Weight update

Remember when I last posted about my weight?  Yeah, me neither.  It's been a while, but I'm ready to share.

I've been working to eat a mostly paleo-style diet since early last year or so.  I spent 2010 eating a lot of Lean Cuisines, canned ravioli, and sandwiches, so even though I was able to lose weight eating that, probably any change would've been for the better.  I'd done the low-carb thing many times, and paleo seemed like a healthier alternative.  My appetite was still a huge issue though, making weight loss feel impossible.

In August of 2011, a couple things happened: First, I got a new job.  Then I stopped taking the pill.   When I stopped the pill, I stopped getting nauseated when I waited too long to eat breakfast.  Within a few weeks, I was skipping breakfast.  Not everyday, but most days I wasn't hungry.

One day I didn't have time to go get lunch, so I just ate an apple I had brought for a snack.  And since I hadn't had breakfast, I thought I would still be ravenous, but I wasn't.

That's how I began intermittent fasting.  During the work week I "fast" 16 to 19 hours a day, then I have a small meal (usually an apple), then a regular-sized, paleo-style dinner.  Most weekends I just do what I feel.  It's a bit awkward to eat lunch with other people, but when we go out after work, I eat/imbibe normally with no weird rules or restrictions.  I've gained quite a few things from eating this way -- I have more energy, a reduced appetite, fewer cravings, and more free time.

I'm not saying it's right for everybody, but it's working well for me.   I've lost 23 pounds in the past 6 months, and I'm finally beginning to feel like I'm not a slave to my stomach.

March 2012 Net Worth

Emergency Fund: $10,005.74
Checking: $469.46

Travel: $200.52
Medical/Dental: $658.22

School: $478.29

Roth IRA: $9,932.07

401k: $7,380.44
Sharebuilder: $234.02
____________
Total Positive: $29,358.76

Rent: PAID
Groceries/Utilities: PAID
Phone: $PAID

Subway: PAID

Credit cards: $659.76
Student Loan: $4,418.83 (from over $19k)
____________
Total Negative: $5,078.59


Net Worth: $24,280.17

As I mentioned, I put $2k from our tax refund into my E-fund, which brings me up to goal.  I also made a couple hundred from ebay.  Meanwhile, I've spent a lot on going out, but it could be worse.  This month I'll keep a closer eye on entertainment spending. 

Taxes

We filed our taxes this past weekend, and we're expecting a huge refund.  A five-digit refund.  Yeah, a certain someone needed to adjust his withholding last year.

I'll be shaving off about $2k (my usual refund amount) to bring my E-fund up to $10k, a number it hasn't seen in about 4 years.  He'll take a portion for his savings/loans, and the rest will go into our joint account for moving expenses, and a little vacation.

I'm glad I'll finally be hitting my E-fund goal so that I can concentrate on other areas now.  I'm still working on my goals for this year, but I'm thinking I'm at a pivotal point right now in my work-life, and I need to shit or get off the pot, as it were, with regard to further education.  Depending on the direction I go, I'll need anywhere from about $10k to $34k.  Oy.

Speaking of oy, I was a bit confused about reporting my ebay sales.  While I took in about $1k this year on ebay, I took a loss on nearly everything I sold, except for a few things I purchased cheaply off ebay and resold.  Remember with me for a moment all the clothes and jewelry I purchased over the past few years, and how that affected my bottom-line, and you'll see why $1k should not be considered income.  Even though it's clear to me that I didn't make a profit,  I'd be hard-pressed to produce receipts for everything on both ends.

I know I'm not the first one in the PF community to use ebay to recoup some losses.  Can anyone share their tax-reporting strategy?

February 2012 Net Worth

Emergency Fund: $7,659.74
Checking: $87.30

Travel: $239.00
Medical/Dental: $485.85

School: $337.03

Roth IRA: $9,528.40

401k: $7,102.85
Sharebuilder: $239.68
____________
Total Positive: $25,679.85

Rent: PAID
Groceries/Utilities: PAID
Phone: $60.00

Subway: PAID

Credit cards: $695.25
Student Loan: $4,555.91 (from over $19k)
____________
Total Negative: $5,311.16


Net Worth: $20,368.69

Tickle Me Pink

I try to make an effort, about quarterly, to find new-to-me music so that I’m not stuck in 2006 perpetually. This time around it’s been all Laura Marling, Lisa Hannigan, and Johnny Flynn. I know I’m about 4 years late to the Nu-Folk train, but in case you are too, here's a sampling of what I've been listening to this fall/winter season:

Theory of Everything

In our downsizing kick, I sold most of my books last year, and did another round several months ago.  I had made far too many well-intentioned purchases that would eventually just end up lingering on the shelf, unread. 

But I’ve been reading a lot lately, more now than ever.  I’m lucky to work within walking-distance of the Boston Public Library. I started with safe genres, like jewelry and simplifying.  And then, a happy accident a few months ago: the internet was broken at work, so I did the work I could do without a computer and was dismissed after only an hour.  I spent the next few hours wandering the stacks.  And now my new pet topic is string theory. For laymen, of course, so a lot of Michio Kaku.

What are your favorite call numbers? J

January 2012 Net Worth

Emergency Fund: $7,104.73
Checking: $83.82
Travel: $218.27
Medical/Dental: $485.52
School: $352.79

Roth IRA: $9,053.75

401k: $6,722.25
Sharebuilder: $207.17
____________
Total Positive: $24,228.30

Rent: PAID
Groceries/Utilities: $200.00
Phone: $60.00

Subway: PAID

Credit cards: $437.84
Student Loan: $4,675.27 (from over $19k)
____________
Total Negative: $5,373.11


Net Worth: $18,855.19


Ew, a little bit down this month.  I bought a computer and a plane ticket, so all things considered, it could be worse.  I did get a few hundo for a bonus, so that was nice, but quickly gone.  Any holiday spending tends to trigger shopping binges for me, a la this:



So my goal right now is damage control.  Total abstinence.

And more ebay listings.  Do I need 3 J.Crew velvet jackets?  YES!!!  No.  No?  No, I do not.