enough is enough

I'm sick of living from paycheck to paycheck. I'm sick of wondering if I'll have enough money to eat, or pay rent, or car insurance. I'm also sick of not having health insurance when I need medical help. So, I'm resolving to make a change...well, several, in fact. I've already taken the first step and bought a car and car insurance for the very first time. Up until now, I've relied heavily on my parents generosity to get by. Thank you mom (Kristie Buehler) and Dave (Buehler) for supporting my ass for the last 30 years. I love you both!
The next few steps are going to take a considerable amount of time more. I want to get back in shape...not just because I'm trying to re-enlist, because that's not even a guarantee at this point, but because I want to feel and be healthy. I'm sick of being tired and achy all the time. I've started my container garden (which I will post pics of as soon as the seeds start budding) and I'm trying to walk 2 miles a day. I know that I won't always do that because I'm feeling tired or lazy, but I've set a minimum goal of 6 miles a week. Luckily, the grocery store is exactly 1 mile from my front door and I can get my shopping done while I'm out. Two birds.
The next step is to start saving money (to help pay for school...). My goal: save $5 from tips every day, and 10% of each paycheck for school. I'll use the rest of my tips (which is usually a considerable amount...like $15-$20) to buy my groceries for the evening and next morning. the bulk of my paycheck will go to car insurance, rent, and car payments. Anything left will go to a general savings account. I want a nice cushion in case something happens.
I will go to school next semester, so to help ease the hit on my bank account, I'm signing up for financial aide. Hopefully I'll qualify for something.
And finally, I'm going to really concentrate on getting my etsy shop up and running. Mrs. Wondra Vanian and I are going to keep each other on track with that (remember Wondra?). I also want to look for a few craft shows this summer. Any profit I make this summer will go to school things (tuition, books, parking, gas, food, etc.).
Well, I think that's a solid plan. Now, I'm going to be relying on my friends to help me make sure I'm on track with this!