Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Money Blogs Make Me Happy

I had a therapy appointment this morning. She is the one who who inspired me to stop being afraid, and to start to focus my energy to tackle this problem. I'll be honest, there are times when I am still afraid - when this project of mine seems like a pipe dream. Getting an extra nine hundred dollars a month out of my already stretched budget to keep myself out of foreclosure and financial nightmares seems like such a huge task, but then I start reading other people's blogs and finding that they are doing it - people can do this. It can be done! And if they can, so can I!

So, one of the things I am doing in the morning is sitting down and reading those blogs on the right, and from them finding other blogs I like. That list is not just a list I am throwing on here, those are people I read every day. I plan on keeping it updated, (which will mean adding and deleting,) with blogs that make me think and keep me going.

Last night I took another bike ride. I am getting stronger and better at it, though to be honest, I am still a bit wobbly. The seat is still a bit uncomfortable, but I think I am starting to get used to it. At least five or six friends have suggested I buy a new gel filled seat for it which could be purchased for about $20. It's a good idea - but one I don't want to do. The whole point of what I am doing right now is to save money. I could get a new seat or better yet, a new set of peddles (because my feet keep slipping off) but my goal is to save as much money as I can to put it towards paying my mortgage. Perhaps later, once I am getting regular use out of my $7 bike and I know for sure it is something I will use all the time, I'll think about adding some parts. But for now, I'm going to just try and toughen up.

I turned in all my change yesterday. I have a change jar sitting on my desk and I went to move it to get at the things underneath and was surprised how heavy it was! Since I am trying to 1) make money and 2) eliminate weighty objects before I move, I decided it was time to turn in the coins. Total amount was $13.24. Change is tricky though - it is hard to count that as income, since unless I find the coins laying on the ground they are hardly "Passive Income." It is all my money - just smaller pieces of it. I am going to count what I got last night as money for June, because it was money I had forgotten about and did not have on The List. However, on a going forward basis I am going to use them once a month towards groceries - sort of like a heavy, jingling coupon.

Speaking of coupons and groceries - I did great at the store last night!! Almost half of the items I bought were on sale - and the other half I had a coupon for. I didn't buy much though, just a few things I can't get at the Farmer's Market. With my new goal of eating less meat, I'll be trying to spend my grocery dollars there instead of the store. I would much prefer to eat in season, local foods than stuff from the supermarket! I will say this, being broke is great for my shopping habits. I had absolutely NO desire to shop or buy off the list. I got what I needed and walked out - with bicycle grease on my jeans and a smile on my face.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with you about finding inspiration in other blogs. I often find the motivation I need from reading other sites as well. I hope that I can help motivate you to continue on with your goals and your site.

As far as the bicycle parts go - If you are committed to riding it often, you may want to invest a little more $$$ into it just for safety concerns.

Dawn said...

You certainly do! I have on my list of "things to write about" the budget I just worked up, using yours as an inspiration!

I agree with you on parts, but only if I feel I am getting real use out of it. I want to make sure that the bike is really a regular part of my life first. I mean, how many times have I had goals to exercise every week that have fallen flat?? (Answer: a lot!) So, my thought is that if this goal takes off and I am riding several times a week, then the first thing I do is get new beefier peddles. My "seat" can wait.