Preening My Feathers
And no, not because I’m a chicken. Because I got myself back on track this weekend. The pace of life got very crazy when my boss left in mid-March, and I fell out of a lot of good habits I had been trying to cement into my life. Like getting up early and exercising, eating right, getting enough sleep, keeping the finances in shape, and so on. Now that kids’ choir and handbells are over for the summer season, I have more time to plan and think. And this weekend, being a Daddy weekend, gave me the chance to do just that.
First, I sat down and went through all the bills and upcoming expenses to make sure that everything was accounted for. I’m trying to plan for specific paycheck distributions into “protected accounts” that I will use as emergency funds. I may, at this point, be able to do it only once a month, but I want to eventually be able to make these distributions out of every paycheck. I need to fund my IRA, put away money for a replacement car, replenish my emergency fund, and save ahead for the big periodic expenses like the quarterly health insurance payment ($750), the annual homeowner’s insurance premium ($600), the semi-annual car insurance premium ($325), and the two annual property tax payments (city and county, each about $600).
Next, I cleaned out the pantry and took all of the “forbidden foods” to our church’s food pantry. Lots of healthy cereals and other stuff that will hopefully make life easier for someone less fortunate than me. While cleaning out the pantry, I made a list of all my “approved foods” that I needed to stock up on — things like tuna and canned chicken. I also went through the fridge and freezer and noted that I was out of almost everything “good.”
So on Sunday I went shopping. I hate shopping, especially on weekends. Too many people and not enough parking spaces or cashiers. But I needed to get the boys new shoes (again!); I needed new allergen-resistant mattress covers, and I needed to stock the pantry and icebox. I was amazed. Usually, these trips take a whole day, but I managed to get through Sears, Wal-Mart, and Sam’s in less than three hours. And I spent only what I had budgeted — which is a minor miracle! I got it all put away, too. I’ve still got to go to the local supermarket for some items that Sam’s and Wal-Mart didn’t have, but that trip will take less than half an hour, and I will do it on my way home from work tonight.
I’m also going to stop at Home Depot (across from the supermarket) and check the cost of privet or boxwood bushes, so that I can try to make nice with the people next door. (I can spend up to $75, which will stretch the budget, but will, I hope, alleviate a lot of stress.) I still don’t know where the property line is — I’m almost certain it’s smack down the middle of the hedge, but the plat books don’t say, exactly — but I can’t stand being on nasty terms with the neighbour. It’s worth the cost of a few bushes if it stops my blood from boiling every time I look out my window. I think. And when I do find the property line, I will erect a fence right along it, inset one inch into my property, so that they cannot make a fuss about what I do in my yard anymore.
Anyway, the crowning glory of my weekend was this morning, when, after going to bed on time last night, I got up at 5:30 and did my one-hour Callanetics workout for the first time in 6 weeks. I’m going to try to do it twice a day for the next six weeks so that I don’t have to buy a new dress for my brother’s wedding. I have the perfect dress, but it’s two sizes too small. And I think, if I really apply myself, I can get myself down two sizes by June 19.