Meeting Goals - Slowly

I am halfway to a goal - my savings account. Looking back through my transactions, I am disgusted to see how low I let the balance get. Seeing all my withdrawals and debits made my heart sick.

But .... I am pleased to report that I have nothing but deposits since September 2010 and on December 30 I will be half way to my Emergency Fund Goal. It isn't much, but it is something. And something is better than nothing.

I struggle with wanting it to be fully funded right now! But I need patience. I think back to a quote I read a few weeks ago:

"Gratification is best prepared in a Crock Pot. Nice and slow."

~ The Simple Dollar

I am showing a house on Wednesday, too. I am so thrilled about that.

I will make 2011 the year I pay off 2 more debts. 2011 I paid off the Furnace Guy. 2011 I will pay off BP Oil and Bank of America. And hopefully a few more.

Make it a great day, friends!!

2011 Goals

I guess I should call this blog Christina's Goals since it is going on to 2011 and I want to keep it up.

2010 is not over so I won't measure up my progress on my goals I set last year. I can tell you that I will work harder at my goals because I think I will come short.

I have done a lot of reading about blogs over the past year and I believe that blogging really has become the way to stay connected to your interests. I have become so dismayed at the news media - local, national - and they way those news outlets whip themselves (and the public) into the darling frenzy of the moment. We should seek out the news that interests each and every one of us and follow those trends, stories, etc.

So I have subscribed to several money saving and personal finance blogs. 2011 must be the year I really get my debt under control.

Anyway, here is to the last 2.5 weeks of 2010. I wish I could say it was a year of sensational change and progress. I think I managed to spin my wheels a lot. I hope I can regain traction in 2011.

So that will be my mantra for the next year:

"2011 - the year I gain traction" ... and get my mojo back.

Stay warm (if you live in the north and east), have fun if you live in the sun!

~ Christina

Encouragement in the most unlikely places

I was feeling very discouraged this evening. In one of those funks where I doubted about every decision I have made in the past 6 years. Not happy with my weight, looks, health, and many other things.

It was making me grumpy and impatient. And I knew I had to shake this mood.

My husband and I had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. I made good food choices. And you want to hear my fortune that was in my fortune cookie?

"Endurance and persistence will be rewarded."

And I began to shake my discouraging mood.

Now, the things that brought on the mood did not go away. I just know that I need to keep focused on the things that matter most to me: health (physical, spiritual, financial), family and balance.

I cannot forget that we must keep on keeping on.

That is all for tonight. I hope I have encouraged all those who read this post.

Good night my friends.

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1386 Bonnie Ridge Court is only $139,000. Three bedrooms, 2 baths, huge garage, close to city, close to the country. I am holding an Open House here on Sunday, August 1.

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This one is 697 Powhatan Ave and is only $90,000. One story, darling house. Big backyard, finished basement, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, workshop in basement, close to Westgate Park. I need to tell you that I am related to the seller of this house.

Like what you see? Call me. Tell your friends and family.

Shameless advertising. But these are terrific homes. Call me and see for yourself.

Everything Counts

So last weekend I counted all of our change and rolled it - there was $15 and half of it was pennies. This is "found" money - pieces and parts of dollars spent. I put this $15 in my savings account so it can earn some interest. OK - I know that $15 is not much, and the interest it will generate will not be much either. But everything counts and adds up.



Just like recycling cans. Each can equals about 1.5 cents. Two cans make 3 pennies, 100 pennies make a dollar and so on. Again, every little bit adds up. Just like I've earned $57 so far from recycling. Couple that with the $15 "found" money and you have $72. Not much either, but think about that that $72 can pay for...

- A new pair of running shoes

- Meals for a needy family

- Groceries for a homeless veteran

- Supplies for a diabetic patient

- Food for homeless pets

- Utilities for an elderly person for a month

- Gas for my car - 2 fill ups

- 24 fill ups for my scooter



These funds are "found" money.



In these times of economic hardship found money does pay for many expenses. So what happens once the economy improves? Should we relax or continue our frugal ways?



If we continue our frugal ways, just think of how much more we could save.



And every little can recycled helps the environment and the economy. From the time an aluminum can is recycled it can be back on a store shelf in 60 days. This new can is made from reused metal. This re-use means less energy spent mining for new metal, less land destroyed for mining, leading to less pollution caused by mining.



My husband considers my effors - recycling and coin counting both - as a waste of time. But to me I am growing my personal wealth, improving my financial health and improving the environment. Plus putting these coins back into circulation makes them available to the banking industry and general public. Hopefully this effor will lessen the need to mint more coins. Like recycling, it will save energy land and pollution. Since the minting of coins is handled by the federal government I wonder if they even care about saving money and resources.



Sorry - I kind of went off on a tangent. So how does this post relate to my goals I set early this year? Depeche Mode sums it up perfectly:

"Everything counts in large amounts."

Keep on counting, saving, reusing, renewing.

Been Away Way Too Long

Isn't that a song? Anyway, I have been away from this blog for way too long. I can only say that I let other stuff get in the way, and I shouldn't. Writing here is theraputic.

I read a post on Sparkpeople.com about mindful eating. The basis of the post is that we need to be mindful of what we eat - every little thing does add up. And it takes more effort and more time to lose that extra 10 pounds than it took to gain it. Much easier to be mindless about your life than to be mindful. But the result of mindful eating is so worth the effort.

You could apply this "mindful" concept to about any area in your life. Mindful spending. Think about it. Every little purchase adds up. Dave Ramsey has said something to the effect that large ships are sunk by small leaks. And like the weight example, it takes more effort and more time to save, or earn, that $100 than it takes to spend it. But again, the result of mindful spending is so worth the effort.

I have a new friend at work who recycles everything. We took a walk at lunch and she picked up every aluminum can she saw. I recycle too, but not as much as she does. And it made me think - I can do that too. Mindful consumption. Making the world a better place by recycling cans, which also makes the area litter free. It is a simple action, but makes such a difference.

I often wonder why more people don't recycle, or at least throw their litter away. Do they not care? Do they think that their actions won't make a difference? Can they not be bothered? Probably yes to all of these questions.

So, think about mindful living. You can make a difference in your life, in your community, in your world. Every little action does add up.

I have started a savings account with my recycling money and hope to take a trip with the proceeds this fall. I'm up to $57. Not bad for collecting, crushing and recycling cans.

My quote today speaks to me on so many levels.

"Happiness is not a reward - it is a consequence.

Suffering is not a punishment - it is a result."

Until next time - I promise it won't be months between posts again.

6 Pounds

Hey Friends - just a quick update. I've lost 6 pounds since I started this blog. And it it coming off in odd places - like my wrists. My watch is too big. Hmm.

Anyway, I was getting discouraged, and then I realized this small weight loss.

So don't give up. Many small changes and efforts lead up to many small victories. Small victories add up to large victories.

Have a terrific weekend!

Live Like No One Else ...

I owe that quote to Dave Ramsey - that man is so full of wisdom! The entire quote is:

"Live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else."

Sounds redundant, and I thought so too at first. But what he means is that if you have a goal and are competely focused on it, you will give up things, almost anything, to reach that goal. And your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers may joke to you, maybe even make fun of you, about your behavior, but you know that this sacrifice is a means to an end. So you do live like no one else - you stop impulse shopping, you drive your old car a couple more years instead of buying a new one, you bring your lunch to work instead of dining out, you cut back on social activities so that you can stash some extra funds away to pay off bills. Or you do it so that you can focus or healthier eating in order to reach your weight loss goals.

Maybe you are spending more time in the gym to reach your fitness goals. How about you're turning off the TV so that you can read more and enlighten your mind, rather than numbing it? So what if you didn't watch American Idol last night? You finished a book full of new vocabulary, maybe it showed you a new way of looking at a situation.

All this living like no one else will help you reach your goal - whatever it is. So after foregoing all these extras, you are fit - financially, emotionaly, physically, and then when you reach your goal, you can live like no one else. You can go on a dream vacation and pay cash for it. You can go climb a mountain, or hike the Appalacian Trail, with ease and without gasping for breath.

So how does this quote apply to my goals?

Financial

• By not acquiring extra stuff, I am saving the money I used for impuse buying and putting it toward my debts.
• I get up early to work on my real estate work instead of hitting the snooze button. Hopefully this early moring work will lead to some real estate work.
• By packing my lunch and eating dinner at home, David and I are both saving money.

Physical

• Again, packing our lunches and eating at home more often helps us make better food choices.
• I have cut back on drinking alcohol and replaced it with water. Better for my waist line and for my checking account.
• Going the gym makes me feel stronger and is starting to make my clothes fit better. Plus I sleep better and genrally feel happier.

Mental

• I just mentioned at how I feel happier and am getting more sleep.
• My mind is stronger because of the less TV and more reading, plus the reading is making me be a better writer and helps me to be better spoken.

All of these improvements gives me glorious confidence. Confidence, in turn, motivates me to do better and to do more. People notice this confience.

So, a progress report. The furnace guy is 1/3 paid off. I have finished two books: Blink by Malcom Gladwell and The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl by Shauna Reid. I can go longer on the treadmill (and actually run on it) and Spinning class does not leave me as winded as before, plus I can pack on more resistence.

So this goal setting takes time and effort and the results are showing up a little slower than I would like. But progress is progress and I am glad to see it. The quote of the day is again from Dave Ramsey:

"Every time I read the story the Tortise and the Hare, the hare wins every time."

Keep on living like no one else, so later .....

Width and Depth

Do your weekends wear you out? Mine do, sometimes I feel on Monday morning relieved to be back at work so I can rest up. What am I doing that is so tiring? Everything that I didn't get done during the week, I cram into the two and half days between Friday at 4:35 and Sunday evening at 11:30 when I tumble into bed, pet my pets' heads, and wish my husband sweet dreams. We work out, pick up groceries, try to spend time with friends, work on our house, pick up our daughters and help them with homework, I do real estate work and try to squeeze in time to do some reading.

I would not have it any other way, because I see so many people retire, thinking that they will enjoy doing "nothing". Then when they discover they have nothing to do, the become depressed and sleep all day. They miss the interaction they had with their co-workers when they were working. They don't get out like they did when they had a job. So maybe our jobs provide more than just a paycheck and a skill. Maybe they nurture something in our social and sub conscious areas.

Here is the quote of the day:

You can't do anything about the length of your life,

but you can do something about its width and depth.

- Shira Tehrani

So I know that this post doesn't have a direct connection to my goals, but it does indirectly. Think about it as a criss-cross effect that Chris Downie talks about in The Spark.

Ouch!

OK - the working out has caught up with me. My entire body aches - especially when I get out of bed. And starting spinning class always is a pain in the butt. Literally.

And we are due to get 6 inches of snow tonight.

I could just say: "I'm not going to the gym tonight. Body hurts, bad weather. Nope, not me!"

But I did pack my gym bag and it is sitting by the door waiting to go to the gym.

One thing about crummy weather - hopefully most people will just stay home. Maybe I will put my library book in the car and read if I get stuck in traffic.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Quote for today:

"Do. There is no try." ~ Yoda

Update on All Goals

Want some great news? I have worked out for 12 days in a row! Yeah! Yesterday I got back into spinning class and I am feeling it this morning. Oh, what a work out that is and it makes you feel so much stronger when you complete a class. And you feel mentally fit because it really challenges you - mentally and physically.

I have lost 3 pounds since Christmas. That is great news too! This is the kind of news I needed because I was at the gym Monday evening and looked at myself in the full length mirror. I thought I looked like Homer Simpson or Peter Griffin. Big tummy and wide back side. Take that, you full length mirror!

I have been making progress on two books. The first one is called Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. It analyzes the way we think and discusses our conscious and subconscious thoughts. Pretty interesting stuff because it reveals things about us that we didn't even know and teaches the reader how to make better quick decisions.

The second book is The Spark by Chris Downie. This book makes me want to help people even more than I already do. But it also enforces the importance of doing things on your own and for yourself.

Lastly, I am having an Open House at my house for sale at 752 Racine Ave in Columbus this Sunday from 2 pm - 4 pm. If you are around the area, or just want to get out and see a really cute house, stop by.

Here's a thought for the day:

"It's wonderful what we can do if we're always doing."

George Washington

Keep on doing!

Books I Love

Ok - I am such a bookworm. Reading has been a passion for me as soon as I learned how to recognize words and put them together. I would check out books from the library in the 3rd grade and read all of them that evening and return them the next day. The libraian thought I was lying about reading them all over night. Maybe that is why I have such poor vision - reading under the covers with a flash light might not be great for eye sight.

At any rate, I am reading a book called The Spark by Chris Downie, the founder of Sparkpeople. It is an amazing inspirational book because he introduces it by telling his own story of how he struggled to overcome his issues and how he turned his struggle into ways to help others reach their goals.

One of the points he makes in his book is one that I have found in Dave Ramsey's books and radio shows. Set your goals - long term - and then break down the goal into smaller goals - or what Dave calls "Baby Steps." Both authors explain that when you break down your main goal into smaller pieces, it will be easier for you to meet the smaller goals, and the smaller goals will add up to accomplishing the larger goal.

Also, both authors talk about wanting to help people - Chris helps people reach health well being goals and Dave focuses on financial well being goals. But they both have made the same remarkable discovery. You will discover that your small goals may overlap each other and when you, for example, maintain your streak in the fitness arena, it is easier to maintain your streak in other areas, like keeping your house clean, or being very diligent about paying off your bills. Chris calls this "criss-crossing" and Dave just calls it being "giselle intense."

I have discovered this "criss-crossing" effect too. Now that I watch what I eat, and make a point to exercise each day, I have a happier attitude, I sleep better and I am looking forward to selling houses and paying off my bills.

Today's quote of the day is as follows:

"There is nothing like a dream to create the future." ~ Victor Hugo

Let me know if you have experienced the "criss-crossing" effect too. By the way, The Spark is my first of the 12 books I will read this year.

Real Estate and Bills

Ok - two of my goals are very inter related. I want to sell at least 4 houses this year and I want to pay off some bills. The more houses I sell, the more bills I pay off.

I do have one house listed for sale - it is a house that I actually own. It has been rental property for the past 5 1/2 years and the tenants moved out in the fall. David and I worked for about 2 months to get it ready to put on the market and it has been for sale since Halloween. It's an adorable cape cod single family home on the west side of Columbus. Take a look at it at my web site:

www.christinaringley.com

It would be perfect as a starter home - and a first time homebuyer could take advantage of the $8,000 first time homebuyer tax credit. The address is 752 Racine Ave, if you want to do a drive by.

So if you like what you see, call your realtor and set up a showing. Don't have a realtor? Then, by all means, contact me and I will show it to you!! You can contact me at the above web site - just send me an email and I will get right back to you.

If this house isn't your cup of tea, then tell other people about it. Spread the Spark!

The quote for today:

"The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started." ~ Dawson Trotman

Peace out and check out the blog tomorrow - I will talk about books I am reading.

New Year's Day 2010

So here it is, the new year! And I have these goals to meet, and I need a plan to reach and exceed every single one.

You may have noticed I posted a picture on my profile. It was taken 8 years ago while on vacation. I was about 2 sizes smaller, so it is a reminder to me that I did used to weigh less, I could fit into really cute clothes and that by dropping 20 pounds, I can look this way again. I look happy in the photo too.

So how will I accomplish this goal? I work out using our Wii Fit Plus every day for at least 30 minutes. And David and I joined a gym - something that we cut out last year so that we could focus more on renovating our house. Ohhhh, I so missed it too, especially the group fitness classes. Nothing motivates you more than a spinning instructor cheering you on as you pedal harder - or yelling at you when you slack off and coast.

I missed the kickboxing classes too. What a sense of strength and empowerment kickboxing gives you - you can feel yourself growing stronger with each punch and kick of the bag.

I track all this activity and my nutrition in Sparkpeople, a fantastic, and free (!) web site (www.sparkpeople.com) that has all sorts of trackers for you. You track your food and activity, you can browse their meal plans, you can sign up for all sorts of community groups, and sign up for challenges. And it is free!

The founder, Chris Downie, just published a book called The Spark, and I actually bought it this week. I don't buy books much because I feel that we have such an awesome library system in Columbus and we should take full advantage of it. Plus collecting stuff, like books, is not my thing. I think it just adds clutter and expense to our lives (but that is another topic to blog about in the future).

So, if you want to set your own goals to get healthy, check out Sparkpeople. I have tried a lot of ways to loose weight and it all boils down to: Eat Less, Exercise More. Sparkpeople is an awesome tool to help you do that, to encourage you to keep going, and to read about other people who are in your same shoes and have succeeded in reaching their goals.

The quote of the day is from one of my favorite authors and motivational speakers, Larry Winget. Larry is of the tough love school of thought, and he can be brutally honest. Brutal. But what he does do is make you take a look at yourself and your situation and encourages you to believe that you can make changes. The process to change can be painful, you may have to give up some things, beliefs, mind sets, but you can do it. Today's quote is the title of the first book of his that I read:

"You're broke because you want to be." ~ Larry Winget

And you can change the work "broke" to be anything that you want to change. You're overweight because you want to be. You're in a dead end job because you want to be. You're unhappy because you want to be. It's all about your personal choices and your accountability.

So, think about that, go read Larry's writings (www.larrywinget.com) and look at the daily choices you make and whether you can change the way you do things to help you reach your goals. That is what I am going to do.

Let's reach our goals together. And then, when we reach them, set new ones.