bewize | Entries tagged with crunching numbers

I am so close to being out of debt. So very, very close. I can taste it. I can *feel* it. I want to revel in it...

BUT I'M NOT THERE YET AND IT'S FRUSTRATING ME.

I paid a bill today and then went and gloried in the new, lower, achievable, balance. I did that thing where I add up everything I owe (minus student loans and the car) and felt... almost confident. Hell, not even almost. Just confident.

I will be out of debt in the next 60 days barring catastrophe. For those of you who've been here for the ride, it was bumpy. And it's nearing the point where we shall pull into the station. Keep your arms and feet inside, please, and prepare to party.

Virtually speaking of course, because buying everyone I know a beer would put me back in the same situation. XD (Unless everyone wants to meet at Twains and buy your own celebratory beer! LOL. I can be in for that.)

Being debt free will make everything I've done the past few years worth it. (I hope.) Giving up my own place, moving in with people, loss of privacy, loss of self-sufficiency. Worth it, if I never end up in the same boat again - and I won't.

Oh, I won't.

Dear Lord, how is January 19th?!

Between the snow and the slammed, time is flying this month. I've got a lot to do and dwindling time to get it done. And yet, I am remarkably unmotivated atm. Seriously, I've just read the last three days of journals/emails, because I didn't have time before now, and I don't want to do anything else.

I ate a late breakfast, but I'm thinking I might go and eat lunch now. Then come back and see if I can't jump start the afternoon?

News: I've hired a part time paralegal/legal secretary and she does, in fact, increase my productivity significantly. This is awesome.

I've taken on a few new cases, which is also awesome.

I settled a fairly big case last Friday and spent the weekend/Monday celebrating too much. It's not huge - but the money that's my portion of this is enough to pretty much take away the crutches of my financial health. I'm excited. :D

I'm going to a seminar tomorrow, so I'd best get the lead out. Especially since I have a trial on Monday. Blah.

Right. Lunch!

I'm exhausted. WTF?

Today was all right. I had a meeting, got paid, did some work, had another meeting, got a contract on a new med mal case, scheduled two new client meetings for tomorrow and still managed to get home early(ish).

Cramps suck, though. Sorry if that's TMI.

We had Texas Roadhouse for dinner, but I didn't feel great, M is sick, V is coughing and P wanted to go to work, so we didn't exactly linger, and I've been home since doing yet more work. I did have a rib though, and I've got left over ribs to eat at some point this week.

My mom told me to take some money and buy myself a new outfit. I said I wanted to pay off debt more, but she told me to shut up and listen to my mother. *lol* With an order like that, I think maybe I'll take her advice. I could use some new clothes, actually. I don't think I've bought myself new clothes (other than running clothes) since early summer, and then it was 2 dresses from Target.

Anyone want to go shopping?

I've got plans for tomorrow evening that I am looking forward to, although I can already feel the week slipping away from me. I need to remember to pack clothes to change into after work. Maybe I can sneak in a run first, too? We'll see, but running in Decatur would be awesome. All the Christmas decorations are up.

I helped Santa out this year and bought M a red wagon (Radio Flyer, of course!), which arrived today. It's very cool and all reminiscent of my own childhood. V was all emotional that I did it, but of course I did it. I would get that kid the moon if he asked me to.

He finally learned to say "Rach" and it's adorable. Half the time, he still calls me "mamamama" though. V is mommy or mombie (rhymes with zombie). I think he's finally realizing that all women aren't a derivation of "mom".

I ate a tiny snickers bar. It was tasty.

Did I mention that cramps suck?

Thanks to everyone who voted for me in LJ Idol. I'm pleased to have made it to a second week. The new topic is Deconstruction. Any suggestions?

And on that note, I'm going to bed. Where the heating pad currently lives.

Today is Day 2 of the "run 2.2 miles every day for a week plan." This plan is seemingly out of nowhere and comes about just because I want to make my life more difficult. But, I figure I'll see what's happened at the end of the week. (I don't imagine it will be bad.)

Tonight, it rained. I ran after the rain and the temperature was definitely colder. That plus the humidity made my asthma kick off. And yet I still had an easier run than yesterday. I really think it's partially just reminding myself that yes, indeed, I *can* run 2.2 miles and it isn't even that hard. But some days, I just don't want to do it.

That's why I'm making it a rule for the next week. If I can run that far every day, then I 'm probably ready to find a longer route and kick it up a notch. But I think I'm going to need to acquire a few winter running shirts.

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I'm afraid of my work phone. Which is my cell phone. Which is bad. But I can't stand it when I end up with 14 voice mails in a day where I'm answering my phone. It scares me. And half of them are people wanting to know why X isn't done.

I'll tell you.

BECAUSE MY DAMN PHONE WON'T STOP RINGING!!!

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I have a med mal case regarding a girl who had to have two liver transplants thanks to a doctor's incompetence. I calculated the bills from her second surgery today and had a stroke.

My life isn't so bad. And I doubt that I will ever hit my maximum lifetime coverage in insurance in the span of three months.

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Irrationally perhaps, but sometimes when my f-list page is full of "you should think X instead of Y about [insert political issue of choice]", I just want to tell people to quit telling me how to think!

*bangs head*

At the end of the day, very few people know anyone else on their flists well enough to judge their lives. S'all I'm saying.

ETA: I figured I'd better specify that this is aimed mostly at the folks telling me that because I support women's colleges, I somehow support a classist system that prevents the lower classes from obtaining a feminist education.

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I'm dying my hair. I think this is the wrong color.

That is bound to be interesting.

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S called my phone when I was out running. V answered. He said he had something he wanted me to do in the morning (why call me at night????), but he didn't answer when I called back. I dread to think what it will be...

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Remember when Mattie dislocated his elbow? The insurance company has denied coverage. *rolls eyes*

We'll see about that, won't we? But that's BS. It was a weekend. He was in pain. Where the hell else should we have taken him?!

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There is a client who owes me $5,000. This would go a long (long, long, long) way to making my world easier right now. I'm going to spend part of tomorrow trying to get my money from him. (No, seriously. A long, long, long, long way.)

I just did that thing where you sit and add up everything you owe and have a heart attack.

Only...

I didn't have a heart attack!

(I am not counting student loan debt, which I may never pay off, for the record. *lol* But even so, I do categorize that debt differently, since it's not harmful debt.)

I now owe less than one-fifth of what I owed at the beginning of this whole debt-reduction plan that I went on two years ago. I am not out of the woods yet, but when I keep blindly stating that I intend to be out of debt this year (2010), I was sort of doing a hand-wavey thing to mean, "if possible."

Well, hell's bells. It's possible.

And pretty damn exciting.

( Rambling )

I was talking with A about some of this, and she expressed interest. So I figured I'd lay out my financial goals, beginning with the most immediate and stretching into the future.

( Best Laid Plans )

Now this is the plan that I've worked out for myself. I in no way think that it's the only way, or even the "right" way. I'm pretty sure that like all plans, it will get blown to hell as I work on it. But... I haz goals.

*headdesk*

So remember when I talked abut paying off the Damn Discover Card a few days ago? Well, I made a balance transfer and then sent my entire "bonus" straight to Discover Card, which was great right up until I just realized that I forgot to cancel the payment coming out of my bank account.

Today.

So, I've now sent them even MORE money (which I don't really have at the moment).

Good news? This card should now be paid off for sure in the next month/two months.

Bad news? I have NO MONEY until someone pays me. $#!@.

I should, however, have enough to pay car insurance next week. After that? Touch and go.

I really need someone to pay me. LOL.

Worst case scenario, I'll pay myself for the work I do with S on a weekly basis this month.

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In other news, I'm feeling a tiny bit vulnerable today. Several things happened yesterday to make me feel a bit... unimportant. Which, you know, I am in the grand scheme of things, but it's never nice to feel like others see you that way.

I'll recover; my ego is in no way permanently damaged. But, still... I'm stinging a bit.

Which, if the past is any evidence to the future, will undoubtedly result in withdrawing for a while. So if I get scarce, don't worry. :)

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My throat hurts today. This is very upsetting considering the tremendous amount of crap I need to do/get done today. I shall have to suck it up. Maybe another cup of coffee will help?

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Cuz' whose to worry if our hearts get torn
When that hurt gets thrown
Don't you notice life goes on

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Is anyone interested in going to the Greek Festival on Sunday with me and Mattie? It'll be fun! They have Greek food! *tempts*

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So, this afternoon, we have a police officer coming in to investigate an alleged death threat made by an attorney in the office. My life - never dull.

BE JEALOUS!