A Little Early..

So as I sit here (at work, shhhh) trying to figure out why my car payment didn't process, I realize that I hate auto pay..

Supposedly the account I used, which I've been using since I got this loan, is closed.. And since I know it's not, and they don't seem to want to admit fault (gasp!), now my car payment is considered late, and I'm the extra APR fees on the extra amount.. Grr.. I hate that my APR is calculated daily (so I've been told by the Capital One people)..

Most people SWEAR by Auto Pay for your bills.. I am here to tell you that a person with ANY kind of memory issues (I have ADD, and have an out of site/out of mind issue with money) should NOT have Auto Pay set up.. It just costs you more in bounce fees, honestly.. Which I barely have enough money to pay my bills, let alone pay the bank money.. lol

This time of year usually brings up people's goals (or that dirty word RESOLUTIONS), and I am usually one to MAKE goals, but not generally stick to them.. Something always happens, usually my own fault of course, and I get derailed and never get back on track.. Yep, that's me!  I can laugh at this because I know how I am, but in all reality I know I can't keep doing this, as I really do want to get out of debt..  So, here are some of my goals for the next 13 months..

My goals for 2015 (and December 2014) are as follows (as of 11/27/14):
** Stick to 90% of my goals (bc we all know shit happens)..
** Find one new way to earn money every month..
** Put as much money as possible towards Emergency Fund..
** Pay off Ivy Tech bill with tax return..
** Enroll in ASL program at UofL..
** Get down to my goal weight of 175 lbs..
** Pay off as many collections accounts as possible..
** HAVE FUN!!

That's just a few of them, and they have a wide variety of categories.. While I will work a lot at money stuff, I will also make time for crafting, having fun, and furthering my education..  This should be a great year, if I can just stick with all my plans/goals..

So, go enjoy your turkey and stuffing, and all that fun stuff, and try to have a good time with whoever you get to spend your day/night with..  Happy Thanksgiving!!

Changes Are Coming.. Again..

Lol.. So, I've been MIA for a while.. I hate to say that I haven't been inspired to write, as I have, but it's been difficult to find the time to do it.. Well, things are about to change..

New Layout

New Colors

New Title

New Feel to the Content

I look forward to starting this new part of my journey with you all.. Now, to go do some research for some posts that will start back up on 12/1/14..

So keep an eye out, okay?!  :)

Payday Thursday..

This is something new I'm hoping to keep going on my blog.. Basically to keep me accountable, and to show others how they can save money while I try to do the same..  And I will make mistakes, because I know I am a shopaholic (even if it is with coupons).. But I'm willing to work my booty off to save more money and get myself out of debt..

So, to put it all out there, I made a page of all my debt I owe, and then I will post a monthly tally up with what I have saved towards what..  I plan to use the Envelope System to save towards the bigger ones, because I've gotten burned by paying payments, then the bill gets sold to another company but doesn't reflect my payments..  And the list does include my car payment, my credit card payment and my student loan bill (which will thankfully be put in deferment now that I'm enrolled in school again)..

My budget for May:

• Rent (for next month)-- $550
• Phone Payment-- $100 (PAID)
• Electric Bill-- $200
• Credit Card-- $150 (PAID)
• Internet-- $25 (PAID)
• Car Payment-- $236
• Gas-- $200
• Disney payments-- $100 (PAID)
• Holiday & Garden-- $100
• Food-- $100

Total Bills: $ 1761/month or $880.50/paycheck

This budget is for the bare minimum of my bills.. For the month of May and June, my goal is to save for my vacations that are in June and July.. Any savings will go towards them and making sure bills get paid while I'm gone..  Yes, I will plan to save my change still.. Yes, I will put any extra towards my excess bills.. But the next two months are going to be about having fun, because after that, I will be working a lot and going to school full time.. So until then, if it's not in my budget, it's not getting bought.. :)

MAY IS A NO SPEND MONTH!!

#Whole30 Weekly Recap: Week 1

Well, today is DAY 7 of my #Whole30 experience.. I don't want to call it a diet, because it's more than that..

It is a life changing experience.. Before starting #Whole30 on 5/1, I was back to my "old ways" of eating.. I would eat lots of carbs and little or no good protein.. I ate waffles for breakfast (when I actually ate breakfast, which is a no-no), I'd eat carb-loaded foods for lunch (yeah there might be fruit or cheese in there too, but it was still carb-loaded), and dinner would be Doritos or pizza (or some other not healthy food).. I would also snack all day on Cheese-It's or some other boxed food..  It was getting out of hand when I bought 3 boxes of Cheese-It's and 2 were gone in 2 days (and the other one I didn't like, or it would have been gone too I'm sure)..

While I hadn't gained any weight back (I have been hovering at the 195-197 mark for the past 8 months), I surely wasn't losing any weight, and I knew I wasn't at where I wanted to be for my "goal"..  And while I didn't go into this with the intent to lose weight, I know it will happen..  Cleansing my system of all the processed crap has already helped me lose some inches, and pounds (because I'm a rule breaker and weigh in every now and then)..

 

In the past 7 days I've learned:

* That you can eat "clean" and still feel satisfied..
* That the processed crap, while yummy, really doesn't satisfy your body..
* That I can do anything I put my mind to..
* That "giving up" sugar and carbs isn't really that hard..
* That sugar cravings are a bitch, but they do go away..
* That 90% chocolate bars are F@&!ing nasty..
* That I truly don't miss chocolate like I thought I would..
* That I do miss yogurt and sour cream like I thought I would..

While this past week has been nuts, as the image below is TOTALLY TRUE, I think this is an awesome change and while I do NOT plan to go more than 30 days (who in the world really thinks I can do this while in Disney for a week?!?! or that I would WANT TO), I will probably revisit this a couple times a year..  HOWEVER, I do plan to keep up with the healthy eating as much as I can and will introduce other foods (such as dairy products) after doing this, but more about that when the time comes..

If you happen to follow me on Instagram, you'll be able to see more of what I eat and other random things on a daily basis.. It's fun, and I'm addicted to it.. lol.. So come follow me!!  :)

Changing Things Up..

So I've noticed in the past couple months, I've gotten WAY too friendly with carbs.. I love them, but they don't love me back, as shown by my stall for the past 6 months..

I was thinking about doing an Atkins style  'diet' to get away from the carbs.. And then I saw something on Instagram about something called #whole30.. After doing my research, I have decided that this sounds like a good idea for me.. 

With the #whole30, you go WITHOUT the following things in your diet: 

* no sugars, real or artificial (except a small amount of fruit juice as a sweetener)

* no alcohol

* no grains

* no beans (except green beans, sugar snap peas or snow peas)

* no soy (which is in A LOT of things, surprisingly)

* no dairy (except clarified butter or ghee)

* no white potatoes

* no MSG, sulfites, or carrageenan

* no 'Paleo-ifying' baked goods, desserts or junk foods

AND no weighing in or doing measurements during the whole 30 days.. Which I've already screwed up.. Lol.. But won't do it again..

What you CAN have: 

* fresh meats 

* fish (canned or fresh)

* fruits

* veggies

* coconut oil and aminos

* eggs

* some nuts and seeds

This 'diet' is something I started on the 1st and will finish the week before I leave for Disney.. This month will be an interesting one, as I'm only 3 days in and I'd kill for a candy bar right now.. But I've been told it goes away.. I plan to do weekly recaps on here, and daily ones on Instagram, so check back..

Talk to ya soon!! :)

Hello May!!!

Wow, where has the last 4 months gone?!?! I can't believe that it's already May.. This month holds a lot for me:

* been 18 months since my VSG surgery..

* started #whole30 on the 1st..

* getting my blog streamlined..

* I'm 6 months away from being 'in my 30s', instead of being 30..

* working on my spending/saving issues..

Just to name a few.. Lol

My goal is to update a couple days a week on non-weight loss stuff (aka money stuff, crafty stuff, ADD stuff, gardening stuff) and then blog randomly about my weight loss and surgery..

So here's to a fresh start.. And hopefully a good one.. I'm getting pretty good at Instagram, so come follow me at @fabchallenge.. :)

Changes Are Coming..

I've been mulling over some changes for a while.. And while I haven't absolutely decided on all of them, I do know that I will be getting more focused on my entries.. There will be entries about random life happenings, but for the most part, the blog will be focusing on some of the following: 

* Crafting/Pinterest projects

* Learning how to save money

* How to make it on a single girl's salary in a small city

The last one is important to me.. Mainly because all the 'single girl' blogs I've seen are of girls in LA or NYC, etc.. I live in Southern Indiana.. The closest I live to a big city is 30 minutes, and that's just Louisville, Kentucky.. Lol

Everything I read is about how to budget on a single income with a family.. I don't need to know how to buy groceries for under $50/week, I need to know how to buy groceries for under $50/month (you get my drift, right?!)!

It is my hope to help others, as I'm helping myself.. But to do that, I plan to do my research before I even start blogging about this.. Because right now, I'm sure no one would take my advice on saving money, as I'm stupid when it comes to saving money.. So, as of right now, I am planning to start this new 'road' on the 1st of May.. 

I'm going to figure out how to put together a budget.. I'm going to figure out how to get my grocery budget down as much as possible (while still keeping it healthy).. And try to keep it interesting at the same time.. 

So, see ya on May 1st..