The Buck Stops Here

I know exactly when it happened. It was when I decided to go to the Cape. It's not that I couldn't use a vacation. Believe me, I was thankful to go and I needed the break.

The beginning of the end was when I didn't move my friend's half of the plane ticket over to my savings. Since then, I've turned a blurred eye to my finances. I've used my savings as an easy backup to cover my misdeeds. And the effects have started to show. What was once a snag has become a tear. If I'm not careful, if I don't reclaim control and soon, that tear is going to be a hole.

So it's time to do just that -- reclaim control. For example, another friend invited me along for a trip to the Minneapolis. There's an exhibition she wants to see, and she has a friend who lives near there. I was all set to go along when it occurred to me just what it would cost. Sure, the airfare wouldn't be too bad, but then there would the three nights' charge for a hotel room. And then there's the car rental, food, and shopping expenses.

What was I thinking?!

So though it would've been fun, I can't do it. I've got to get back on track.

My original goal for December 31 was to have $7,500 in savings. Unless I win some money (which would be just fine with me, by the way) or am bequeathed an inheritance from a rich relative (an impossibility since I have no rich relatives), that goal won't be met. Salaries are frozen and my rent's about to go up. If I manage to have $6,000 by then, I'll be grateful. (How I'll meet my $10,000 goal by October 10, 2010, is beyond me, especially given the possibility I may go to Italy next June for a week. More on that later.)

In the short term, the important thing is that I go back to taking it one day at a time. I have to reconsider my purchases -- even groceries -- and stop with the impulse buying. If I'm bored, well, I need to stay home and craft. Or read one of the 50+ unread books on my bookshelves. Running to the store for this and that isn't doing me any favors.

The buck stops here -- literally.