Things to Come

Now that I have landed an awesome job, I have the luxury of upping my goals.

Start a career Establish myself in my new career
Move to a bigger apartment Buy a house
Go to Disney in late fall October
Visit Aunt Leigh in San Francisco in late spring/early summer May
Spend 5 days at the cabin in summer
Go to the State Fair
Go to the Aquatennial
Buy a nice, foldout couch
Buy a queen sized bed
Start paying off Student Loans
Show Amanda around town

Now, to make the bigger of those goals achievable and on a time frame (the trips are already on a time frame).

Establish myself in my new career

I got the job! I got the job!

Now, I need to have fantastic statistics and excellent quality reviews. I also want people to A) know who I am and B) want me around. I'd also like to get in on as many projects as possible. I want to be trained on anything I can get my hands on. And, I want everything to be done with a smile!

If I can do all of this, I might have a fighting chance at a future promotion. ;) Or maybe that's just ambition talking.

Buy a house

Right now, mortgages are cheaper than rent. We could double the square feet we live in, avoid noisy neighbors and the crazy ghost clanking noise I keep hearing at 3 am... and have a yard for Gizmo to run in!

I want a place on the bus line for work, at least 900 sq feet, and in a great neighborhood. The house also needs at least a hook up for a washer and dryer (bonus points for actually having the appliances). Jared and I both work full-time, so we don't want a fixer upper. All that for under $100,000, and we will have found the perfect place!

We'd most likely renew our rent here and save money for a down-payment. Hopefully, I can get a mortgage pre-approval set up within the next three months. It wouldn't make sense to move twice just to change locations. After we find a place, we can start working toward the new couch and bed.

Start paying off Student Loans

After I've established an emergency fund (most likely in March), I'm going to start throwing money into the house fund and at my student loans. I'm going to go at it with the snowball method... and aggressively. What I mean is that I'm going to hand over big chunks of my income toward one loan at a time. I'm thinking I'll be (student loan) debt free in two years.

So, as plans go (it's more of a guideline) that is going to be my 2012!

VLOG 2: New Job, New Goals

Corgi Rodeo Gif

Dedicated to Corgis in Swings

The Annual Purge

One thing that I've never had and do not miss is a sense of occasion. We put our Christmas tree up in January. I give gifts as soon as I purchase them. Birthdays mean free desserts from restaurants we already frequent. Turkey is usually dry and flavorless... even on the third week of November. We do celebrate February 15th; half-priced candy is all the rage.

Sometimes my urges match up in a timely way. This is one of those times. 

The combination of self-help with an arbitrary holiday makes my whole brain shut down. In that way, I dislike traditional New Year's resolutions. However, weight loss and spring cleaning is all I can think about. 

I'm not going on a diet. I'm going to start eating the "Healthy Choice" option four days a week in the cafe at work. I'm going to purchase a Wii Fit bundle and start playing that instead of shopping. Which ties in with my other problem...

I'm annoyed and angry about how much stuff is in my house. My apartment is filthy and cluttered. I believe the root cause is A) the lack of tools to clean, and B) too much stuff and not enough space. 

As a first leap, I bought a vacuum. Not the glorified dust buster we purchased on Black Friday, but a full-on, in your face, sucking the floor off your apartment... vacuum. I've named her Muriel. 

I've also decided to throw out or donate everything I don't use frequently. I feel like I do this every year. I need to stop buying stuff that I don't love or absolutely need. I mean my sweater collection is impressive... and I'm totally cool with having as many as I do. But, why did I buy two pairs of Nike's when I only wear my KEEN tennis shoes? This needs to stop before I start looking like the junk lady from the Labyrinth.

That's hot.

Part of me feels like I need to create a psychological reason for my shopping. Perhaps I am collecting things as a way to anchor myself and create security. Perhaps it's something from my childhood... like how as a child I was surrounded by things I did not choose. Many times I was in a situation I could not control. Now, I'm choosing things myself in an effort to control my life. Or maybe, I just like shopping. Yea, I think that's it. 

I have everything that I need. Now, I just need to get rid of the things I don't. Sentimentality be damned. 

TL;DR: I'm a fat slob. Something has to give. 

Things to Do 2012

Start a career
Move to a bigger apartment
Go to Disney in late fall
Visit Aunt Leigh in San Francisco in late spring/early summer
Spend 5 days at the cabin in summer
Go to the State Fair
Go to the Aquatennial
Buy a nice, foldout couch
Buy a queen sized bed
Start paying off Student Loans
Show Amanda around town