In the past two weeks I have lost around 2 kilograms.

I have not been doing a whole lot differently, but I believe the warm weather has something to do with it. It is much too hot to eat at work during the day, which stops me nibbling on things I probably shouldn't be!

Lack of a stove or oven is also resulting in most foods being grilled or slow-cooked, which mainly means mexican beans or grilled veges most of the time. Tonight we are having soup.

Spurned on by the difference on the scales, I have also been refraining from snacking, and again the heat makes it difficult to stomach even a share of a slice of cake or a biscuit when having coffees with friends.

Weightloss was one of my new years goals at the start of 2009. I am feeling motivated to keep this up (at the moment ), so I may achieve this goal, even if it is only partially. I am by no means overweight, but I think I could stand to lose a few more kilograms, to be completely comfortable in my own skin.

I set a goal to read a book a month this year. Last year I virtually read no books at all. Magazines, yes, but they are trash! Not literature!

Anyway. So even though I said a book a month, I think I can safely say I am motivated to go to the library two more times this year - so I can cross that off my list as done!

I read three books last month. Chemical Pink, The Messenger & The Girl Most Likely. I just borrowed five more from the library today. I find that I often borrow one or two that I simply can't get into, and therefore don't read. So I figure that the more I borrow, the more chances I have of finding a few I actually like!

T, a friend of mine, and I, have this thing where we try to find really disturbing books, read them, then lend them to the other. Why? I have no idea.

Because we can, possibly? I guess it's like a dare. "I read it the whole way through, now you have to".

So the financial aspect of this post is that I did not BUY any of these books, which is great! I am now going to make it a habit of writing down interesting titles of books I come across (usually in magazines I borrow from friends) and then attempt to find them at the library.

What's a good book you've read lately? What was it about? And what was the authors name?

So, I know I have blogged a few times about this, and I know that I never take any steps to address the problem. As the title suggests, I feel like I am a deer stuck in the bright headlights of an oncoming car; I cannot make a decision to move, and I don't know which way to move either.

I am still at a loss as to what 'path' i choose to take job-wise.

The reason I have begun thinking about this again is because the baker at work looks like he is about to quit. I have been hearing 'rumours' (namely, my boss telling me). And so I have been thinking about things. My boss was telling me how he would have to hire another baker. Things would be exactly the same as before (except that maybe the place might be a bit cleaner!). My colleague T (who is a close friend) is worried she will lose her night shifts if our boss hires someone else, as my colleague is a weird child that likes to start work at midnight. I'm not particularly worried about my place at work; it will not change.

But! I have been thinking, that possibly I could become the other baker. Maybe? I'm not sure. I know I could do it and I know I could learn bread production pretty fast. DF doesn't want me to work night shifts for many reasons - but I know I would not have to do many, as T would absolutely love to have ALL night shifts. So I would probably only have to do 2, or 3 at the most.

This would all involve me becoming an apprentice, instead of a 'hobby chef' which I am now (explanation: an apprentice gets a qualification at the end of the term, which for me would be 18 months, it is normally 4 years. A hobby chef gets a higher rate of pay but no qualification - and is employed under normal circumstances, not under a 'term' or contract). It would see my wage go from $435 for 22 hours a week, to possibly $250 for 38 hours a week. I would still have to work my other job ($270 for 15 hours a week). So I would be working 53 hours a week for $685, instead of currently working 37 hours for $705.

The other direction I could take would be a bachelor of commerce. It would probably also see me decrease my earnings for the next four years (and increase debt ).

I would be doing the course via distance, so I would still be able to work. I would probably do part time for 6 months, save up some money, then do full time for 6 months, etc etc. NO, I am not going to an on campus university. I can't even begin to explain why I don't want to. And YES I know about the workload and difficulty of an online course.

Anyway.

So I guess it all comes down to me deciding what to do, which is the real problem. I know in my heart, I prefer a job where I am 'doing' things, as opposed to sitting. But the earning capacity is also very different, which throws another ball in the court. If I became a baker/pastry chef, my goal would be my own business. If I became an accountant/financial planner/analyst - I can get a salary job OR use the knowledge to own a business. So I guess the common goal is my own business - which would most likely be in the food industry anyway.
I am not one of those people that must have a certain job. I put up with things; I find things I enjoy in any of the jobs I have had, I know that I would be relatively happy with anything really.

So I guess I don't really know what I want to do, and none of this 'thinking on paper' has helped! True to form, I will probably blog about this again in another 4-6 months



Currently Reading: Chemical Pink: A story of obsession

I have done so well this month with my personal allowance. I have been really trying hard to not spend any money, as I wanted to make up for my speeding fine, and also wanted to put any money I can onto my personal loan. On average I have spent $38.22 of my $60 (per week) allotment. DF has also done well, spending $46 of his $80 allotment.

My spending total also includes the dvd I bought, which I then sold some items on eBay to make up for.

Today I spent $3 on a coffee with friend. I didn't order anything else

When I got home from work, DF and I and his mum weeded a part of our property for 2.5 hours. Now we are going to go out to a local thai restaurant for dinner. We are going to pay for DF's mum because she helped us. The bill should be well under $100.

I think I will be finished my bookwork earlier than normal today, so I plan to go home early and get some things done I have been neglecting lately. DF's dinner (lamb and veges) is in the slow cooker and I will just make some miso soup for myself. So I have plenty of time to do all the things I need to accomplish, if I get home by around 2-2.30pm.

To Do:
- Take Jed for a walk
- Tidy my desk
- Sort out and archive all my paperwork
- Organise a filing system for our paperwork for everything 'post-house purchase'
- Do a load of laundry
- Tidy the living room and dining room tables
- Give the floors a sweep
- Get all the paperwork ready to do our taxes.
- Wash all the dogs bowls.
- Clean the fridge and freezer.
- Do the dishes.
- Write up a meal plan for the week
- Make a grocery shopping list.


Also, a list of things to do during the week:
- Find out the serial number for our fridge and buy door shelves for it.
- Find out how to make extra payments to my personal loan.
- Send all my ebay parcels once payments are recieved.
- Finish cleaning the leather couches and move them into our loungeroom (yay! can't wait!)
- Find a small and inexpensive present for a friends birthday. I don't really know her that well, but she has invited me to her birthday dinner. WHAT DO I GET?! HELP!

Jed has some serious separation anxiety that we thought might get better as he got used to us, but instead seems to be getting worse!

I have been researching how to stop his cries, and apparently the best method (which in retrospect is completely obvious and makes a lot of sense) is to take him for a walk in the morning. They said 'you can't expect a dog to sleep all night in his kennel, then sit around all day while you are at work'.

Then you have to take him for a walk in the afternoon.

They also said the worst thing you can do is yell 'No' or 'Shutup' at him, as this only reinforces his behaviour. Unfortunately, that is what our neighbours do. (the ones that threw water at our dogs). I don't want to talk to them again about the dog, because they have never once come and said anything to us about their problem. I have always been the one to try and clear the air with them. They are very odd, as well. I would rather just have nothing to do with them. Alas, if I hear them yell at him again, I will have to leave them a note in their letterbox, telling them they are making it worse by doing that.

So from now on, DF takes him for a walk on Monday morning (I can't because I start at 5.30am - which means I would have to get up at 3.15am) Tuesday and Wednesday I get up at 6.30am and take him for a 30 minute jog. Thursday I get up at 4.15am and take him (because I start at 6.30am). Friday DF takes him (he starts at 7am most mornings, on Fridays I start at 6am). Saturday and Sunday we will either go together or take turns. I will take him in the afternoons most days too.

Why do I do all the work, you may be asking? Well, I do not do a lot of exercise. I get bored, so having a dog will give me a reason to do it. Also, DF's job is also very physical. While he needs to get his heart rate up, I don't want him to tire himself out too much or he might make himself sick. Basically you could compare his work to being at a gym doing muscle definition, for 8 hours.

So! We'll see how this goes. Hopefully it puts a stop to his crying.

Health & Body
- goal weight loss 1: 3kg
- goal weight loss 2: 6kg
- goal weight loss 3: 8kg
- final goal: 10kg
x continue to eat vegetarian, with the exception of occasional fish meals.
x buy organic as much as possible
x incorporate natural cleaning products into the household
/ walk/run/cycle 4 days a week for 30 min or more.
- some muscle definition work each day (10 min atleast!)
- swim atleast once per week (goal 3 times)
- limit sugar/white flour intake
/ 1-2 L water every day
- regular (3 monthly) haircuts
- bi yearly dentist appointment
x yearly doctors visit
- visit a naturopath
/ 1 hour each week body care (nails, eyebrows, body brush, foot soak, pamper etc)
/ use sunscreen!

Money:
- $1000 EF
- $500 Gift Fund
- $1000 Holiday Fund.
- Begin making extra payments again on loan
x Save as much as I can for house deposit.
x Cut down expenses in areas of: dining out, takeaway beverages, entertainment, groceries, clothes.
- Spend a set amount for 2009 on clothes and shoes.
x Plan weekly meals and eat smaller portions.
/ Maintain a freezer stock of meals for lazy nights.

Relationship:
x keep things going the way they are!
- try to have one date night a month
- maybe once every three months have a weekend away or a massage together
x begin to plan our future (combining incomes, declaring partnership, house, children)

House:
x use environmental cleaning products
- sort out my filing and paperwork neatly (and stick to the system!)
- Sort through old boxes and establish a sell pile
- Have a garage sale?
x Begin to actively watch the property market
x research the steps of buying a house

Friends:
x Take a good hard look at those I count as my "friends".
/ Shed the friendships that have a negative impact on my life or that do not contribute to my happiness.
x Pursue friendships that are fulfilling.
x Make an effort to get out more with those I want to spend time with.

Spiritual/Education
x Read a book once a month.
- Make myself speak up more often when something annoys me.
- Try to be more outgoing and approachable.
- Try to not watch a lot of television.

Car:
- Try to drive less and walk more.
- Get regular services for my car.
- Fix the dent that someone made running into my car with a trolley!
- Fix the broken Taillight.
- Fix the chip in the windscreen.
- Regularly vaccuum and wash my car.
- Maintain the logbook for work trips.


All in all I have not done too badly. I am a serious procrastinator when it comes to my car, anything to do with my hair or health and filing stuff. Basically, if it isn't the internet, cooking or television related - it's possible it won't get done for a realllly long time. But I am happy with my achievements so far. I will have to redo the 'savings' part, because it no longer really applies anymore - seeing as our accounts are linked and we are saving for other things now.

Keep track of any savings I make relating to my days off every three weeks.

Get our tax returns done. (Yay! Refunds!)

Clear out our freezer, use everything up and keep it orderly!

Register Jed and take him to the vet for a checkup.

Keep track of all spending.

Wash my car.

Buy fridge door-shelves for our fridge.

Browse some opshops - I am looking for plates, a teapot, some blankets for Jed and some cool containers.

Make sure Jed gets a walk every day, or atleast some form of exercise for 30 mins or more.

Complete atleast one x 1 hour session of yoga a week.

Get a haircut.

Start researching the possibility of Uni next year.

- Begin to keep track of my savings towards offsetting my day off every three weeks (I am beginning the $20 challenge! sort of...)

ooops! kind of forgot about that goal! i will begin it this week, seeing as my first day off is tomorrow...


- Keep my personal spending below my alloted amount.

yesss! I managed to do that, about $80 less for the whole month. I am proud!

- Send any extra remaining to my car loan.

That was the plan - but I can't figure out how to do it. I am going to have to call the bank...

- Keep a watchful eye on DF's spending and let him know when he's close to the limit.

He did well last month, only going over by $7.50 per week. Some may see this as a lot, but I don't.

- finding a present for a friends 28th, and attending her party at the end of the month.

Done! Bought her some body lotion, soaps, body wash, foot soakers and a magic flannel. Total cost including wrapping, just over $30.

- Making a baby hamper for SIL's baby shower

Done! Bought her lots of little knicknacks. Total cost, just over $30.

- Finding a teapot, hopefully at an op shop, before the 22nd (having some people over for tea - and I don't have a teapot!)

Unfortunately I didn't do this. I decided it was silly to buy a teapot just for one occasion - I don't want to rush buying it as I want to get one I like...

- Buying a front door mat.

Done!

- Continue with our compost plans.

Done!

- Revisit the jewellery store for first stage consulting and designing on my engagement ring (try to make DF come as well!)

Done! Picking it up hopefully on or before 14th August.

- Clean out and turn off second fridge (from party - I don't want to get used to having a second fridge again!)

Done! Actually - it tripped out the whole house, so I HAD to clean it out lol. Won't be using that fridge again!!!

- 4 x sessions 40 min+ exercise per week.

Hmmm - didn't really accomplish this. It has been a bit of a lax month in that respect.

- DOwnsizing meal portions, 2/3 then to 1/2 size of current.

Have succeeded in downsizing to about 3/4 lol - I just love food too much!

I've decided to go on a bit of a health kick next week. Actually, starting tomorrow. I always go 'I'll start on monday, I'll start on the 1st of the month' etc etc. NO MORE!
Tomorrow is market day. I will be stocking up on fresh fruit and veges, and my aim is a week of super healthy eating, and atleast 40 minutes exercise per day.
This is my proposed eating plan (not really that different from normal, but minus snacks that I usually forget I eat )
Breakfast: (weekend) sourdough toast & scrambled egg (weekdays) Fruit & Yoghurt, Peppermint Tea
Mid Morning: Coffee/Tea
Lunch: Carrot/Cucumber/Celery Sticks with hommous.
Snack: Piece of fruit
Dinner: Steamed Veges, Soup, Stirfry, Salad etc.


I am not sure yet if DF will be doing it. He eats whatever I cook him, but if he wants something different I may make it for him, he works physically so I do not want him to get dizzy or anything. Wish me luck!

I haven't really thought about goals for June. It is a very busy month normally, both personally and professionally. It is tax time - so at work (work # 1) I have to prepare everything for the employees and the accountant, and at home I have to do the same for DF and I so that we can do our tax asap to get our refunds.

Financially, we are going quite well. I only have a few goals for June in that respect:
- Begin to keep track of my savings towards offsetting my day off every three weeks (I am beginning the $20 challenge! sort of...)
- Keep my personal spending below my alloted amount.
- Send any extra remaining to my car loan.
- Keep a watchful eye on DF's spending and let him know when he's close to the limit.

In other areas, my goals are:
- finding a present for a friends 28th, and attending her party at the end of the month.
- Making a baby hamper for SIL's baby shower
- Finding a teapot, hopefully at an op shop, before the 22nd (having some people over for tea - and I don't have a teapot!)
- Buying a front door mat.
- Continue with our compost plans.
- Revisit the jewellery store for first stage consulting and designing on my engagement ring (try to make DF come as well!)
- Clean out and turn off second fridge (from party - I don't want to get used to having a second fridge again!)
- 4 x sessions 40 min+ exercise per week.
- DOwnsizing meal portions, 2/3 then to 1/2 size of current.

-Begin to drop sugar-laden, processed and white flour products from everyday eating habits. (this is a long-standing goal)
(well - I did try. I was mostly unsuccesful with this goal but I probably have dropped around 30% intake compared with a month or two ago)

- Continue to drink teas and mineral water/juice in place of coffee and soft drinks.
(I have done really well with this goal - I am down to 1 or 2 cans of coke a week, only at work. I have been drinking water, tea or juice & mineral water at home. I very rarely have coffee in the afternoons at home, only when out meeting with friends.)

- Ensure that I drink 1-2L water each day.
(Did really well for the first 3 weeks of May but last week I probably drank about two glasses of water all week - just kept forgetting to keep my intake up. Must try harder!)

- Complete 12 sessions minimum of 40 minutes or more exercise each week (walking, jogging or yoga).
(Did well on this goal - approximately 16 sessions all up for the month of May!)

- Succesfully host our housewarming party at the end of May. This goal includes:
Sending the invitations
Making a large portion of the fingerfood
Cleaning up our downstairs area
Finding something to hold a fire in
(DONE! DONE! DONE! DONE!)

- Keep track of our stimulus money spending, so as to not overspend it.
(have been doing this. I only require a few small items, so the rest of the money will just be absorbed into our accounts, around $300 - I am going to allow myself $100 for some workout gear and new work shoes)

- Keep track of all expenditure through the month.
(DONE!)

- Formulate a plan for keeping track of extra payments and savings (I am thinking a spreadsheet for now)
(DONE!)

- Take weekly photos of my gardening efforts.
(unfortunately only took one photo, and haven't taken anymore)

- Take my ultrasound results to the doctor and get the results for my blood test.
(DONE)

Income: $5454.10

Expenditure: $5250.89

Mortgage Payments: $1572.46
Groceries: $498.81
Petrol: $246.74
Phone & Internet: $77.39
Car Registration (2 x 1 year): $1058
Electricity: $79.35
Car Repairs/Expenses: $63.00
Mobile Phone: $58
House Insurance: $69.56
Life Insurance: $53.67
Car Payment: $148.00
House Spending: $189.00
Work Expenses: $20.00
DF Fun: $413.83
WS Fun: $234.04
Clothes: $211.90
Dining Out: $78.60
Entertainment: $153.54
Misc: $19.00
Bank Fees: $2

Remaining: $203.21

NOTES: Groceries are higher this month due to our housewarming party - however, we are only $4 over 'budget' per week. This is probably due to me cleaning out the pantry at the same time. So it is good I decided to do that this month!

Car Registration is what really set us back this month. I mean, it didn't set us back, but, if we didn't have to pay it, it would mean we could have sent $1058 more to our mortgage or savings this month. As it is, we only have $203 remaining after all of our expenses. Which means, next month should be great. (SHOULD be).

DF is still spening more than his allowance per week. This month it was $23 per week. I said to him 'I have spent $2 less per week than I am allowed, and you have spent $23 more!' and he said 'yeah but you don't buy alcohol!' and I said 'yeah, but I get $20 less than you per week, and I have coffee with friends three times a week, buy my makeup and clothes and magaziens out of that too, remember!' Hrrrmmmmph!

Clothes expenses are actually out of my stimulus money - but it is an expense, and I added our stimulus money into last months income, so that is why I am listing the spending this month.

Dining out and entertainment aren't too bad, but could be better. $50 of that was for food for the party too (I bought it from work so it didn't really count as groceries).

DF got a cash withdrawal from another atm so we were charged a $2 fee, that's why we have bank fees this month. GRR! lol.

The $203.21 remaining will be paid into the mortgage. I am also going to start next week putting $180 into our E-saver account for bills. When I pay a bill I will just record it, and then transfer it back at the end of the month into our main account.

I am also going to start splitting the leftover money each month into two groups: mortgage pay off and EF fund. Even though it will be going into the same account, I will record it in a spreadsheet so that I have totals of how much we have put into each. Once things start settling down we will work out a buffer amount of how much we want in our everyday account (I was thinking $5k is a nice round number, but it's possible we could do $10k).

So, here's to June!

haha. yeah right.

No, actually... it is the title of a movie that I saw last night at the cinemas with a friend. I do not normally like paying full price for a movie ($16.50) but after watching it, I am happy that I did.

In the US you probably won't have it at the cinemas(but I could be wrong), it is an Australian film. Very well done with quirky characters, about a lower-middle-class family who's mother suffers a brain aneurism. She is not allowed to do heavy lifting, hold in sneezes or have sex. It's a great movie, if you ever get a chance to watch it, do so. It's a great look at ordinary life in a family, and all of the characters are really endearing. The family goes through such a tough year, made worse by the fact that the mother isn't feeling as close to her husband, and seems to also be going through a 'revelation' type phase of her life, almost like a mid-life crisis. So, as I said before, it's a heartwarming story, see it if you ever get the chance.

We also went out for dinner before the movie, to a nice little vegetarian restaurant. I have been there a few times, it was originally run by hare krishnas but they have taken a step back. Their merchandise is still there, and they still play their music, though. They also give out over 200 meals per week to the homeless.

Anyway. So dinner was $13.50, movie was $16.50, and I also bought a coffee.

Yesterday I also went to the growers market for fruit and vegetables, and spent $27.50.

This morning I went to another market with the intent of buying marigolds to plant near my lettuces, so the bugs don't eat them, but about half the stalls weren't there! The weather has been very windy and rainy lately, so I understand. But they missed out on my sale! I spent $4 on a coffee.

I am planning on going to the supermarket for a few odds and ends. I think I may even be able to stretch this pantry challenge to the week after next week! Why? Because we will probably have leftovers from the party, which I would like to incorporate into our meals next week to use them up.

Oh I nearly forgot:
My exercise challenge for the month was to do 12 sessions of 40 minutes or more of exercise.
Well!
Week 1: 2 sessions (40 minutes yoga each)
Week 2: 5 sessions (60 minutes yoga each)
Week 3: 6 sessions (5x60 minutes yoga, 1x40 minutes pilates each)
Week 4: ?

So, I have done 13 sessions, and I have a whole week to go. I have exceeded my goal and have 7 days left to go!

Next week I plan to do atleast two sessions of pilates, as well as yoga. I know that I will be unable to do any on Saturday, and possibly Sunday, as we will have people over.
I know that yoga is meant to be relaxing, but the dvd that I have is actually really hard! (which I like!) DF snorts and says 'yeah, but I bet it doesn't get your heart rate up', and well, there are several sequences where I am out of breath, so ha!

I have had a pretty productive day today. We got up late (around 8am). DF worked for a few hours and I went to the market and did our weeks worth of grocery shopping. I think I must have been in a 'spendy' mood because I bought a magazine, some hair dye and a pair of jeans as well! The magazine and hair dye comes out of my fun money, and the jeans come out of my stimulus money. I have $428.62 remaining

So, when I got home I cleaned the kitchen and did the breakfast dishes, started cleaning the bathroom & cleaned the toilet, and did my 60 minute yoga dvd.

DF is restoring a table downstairs, so it will be shiny and newly coated for our housewarming party.

My list of things to do today:
- finish cleaning the bathroom
- tidy my desk
- tidy the rest of the office
- tidy the loungeroom & dining roomb tables
- bring in and fold clean washing, put away
- prepare dinner (freshly made ravioli )

Well, I thought I should do a mid-month review of my goals for May.

I have been eatin healthier. If not healthier, then the unhealthy things I have been attempting to make myself at home (I don't think it's any better - but atleast I am saving a bit of money right?) By this I mean primarily desserts like fruit crumbles, muffins and things like that. Better than nothing?!

I have been having atleast one or more cups of tea a day, and have stocked up on a few more varieties. I am liking a Green-Jasmine Leaf tea I picked up the other day on special. Very refreshing! I hardly drink coke now, probably once a week at work and maybe one glass a week at home.

There have been a couple of days where I have forgotten to drink water but for the most part I am doing well. At work I make sure I drink the entire 600ml bottle of water I keep in the fridge before I go home. I usually have a glass in the morning and a glass at home, as well as my cups of tea. My main goal is to have 8 glasses of water, and then an extra two glasses for every cup of coffee or cola that I have.

I completed two sessions of exercise last week, both were 40 minutes. This week I have done much better, one session was around 50 minutes and the other was 60 minutes. I plan to do one today, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which will mean I have done one every day except Sunday! I would like to get DF to do the Saturday one with me - I know he is about as flexible as a board so it could be very good for him. I won't mind if every session I do is Yoga, but I would like to go for a jog atleast once this week.

I have sent out nearly all the invitations to the housewarming party, and ordered some of the food. I have recieved 9 rsvp's for Yes and three maybe's. Still tossing up whether to invite my boss, his wife and kids along. DF agreed to invite a few of his uncles and aunties so that they are not out of place (as most people will be under 32 - my boss is 38). Also undecided on whether to invite my mum and DF's dad. We are kind of leaning against it at the moment, even though they will be both angry about it.

DF has cleaned up a fair whack of the downstairs area for the party. I am going to have to get cracking on the inside of our house. Our pride and joy, the floor, has not been cleaned since we moved in!!! I have swept it but haven't given it a going over with a eucalyptus oil/warm water spray and a microfibre mop like we're supposed to every week or so. *sigh*

Still working on what to hold the fire in, and working on a snacks menu.

I have kept track of my stimulus money spending. I have approx $400 left to spend.

DF is getting better at remembering what he spends, so I think we have kept track of roughly 95% of our expenses.

I have started a spreadsheet to keep track of mortgage payments, with my measly $331 recorded for April.

I have taken the first weeks gardening photo, and will take one this afternoon when I get home. Something seems to be digging in my basil/coriander plant box! And the mint and rosemary have not germinated but the lettuce is going well!

I have made an appointment to go to the doctors next Tuesday - it's something I always procrastinate about. I just need results for my last blood test, my ultrasound for my leg pain and a regular checkup. I am thinking of doing an experiment: my blood pressure is normally a little on the high side, so i was thinking of doing a yoga session in the morning before the doctors appointment, and see how that affect my blood pressure. It does *make* me feel calmer, I wonder if it does actually calm my body?

I have decided to keep my goals for May fairly simple. My main area of focus will be health. I do not have a lot of financial goals for May, nor a lot in any other category. So it will only be a short list this month to keep track of:

- Begin to drop sugar-laden, processed and white flour products from everyday eating habits. (this is a long-standing goal)
- Continue to drink teas and mineral water/juice in place of coffee and soft drinks.
- Ensure that I drink 1-2L water each day.
- Complete 12 sessions minimum of 40 minutes or more exercise each week (walking, jogging or yoga).

- Succesfully host our housewarming party at the end of May. This goal includes:
Sending the invitations
Making a large portion of the fingerfood
Cleaning up our downstairs area
Finding something to hold a fire in

- Keep track of our stimulus money spending, so as to not overspend it.
- Keep track of all expenditure through the month.
- Formulate a plan for keeping track of extra payments and savings (I am thinking a spreadsheet for now)

- Take weekly photos of my gardening efforts.

- Take my ultrasound results to the doctor and get the results for my blood test.

Money:
[x] Keep track of all joint spending
[/] Manage personal spending and keep to the alloted amount per week.
/[] Sit down with DF and draw up a savings plan for the next 6 months.
[x] Plan what to spend my stimulus money on! (yes - I am spending it)

House:
[x] 30 minutes gardening per week
[x] Unpack at least 3 boxes per week.
[x] Write up a future To Do list for house repairs and maintenance
[x] Write up a future To Buy list for the house
[] Call the pest people about the termites on the letterbox
[] Call and change my address details for all correspondence (yes I know - still have not done it)

Health:
[x] 3 x 40 min exercise sessions per week
[] Atually WEAR my pedometer to get an average of my steps for EACH day of the week.
[] Begin this: http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/detox/plan.htm
[x] Re-introduce the 'one hour of body care per week' that I used to do.

Other:
[x] Call my little sister every week
[x] Catch up with my closest friend at least once per week (used to live near each other but since I moved I want to make the effort to see her like we used to)
[x] Stand by my resolve to not respond to the other 'friend' I have previously blogged about. And yes, this is a goal! I find these things very difficult.

-----------------------------------------

I am pretty happy with my efforts. I completed nearly all of my goals. I did not call the termite people because DF lost the piece of paper with the name and number on it - it is somewhere in the house so we will find it soon. Fortunately the termites seem to have disappeared for the meantime, and we know they aren't anywhere near our house because everything is visible - there are no tracks to be found.

While I kept to the alloted allowance, DF did not do so well, so this month I will be keeping a watchful (and nagging) eye on it.

We sat down and discussed what we wanted to achieve but have not done a proper savings plan yet. But atleast we have discussed it!

I haven't changed any address details yet - mail redirection makes me lazy! I still have a few months left...

I did not remember to wear the pedometer at all in April, except for a short walk to the mailbox.

I would like to start the detox plan, but instead I have been implementing healthier eating habits. So you could say I have half-heartedly done the detox plan (save for the caramel mudcake that some friends bought over... oh and the anzac biscuits some other friends bought over... *sigh*)
I have made DF hide the chocolate (I am one of those people, if it is there, I will take a square or three off the block every day, just because I know it's there!) He has also agreed to buy it out of his personal allowance, seeing as he does not want to not have it.
*sigh* I am working on it!

My May Goals are to follow shortly!

I woke up late today even though I set my alarm for 6am - I must be getting used to the sleeping in because i woke at 8.30! And I had to be at a friends house for coffee at 9am. Eek.
I had planned to do some yoga and pilates, make breakfast and finish writing a letter, but that all went out the window.
At my friends, we were meant to go to a cafe but seeing as we ALL woke up late, we went to the shop and bought pancake mix and made coffee at her house. I gave her $5 as I am the only weird person that eats yoghurt with pancakes. They laughed at me! I do not like icecream that much, and I don't like jam or butter or maple syrup on pancakes either. Anyway, apparently I am strange...

So my expenditure is $5 for today.

It's nearly noon and I plan to do some more unpacking and listen to Bob Dylan (he has been on high rotation this weekend) and clean up my clothes. I have this habit when I get ready to go out, of pulling out about 20 different things, then leaving them in a pile to 'put away later'. Does anyone else do this?

I also have to put away the dishes and clean the spare room still. And finish the letters, charge my ipod and camera, and make a cd for my car. Better get to it!

[] Unpack and organise/tidy loungeroom boxes.
[] Sort Cd's out and pack up the ones we don't listen to (we have too many to fit)
[x] Tidy & clear dining table
[x] Clean bathroom
[x] Clean toilet
[] Tidy our office, spare rooms, kitchen and bedroom.
[] Start to stack bookshelf in office
[x] Washing/Hang Out/Fold/Put Away (including hand washing)
[x] Set up our laundry properly
[] Make a new CD for my car
[] Charge my camera, Ipod & Iriver
[] Write and send a letter to my little sister and SIL.

Unfortunately I can't do any more washing as the hose burst off the tap and I don't know how to re-attach it without DF. He won't be back until tomorrow or Sunday. *sigh* I'm not NORMALLY a helpless housewife - I just don't want to stuff it up as I have no idea if something's broken or if it just wasn't done up properly...?

There was water EVERYWHERE

I kind of ran out of steam after having to clean up the laundry and move boxes out of the way of the water.

I also ate too much chocolate and then felt sick, and I have been surfing the internet for about an hour and a half.

Not exactly the productive day I had in mind!

So now I've had a rest and eaten my weight in chocolate... (just kidding, it was probably about 80grams of chocolate... given to me by my boss's 2 year old son)... I'm going to tidy up the DVD's, fold all our clean washing, hang out the last load I did, and sweep the floors.

Then I was thinking of doing something totally crazy and doing some painting!

Well, the long weekend has started for me. DF left this morning (got up at 4.30am) to help his BIL build the shed, and I got up rather late (9am!). So it was a nice sleep in for me, but poor DF, I think he was a little hungover - we went to my friends birthday dinner and I offered to drive, as I thought DF might feel more comfortable to be able to drink as he didn't know anyone except the birthday girl - anyway I think he drank a bit too much! (and we also spent a bit too much I think... dinner was $36.50 for both of us, and I think drinks cost $53.50 - and I only had 2 x lemon, lime & bitters!).

I have some goals this weekend, which I am going to list here to motivate me. I checked my old bank account and haven't recieved the $900 stimulus yet - I am not complaining though. It will get there. It just gives me more time to think about what I want to use it for. DF has just gotten his friend to book in an appointment to get a tattoo. I told him to go for it as he has one design that he has made up from an assortment of traditional American Sailor Jerry designs, and he has been wanting to get it forever. However, the waiting list is until September!

Ok, so my goals for this weekend:

- Unpack and organise/tidy loungeroom boxes.
- Sort Cd's out and pack up the ones we don't listen to (we have too many to fit)
- Tidy & clear dining table
- Clean bathroom
- Clean toilet
- Tidy our office, spare rooms, kitchen and bedroom.
- Start to stack bookshelf in office
- Washing/Hang Out/Fold/Put Away (including hand washing)
- Set up our laundry properly
- Make a new CD for my car
- Charge my camera, Ipod & Iriver
- Write and send a letter to my little sister and SIL.

I would also like to have a nice relaxing bath, do my yoga and pilates DVD's, go to the market tomorrow and maybe get started on some gardening, and MAYBE join the local video store and hire a DVD (?). Luckily it's a long weekend! I have today (it's now 11am though!) Saturday, Sunday and Monday to do all of this.

I am liking this monthly goal setting. I learnt very quickly to not set unreachable goals though - just because you write them down for everyone to see doesn't neccesarily mean you will get them done!

Ok, I have a few small sub-headings this month:

Money:
[] Keep track of all joint spending
[] Manage personal spending and keep to the alloted amount per week.
[] Sit down with DF and draw up a savings plan for the next 6 months.
[] Plan what to spend my stimulus money on! (yes - I am spending it)

House:
[] 30 minutes gardening per week
[] Unpack at least 3 boxes per week.
[] Write up a future To Do list for house repairs and maintenance
[] Write up a future To Buy list for the house
[] Call the pest people about the termites on the letterbox
[] Call and change my address details for all correspondence (yes I know - still have not done it)

Health:
[] 3 x 40 min exercise sessions per week
[] Atually WEAR my pedometer to get an average of my steps for EACH day of the week.
[] Begin this: http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/detox/plan.htm
[] Re-introduce the 'one hour of body care per week' that I used to do.

Other:
[] Call my little sister every week
[] Catch up with my closest friend at least once per week (used to live near each other but since I moved I want to make the effort to see her like we used to)
[] Stand by my resolve to not respond to the other 'friend' I have previously blogged about. And yes, this is a goal! I find these things very difficult.

All of these SHOULD be achievable. If I have not done them, you all reserve the right to call me a lazy sod.

I just stopped into our ex-real estate to pick up our bond refund forms. They spelt my name, DF's name, and DF's sisters name wrong on the form, so it took about 20 minutes for them to find out what to do to change it. Every single piece of correspondence I have recieved from them has had my name spelt wrong - and in about five different ways and combinations! A couple of times they even put DF's last name as my name as well. They are absolutely hopeless and I would never use them for anything in the future.

Anyway. As I was saying, we got all of our bond back. So DF gets $506, I get $508 and DF's sister gets $506. DF's sister owes us $44 for the flea spray as well. I also collected a cheque from them for an overpayment of rent, $300. I will put it onto our account tomorrow.

That will bring our account balance to around $11k. It makes me a bit nervous having our emergency fund in our main account - simply for the fact that every time I log on I am going to see that balance and go "oh, everything is peachy". But I will have to get used to it, as it is saving us thousands of dollars in interest every year!

Today I spent $3 on a vegetable peeler. It was on special. Actually, I bought one a few days ago, then went to the shop again for something else and they had a different type of peeler there - one that is more ergonomic. But I thought to myself "no, I have already bought one" but then I got home and used the one that I had bought and it's pretty terrible - same brand, but just a different type that is harder to use. So I decided to spend another $3 and buy the one I bought today.

I booked a haircut appointment for Friday afternoon. It will probably cost me around $65. I have decided I am going to chop off around 4 inches, being long it is just too annoying and hot - I know it is coming into winter, but it does not go below -5 degrees celcius normally, and only in the mornings. I have had people say 'don't cut your hair, it is getting close to winter...' It is generally between 15-25 celcius during the days, I don't think it will make a difference if my hair is shorter or longer.

On Thursday a friend and I are going to the spas again. It will be $30 each. I am looking forward to it.

I have a little bit to do this afternoon. I usually waffle around and achieve nothing, so here I am again with my to-do-list:

- wash dishes (done)
- tidy kitchen (done)
- hang out washing (done)
- fold dry washing (done)
- unpack CD's (not done - but did linen closet instead)
- tidy dining & coffee tables ( 1/2 done)
- cook dinner (doing now!)

I am not sure yet what to have for dinner. I am thinking roast vegetables and salad. Nice and easy, and like I mentioned in my last post, will use up our fresh items that wilt easily.

I'm not going to try and set huge goals for March because we will be moving, but I DO want to set a few achievable ones.

[] 3 x 30 minute exercise sessions per week.
[] Start to wear a pedometer to keep track of steps per day.
[] Finish gardening our rental house yard.
[] Change our mailing details for everything that gets sent to our rental house address.
[] Paint the lounge room walls and the wall in each of the spare rooms with panelling in our new house.
[] Sand the floor in the new house.
[] Keep track of all spending.
[] Begin to set up our EF and other savings goals FOR REAL!

Well today I am covering a womans shift who works out the front of the shop, so instead of working 6.30am-1.30pm I am working 10.15am-5.45pm. I will get home just in time to get dinner on, have a shower and watch neighbours

It's 7.30am so I have some plans to do stuff before getting ready to leave in two hours.

- mop our bathroom
- clean guest bathroom & toilet
- do the dishes
- wash & hang out a load of washing
- clean some windows (kitchen, dining room, spare bedroom etc)
- tidy loungeroom
- tidy kitchen

I think that is a small amount to do in two hours.

I am feeling a bit lazy about dinner tonight. I am trying to convince myself NOT to get takeaway. Problem is I found a coupon (YES! a coupon! it's a big deal for me because we DON'T get coupons here) for 10% off our local thai food restaurant...
To add to that, we don't have a great deal of food in the fridge...

BUT NO! Roast veges and salad it is, for dinner tonight. I will save the Thai coupon for when all our kitchen stuff is packed away and we have been moving stuff all day and not feeling like cooking.

I did 17 out of 27 of my goals for February. Eh. Not flash but atleast I did more than half...

[x] pack items that won't be used in the next two months
[x] survive having my brothers family visiting me (oh yes, i'm serious!)
[x] stick to my 'allowance' each week of February (as a practice to the real thing starting in March) (well... almost...)
[x] sort out accounts with new bank (savings, offset, everyday, EF etc)
[x] decide on a starting amount for EF and a plan of action to build it up
[] get my car serviced
[x] cook three new dishes
[] ride exercise bike 3 times per week
[] swim atleast once per week
[x] read a book
[x] begin to organise new budget
[x] make an appointment with doctor to go over blood test results
[] clean my car!
[] lose 1 kg.
[] try to incorporate a healthier eating plan into our day (see below)


[] walk or cycle three times per week, for 20 minutes or more (only managed once a week)

[x] drink 1.5 litres of water a day

[x] do not buy any more flavoured milk when at work. a big ask! (YAY! saved myself $37.20)

[x] begin to replace coffee and coca cola with teas. (have hardly drank any cola except at work, have started to drink teas and my coffee consumption is generally 2 a day)

[x] do not purchase cakes or snacks when having coffee with friends, for the whole month of feb. (another YAY moment! i have eaten MEALS with friends, but that was at proper meal times, I haven't been ordering anything in the in-between times)

[x] cut down significantly on processed/sugary/fatty foods. (my target was cut down 95% but I would say it was about 65% - not the greatest but i did cut down)

[x] begin to MAKE desserts. (i have made more than i normally do, but am still working on getting DF to cut down eating icecreams)

[] consistently serve up smaller portions at dinner time. (i'm not ticking this because it hasn't been consistent - i have been serving smaller portions but probably only about half the time. other times i forget).

[] chew my food. (HA! of course i chew my food, but i don't take the TIME to do it like a lot of people... sigh...)

[x] SNACK! (have begun to do this but i need to work on it a bit more)

[x] eat fruit - tinned or fresh (most days i have)

[] Weightloss of 1kg (i haven't checked lately but i think it has only been about 500g so i'm not going to bother putting it in here)

Random updates:
- my sister 'ran away' from home (meaning, she walked to our place and stayed over) last night. all is fine now apparently. i think it has more to do with her being a teenager than my parents this time lol.
- Went to the bank and we are now set up with internet banking and Life Insurance (accident, trauma, illness AND death cover!) Currently at $61.35 a month, but we are going to make an appointment later on to see if we can get it reduced a bit. It's standard cover, and because neither of us work in a high risk job we might be able to get it tailored to our occupations and save a bit extra.
- Went and got the ultra sound on my leg but I won't know the results til I go to the doctors. Hopefully I will make an appointment this week or next.
- I have been going well on some of my Feb goals and not so well on others. Atleast SOME are going well..
- I have realised I MUST stop using the internet on my phone because it is costing me a lot of money! I got a $12 charge for last month. *sigh* sometimes you just HAVE to look something up on google though, you know?
- A friend of a friend is bugging me to join a bike class at her gym. Not only do I HATE gyms, I have my own exercise bike. When I made an excuse about money, she said 'classes are only $4'. I was like umm... yeah... well... (I am not eager to show the extent of my cheapness...)
- DF made dinner on Sunday night! He made himself a roast lamb and roast veges, steamed side veges and heated up a tofu/bean/tomato mix for me. He also did half of the dishes. ALSO he did the dishes for me last night too because I burnt my hand at work. Not badly, but badly enough for me to whinge about it!
- Speaking of dishes, we have come up with a plan: DF will do the dishes once a week, and cook once a week. Then it means I will only nag him once a week. I don't mind cooking dinner, and I have no idea how to use a lawn mower/whippersnipper/edger so I'd say that's fairly even. We share the laundry evenly and I don't mind the rest of the housework.
- Grocery expenses have been high this month which is a bit of a bummer, though I'm not really sure why. I will have to work on reducing the costs of our meals.

Well, that's all my updates for now. To end on this post, I will leave you with a picture of a tattoo that I got over a year ago:

WELL! After all my motivation this morning I hardly got anything done. I got home from work 2 hours later than normal because I went along with the new apprentice, my other work colleaugue and my boss to help the new apprentice spend her $800 tool voucher. She had spent around $450 of it (on pallet knives, piping bags, bread knives, chef pants etc), needed to save $200 for shoes and other work clothes, so our boss said 'just get some stuff for when you move out of home, and hurry up!' lol. So she bought some things like a vegetable slicer, chopping boards, knives, can openers, etc.
Anyway after that we left our boss there to buy some more stuff and we went and got something to eat, so I spent $9.20 on a subway sandwhich and a drink. I also spent $2 on staff lotto and 50c on a can of drink.

TOMORROW, my list to do is:

30 minutes on the exercise bike
X done x -->wash & put away the dishes
x done x --> tidy the kitchen
tidy the pantry
x done x --> bring in the washing and
fold/put away
clean our bathroom
clean the guest bathroom
tidy the guest room
pack a box of kitchen stuff
pack a box of unneeded linen
download a claim form for a refund of washing detergent (special offer)
prepare pumpkin & ricotta lasagna for dinner, with green beans & brocolli
relax!

so i have decided not to cook the lasagna tonight because i am feeling a bit lazy. plus we have leftover pad thai, so i am going to heat that up and have some veges as sides, and a lamb chop for DF.

Well, today I have nothing planned for the afternoon when I finish work - it is unusual because lately I have either had to do something with friends/family or something for the house. So today is a free day!

My plans when I get home are:

30 minutes on the exercise bike
wash & put away the dishes
tidy the kitchen
tidy the pantry
bring in the washing and fold/put away
clean our bathroom
clean the guest bathroom
tidy the guest room
pack a box of kitchen stuff
pack a box of unneeded linen
download a claim form for a refund of washing detergent (special offer)
prepare pumpkin & ricotta lasagna for dinner, with green beans & brocolli
relax!

hopefully I get everything done.
today I also have to pay the internet & phone bill. I will also probably buy a can of coke at work, so it won't be a NSD...

When I put plans and goals down for an entire year, they seem too big to even begin thinking about. I've decided to make mini goals each month. I've already listed my February Goals in a previous entry, but I want to outline some health goals to be more specific:

[] walk or cycle three times per week, for 20 minutes or more - unfortunately i slacked off for a week or more so my fitness levels have waned. also, in the middle of the house-buying process i am not going to have a lot of time. three times per week is an achieveable goal for me.

[] drink 1.5 litres of water a day. my goal is 2L, but I want to start with 1.5, as sometimes I just simply forget.

[] do not buy any more flavoured milk when at work. a big ask! it fills me up, which is why i buy it in the first place. i buy the low fat one which doesn't have as much calories, but at $3.10 per 500ml, it's just not a wise financial move.

[] begin to replace coffee and coca cola with teas. (green tea, caffeine free black tea, herbal teas)

[] do not purchase cakes or snacks when having coffee with friends, for the whole month of feb.

[] cut down significantly on processed/sugary/fatty foods. ie. limit it to be ALMOST non-existent in my diet (aim for 95% wholegrain, natural, processed sugar free, fresh etc)

[] begin to MAKE desserts. this will also decrease DF's consumption of sugary fatty foods (as he has an icecream and chocolate for dessert every night - i have been choosing fruit sorbets and fruit based desserts - which cost more though. by making them, i know what goes in them, they are cheaper, and healthier). desserts i will make: stewed fruit with yoghurt, crumbles, puddings etc.

[] consistently serve up smaller portions at dinner time. i have been practising this already, but i want to do it every night without forgetting (or having eyes bigger than my stomach!) I have also been using smaller bowls, which help. I want to start with reducing them to 3/4 the size of our meals now, then to 2/3, and then maybe 1/2, atleast for me.

[] chew my food. obviously its a given, but i find if i'm starving, i forget and wolf down my food, then realise, staring at an empty bowl, that i just inhaled evreything in about five minutes. terrible? i know. bad for me? very likely!

[] SNACK! I know most people try to STOP snacking, but my problem is I hardly ever snack, and then there are times I'm so hungry I end up eating a whole meal between lunch (which I hardly eat - I dont finish work til 2pm, then I think - why bother eating lunch if I make dinner at 5pm?) and dinner, when I really should have just some crackers or a piece of fruit. So more often than not, I'll go and have a 'coffee' with a friend, and end up ordering a plate of chips or something equally gross. Then I eat dinner! BLAH! So yes, this month I want to trial a few cost-effective, easily portable snacks which are GOOD for you. Any suggestions?

[] At the moment, because of lack of time/laziness/the weather/weekends away etc I haven't been able to go to the markets, so I have been buying veges at the supermarket. I don't like buying fruit at the supermarket (or veges, but it cant be helped) so I have been buying tinned fruit, in fruit juice. One of my goals is to keep this up, as atleast I get SOME fruit into my diet this way. I also aim to find the best deals on tinned fruit at this time, and package them in small containers for DF for his lunch too (otherwise he buys the snack packs - which are a ripoff!)

[] Weightloss of 1kg is my ultimate goal for the month of February in the health department. I want it to be an easy goal for starters, seeing as this month is going to be a little stressful. Atleast if I can tick this goal off, it will motivate me to try harder in March!

Hmmmm! I think that is all my health/diet goals for this month!