I have $377 left. Now to focus on my school loans-$15,000. I can put $500 a month towards them while saving $1,500 a month for my long term savings. I’m also saving up $500 a month for a down payment on a car-I know I’m going to need one in the next couple of years since my car is starting to get pretty old and has high mileage.
My budgeting is going well and I’m very happy I’ve been doing everything I need to!
Pair of boots because I live in Michigan and a nice new pair are badly needed and CONSUMABLES!
My mom makes me make a list so early, and my family is huge on gift giving no matter how much I tell them I don’t need anything. This year I just realized I’m going to put all the things I use all the time that I hate buying!
I graduated a little over a year ago and have been working since. I find myself within the last 6 months in a rut. I like my job and work in a good place, but would come home daily feeling exhausted, unmotivated, and terrible about myself for not being productive.
The main things I want to work on is my mental health/anxiety and my physical health. I spent the last several months really cleaning and decluttering my space to make things manageable which has helped the motivation to kick in.
My plan is to workout 5 days a week. I don’t want to be so strict with myself that I feel like if I don’t reach my goals I want to give up, just simple and moving my body more than I have been. In a week that usually looks like 2-3 days of running, 2-3 days of walking or hiking and 1-2 days of Pilates or weight lifting combined in with the other cardio days, and two days of rest. I’m really listening to my body and going at my own pace. Sometimes I feel great and I run far, sometimes I can only do a mile.
I’ve been trying to eat more fiber and protein centered meals, less simple carbs and liquid calories. I still allow myself to eat treats and just focus on portion control. I’ve been consistent with my diet and exercise for about 2 months now and I do notice a difference in my energy levels and mood.
I have a doctors appointment next month to check in on my bloodwork and thyroid, as well as talk about getting on some anxiety medication. I just want to feel better and I’m sick of dealing with life this way.
I’m trying to stick to a strict budget and save money and pay my loans off quicker, just be overall better with money since it’s a area of stress in my life
Lastly, something I will definitely be trying to improve is lowering my screen time and replacing my phone with books. I used to read for hours a day and I’ve just gotten out of the habit and replaced it with mindless scrolling unfortunately.
I know that I have a tendency to do things for dopamine hits, so I’m hoping that exercise, diet, medication, and dedication can get me to a place where I regularly feel good. I don’t want to overdo this and burn out so I’m being mindful, taking things one day at a time, and if I have a bad few days or even couple weeks I just pick myself up again and keep doing this like nothing happened instead of giving up.
Posted some photos a few weeks ago and I got quite a few comments telling me I decluttered too much and my apartment looks sterile and uninviting now. I’m convinced it was just the difference in the before and after pictures how much was gone, as well as it being a sunny day on the before photos and and rainy in the after photos. Be honest!! Is it really unwelcoming?
Edit to add: for everyone wondering why I care what others think of my apartment-I don’t really. I am the child of a hoarder, I figured out last year a really huge subconscious stress in my life was how cluttered and full everything in my house was. It was definitely childhood related and we moved to a smaller apartment and so the difference felt drastic. Once I did my first round of decluttering the weight that felt like it was lifted was incredible. I went back through a few more times, I’m just trying to make sure I’m not going overboard due to my history around this thing. Thanks everyone!!
I got rid of sooooo much you guys. I really wish I had before pictures!! It might look like I have a lot of storage but I don’t, this is pretty much all I have but I make it work. My closet has a ton of space but I have no linen closet so I have to keep my extra sheet set, towels, beach blankets, ect. In there.
My bathroom has only under the sink cabinets.
Kitchen has a small pantry and nice cabinets
Hallway closet is small but deep so we have our coats, vacuum, beach chairs, cooler, cat carrier, suitcase, and Christmas decor in there.
I got rid of sooooo much you guys. I really wish I had before pictures!! It might look like I have a lot of storage but I don’t, this is pretty much all I have but I make it work. My closet has a ton of space but I have no linen closet so I have to keep my extra sheet set, towels, beach blankets, ect. In there.
My bathroom has only under the sink cabinets.
Kitchen has a small pantry and nice cabinets
Hallway closet is small but deep so we have our coats, vacuum, beach chairs, cooler, cat carrier, suitcase, and Christmas decor in there.
Cleaning is so much easier and quicker, I’m less stressed, and it still looks homey (: I really love having clear surfaces
I used to always make a list to pack up and then toss it out or delete the note from my phone. Yesterday I used the list to pack up and it helped me remember some things I would’ve otherwise forgotten! Idk if this is obvious or not so I just thought I’d share how helpful it was
Hi all! I adopted my cat Hallie about a year and a half ago. She has been the best cat, a gift for me after I lost my girl of 20 years back in 2023.
Hallie is my soul cat, she follows me everywhere I go at home like my shadow and loves my attention. She constantly wants to play and be pet and held, which I oblige when I’m awake!
Lately she’s been having a habit of giving me love bites on my face when I try to sleep. It doesn’t hurt, it’s very gentle, but it’s waking me up at all hours of the night. Sometimes she will wake me up at 2 am, 3 am, 4 am, ect when I have to wake up for work at 5 am. She doesn’t do that to my husband, just me. She bites me gently on the nose and eyebrow to wake me up and she doesn’t have a lot of teeth so she drools all over my face (ew but she’s so cute it’s okay) I had to get all but her canine teeth taken out due to her immune disorder causing gum disease, now she isn’t in any pain and she is well cared for. She gets regular vet check ups and we are managing her autoimmune disorder very well, unlike the condition I got her in :(
I can’t close the door to our bedroom because we rent an apartment and she will claw at the carpet next to the door and has actually started to ruin it when we’ve tried this before.
I’ve tried feeding her and playing with her right before bed, when I lay down to go to sleep I give her lots of attention and cuddles and she will lay on me until I fall asleep.
Sleeping in on the weekends is impossible with her.
I even spent a lot of money to get her an automatic wet food feeder so she could get small portions of food throughout the night.
What do I do? Sometimes it’s hard to get back to sleep and I’m feeling tired and worn out at at work