
January: it’s about the small things.
What I did in January.
It’s easy to make New Years resolutions and then promptly forget about them. Everyone is gung ho about going to the gym on January 1 but come January 31 it’s all Netflix and excuses. Or maybe that’s just me. Personally, despite every good intention I may have had, I lost about 1 pound in January. I tried cutting down on calories but instead I ate way too much chocolate. As usual. And I thought about buying a Groupon for some fitness classes but then a nasty cold had me doing nothing but taking DayQuil and passing out. And I thought about joining a gym but didn’t want to commit to anything because I didn’t know where in the city I’d be moving.
Excuses, I know. But, it is what it is.
I did, however, make strides towards some of my goals for the year. I haven’t bitten my nails since before Christmas. During the week I’ve mostly used the Keurig machine at work instead of stopping at Starbucks on the way. And I’ve been keeping a spreadsheet and writing down every cent I’ve been spending to try to try to not overspend.
Oh, and I found an apartment.
I signed a lease and move into my own place in March. The building is a little bleak, but the apartment itself, while older than I’d like, is cute. It was one of those things where I just felt happy being inside. Like I could live there. Which doesn’t happen often with me. So I submitted an application right away. The apartment is in an pretty amazing location, which sealed the deal. It’s surrounded by good bars, restaurants (including the new location of Taco in a Bag which my friends are opening soon!), places where I can take guitar or cooking lessons, and a movie theater. It’s also two blocks from a gym that offers yoga and spinning and zumba. So, I guess, come March, I will have no more excuses.
Except that my gym shoes are buried in a box in storage somewhere.
Honestly though I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Since getting home in October I’ve had little energy. I come home from work and want to do nothing but lay in bed watching Netflix and Hulu. This feeling of being in limbo, unsettled, in transition, has been hard. And I didn’t realize how hard it had been for me until I actually signed a lease.
Soon I’ll have a place of my own and, hopefully, start feeling whole again.
It’s about the small things.
Here are a few more things I got up to in January…
I went to The Art Institute’s Modern Wing for the first time. And laughed at penises. Because…wait…please tell me I’m not the only one…
I played Cards Against Humanity for the first time. And probably played the best hand i will ever play.
I tried the new flat white at Starbucks (on a weekend, of course) and was super excited because no one in the US ever has them on the menu.
I won a prize from McDonalds on Twitter for no reason at all. (Seriously, they just randomly tweeted me and then sent me $200 in gift certificates and some other swag! I NEVER WIN ANYTHING!)
I got a hair cut.
I celebrated my 34th birthday.
I saw Tosca at the place I work. Spoiler: everyone dies.
Lucie
February 1, 2015at11:07 amHey!
I didn’t take any resolutions, so there’s that!
I assure you I’m not working for them, but I just *LOVE* Mint for my finances. You link your bank accounts, credit cards, investments, etc. and the website calculates everything for you. You can create your own categories (I’m using the Canadian version, but I bet the US version has the same feature).
Anyways, since I started tracking my spending and seeing where my money goes, I’ve been paying more attention to my spending so I can use my money for experiences rather than things. Oh, and I save much more now than 2 years ago when I started using Mint!
You can try it, it’s free! 🙂 http://www.mint.com (US version)
Val Bromann
February 3, 2015at8:23 pmI actually used to have a Mint account. I still get monthly reminders that tell me nothing because all the accounts linked to it have been since closed 🙂 I should pick that up again. Thanks!!
Krista
February 1, 2015at11:38 amomg spoiler Tasca everyone dies…dying
Val Bromann
February 3, 2015at8:28 pm🙂