice is so much nastier when talking to me than anyone else. I’d never chastise others for mistakes or try to make them feel bad for slipping up. They’re only human, after all. I need to apply this to myself and not berate every false move. I also have to beware of the opposite danger: the “I don’t care” monster. It’s like a switch in my brain. I can only take so much nit-picking from the nasty voice until I give up and stop worrying about it all together. I need to stay in tune with what I’m trying to accomplish without being overly critical of the fact that it’s not going to be a “perfect” journey.
3. Trust yourself to take care of yourself: I need to dig deep on this one. How can I trust myself when I’ve failed to accomplish this goal of weight loss so many times? I am so amazed that Sally found a way to change her life/become healthier without counting anything. I simply don’t trust myself to find a way to do this without some sort of math involved! I know intellectually that this is ridiculous, but it remains true, just the same. All of my adult life I’ve either been losing weight or gaining it. I’ve never just sat comfortably at a particular weight. How on earth could I just “eat healthy” and still actually lose weight? It’s never happened before. If I don’t have a particular plan to focus on (like counting points or calories), I tend to eat too much, even if it’s mostly good-for-me food that I’m eating. I guess I haven’t developed a healthy sense of portions, etc. So, for now (since this is a gradual process, after all) I’m going to still follow the Beck Diet in which I will count calories so that I can build some confidence in this area.
4. Decide on some form of measurement, and stick with it: I’m weighing myself every day to get an idea of the trend. I’ve never done the daily weighing before so we’ll see how this goes. It’s so crazy to see how my weight fluctuates day to day. I’m hoping to see a downward trend eventually but I don’t want to focus too much on the numbers for now.
5. Accept opportunity cost: I’m actually pretty OK on this one. I feel prepared to make my health/fitness a priority and make the time for it. I will have my personal training class three times a week and yoga at lunch twice a week. I’m fine with using that time in that way. I will also devote a lot time to shopping for and cooking good food. I don’t see this as an obstacle at all.
6. If you’re living with a family, make the obvious changes a family affair: I’m really trying to work on this one. I’ve enlisted my Mom to be my dieting partner and we’ll be keeping in touch on our progress/struggles with the Beck diet. I think this will be really helpful for us both. Cute Man shares my goal of losing weight and getting healthier and he is pursuing his own way to achieve that. His method is not all that different from mine so we’re able to help each other a lot. He is doing a very low carb type thing right now so it’s actually me who needs to do a little extra to not undermine his goals.
Despite my efforts to just chill, I’m still in that gung ho type phase with my diet. I know that I need to calm down and not try to do everything at once. It is so hard for me! I did manage to focus on activity as opposed to eating for the last couple of months, so I feel like that is a good foundation. Now, I’m ready to add in the dieting piece – as slowly and mindfully as I can. I will practice being gentle to myself and giving myself credit for the things I do well so that I can build up my confidence and trust in my ability to do this. Thanks again to Sally for starting this series which has spawned so much thought for me.
It’s funny how I seemed to grasp the concept so much more easily when it came to the financial overhaul. That process of getting rid of my credit card debt took 4 years – a time that seemed so long at the beginning. Now that those debts are gone, I feel so proud of what I have accomplished. But I am not so naïve to think of it as “finished”. I have to practice what I’ve learned every single day so that I do not return to a life of living beyond my means. I funnel that energy into saving for the future now and I am very confident in my ability to stick with it and reach my goals. I want that feeling to extend to how I approach my health/weight.
I love that Sally is outlining a series of concrete steps for this process. Yes, I want to make gradual changes. But how? She has a plan and has graciously decided to lay it out, step by step, every two weeks. Step One is to Embrace Gradual Change. I’m going to post about how I am taking her advice and implementing her strategies, starting here with my thoughts regarding her ground rules outlined in Step One (her words are italicized):
1. Accept where you are: I have a lot of difficulty with this one. I am not at all happy with myself for getting to this point. I realize that I need to let this go, however. Feeling bad about myself is doing me no favors. I have to start where I am right now and focus on what I need to achieve my goal, not focus on my past mistakes.
2. Be gentle with yourself in general: It’s funny how my inner voice is so much nastier when talking to me than anyone else. I’d never chastise others for mistakes or try to make them feel bad for slipping up. They’re only human, after all. I need to apply this to myself and not berate every false move. I also have to beware of the opposite danger: the “I don’t care” monster. It’s like a switch in my brain. I can only take so much nit-picking from the nasty voice until I give up and stop worrying about it all together. I need to stay in tune with what I’m trying to accomplish without being overly critical of the fact that it’s not going to be a “perfect” journey.
3. Trust yourself to take care of yourself: I need to dig deep on this one. How can I trust myself when I’ve failed to accomplish this goal of weight loss so many times? I am so amazed that Sally found a way to change her life/become healthier without counting anything. I simply don’t trust myself to find a way to do this without some sort of math involved! I know intellectually that this is ridiculous, but it remains true, just the same. All of my adult life I’ve either been losing weight or gaining it. I’ve never just sat comfortably at a particular weight. How on earth could I just “eat healthy” and still actually lose weight? It’s never happened before. If I don’t have a particular plan to focus on (like counting points or calories), I tend to eat too much, even if it’s mostly good-for-me food that I’m eating. I guess I haven’t developed a healthy sense of portions, etc. So, for now (since this is a gradual process, after all) I’m going to still follow the Beck Diet in which I will count calories so that I can build some confidence in this area.
4. Decide on some form of measurement, and stick with it: I’m weighing myself every day to get an idea of the trend. I’ve never done the daily weighing before so we’ll see how this goes. It’s so crazy to see how my weight fluctuates day to day. I’m hoping to see a downward trend eventually but I don’t want to focus too much on the numbers for now.
5. Accept opportunity cost: I’m actually pretty OK on this one. I feel prepared to make my health/fitness a priority and make the time for it. I will have my personal training class three times a week and yoga at lunch twice a week. I’m fine with using that time in that way. I will also devote a lot time to shopping for and cooking good food. I don’t see this as an obstacle at all.
6. If you’re living with a family, make the obvious changes a family affair: I’m really trying to work on this one. I’ve enlisted my Mom to be my dieting partner and we’ll be keeping in touch on our progress/struggles with the Beck diet. I think this will be really helpful for us both. Cute Man shares my goal of losing weight and getting healthier and he is pursuing his own way to achieve that. His method is not all that different from mine so we’re able to help each other a lot. He is doing a very low carb type thing right now so it’s actually me who needs to do a little extra to not undermine his goals.
Despite my efforts to just chill, I’m still in that gung ho type phase with my diet. I know that I need to calm down and not try to do everything at once. It is so hard for me! I did manage to focus on activity as opposed to eating for the last couple of months, so I feel like that is a good foundation. Now, I’m ready to add in the dieting piece – as slowly and mindfully as I can. I will practice being gentle to myself and giving myself credit for the things I do well so that I can build up my confidence and trust in my ability to do this. Thanks again to Sally for starting this series which has spawned so much thought for me.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Holidays’ Effect on Weight and Finances
The training sessions 3 times a week are going great. I’m starting to really feel better. But my eating is NOT going well. I am off track in a big way. It seems to be awfully hard for me to do both things well at the same time. I’m trying not to beat myself up too bad about that. I’m just going to keep my focus on the activity for now because it’s truly helping me feel better. I’m still going to try to keep the carbs to a minimum but I’m OK with easing up on that for the time being.
Financially, the holidays have not bankrupted me but I have thrown some of my savings goals out like the baby with the bathwater. I will resume normal savings levels with the new year. I realize that sometimes, money IS for spending and it’s OK. As long as it’s mine and not on credit, I’m within my rights to change my goals, etc.
So basically, I’m treading water a bit in both aspects of my life. I’m not making much progress but I’m not backsliding either. For a particularly hard time of year for both weight loss efforts and finances, I’ll keep that outcome in the “win” column.
Financially, the holidays have not bankrupted me but I have thrown some of my savings goals out like the baby with the bathwater. I will resume normal savings levels with the new year. I realize that sometimes, money IS for spending and it’s OK. As long as it’s mine and not on credit, I’m within my rights to change my goals, etc.
So basically, I’m treading water a bit in both aspects of my life. I’m not making much progress but I’m not backsliding either. For a particularly hard time of year for both weight loss efforts and finances, I’ll keep that outcome in the “win” column.
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