Improving Myself

I used to always go into each new year thinking, "New Year, New Me!" And that's a saying that you see everywhere. It's like we all have to reinvent ourselves each year and become something else. But this year, I'm not doing that. There is no "new me". I like who I am. And the people in my life like who I am. So why would I change that? So, no new me...just an improved me. I'm going to work on the things in my life that need to be worked on. This is the year that I conquer certain things in my life, and I'm really excited about that aspect!

I have been exercising the past couple of days, and I'm really proud of the progress I'm making. I've made it a goal to burn at least 250 calories a day, and so far, I've surpassed that each day. And I only have 82 calories left to burn until I reach the goal for today! :) I've also started noticing the difference in my body since I've been working out like this. I feel my sides slimming down and my "love handles" slowly disappearing! Yay! :)

I'm also trying to be better at spending and saving and monitoring my money. I still live with my parents, so I don't really have any bills to pay, but I know that will change in a few months. So I'm trying to start now on teaching myself how to manage my money. I've got a spreadsheet set up, and I track all of my spending. This way, I can look and see what I'm spending my money on, how much I'm spending each month, and how much I'm saving each month. I've also started doing something that my dad has been doing for a few years now. Heo saves all of his $1 bills and all his change. Each year, he's managed to save over $1,000 by doing this. So, I've started doing it, too. And I'm putting it directly into my savings account. I made my first deposit last month, and it was $8.50. But that was after just a week or so of saving. I'm hoping to have more put in this month. And I've noticed that I don't really miss the $1 bills or the change that much.

I'm pretty excited about this year. Big things are going to happen, and I can't wait! :) And I'm also looking forward to improving myself and coming out of this year even better than I started it. :)