Strategery!

A couple of strategies for being more thrifty have come up recently that I thought I would devote a post to (in an effort to actually be writing this blog instead of ignoring it the way I ignore my massive debt). 

First is the packed lunch. Somehow I managed most of last week to bring packed lunches from home. This happened because my Most Sainted Mum came down from northern Michigan last weekend and cooked some homemade chicken noodle soup for me. She made so much that I divided it up into pints in mason jars and froze them.  She also brought some gorgeous bacon from a special little shop up North which I used along with some eggs, cheese and frozen bread I found in the back of my fridge to make breakfast sandwiches, which I also froze. 

Each day for lunch I grabbed a sandwich for breakfast and a jar of soup for lunch, along with a helping of the veggies and grapes I'd washed and chopped over the weekend. It was quick, easy, and delicious. It also saved me a ton of money that otherwise would have been wasted eating out. I'm determined to continue with this, so I've been tinkering with using the things in my freezer and root cellar (the cobwebby area under the stairs in the basement where I keep my canned goods) in some sort of menu plan that allows me to make my lunches ahead of time. And those breakfast sandwiches were actually really good at keeping me full until lunch, much better than the toast with avocado that I usually splurge for!

I've also got to plan these meals carefully because I'll be starting the Whole Life Challenge on September 7th, and that will include me giving up sugar and processed foods, along with other things. The planning ahead and preparing ingredients and washing/cutting veggies is going to be integral to my success with this program. 

Another great thing about packing my lunch is that I consider it an exercise in loving myself. The effort I can, and sometimes do put into making myself an aesthetically pleasing, delicious, and nutritious lunch is a little gift when I take my midday break at work. I like to cut out my veggies in shapes (when I have time) and arrange things prettily. Then, when I open the container, I can't help but smile because someone put that much care into preparing something for me to enjoy fleetingly. And it's an added special bonus and good for my self-esteem when that person happens to be myself. 

A couple of days of deliciousness for lunch. And smiles!

Another strategy that I have been working on this week is what I call "clearing my desk". I have a to-do list on a Post-It next to my keyboard with a few things I need to finish both immediately and long term. Last week I started the arduous task of cleaning and de-cluttering my cubicle to make my workdays more professional and productive, and so what I did yesterday and plan on continuing to do is taking some time after five to get rid of extra papers that have piled up during the day, tick off some things from the to-do list like calling to make doctor's appointments or update my blog (lol), and ticking off QC requirements. I also took the time to track all my spending from the weekend in my YNAB software, and revised my pocket calendar so I can always know where I've got to be instead of trying to remember it all. 

Yesterday was a great success and it kinda cascaded down into the rest of my life as well. I took about 30 or 40 minutes after work to post comments in my online classroom, clean up my desk, cross some things off my to-do list, and plan out what I needed to get from the grocery store in order to eat for the rest of the week. Here's what happened as a result:

-Desk is tidy when I came in today.
-Didn't purchase a ton of veggies that would go to waste since I've got 2 dinners out this week and a lunch meeting on Friday.
-Didn't take extra cash out at the grocery store because I took stock of my wallet ahead of time and found a $20 that my mum had given me that I could use for fuel.
-Put gas in my car because the rush at the pump is over at 6:10. 
-Missed the major traffic jams! All of them!
-Cooked myself dinner. Actually cooked it. With food I had in the freezer thanks to my few minutes of planning after work.
-Unloaded my laundry from the car instead of letting it sit there, because I felt good about all the stuff I'd already done.
-Pulled steak out of the freezer for tomorrow night's dinner. Holy Moley! Forethought!
-This is an important one: went upstairs and hung out in my room instead of just watching TV. This also connects to the next strategy I've devised.

Another example of a beautiful way to have lunch. From Me with Love.

I call the next change that I've started making "moving my life home". I've noticed that I spend an asinine amount of time in my office. Part of this is because I take my online classes for my Master's through my computer at work, so I devote a lot of time to homework with my buns in my cubicle chair. I also noticed though that I tend to roll into work between 7:30 and 8:00 AM and spend the first 30 minutes or an hour having breakfast and coffee and generally screwing around. 

That bothers me for several reasons.

1) 2.5 years ago, when I started working here at the lab, I was coming from a minimum wage job managing a gas station/grocery/deli and generally being very hard-working and no-nonsense about performing my duties. (Even though I thought myself a little over-qualified for the job, I still took pride in doing it well and made a point to not take my luck at actually being employed for granted.) I hate that when I started this job, I was confident and proud of my work ethic, but now it has appeared to have deteriorated. I want to go back to being pleased with my work and standing behind my own performance and values.

2) I already eat lunch and sometimes dinner at the lab because of my school schedule, why do I have to have breakfast here too? I haven't had breakfast at home in years. Perhaps part of the reason I feel like I never spend any time at home or that I don't belong there (I'm renting two rooms in a friend's home) is because I only sleep there (and even that's sporadic at best). 

I'm hoping that by getting up in the morning and having breakfast and showering and taking the time to get looking nice for work and greeting the day with preparedness will help me feel more grounded. I worry sometimes that I spend money on things for "home" because I don't feel like I have one. By making my life more home-centric, maybe some of the stress and emptiness that leads me to compulsive book and cooking utensil purchases will be eased. 

I am attempting this too because of a compromise I've had to make. Since CrossFit doesn't feel the way it used to, I've decided to rearrange my life a little. I'm no longer getting up at 5 AM, going to the gym and getting gross, then going immediately to work without time to shower or eat before 8 AM finds me at my desk. The reflex for days I wasn't going to the gym was to sleep in till 7 AM and then roll out of the house in whatever clothes were cleanest and lying on the floor nearest the door. This was not a good system either since I still showed up at work un-showered and unfed. 

Much tidier than usual. I can actually find things!

My compromise is to get up at 6 AM each day and take the time to get ready, eat breakfast, and even make coffee! I have nice coffee at home, and even a lovely ceramic travel cup... but I was always just drinking the swill at the office! 

This morning it worked brilliantly. Bonus benefits:

-Leaving home at 7 means traffic was a breeze.
-I've had time to blog before work.
-I had time to make a sandwich and select a soup from the freezer for lunch.
-I cleaned up the kitchen after cooking so it looks nice for when my roomie wakes up.
-My coffee is delicious.
-I said hello to a nice neighbor who was up taking a walk, which made me smile and feel good.
-I had time to select carefully which items I wanted to carry in my "purse" (actually a tote bag, because I carry ALL THE THINGS usually) and I'm not carrying around stuff I don't need. 



In general, I walked into work today feeling like not only was yesterday a good day, but today will be a great day too... and this week is going to be lovely. 


Tonight the plan is to go home and cook a nice dinner and then prepare for Wednesday and tidy up. It sounds like a very manageable task to me. 

Reeboot: Financial Recovery

I've been AWOL for a while from my blogging endeavors, and I think most readers (if I had some outside of my Mum and coworkers) can probably guess that the financial hemorrhaging continues. My spending freeze failed and as I learned last night when I updated my YNAB account registers and budget for the first time since April, I even spent more than $380 on Amazon last quarter despite my resolution to read the books I already own instead of compulsively buying MORE. 

Compulsively. That is a frightening word. When looking at the data last night though, it really did seem like I might have a problem of some kind. It's almost a reflex to log on and pick off a few items from my extensive Amazon wishlist each day. Yesterday I had to stop myself from pulling the trigger on several different online shopping purchases from Amazon and Rogue, up to and including $60 (A bargain~!) for a 10 foot length of used climbing rope. That sounds like a problem to me!

My significant other, "A", told me for the first time last night that he worries that I have a problem. He is very concerned about me stressing constantly about money and complaining loudly and often about how hard life is... and then receiving that smiling Amazon delivery box a day or two later. 

In a twist of irony that almost makes me sick to my stomach, I am reading one of the books I purchased from Amazon a few months ago when I started this blog. It is entitled Financial Recovery: Developing a Healthy Relationship with Money by Karen McCall. 

The author is talking about finding the deeper reasons one might have a poor relationship with money and working to create a plan to overcome them. I feel like catching up my budgeting software and starting to make a plan for exactly what goals I'm hoping to accomplish (I Googled electric cars this morning, but will likely never be able to afford one) is going to be a really  helpful first step, and I'm hoping that I can get a handle on my compulsive spending habits, especially if they're getting bad enough for my loved ones to say something to me about it. 

A coworker of mine managed to live frugally for a few years after college and has paid off all of her student loan debt, and I have to say that I'm really hoping I too can someday have the kind of relationship with my money where I don't just go tossing it out the window or into the blackness of the internet. I hope I too can pay off this debt and approach the rest of my life with an appreciation for living simply and being fulfilled by other things... not just a collection of books and an empty bank account. 

Strategy of the day: Every time I log onto Amazon and put stuff in my shopping cart, I now have to find the willpower to delete those items and immediately transfer the money I would have spent on them directly into my credit card or savings account. I imagine that will speed their payoff considerably!


Now, according to this book, I need to be keeping a journal to keep track of some of my thoughts and plans and write down the exercises I undertake from each chapter. My very first gut reaction was to go buy a journal on Amazon... but I resisted, and instead I'll be writing my progress here. Wish me luck. 

The Cost of Living Messily

I'm a mess right now. 

I'm recovering from some stupid injuries, struggling to stay on top of school and work, and worst of all, I'm living out of boxes and am too disorganized to find a darned thing. 

I moved into a house with an acquaintance about two months ago and I've been too busy to unpack. The house was already furnished with her things and so most of my stuff is unneeded. I've got boxes on top of boxes tucked into random corners of the house or stuffed forcefully into closets. I can't find anything. I can barely move around in my upstairs bungalow space. 

I'm not much better in my car or my office either. My car still has stuff in it from the move too. I couldn't begin to tell you what's in the trunk. My desk/cubicle looks, and has always looked like a bomb went off in it. 

When I'm too messy to pack a lunch or to find a pair of socks when I need them, I go buy new ones. When I can't find receipts or keep track of my budget, I spend more money than I should. When the tower of books is lopsided, I purchase more. 

I've decided that a major part of getting financially secure is going to be getting organized and de-cluttering my life. This is probably going to be a huge challenge. 

The cube at finals time.

Today I looked Hard at the Debt

Today I took a long hard look at my finances. I cataloged all of my debt and entered it not only into my monthly YNAB software, but also into a spiffy Excel program that helps arrange a debt repayment schedule. 

In the interest of being cheap, the Excel sheet is free, and YNAB offers a free trial, or if you're like me, you'll have found it already handily installed (an old version) on the office computer, and therefore, also free. 



I'm going to level with you now. I'm going to put it all out there on the table. 

I have three credit cards and six student loans.

I pay rent. I pay phone and electric bills. I have no tv and my home computer is so old that it mostly works only as a paperweight. My car is paid off, and I pay the insurance and for the registration. I pay for fuel and a deeply discounted Crossfit membership (it's for physical AND mental health, see here.) I am currently putting myself through a Master's degree and paying for courses and associated field research trips directly out of pocket. I get paid an entry level wage for my work as a laboratory analyst doing microscopy. I buy all my own groceries, and they're usually of the perishable produce variety. 

I have no extra income. I have no one paying bills for me. 

I thought this information should be put out into the world because as I was looking for other, similar blogs about reducing debt and being more thrifty, I didn't see any that were written by people like me.

I have no family to support, no husband, don't live with my parents, and don't have any form of assistance from DHS. My parents are both retired, and live off of Social Security and Disability and I wouldn't ask them for help anyway.

My insights and challenges may not be applicable to those who have to worry about supporting children, and may not seem helpful to those who make less money than I and have more bills to pay.  

I found myself getting discouraged as I read thrifty blogs that discussed extra money coming in from a side-business or having a partner to spit the bills with. I had trouble considering how I'd spend my own money when I would compare my circumstances to financial bloggers who are feeding a family of four and not one. 

That's why I've started writing, to hold myself accountable in the world, and to shine a light out for anyone else who is just starting and can't figure out how to think about the value of a student loan when it's overshadowed by years of imprudent spending. 


So far, the spending hiatus is off to a bumpy start, and my car is starting to make even more distressing noises than usual. I just paid out $1340 for my summer tuition (I think my wallet is lying dead under my desk right now, insides ripped to bloody ribbons) and when I look at my software, spreadsheets, and bank statements I see mighty big numbers:

Debt: $42,361.17

Estimated Interest to be Paid: $8,343.65

ETA at Debt Free Life: August, 2018


Wish me luck. 

Injury is Expensive

Well, I began my spending fast with a real bang. Or perhaps a "BAM" would be more accurate. Fell a few feet onto my neck and subsequent pills prescribed by the doctor have amounted to about $50. The office visit at urgent care was also $55.

The mini fruit tart that I got myself at Holiday Market as an "I'm sorry you're so bad at taking care of yourself" was $4.99 and the pre-made turkey dinner with mashed potatoes and green beans was $6.99.

Cute and sweet, just how I like them!

I feel a little bad about spending too much on dinner last night, but I didn't think I'd be able to stand around the kitchen long enough to cook, and I was right. I ended up laying down most of the evening, getting stiffer by the second and feeling very pitiful. My only consolation is that when I designed my plan to limit my spending, I left food as one of the only areas that I wouldn't cut.

Part of my goal for the new year was to eat good, healthy food. Unfortunately, it's a lot cheaper to buy nasty chemical laden food, which means that my new found economical living has to have an element of flexibility in order to remain healthy. I'll avoid shopping at Whole Foods and Holiday Market most of the time, and hit up Randazzo's instead for my produce, but I refuse to descend to mac and cheese level just to save some money.

If I can avoid injury, I'm hoping the cost of healthcare will be recouped by boosting my immune system and vitality with a whole foods plant based diet. We'll see how that goes.

Anyway, I thought I'd share my "This, Not That" list today. This is a loose guideline for what I'm supposed to be spending on and what I'm not.


This:
-Packed Lunch
-Dinner Parties at Home
-Read MY Books
-Garden/Farm Market/Randazzo's
-Self Trimming
-Strict School Trip to Costa Rica (no extras)
-Watch MY Movies
-Compliments & Phone Calls


Not That:
-Lunches Out
-Dinners Out
-Buy More Books
-Whole Foods/Holiday Market
-Expensive Haircuts
-Sloth Sanctuary
-Emagine Movies
-Gifts for Others



Already, this is harder than it should be. Yesterday I had a reading date with the boy in order to force myself to rest... but I didn't have a book. So I went and got one at Barnes and Noble. Silly me. At least I chose the cheapest paperback I could find that still interested me, and it is turning out to be quite good!

Next weekend I've got a wedding I'm involved in. I'll write in more detail about the financial obligations incorporated with that later. For now I'll go back to nursing my head injuries. 

A Fool's Journey

I have been a fool. For the past several years (I remember the moment as a freshman in college when I signed my life away on a promissory note) I've been accruing large amounts of debt. Each month I dig the hole a little deeper. Each month I hemorrhage more money.

I spend on things like books and exercise equipment. I toss my money at $9 beers and extra miles on my car  and in my gas tank as I commute to three or four different suburbs of Detroit each day.

I don't budget. I impulse shop. I don't plan ahead for car repairs or new eyeglasses, and I take a hit each time fate deals me a lousy hand.


WELL. 


That stops now. You see, I've got big plans for my life, and many of those plans are not going to be possible as long as I'm hauling around massive amounts of debt. As it is, I'm currently putting myself through my Master's, so I'm even more broke than usual and can't make major debt repayment strides as long as my university keeps walking off with whole paychecks at a time. If I ever want to be financially secure enough to go back and grab that PhD (meaning not working a lucrative job), I need to get myself debt free.

I made myself a snowball plan with the few extra pennies I can scrounge each month, and if I keep on track, I can have everything paid off by August 2018. With a big spending freeze, and with finishing school in December, I can probably do it a little quicker. So that's where I'm starting today.


This is day one of a complete spending shut-down, and already I've had to suppress several knee-jerk spending inclinations. In retaliation, I'm going to write on this blog as I go in order to remind myself of my precious goals and hash out ideas for making a go at life without all the usual spending. 

Today I've got a draft due for a manuscript for publication for school. Once this draft is out of the way, I'll be updating regularly to keep myself in line. 

Thus begins a Fool's journey. 

Wish me luck. 

Sorry Friends, I'll be laughably boring for a while.