New Year New You!

This month is one of my favorites. My kids at school settle in after all of the holiday hoopla. We get our routines in place and comfortable and things start humming along. I am going to insert a few new things but most of the structures are in place and it is like magic, they just learn so much. January is a wonderful time to learn.

So, if January is a wonderful time to learn,I've been thinking too, about what it is about resolutions for me that don't work. They should, I am capable and eager for change... I started a post about this, but it was complicated and since no one reads this anyway:), I am going to skip all that. For me, it has to do with making room in my schedule, making it a routine, and keeping the motivation going, especially when time and money get tight.

I want to make changes in my finances, in my weight, and in the way that I run my life, ie organization and housekeeping. I also want to make changes about the way that I think about myself, so I need to figure out a way to make those changes because those things will be positive for me.

So, I have put small things in place that are going to help me meet my goals. For instance, I want to drink more water, so I bought a really huge Starbucks water cup, (on sale after Christmas) and I fill that with water everyday. I made a huge pot of vegetable soup that I packaged in small containers and that will be easy for me to grab for lunches that will be healthy and low calorie. I have blocked out time and space for me to exercise and I bought a new exercise video that suits me and what I like to do (namely dance).

And, for fun, and for a real challenge and because we have so much we need to use up right now, I am instituting a "no money month" for myself. I am not going to spend any money this month. That might seem like a stupid thing to some, but I want to learn about myself and my wants and needs and why I spend money. I know that I spend a lot of money impulsively, so if I take away those impulses, then I can control adding them back into my life and hopefully, use a little bit more sense and understanding because I think spending money quickly and without thought has been a habit of mine for a long time.

So, the rules of no money month are that bills and requirements (gas) have to be paid, and I have 40 bucks for the month for milk and fresh veggies, but that is it. I can spend anything that I have on gift cards (probably enough for one cup of coffee and a movie with my hubby this month)  I already scooted the money that I wanted to save into my savings account. My 40 bucks cash is in my Dave Ramsey planner and we are set to go!

I am going to keep a log of what I want to buy and the reason that I wanted to buy something. I think that will help me to understand then how to solve problems and prevent them.  I am going to be a student of why it is that I want to spend money. I think that will be pretty revealing!

Lesson for today:
Today, I noticed that when I have a problem, or am rushed, I wanted to buy something to solve the problem. (I needed bread for my Sunday School lesson and we didn't seem to have enough at the house)

Have a great first day of this new year!