I'm going to write something oh so original I'm going to write about new years resolutions. I'm awful at resolutions, I usually have a zillion but this year I swore to keep it simple so I can keep them. Good new I lost 15 pounds last year with effort and will power so that one is off my list which feels wonderful. (I guess that is only good news for me no one else would care. Then again I think I'm the only one who reads this darn thing.) I have made two seemingly contradictory resolutions.
1- Enjoy myself more/ be more social
2- Stick to my budget and seriously reduce my debt. I would like to eliminate a 4th of my debt this year and it is well within reach. (Note: MY debt never mind my law student husbands debt I purposely do not think about that.)
So there you have it have more fun and spend less money! Those too will definitely go hand in hand. Right?
They can complement each other more than it may seem. I am budgeting for fun so the money will be there, I will be more fun because I'll be less stressed. At least that is what I am telling myself. Sadly, the fun one will take more effort than the money one.
I had a crappy two years in OKville. It wasn't that I was far away from friends and family. It was my situation that isolated me. My hubby and I were fighting to break away from something that pretty much everyone else seemed to adored (or worship, it felt a whole lot like worship.) I was able to find an amazing couple who were wonderful in understanding our troubles but mostly we felt lost. Even the smallest criticism was judged beyond belief.
This is relevant right now because it is the reason I didn't make friends. I tried. I joined book clubs, took classes, but I found myself unwilling and unable to open up. I lied about where I grew up, what my husband did for work and tried to avoid mentioning I was married so that his plight wouldn't come up at all. So yeah the whole thing (or how I was coping with it) just was not conducive to new relationships so I adjusted. I became very good at entertaining myself. At first I was lonely but eventually I stopped noticing at all. Once I moved back to New England I assumed I would jump right back into the social world.
As it turned out I don't notice being alone anymore. Entertaining myself is so natural now that it doesn't ever occur to me to call, text, message or visit people. I want to see them, I really, really do but it does not occur to me that I should invite them somewhere. I can find so much to do on my own that I am perfectly fine to just do that. It's like I forgot I have the option of hanging out with friends. Still sometimes it would be nice to talk to someone other than my husband or a four year old, and it is a little lonely. So this year a vow to actually make plans with my friends and maintain relationships. I never thought I would forget how to do that.
Money management is something I've gotten worse at over the years but I'd still say it is a strong point. That being said, money management seems impossible when you are living pay check to pay check. Now that that is not the case for me it's time to start doing what I rock at,budgeting, saving and paying down debt. That is another thing my situation made me forget how to do. Only that time the situation was college. This is what I will be working on this year. I'm pretty excited about it!
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