A New Way of Living

So we're nearing the end of February.....already. It's really hard to believe. I know I say that a lot, but it truly is hard to believe that we're already 2 months into the new year. (Hmm, I wonder how many people have abandoned their goals already?)

Well, this girl has not. I'm staying on my grind.

Marketing Mellow Joe

I've been really involved with my sewing lately. I found an arts and crafts center downtown that sells arts and crafts from local artists. I contacted them and they want to carry my products! I have to come up with six of each products, so I'm spending my nights trying to batch some carriers. Tonight I ran out of brown thread so I had to pack it up at 1:30 p.m. That is the only way I was able to get time to even write this post; otherwise, I'm super busy! I also plan to get some business cards, as well as to revise the website with new colors, logos, etc. All that stuff takes time, though. But, at least I am driven! How exciting is that?? :)

Money

Call me frugal...call me cheap...whatever you want to call it, I am saving money, dammit. I've been socking away $420 a month, in addition to the 10% that goes into my retirement account....in addition to the extra $300 that I have been able to pay on my car. I have used my credit card very little; only for gas, and for a couple small purchases, like to pay postage to mail my Mellow Joe products if necessary. Otherwise, it's strictly cash, baby. Things may get a little hard soon, however; my sis and mom are "divorcing" (long story) and so our townhouse that they rent from us will be near vacant soon, which means we'll have to come out of pocket for that mortgage. I may have to readjust my savings plans.

Anhow, I have done extremely well with curbing impulse buying. Just the other day I was in Target and saw a pair of cute sandles for (gasp!) $20. I was going to buy them because (1) they were cute, (2) they only had 1 pair left in my size, and (3) they were (gasp!) $20! What a steal! But guess how much cash I had? Well, I don't know how much cash I had, but I can tell you it wasn't enough to buy shoes and all the household products I was toting around. Nope--can't get the shoes, babe. And I didn't. Now that is restraint!

Health

Kwasi is telling me that I am getting too skinny. Tonight he saw my jeans hanging off of me and said I am losing my ass. Um, no I'm not. I have slimmed down, but I'm still rockin' it. I do my best to get into the gym each day. Some day I am only stretching and doing abs; other days I'm burning 400 calories on the elliptical trainer. It all depends. But, I'm happy with my weight. Tonight I was rockin' my skinny jeans around the house! Fuck yeah! As for my sugar....Hmm....haven't been watching that closely. It's a shame, too, because I so want to be healthy. I still have some time to get it right before the next A1C testing in April.

Extracurricular Actvities

I have decided to save my $100 and buy photography books instead of taking a class. At least the books are something tangible I will always be able to reference...and it will be cheaper than $100! I have signed Kwabena up for swim classes, starting mid-April. I can't wait! I also signed him up for a toddler sports class (ages 2-5).

Estate Planning

Ugh, I still haven't touched this....I've got 1 month to make it happen!

CPR Class

I haven't even touched this yet.

Reading

I had a goal to read at least 1 book per month. And because I have been taking the shuttle part-way to work, I have been able to meet this goal. This is awesome, because I absolutely love to read. I'm reading "Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions" by Dan Ariely. Great book about how humans do irrational things in predictably patterns. I highly recommend it. It's an easy, intersting read.

I'm not sure what my next selection will be. I'm considering the Russell Simmons book, "Do You!: 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success." It's a few years old. I read about 3/4 of it when it was first released, but it's been a while since I've read it. I just stumbled upon it tonight and realized that right now in my entrepreneurial career, I could probably use it again. Or maybe "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison (thanks for the suggestion).

Well, I'm sure there are a few more things I want to comment on, but it's 2:21 a.m. How crazy is that?? I am starting to feel sleepy now....

More later.