No-Kill Finance

Let me first say that I’m resisting all urges to post an April Fool’s Day blog:  An excited report on how a Nigerian prince is going to give me part of his fortune, perhaps?  Or maybe something about the benefits of playing the lotto?  (Speaking of which, congratulations to my friend, whose scratch-off success this week could be an object of inspiration and envy to all get-rich-quick schemers.)

Anyway, I didn’t set any goals for March because I seem to have forgotten I even had a blog to record them in.  Had I, though, I would’ve passed them and then some, thanks to the month’s third paycheck.  As I discussed last night, I’ve now passed my initial $1000 goal for emergency savings, and have paid off my largest outstanding debt, which leaves:

April New Month’s Resolutions

1. Pay off sole remaining debt:  I still owe about $180 to a veterinary care credit, due in large part to the mighty Thor’s advancing age.  In addition to paying it off, I’d like to avoid acquiring any new debts as well.  I’ve spent so much energy paying off my credit card every month that I run up a weekly bill with my girlfriend, who does grocery shopping and the like while I’m at work.  I need to re-evaluate my expenses and work harder at keeping costs low so I’m not owing her more money than I have to give.  After all, my next 3-paycheck month won’t be ’til September…
2. Continue to save 25% of income after Resolution #1 is accomplished:  now that I’ve hit $1000 in my emergency fund, to which I’d been contributing 25%, I plan on diversifying my savings…10% to emergency savings, 10% to the retirement fund I hope to put toward a new IRA by the end of the year, and bits and pieces here and there into various other savings sub-accounts intended for vacation, a car (a theoretical car, to be purchased in the distant future…I love my public transit), and maybe some sort of absurd present to myself, like a new TV (yeah, right).
3. Continue to focus more on school than on blogging:  yes, it’s sad to embrace it so openly, but my spotty upkeep here at No-Kill Finance over the last month has been the product of my increased focus on schoolwork, which, no offense to my readers, is a lot more important in the long run.  I’ll try to set more realistic goals for myself (see Resolution #4) so I tune in more often, but I was getting a bit too obsessed with drafting new posts, reading peer blogs, and combing through Google Analytics data…a pointless pursuit when you only have 30 or 40 hits a day.  Simply by ignoring my blog, I have hugely increased my capacity to understand the big, confusing words my chemistry professor is rambling through during each lecture.
4. Blog twice a week:  most important in succeeding at this goal will be my acceptance of the fact that blogs don’t NEED to be 1000 words long.  In studying fiction writing, I was trained to write, re-write, re-write again, then walk away for a few hours and re-write again.  This method does not work well for someone with a limited amount of time to spend on writing.  Decreasing my weekly quota, and maybe lowering my standards a bit in terms of…not quality, just fine-tuning…I think I’ll be able to keep up.
5. Work out at least twice a week:  nothing to do with finance, I know, but I’ve gained about 15 pounds since starting this blog, and I feel like being healthier will motivate me in every other aspect of my life (more alert, more energetic, more willing to blog and maybe do a few crunches instead of eating chocolate and watching television).

So, I’ve had mixed success with my resolutions in the past months (March being a noted exception:  I succeeded at living up to all zero of my resolutions that month!), but I have a good feeling about April.  This morning, the sun is out, I’m well-caffeinated, and I officially only have one month of school left until summer vacation.  Spring is great!