Trying a new approach to life this year. Starting this month, I'm trying to stay ahead of the curve. I sat down, filled out a detailed budget of all our bills. I'm keeping a running total of every dollar we spend, and where it's going. So far so good. We have a lot of extras to pay this month, so I will have to be really careful and make sure we don't overspend our resources. I'm hoping that by doing this, and seeing where everything is going, we'll be able to start putting some money away towards vacation this summer. Plus, when I start school in April, I know our expenses will go up. So it's crunch time. Figure out how to live within our means by figuring out where our money is going. I want to finish school with as little debt as possible, so it's going to be critical that we watch our spending and stick to a strict budget.
I'm also going to spend this year trying to take better care of myself. Walk more, eat better, stress less. My goal is to walk my son to and / or from school every day. We're switching to a more vegetarian diet for my husband's gout issues, and I'm doing my best to be supportive. Not only is eating vegetarian healthier, it's cheaper too. So is walking. I'm focusing on that to help push myself to keep making healthy choices. If we're not spending money on gas and meat, we have more to spend on other things. I'm hoping that by next month, I'll have trimmed enough excess from our budget to afford to put the kids back into martial arts.
I'm focusing on small goals to feed the big. Spent today paying bills, keeping track, figuring out when money is going out, and how much we have leftover after figuring in all the bills. It's not as big of a number as I would like to see, but this month I paid my advanced tuition deposit for school. Keeping positive, I know that if we focus, and pay attention, we can stick within our goals and do well.
In other news, my husband starts a new med today. It's supposed to help reduce his Uric acid levels and help prevent his gout flares. I'm really hoping it works. It's a fairly new medication, no generic, so it's expensive, but it gives us hope. For the last couple years, he's just been suffering through the gout, because the medication that they usually prescribe almost killed him. He's deathly allergic to it. Of course, we're terrified any time he takes a new medication now. Stevens Johnson syndrome is a scary thing, something we NEVER want to repeat. So we spend the next couple weeks watching him very carefully. Keeping our fingers crossed that he doesn't develop a rash or any other nasty reactions. But if we can get through that, and it works, it will make our lives so much better. It's been a rocky couple years, and he really deserves a break from the pain. Not to mention, that being able to walk, and move without hurting will make it much easier for him to lose the weight that has been building up. He's got 200 lbs to go, a long way, but he's started the process. Now we just have to keep the momentum going.
So here's to 2012. A year of new beginnings, better choices, and a brighter future.
I'm also going to spend this year trying to take better care of myself. Walk more, eat better, stress less. My goal is to walk my son to and / or from school every day. We're switching to a more vegetarian diet for my husband's gout issues, and I'm doing my best to be supportive. Not only is eating vegetarian healthier, it's cheaper too. So is walking. I'm focusing on that to help push myself to keep making healthy choices. If we're not spending money on gas and meat, we have more to spend on other things. I'm hoping that by next month, I'll have trimmed enough excess from our budget to afford to put the kids back into martial arts.
I'm focusing on small goals to feed the big. Spent today paying bills, keeping track, figuring out when money is going out, and how much we have leftover after figuring in all the bills. It's not as big of a number as I would like to see, but this month I paid my advanced tuition deposit for school. Keeping positive, I know that if we focus, and pay attention, we can stick within our goals and do well.
In other news, my husband starts a new med today. It's supposed to help reduce his Uric acid levels and help prevent his gout flares. I'm really hoping it works. It's a fairly new medication, no generic, so it's expensive, but it gives us hope. For the last couple years, he's just been suffering through the gout, because the medication that they usually prescribe almost killed him. He's deathly allergic to it. Of course, we're terrified any time he takes a new medication now. Stevens Johnson syndrome is a scary thing, something we NEVER want to repeat. So we spend the next couple weeks watching him very carefully. Keeping our fingers crossed that he doesn't develop a rash or any other nasty reactions. But if we can get through that, and it works, it will make our lives so much better. It's been a rocky couple years, and he really deserves a break from the pain. Not to mention, that being able to walk, and move without hurting will make it much easier for him to lose the weight that has been building up. He's got 200 lbs to go, a long way, but he's started the process. Now we just have to keep the momentum going.
So here's to 2012. A year of new beginnings, better choices, and a brighter future.
snakeplissken:
My cheapo suggestion is soup, soup, and more soup. Tons of veggie options, plus it's filling. And the large amount of liquid makes it a good weight loss choice.