January Wrap Up

I posted at the beginning of the month my goals for January which would set the tone for 2010. The first two weeks went fine. Then my office move happend and in the past two weeks I have worked about 100 hours. Moving on.


Financial (Budget vs Actual)

• Income $4160.90 - $4121.11


• Bills $2092.20 - $2075.12


• Loan Payments $835.43 - $735.94 (no Porsche payment)


• Credit Card Payments $600.08 - $285.24 (two emergencies but did pay off one card)


• Groceries $250 - $362.17


• Gas $280 - $264.50 (pretty good for not carpooling and me having to fill up more often due to more miles driven to and from work)


• Mad Money $813 ($63 coffee) - $1221.93 (coffee $71.82) (due to emergency vet visit and new laptop purchase)


• Savings $300 - ($429) (yes that is a negative number due to vet visit and new laptop purchase)

Health Budget vs Actual

• Walk 5 times - 3 (illness and conflicting schedule which I rarely let happen)


• Wii fit 8 times - 1


• 30 Day Shred 4 times - 1


• Water 8 glasses a day - did not track


• Fruits & Veggies 5 servings a day - did not track

Personal Budget vs Actual

• Go through closet - nope


• Go through bags lined up in bedroom - nope


• Plan DVD storage - nope


• Plan mantle & hearth - nope


• Baseboard molding in living room - nope


• Make one item for Steampunk wardrobe - yep

So clearly I have not met a lot of my other goals this month. Wow, can't believe how quickly the days go by! I am going to actually write my goals down on my calendar in the kitchen so I can be accountable.

We did have some "emergencies" this month that were unexpected and we did not have the savings to cover all of. The vet visit for the dog we took out of savings. The laptop purchase went on a credit card and we are paying that off with our tax return.

February goals to come tomorrow!

Polyvore

For all you creative types out there I have re discovered a fun way to create colages for fashion and decorating. Click on over to Polyvore and create something of your own (please note the photo below is not my own creation).

The great thing about Polyvore is you can be directed to sites for the items in the photos and buy them yourselves. Don't you hate it when you see something on TV or in a movie or in a magazine and want to know where to get it and can't find it? It's also a great way to discover new products and designers. I love the boots in the photo above and now know where to get them. They are not available at the moment but I will keep looking!

I have been surfing the net in the wee hours of the morning trying to find inspiration for a Steampunk outfit for myself. Tomorrow is the second of two photo shoots with my Steampunk group the Seattle Steamrats. I had intended to make an outfit but I ran out of time due to lots of hours at work in the last two weeks and other factors.

I honestly want to participate and am determined to go out today in search of a few acoutrements to get a passable outfit by tomorrow. I might have to borrow my husbands Rocketeer style leather jacket. If need be I have pants and shoes that can be worn "in a pinch" so its really all about the acoutrements.

The hubs went to the Goodwill a few weeks ago and found this GRAT lamp part that I want incorporated in to a raygun. Wish me luck!

One Credit Card Down

Just a quick post - paid off credit card number one today. I will update my budget and monthly spending this weekend.

Overwhelm

Apparently I am unhappy - according to my husband.

Today I worked at my J.O.B. for 12 hours. I am a salaried employee so that pretty much means the more I work, the less per hour I make. I am completely swamped and there seems to be no end in sight. My quality of life in the last two weeks has diminished. I wake up, eat, shower, drive to work, work 9 to 11 hours, drive home, eat, sleep. I am a really exciting and fun person to be around right now.

Problem is, I have thrown all my resolutions out the window by just trying to get through the day. I am exhausted. I am cranky. I am miserable.

I am frustrated because I have been trying to sew a Steampunk outfit for a Calender shoot this Sunday. Folks, its just not gonna happen.

Now, I can sew and sew well. I have make ski jackets and formal dresses. Problem is I am lumpy and sewing for a lumpy body requires alterations of patterns and garments. I just don't have that kind of time and am so tired my eyes burn.

Something has got to give. I need to put myself first. I need to say no to the Calendar shoot even though it is going dissappoint people. I am desperately looking for a way to find balance. I need to learn to say "no".

My thoughts are jumbled and rambling but I just needed to put something down on virtual paper. Maybe things will look better in the morning - at oh dark thirty!

New Steampunk Blog

A fellow blogger the hubs and I follow has started a new blog called Steampunk Genereation. Run over and check him out!

New Laptop

Our new laptop arrived today. Three days early I might add. I takes a little getting used to typing on a smaller keyboard as well as Windows 7. Right now I have it sitting on our comuter shelf and keep pulling out the keyboard to our PC expecting that to work on the laptop. HeHe

I'm glad my husband ordered one with a ten key. Working in accounting I would be lost without that. A couple weeks ago I had a work laptop to use while I worked from home for two days and it did not have a ten key - AGONY!

So, I am back online at home and will be back to normal posting soon. I have some sewing to accomplish by the end of Saturday for a photo shoot Sunday.

We accidentally ordered the incorrect router so we are hooked up via an ethernet cable at the moment. I can't wait to be wireless and have my dining room back! It will take a while because we have to get our PC fixed so the kids can use it to get online. They will not be allowed to use our laptop because one of them surfed where they were not supposed to and adquired a worm.

We Interrupt This Blog....

Just a quick note to let you know my computer crashed and I am without internet for some reason until I can get that corrected.

We have ordered a new computer which was budgeted for this month and will receive it in the next couple of weeks. Until then blogging will be limited.