End of the Month Reflections

So it is nearly the end of the month. I admit I feel a little bit discouraged. I know I am working towards all sorts of good things - but I want that number in the right hand column to move NOW. I have tons of irons in the fire right (most of which I am waiting to write about until they happen.) I am drastically changing my spending habits, and I know I have only been at this a little over a week. Still - I want that instant gratification.

Then I read this post in My Journey to Eliminate Debt and a thought occurred to me - while fear is a great motivator, it doesn't have much staying power. What I need to concentrate on is not just the fear of foreclosure, bad credit ratings and worse, but also find something out of all this to look forward to. In their post the blogger talks about moving to Western Australia once they have eliminated their debt - I need something like that.

So, I've been thinking about that. Here are some thoughts:

1. I am out of a bad marriage and taking control of my life again.
2. I am moving out of a 400 square foot apartment, which while charming, really was too small for me.
3. I will be living in my favorite neighborhood in this city. I love the location - and it just keeps getting better and better.
4. The house was bought under value. It is still a very good investment. Though I am feeling the pinch now, I am actually investing in my future.
5. I've been missing a garden. I will have that again.
6. The housing market disaster will not last forever, and my area is a growing end of town. Currently I feel that if I can make this work for about three years, I will have a very viable piece of property.
7. Then I will sell it.
8. Then I will buy a more "Dawn-sized" home. Something that I will fall in love with - and that is far more suited to a single woman like myself.
9. I will make a profit. (I have declared it - it will be so.)
10. My new dream house will be less than the cost of this current place. I am going to take the profit I make and use that towards going back to school and getting my masters degree. So now I am investing in myself twice.

That's a really good list and makes me feel hopeful. Whenever I get the "the money isn't coming in fast enough!!" blues, I need to look at it again and remember what this is really about. It isn't about fear, it isn't about being backed into a corner, it is about making decisions that are right for me - and standing on my own two feet.