Some Goals

5 weeks and 15.5 lbs down!

Get your own graph at skinnyr

Now's a good time to mention that, prior to starting my weight-loss program, I lost 11.5 lbs over about 11 months, which means I've lost a total of 27 lbs since last summer. Maybe you've noticed that I haven't talked about goals yet -- it's because I haven't made any. The "end" has always seemed so far away. Now that it's more within reach, I think it's time to sketch out some goals. Here we go (x=my current weight):

• Short-term: x-8 lbs in 3 weeks. My bf's firm is having some event in mid-July, and significant others may or may not be invited (we're waiting on confirmation). I haven't met anyone at his job yet, and I'd like to make a good first impression, which basically means I'd like to be down one more size by then, and while we're at it, I'd like to stop gnawing on my cuticles so I can shake hands with abandon.


• Mid-term: x-15 lbs in 6 weeks. I'm thinking about a visit home in August, and I'd like to surprise them. They do know about my weight loss, but it's always fun to see it in person (this would be about what I weighed junior year of college).


• Long-term: x-35.5 in 16 weeks. Honestly, I haven't weighed this little since the end of high school, but I'd like to get there again. My parents will also be visiting me in October, so that would be nice. I don't know how realistic this time frame will end up being, and I'd probably be perfectly happy at x-25.5, but we'll see!
  

I've just got to keep my nose to the grindstone until I'm there (same goes for my finances)!

Weighty matters...?

After 4 weeks in my program, I've lost a total of 13 lbs.

I'm happy to have made this progress, and I like to think that any amount of weight I lose is priceless, but in reality, the money I've spent only covers 4 or 5 more weeks. After that, I'm going to have to make a decision about whether I want to sign up for another 8 weeks, which would set me back another $600+.

It's easy enough to say that I shouldn't sign up, and that I should just do it on my own for free. But that's what I had been doing, and I didn't get very far. I'll have to give this a lot of thought before I make a final decision, but I'm leaning towards spending the money. It is my health, after all.

I Love Resale.

I tried my hand at furniture postings on Craigslist for a while, and while there were a good number of promising posts, it's just so inconvenient unless you own a car. Plus, it's always terrible when something looks good in a photo, but when you go to the person's house to see it, you realize it's a P.O.S., and you're left to awkwardly excuse yourself.

I finally found a place where you can get good quality resale furniture without the markup of a consignment or vintage shop (or the awkwardness of Craigslist). There's this place sort of nearby that's a non-profit, and all their proceeds go to AIDS services, education, and advocacy. What more could you ask for? We got a set of solid wood table and chairs for $100 this past weekend, and the weekend before, we got this awesome pair of wooden chairs with leather seats for $40! Whenever we want to make a trip there, we just rent a ZipCar for a few hours and go! Now, if we could only find some couches...

Mayor of Sandwich

Since we've moved into our new place, we've only gone out to eat once, and it was a cheap lunch at Chipotle. That's the great part. The bad part is that 9 times out of 10, I'll have a sandwich for dinner, which is cheap enough, but not the healthiest meal.

On a related note, I lost 3 more lbs this past week for a total of -10.5 in 3 weeks!

June Net Worth

Emergency Fund: $5,405.85
Checking: $320.93
ING Funds (total): $2,311.17
Roth IRA: $3,460.60
401k: $418.96
Prosper: $100 (I received my $25 sign-up bonus this week!)
Sharebuilder: $45.03
____________
Total Positive: $12,062.54


Credit card: $1733.59
Student Loan I: $13,702.77
Student Loan II: $903.22
____________
Total Negative: $16,339.58


Net Worth: -$4,277.04

Not good!

My spending is definitely under control (remember, I charge ALL purchases*, so that means I only spent a few hundred on food AND entertainment this month), but my medical bills this month alone totaled about $650. Add $725 for the new mattress, and that's $1,375 on the credit card right there... and we still have way more furniture to buy.

It's not fun to see my finances slipping backward, but I have to stay positive. I am only now beginning to make real changes in my life, and my health will benefit. I have to think long-term.

*I definitely don't recommend this method unless you pay your bill in-full every month.

New Place, No Internet!

I just wanted to do a quick post to say that I don't have internet in my new place yet, and while I might do the occasional post from work, something tells me they frown on that sort of thing.

And let me just say that being TV/music/computer/internet-less for the past few days has been quite an experience. There's nothing that makes you feel more boring than realizing you have nothing to do (besides read) when those things are absent.

...In conclusion, more posts when I have internet!

(And, if anyone's keeping track, I lost another 3 lbs this past week.)