This morning I had Hebrew class-obviously I’m a little frustrated with my progress, but I’ll study over the winter break and go back with the best damn vowels in the school. Then after my Hebrew rant, I locked myself to the computer and had excel open. Not the internet, not JDate, not even my blog, but an Excel spreadsheet.
I was looking at my expenses for the last half of the year and projecting my expenses for the first half of next year. This assumes that I don’t win the lotto or get a raise. That I don’t find a lump of gold under my bed or at the end of a rainbow. That I don’t become an international tango star or go on to win a few puzzles on Wheel Of Fortune. That I don’t gamble in Vegas or find a million dollar bill in the gutter. Nope, assuming that my take home pay stays steady for the next 6 months, that my ComEd bill stays steady, that my expenses hover in the same range.
How much do I have left each month after regular bills and habits I’m not willing to change?
Not much. Not a whole heck of a lot. True, I could save $60 a month if I quit going to Metropolis. I could save $40 a week if I took my lunch every day. I could consolidate my phone/internet/cell phone somehow. I could give less tzedaka. I could watch fewer movies. I could, I could, I could.
Well, I’ll have to. I’ll have to do some lifestyle trimming so that I can get my savings stable (and growing) and get rid of my credit card debt once and for all. In my fantasy world, I get married in the next couple years. I want to have a clean slate–just my mortgage and student loans. Stellar credit and no consumer debt. That’s my fantasy.
I’ve done it before. It took two years to prepare to buy this joint and I did it. I can get my finances in shape for my fictional, fantasy wedding. And if I don’t get married, I’ll have great solo finances and that is fine too.
Now I’m making tomato soup from scratch. It is my trusty recipe that I got from Gapersblock last fall. It is garlicy and spicey (I add jalapenos for part of the cooking.) THere is no way I’ll be making out with anyone this week, cause I’ll be chowing on so much of this that my sweat will inevitably turn into Eau de Garlique! I mixed things up this time with a little Hysop and scallions instead of leeks. Red onion instead of yellow. We’ll see, I have a nice bowl in front of me.
I’ll think I’ll stop writing, I have soup to eat and (crap) laundry? Apparently the laundry fairy didn’t come when I was at the gym.
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