Looking Forward Instead of Back

Two days ago when I started this blog, I was going to make it into a pity party. As that is not me, I decided to step back and wait for my emotions to calm down and I'm glad I did. All that I will say is that it has been a very bad few weeks and I have everything crossed that it is over. 

But today I made the decision that it just isn't worth it to have a pity party anymore. I can't change what happened and that's that. Instead, I focused on the positive and made some more decisions. For the positive, I have an awesome job and can afford to live in a place that not many people can (or are willing to try for that matter). I have a support team behind me and even though my personal life isn't exactly where I want it at this moment, that's something that I can solve if I put my mind to it.

Farther down the list, I have also decided that it's time to get ready to return to the part that got me into the equestrian world. I've set a goal of having a horse here by this summer and I intend to see it through. Horses are my sanity and even though I've been able to play with some of the top horses in the industry in past weeks (see below), I haven't been able to get on one or have goals for one in months.

Spending as much time as I want with PG has been a dream

I'll admit I wasn't a Brownie fan when he was racing but he's growing on me ...

This of course means cutting back on other things to afford not only to board a horse here but to possibly ship one here. Although, the possibility that the second part may not be as easy as it sounds has crossed my mind and I'm going to cross that bridge when I get there. While my student loans are also coming due soon, I have planned that as well.

First, I've cut out nearly all fast food from my diet (I do have a Subway addiction that I'm not willing to break but I've cut that back dramatically too) and it's amazing not only how much better I'm feeling only 5 days after my "last meal" but it's also been nice not to touch any plastic cards and see the money leaving my bank account with every bite. I still don't cook much but the meals I did buy when I went grocery shopping the other day are healthier than any meal I can get from Dairy Queen or Sonic and are leaving me with more energy and I'm not feeling bloated like I used to. Plus, as I am well behind on my 5k training, it's also making me more optimistic that I may be able to pull something off in three weeks.

Second, I've paid more money in the short term to save in the long term. When I started my job at Paulick Report, I bought a portable modem that let me have internet on the go. Since I was splitting bills with two other people at the time, the $50 a month wasn't a big deal. However, with my own apartment, that $50 was adding to the $45 I also paid for my apartment internet. It cost me a cancelling fee in the short term but that $50 will be nice in my bank account moving forward. I'm also working on cutting back on electricity to lower another bill but that is a work in progress.

Finally for the student loans... I am currently working on an application to consolidate all of them into one. If I get that, it will cut that payment down and make my life much easier. And easier is always better.

I'm a very goal driven person so hopefully all my solutions will work and I can reach this one... if not, there may be more bad weeks in my future.

Until next time,
Mel