with my list of 30 Things:
- Put the money that I was using to pay off debt into savings for a down payment on some sort of house, townhouse, or condo. Yes! As hard as I am on myself for buying non-essentials (and I buy a lot of them), I am meeting this goal.
- Learn about real estate and home buying through the Utah State Extension classes. Soon. At the halfway mark for savings, I will start online learning.
- Stop buying non-essentials (ready-made clothes, really expensive fabric, shoes, magazines, etc.) for three months (months TBD)
I think that May and June will be the months…I’m cutting it back to 2 months with the option to extend it to 3 if I can get back into the frugal habit. I’m also starting after I get my tax return, which is so getting spent. - Buy that Eames desk chair. I’ll use the money I’ll be saving from not buying any non-essentials.
- Buy that damn garbage can already
- Buy a living room chair–armless, small-ish, but comfy. This will help with seating to accomplish #22. Done!
- Sew new pillow covers for the living room. Done!
- Buy a vacuum. As soon as I get my tax return.
- Refresh my yoga skills and then…
- Start doing yoga once or twice a week. May is the month for yoga.
- Get recycling at the apartment. I haven’t had it for three years and I’m tired of feeling guilty every time I throw away some junk mail.
- Similarly, bring in some actual flatware for the breakroom at work to cut down on waste
- November-March, walk or ride to work at least twice a month. April-September, up it to at least four times a month. Resounding FAIL on November to March walking. I will try to ride at least once in April with my craft friend and bike buddy Kara, who fortunately works across the street from me.
- Eat at one new restaurant a month–any meal, but it has to be somewhere I haven’t been before. Yes! Between Vegas and fun work lunches, I’m doing well. I highly recommend Diego’s in the MGM Grand and J. Wong’s Asian Bistro on 300 South.
- Eat at Red Iguana
- Go to Bonneville Speed Week
- Go to a roller derby game
- Stop biting my fingernails (I mean it this year). Really, how hard should this be? Still not happening, though.
- Wear more colors of lipstick than “pink” and “darker pink.” Not only have I not been wearing new colors, I’ve pretty much stopped re-applying it after all the morning coffee.
- Find a perfume I want to wear regularly. Samples of some classic Guerlain and a new Chanel scent are on their way!
- Stock and maintain a home bar and keep it stocked. No drinking it up and not replacing it. TAX RETURN = BOOZE. Hooray!
- Have more people over to the apartment–not huge parties, but a few people for dinner, or drinks before a restaurant, etc. Yes! Between a wine class (see below) and THREE SEPARATE ATTEMPTS to see SHerlock Holmes, Toby has had lots of visitors.
- Learn more about wine. I learned about value wines of Italy in January. I really want to take one of the classes on French wine.
- Learn and retain the difference between whisk(e)y, bourbon, and scotch
- Learn and retain the difference between brandy and cognac
- Get my eyes checked again, update my prescription, and start wearing glasses in front of the computer.
- Find a dermatologist to look at a couple of moles, if only so I can stop worrying about skin cancer
- Learn how to can fruits, veggies, or jam
- Get a better camera
- Go to Moab and/or Zion