April Showers Bring May Flowers
I associate April showers with the economy. The bubble finally burst and the market began to correct itself. This turn of events had (and continues to have) an adverse effect on many people’s lives. From job losses to foreclosures – when it rained, it poured. Shit hit the fan. It’s ok to get angry, scream, and cry. It’s also ok to feel depressed, worried, and overwhelmed. But there’s a time and season for everything. You can’t stay down forever.
Now, it’s a new month. April showers bring May flowers. It’s a time for renewal. A time for rebirth. A time to bloom. A time to assess your situation, brush the dirt off, and get back in gear. As you come to terms with the cards you’ve been dealt, think about what you’ve learned from the experience. What (if anything) could you have done better? How (if possible) can you be more prepared in the future? If you’ve been affected by the economy, take the negative experience and learn from it. Apply the lesson learned to create a new and improved you.
In the spirit of renewal, as represented by May flowers, I am re-committing myself to the following:
- I must curb my spending and limit non-necessity expenses to $1,000 per month.
- I must save and/or invest $1,500 per month, in addition to retirement.
- I must tithe 10% of my gross earnings.
- I must get back into my routine of working out 1hr per day 4x per week.
- I must get back into my routine of maintaining a food diary.
- I must get back into my routine of healthy eating, limit 1500 cals per day.
- I must continue our monthly mother/daughter adventures.
- I must do something nice for someone once per week.
- I must do something nice for myself once per month.
By the end of this month, I expect to be in full bloom again!
What are you doing to renew your financial situation (or life in general)?
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Great post! I love setting goals and revisiting to make sure I am on task – or get back on if I’m not.
- I will allot myself a certain amount of cash to spend and become great at rationing.
- I will stop over-booking myself and simplify my life even more.
- I will be more disciplined and stop putting my home-based business duties on the back burner, while socializing with friends is on the front.
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About the same for me.
I am moving basic essential bills down to around $700~ and dropping my EF to $1000/month instead of $1500 or $2000/month.
I am also going to resolve to stop spending. I can feel my inner shopaholic waiting to burst out and SPEND. Travelling to 3 cities in less than 2 months did not do wonders for my shopaholic’s reins.
I am also going to really take it easy, but wait a couple more months before trying to move to Dallas, TX again.
I still have enough saved to live for about 2.5 or so without working at all. I should be all right for a while, while I wait for a contract to come along.
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I needed to read this today. I hadn’t been very good to myself in April (both physically and financially — emotionally and mentally, though I did well!) and it’s time to get back in gear, just like you said.
I MUST recommit to my budget, because I all but ignored it last month.
I MUST recommit to my the list of 2009 To Do’s I created for myself because I said this year was going to be a 180 degree turn from last year and there are things I need to do to get on it!
You’ve inspired me to think hard about it, write about it, then do it!
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This is an excellent post. I think I have re-committed to being mindful and attentive as much as possible in all areas of my life, both personal and professional. Doing so has had a very good impact on how I treat my body, myself, others and of course, the money that moves in and out of my life. Thanks again for the post. I really appreciated the message.
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The end of April was tough for me work wise, especially the last ten days. Your post has reminded me that it’s time to take a step back, re-assess and re-evaluate my life and where I’m going with it. Like you said, assess, brush the dirt off and make a plan! I think it’s time to do so.
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For me, I think the way for me to refresh is by backing away slowly and carefully from my budget. It’s become my wooby in a lot of ways. That thing I can control when in everything else I feel helpless. So financially, all I’m going to do is cut down on dining out a bit. With everything else financial for this year I’m actually WAY ahead of schedule.
So I’m focusing on other things:
1. I’m going to log off my computer by 9pm every night and be in bed, eyes closed by 10pm.
2. I will keep up with my walking schedule 5 days a week even though the contest at work that I started it for will end in a couple weeks.
3. I will take my omega-3 supplements even though they give me fish burps (blech!)
4. I will find ways to let the important people in my life know that I love and care about them.
5. I’ll keep in mind that I’m doing everything I can financially to take care of myself. Regardless of what happens, I’m gonna be ok.
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That’s the spirit. I like your commitment to curbing your expenses. All those non-savers out there should take heed of the advice. Figuring out how to get even small discounts on your expenses can huge difference in savings if you’re saving only a little each month…
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