40 Days of Savings

While I am wrapping up 40 Days of Organizing (you'll see some photographic evidence of that next week) I am going to launch 40 Days of Savings!

Those of you that read my previous blog will remember that I went on a diet and a budget at the same time and it is amazing how related the 2 issues can be.  They are both about planning and control.

So like the concept of 40 Days of Fitness, my hope for 40 Days of Savings is to set some good habits and put away a little money for the holidays and beyond.

Here are some of my goals:

1.  Open a Savings Account:  I know this seems simple, most small children have Savings Accounts, but I don't. If you have a good online Savings account please pass along the info in the comments.

2.  Piggy Bank the Change: I keep my change in a little milk jug on my desk, but inevitably I cave and cash it in when it is like $10.  I am going to leave it untouched for the next 40 Days and cash it in before Thanksgiving for a little extra Christmas cash.

3.Write it all down: On the back of my weekly plan I am tracking my spending.  I set a spending limit for the week based on my plan and track against it, recording my final balance each week.

I don't expect to save a ton of money in only 40 Days, but like the other 40 Day Challenges I hope this one creates healthy habits that I can hang on to.

Single Girl Rules

So I am single.  Really single.  Not in a long term relationship where we don't need to be technically married because we are so awesome together, but truly single. I have lived on my own for 15 years with no one to share the joys and burdens of day-to-day life.  Sometimes this is great and sometimes this is sad, but most of the time it is great.

Here are some general Pros and Cons of single life:

Pro:  No one else is dictating food choices in my apartment.
Con:  Sometimes my food choices are an entire bag of Oreos for dinner.

Pro:  No one is nagging me to do the dishes.
Con:  No one else EVER does the dishes.

Pro:  All the money I have is mine.
Con:  So are ALL the bills.

The three examples above will all be evident here on this blog as things I struggle with:  food, household organization and money.  I realize these are pretty normal struggles for almost everyone, but managing them alone is different.  No one shares the hardship and no one sees the small victories.

I am not whining.  I have whined about being single in the past and it gets me absolutely nowhere.  I am very good at being on my own, but unless you have lived alone for a long period of time it is tough to truly understand what it is like.  So consider this a shout out to all the single girls (and guys) out there that are getting it done, on their own.

Mixin' It Up

This past Sunday I went on a hike.  Outside.  In nature.  I have lived in a  city for 18 years, sure I went to college in Maine, but I have lived in a city for 18 years.  I don't hike.

The idea was inspired by a local newspaper piece about spooky trails to hike in New England (for those of you in MA, we went to Freetown State park in Assonet, it wasn't the least bit spooky) and I put it out there to our regular Girls' Night crowd as an alternate activity (generally our outings involve vodka and good food).

It was a blast!  Now don't go signing me up for any mountain climbs or anything, I almost fell down standing still, but I kept up with my friends (one has actually climbed some mountains and the other has run marathons) and while I was slightly startled by a dog I thought was a deer... I did pretty well.

The moral of this story is, it was a great work out -- lots of steps, some hills and uneven terrain making it a little more challenging than those same # of steps in the city.   It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of laughs.  It didn't feel like a workout, it felt like a fun day out.

I kicked off 40 Days of Fitness over 2 months ago and while the 40 days are long up I have continued with the goal of making each day more active.  Having fun outings like Sunday make that super easy.

How do you combine exercise with fun?  What do you do to avoid workout boredom?  I'd love some tips, please leave a comment.  Thanks!

Working Out the Brain

Meet my challenge for the next 8 weeks!  For the next 8 Thursdays I am stepping out of the gym and into a classroom to read the one big gaping hole in my Russian Literature cannon.  It is going to be a very different kind of work out.

Luckily I am embarking on the journey with my college roommate.  She and I read a lot of the big long scary Russian novels together 20 years ago, so I have faith we can conquer War & Peace.

Here is some sage advice for those of you still in or much closer to the college experience than I:

1.  You will miss going to class some day, enjoy it while it lasts.

2.  Take calculated risks in college, the stakes aren't nearly as high as you think they are.  To this day I kick myself for not taking a studio art class.  I thought it would be hard, I thought I might not get a good grade, I thought I might embarrass myself with my stick figure drawings.  Who cares?  No one.  I'm not saying load your schedule with every random thing you want to try, but don't hesitate to try the few things you think are too silly, because they are not.

3. Your college roommate can be the person who knows you better than almost anyone else.  That will mean a lot in the years that follow.

And so my War & Peace journey begins... "Eh bien, mon prince, Genes et Lucques ne sont plus que des apanages..." Wait, this book starts in French?  Mon Dieu!