New year resolutions...

Who'm I kidding? I don't make these! are you kidding? It's such a big hoax. Do you know that current statistics show that 2/3's of Americans who MAKE resolutions can't keep them past Valentine's day? Why set myself up for failure? LOL

Actually this year, I do want to make a resolution. Just one. Sort of. With a couple different compartments. My #1 resolution is to teach myself to set tiny goals and to teach myself the discipline to keep them.

For example. I really want to get my financial house in order. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a complete schlep. But, being a teenage mom, and having to do things on my own from a very young age means I made mistakes... and some things that should have been important to me earlier in my life (Like my credit rating) just weren't when it was a constant struggle to keep the heat on, and groceries in the fridge. That's life. We move on.

Anyway - onto not being a complete schlep. I pay my rent, my utilities, my telephone, my insurance and my cable bills all on time. There is adequate groceries in the fridge and my hockey playing son doesn't want for much of anything in the way of basic needs being met. And quite frankly he gets a lot of his wants met too. I try not to overindulge him, but sometimes... it's hard. Especially when I think I can afford things for him and feel like he should have them.

I digress. Anyway - there are several things hanging out on my credit report that I really want to get cleaned up. Old old bills from when I was much younger. I mean these things, some of them, are more than 5yrs old. And I haven't done a thing to get them cleaned up. Haven't sent a payment, haven't worked out any kind of arrangement. Nothing. I know I know that makes me a deadbeat.

Lately these things have been hanging an ugly noose around my neck and I hate it. I want to be free and clear and out of the bondage of bad credit. Besides what kind of witness is it if me, having been promised 'every good thing' (2 Corinthinans 9:7-9)can't even buy a newer, decent car because of my history? There are definitely unbelievers out there living a better financial life than I, all because they a.) got a less rocky start than I did, and b.) put sound financial principles to work.

So my goal this year. I'm going to put all my bad ugly stinkin debt into my money management program. Yeah I've been avoiding that for a while. So it can stare me in the face every time I put something into my check book on the computer. I will work diligently to pay it all off. In small increments until I think I can pay off larger amounts. My "Goal" is to take $10 a week and put it towards the debt to pay it off. I know it's not much but I'll throw it at the smaller accounts until they are gone which should be rather quickly and then I can start to tackle the larger ones. My plan might take a couple years, but I am sure that God will honor my efforts, and that I will see increase in the area of my finances and that it'll work out just fine for me, because God loves me, and he doesn't want me a slave to my debt.

Geesh I'm long winded.

Goal #2 is just to change my eating/excersize habits. Well I have no excersize habits, but I'm going to try to change that. Nothing major that I can't keep up with, but walking a little bit more. At least twice a week. Even if it's just a couple blocks. Ok don't look at me like that. I'm not a whale, and I certainly CAN walk. I just don't. I just don't feel healthy, and I'm so rebellious when it comes to the whole 'health' craze. Sooo like tonight, lol I walked from the hockey rink to the corner convenience store to get hot chocolate. Last year's me would have driven over there. So that was two blocks tonight. Last Fri night I walked to my son's friend's house to introduce myself to his mom and give her our contact info so her son could spend the night at our place. Don't LAUGH I normally would have driven. That was 3 blocks each way. So it's not big changes, just changes that hopefully will form into habits, that will get me feeling better about myself and not like such a failure. It could even be meaning doing a load of laundry every day. This way I'm at least up and down the stairs an extra time or two! I don't know... I'll work that out better, but I definitely need to get into shape better that's for sure.

ok this has gone on long enough. I'm sleepy and need to get some sleep. Have a great night all! I'll post my 'financial' progress as I go along.