New Year- New Resolution

I have several resolutions but the one which I feel most passionately about at the moment (because I spent too much $ in my time off of work) is frugality. I recently heard some tips on NPR while riding home from shopping at the Crate and Barrel Outlet with my mom (yeah, I know). The advice was to cut up the credit card...or hide it. In my case, burn it beyond recognition so as to avoid any possibility of usage. Thankfully, I have only one of those evil, evil things, but it is beyond paying the full balance every month...way beyond.

The second bit of advice was to buy absolutely nothing but necessities for one month to see where all that money goes. This means no dining out...I think this is the hardest one to overcome because I love to indulge. With those savings I plan to pay extra on my CC balance. Is it possible I could be free of this yoke and harness by 2010? I am going to try. I am sick of wondering where my money went. I am still living in the same mindset/lifestyle I was when Joe was making six figs and that needs to change. The Great Suzy Orman, in all her infinite wisdom, said that in order to reduce debt, one must either make more money or cut back. I will do both. That means I will be working on my summer vacay. Boo. Guess I had better start thinking about where I'd like to work.

Other resolutions:
Get healthy- mind and body.

- This year my anxiety reared its ugly head again after hibernating for 4 or 5 years, and I realized that I could no longer suppress it alone. I am trying to get this under control and I'd like to be able to do it sans meds.

- Eat healthier (Not dining out should help!) My little routine of healthy eating and cooking fell by the wayside when Joe came back from Iraq. I've been avoiding my too-tight jeans and resorting to my more forgiving clothing. Ugh. If Oprah is the Queen of Yo-Yo dieting, I am a Yo-Yo Diet Princess. It's not healthy and I need to stop it!

- Get active. My gym closed (I needed to save $ anyways) so it looks like I need to dust off the old elliptical machine and dumbbells. My overly ambitious 5K training last fall lead to a back injury that is exacerbated by high impact activity. Getting old sucks.

I think that once I get these things under control I will be much happier. They are all intertwined and I am the only one who can change it.