2010 sucked.
Okay, wait, let's be honest here, it blew massive chunks.
That's why 2011 HAS to be good. I mean, the good deity up in the sky wouldn't punish us for two years in a row, right?
To sum up 2011, a lot of people died (and yes, I'm including my Father-in-Law and Grandmother from 2009, but who's really counting?). And we're still grieving for their losses. Some we will never fully recover from, but their lives allow us to reexamine our own and see what we need to learn.
For me, the main thing I needed to learn was budgeting. I mean, really budgeting.
I'm already a saver. A lot of people I know call me cheap, but I'm just really interested in deals. If I get a great deal (i.e. $300 worth of clothes for a baby shower for under $60), trust me, I make phone calls and inform the world.
But I'm also starting to notice how bad my spending habits are. I freak out if Sweetie or I spend full price for clothing, but will buy crap that I "might need" at the grocery store cuz it's on clearance. Case in point, I bought cinnamon chips to go with chocolate chips in cookies. Mind you, I never EVER bake. I really suck at it. And I hate it. But, they were new and cool and I decided I had to have them. Well, buying them led me to realize I didn't have enough brown sugar or chocolate chips to adequately make them. So Sweetie ran to the store to buy me some more. In essence, my under $2 good idea for something fun turned into $10 of food that I really didn't need to be eating (as I'm trying to eat healthier this year).
I know I need to break myself of the habit, but it's hard. I really will buy a $15 item for $5 even if I don't need it! And then I'll call my mom or my grandma and tell in detail about the great deal I got.
The other part that's made it really hard is that at work, I eat before I go on lunch. Which means on my lunch break, I have nothing to do. So what better to do than shop, right? I used to work across the street from the mall and I'd walk there every day. It was good exercise and I didn't always buy something, but I knew when all the sales were and would wait for things to go on clearance before I'd buy them. I tried on clothes I didn't need just for the fun of it and got ridiculous prices on baby clothes when Carter's had sales (and I had coupons) for the myriads of people I knew having babies.
So now, I have no idea when the sales are and if you can believe it, my wardrobe has actually suffered.
But the point is, in this day and age, you need to know how to budget, or else you'll never save any money. Which is how people have no ability to retire, go on vacation, etc. anymore. People were never taught to save. From the second I knew what money was, my parents insisted that it go in the bank. I don't know how to use checks that people lovingly bestow upon me for my birthday. They go in the bank.
So my goals (cuz I don't make resolutions) for 2011 are as such:
SAVE MONEY
Stop buying things I don't need
Buy things I do need and try not to hemorrhage at the price of things
Eat healthier
Exercise more often
SAVE MONEY
If I put it at the beginning and at the end, I feel like I'll do it all year.
What are your goals for 2011?
Okay, wait, let's be honest here, it blew massive chunks.
That's why 2011 HAS to be good. I mean, the good deity up in the sky wouldn't punish us for two years in a row, right?
To sum up 2011, a lot of people died (and yes, I'm including my Father-in-Law and Grandmother from 2009, but who's really counting?). And we're still grieving for their losses. Some we will never fully recover from, but their lives allow us to reexamine our own and see what we need to learn.
For me, the main thing I needed to learn was budgeting. I mean, really budgeting.
I'm already a saver. A lot of people I know call me cheap, but I'm just really interested in deals. If I get a great deal (i.e. $300 worth of clothes for a baby shower for under $60), trust me, I make phone calls and inform the world.
But I'm also starting to notice how bad my spending habits are. I freak out if Sweetie or I spend full price for clothing, but will buy crap that I "might need" at the grocery store cuz it's on clearance. Case in point, I bought cinnamon chips to go with chocolate chips in cookies. Mind you, I never EVER bake. I really suck at it. And I hate it. But, they were new and cool and I decided I had to have them. Well, buying them led me to realize I didn't have enough brown sugar or chocolate chips to adequately make them. So Sweetie ran to the store to buy me some more. In essence, my under $2 good idea for something fun turned into $10 of food that I really didn't need to be eating (as I'm trying to eat healthier this year).
I know I need to break myself of the habit, but it's hard. I really will buy a $15 item for $5 even if I don't need it! And then I'll call my mom or my grandma and tell in detail about the great deal I got.
The other part that's made it really hard is that at work, I eat before I go on lunch. Which means on my lunch break, I have nothing to do. So what better to do than shop, right? I used to work across the street from the mall and I'd walk there every day. It was good exercise and I didn't always buy something, but I knew when all the sales were and would wait for things to go on clearance before I'd buy them. I tried on clothes I didn't need just for the fun of it and got ridiculous prices on baby clothes when Carter's had sales (and I had coupons) for the myriads of people I knew having babies.
So now, I have no idea when the sales are and if you can believe it, my wardrobe has actually suffered.
But the point is, in this day and age, you need to know how to budget, or else you'll never save any money. Which is how people have no ability to retire, go on vacation, etc. anymore. People were never taught to save. From the second I knew what money was, my parents insisted that it go in the bank. I don't know how to use checks that people lovingly bestow upon me for my birthday. They go in the bank.
So my goals (cuz I don't make resolutions) for 2011 are as such:
SAVE MONEY
Stop buying things I don't need
Buy things I do need and try not to hemorrhage at the price of things
Eat healthier
Exercise more often
SAVE MONEY
If I put it at the beginning and at the end, I feel like I'll do it all year.
What are your goals for 2011?
