On Track

I am on track!

I am sticking pretty close to my diet plan of only eating a piece of fruit and then the Nutrisystem meals during the week, salad and chicken on Saturday and taking Sunday off - but staying within as much reason as I can. I've lost the holiday weight but I really need to stop stepping on the scale because it just discourages me. I'm already stuck at a plateau and I've not even started to hit the 'fat' weight. But this is going to be my year and I am going to do this.

DiscoverCard is paid off and Visa is paid off. I have $4,800 or so left on MasterCard. As high as that is, it's the lowest I've been in years and years so I feel real good about it. The plan is to pay $500 a month until I get my inheritance and then pay the balance at that point. It should be down to about $2,800 by then. And then I will be debt free. That's an amazing feeling. I haven't been credit card debt free in over 20 years. 

The $500 will then be directed to a Roth IRA for future years. And I will never be in credit card debt again. My solemn vow.

Update

So I ate only Nutrisystem food Wednesday through Friday, lean protein and salad on Saturday and anything I wanted today - Sunday. I might be able to continue on this trend - but I'm not sure it will help me lose weight. I will definitely do it until March when I run out of Nutrisystem food - then I can reevaluate.

I have spent a few more dollars than I've wanted to this week but I have found myself with Tom (no job - no money) and Charlie (no job - no money). I feel guilty making them pay for stuff when they have no income while I have not only my income but Shawn's. So I've been paying. Guess the secret there is to limit my time with them while out and about. Sad.

Well, here we try again. A new year and back to the same old resolutions. Still getting my life in order.

I have good news on the financial issue - I've paid off Discover and Visa and will make a chunk payment tomorrow on Mastercard. All thanks to Mom and Dad. I confessed to Shawn last night that I am terrified that I will pay off these credit cards only to run them up again - and there will be no more Mom and Dad bailing me out. I think the Discover and Mastercard will be put away and I will only use the Visa. And I will pay that off over the course of the month, not just the end of the month. I've heard that's a great way to do it and it helps your credit rating. But it still really scares me; I've often said I wouldn't 'return to the evil' in the past and always have.

Bad news on the weight issue - I am at my highest weight EVER (see the 'return to the evil' comment above!) I canceled the Nutrisystem plan as it wasn't very helpful. I have three months worth in the basement which I will start on tomorrow. The updated plan is to eat ONLY the Nutrisystem meals and a piece of fruit or two Monday through Friday, salads and lean meats on Saturday and take Sunday off until the Nutrisystem meals are finished. By then I might be in a place where I can do the salad and lean meats Monday through Saturday, still taking Sunday off. We will see - I just know that if I don't get this thing under control soon, I will suffer a great health issue, be it a heart attack, stroke or diabetes. I ain't a young chicken any more that can get away with extra weight.

I am also going to start asking God for help with it.

I Won't Give Up

August didn't work very well for me. Maintained most of the month, got frustrated, went off plan and put on weight! But I won't give up - we are now in September and I will start again. Six weeks before vacation - I can lose maybe 12 pounds if I stay diligent.

I am afraid to look at my credit card bills this month. I may just take what I still owe Visa out of savings and pay it off. It would be OK if it wasn't for the monthly $225 for Nutrisystem. I definitely cannot stay on that plan for too many more months. I'll have to give myself till the end of the year to work on that plan and then it will be up to me to portion again.

Shawn is paying for our trip to New Orleans so that will cost me pretty much nothing - maybe I'll pay for the museum tickets or the swamp ride or something. I want to take him to Myrtle Beach, too. I would pay for that. I put together a packet on Expedia that includes airfare, four nights at a hotel on the beach and a car rental for $1,300. That's a decent price, isn't it? Shawn doesn't seem too keen on going, though. He may save me from myself. But if he agrees to it, I will take the money out of savings - that's why it's there, right?

Update

So, the Nutrisystem diet is working, slowly but surely. Down 14 pounds with about 30 to go. This month I was able to go online and pick out my own foods so I anticipate an easier go of it - some of the stuff on their 'favorites' list is awful! Lots of pizza in August!

With Dan and the girls here, my budgeting went out the window. I won't get Visa paid off till the end of the year now. And I actually have a balance on Discover this month - half paid now and half will be paid in September. Still plan to have only one outstanding credit card to deal with in 2013.

Back in the Saddle

I am back in the saddle, getting my diet and fiances in shape. I joined Nutrisystem so I don't have to weigh, measure or count anything (mostly). Just open, heat and eat. Lost ten pound in a month - have about 35 to go to get to my fighting weight again. I can do it.

Working on the finances. I should have two more payments for Visa, but with Nutrisystem having to go on a credit card (and it not being cheap!) I might have to take another month or two to get Visa paid off (Nutrisystem goes on Discover which gets paid off every month). I figure as long as I get Visa paid off by the end of the year, I'm on track. Then I can aim all my funds at Mastercard and get that one done.

Mid-Year Slip Up

Been awhile - I've been embarrassed to write. Fell off the diet wagon and put on all the weight I had taken off, plus a few pounds. Fell off the debt repayment wagon and added probably $800+ to credit cards.

I've joined Nutrisystem - I figure I need to stop obsessing over food - weighing, measuring, counting - all of it. I need someone to take over my food intake for a while so I can just forget about it. Since I can't afford a personal chef, I am trying the next best thing - a diet plan that includes packaged foods. The cost alone will help entice me to stay on program - at $215 a month, I am going to make it work! This is day 3.

Credit debt went up because of the diet food and the week-end get away I planned for Shawn. The hotel room and dinner train went on credit. AND I had some unexpected costs (securing my office with a locking file cabinet and a door lock). The plan there is to take out of savings whatever I owe on Discover and continue the $400 payment on Visa and the $200 payment on Mastercard. And stop spending again. I suppose one month slip-up isn't all bad as long as I cover the debt immediately (no carry over) and continue on my plan. I should still have Visa paid this year - maybe a month later than I had hoped.

Down, but not out! Wish me luck---