Resolution Update: February

So, it’s month 2 of the year, and it’s time to check on the resolutions…something that I’ll probably stop doing by March, if last year is any indication.

1. Graduate with a 4.0 GPA – So far, so good.  Sitting at 100% in my current class.

2. Make it through the Hal Leonary Guitar Method Books 1-3 – Again, so far, so good.  I finished book one, and I’m 1/2 way through book 2.  The guitar is in the shop right now (there are some problems with the action that are causing strings to be in tune when they’re open, but out of tune when I’m fretting them, but only on the first four frets.  Very strange.)  But, once I move into my new place, I will pick back up where I left off.

3.  Buy a pair of 32-waist jeans and be able to button them – Since January 1, I have lost 10 pounds.  I’m aiming for another 15 to get back down to approx 175, and then I should have no problem with the size 32s.  My 34s are starting to get a little loose these days.

4. Spend less than an average of $50/month on Dining out – I went over a little in January.  I’m pretty sure I’ve already gone over in February.  This one’s a big fail, and will probably continue to be.  I like dining out.  I have, however, stopped eating so much fast food and am instead focusing my dining out opportunities on slightly higher caliber food.

5. Cut grocery budget from $400/month to $300/month – Mega WIN!  I’ve actually cut my budget down to just barely over $200 a month.  AND I’m eating more healthily.  AND I’m throwing away less spoiled food.

6. Find a new job – Well, some interesting movement in this camp that I can’t really talk about…other than to say stay tuned.  Also, a ffriend (and blog reader) and I are starting a new company that, in fairly short order, I will blog about.  Exciting stuff.

7. Make it through the whole year without buying another computer – So far, so good, but there have been a couple of close calls.  That Dell credit card with the $2200 of available credit is just calling my name.  But thus far, I have refrained.  Considering my current computer is less than a year old, I think I’ll be able to survive.

8. Pay off all my credit cards…again – Making slow but steady progress.  I’ve settled on a plan where I pay off everything charged to the card during the previous month (including interest) to the minimum payment each month.  That way, even if I didn’t use the card, I’m paying more than the minimum, and if I did use the card, I’m paying off everything I spent during the month while still making progress on the overall balance.  Since I’m moving to a cheaper apartment, the extra $400 should help in this process significantly.

9. Built a 3-month rainy day fund – Doing okay, but not great.  Again, cheaper rent will help me meet this goal, and the extra money freed up will speed up the process.  This is also going to be important because I don’t know how much my student loans are going to cost per month when they go into repayment.  Plus with the recent layoffs at Microsoft, it’s more important than ever that I have a cushion.

10. Write a novel – I’ve tinkered around with a few things, but haven’t really done too much with it.  I’m really waiting until November for this one.

So, that’s my update.  We’ll see how I’m doing in March!