I gotta admit … I’m in a weird place right now. It is said that after 30 days of changing normal habits, you form new ones — and that’s what I’ve been focusing on this month — creating new, healthy habits. So with the beer fog lifting and 30 days rapidly approaching, here’s some things that have changed or I have been working on changing:
Eating out: If there was one singular thing that I could point out that I do entirely too much of, its grabbing chow on the fly. If I wanted to know where that extra 20 lbs. came from and why it wasn’t going away? Eating out. Where all my money seemed to be slipping away to? Eating out. (Seriously, you can’t get away with a value meal for under $6 anymore.) I’ve cut back from eating out usually once (and sometimes twice) a day to 4 times this month, and even then, it was something like a Whopper Jr. (no mayo) and diet Coke. That’s it. I also dropped vending snacking and soda. I’m not claiming complete victory, but it’s definitely a start. (I treat myself to a can of soda and a bag of chips every Friday … sue me.)-
Budget: I started some hardcore budgeting. I have a “must go to” wedding in October out Jersey way (“must go” because it will be tons of fun and I won’t miss this wedding for anything) — that’s likely a new suit, hotel, gift and shenanigans money. I have more windows that I want to buy.
Brief synopsis of Jersey wedding
I want to replenish my safety-net funds, which is at its lowest point in years. I’ll need to get tires sometime this summer. And the reality is that there was no raise last year, and I’m not putting any faith in getting one this year — but I can guarantee that my health insurance will go up. So, I’m making changes now while I have some wiggle room. I’m also starting to think of deeper budget changes: Cutting out the gym and working out at home. Ditching cable for Netflix and broadcast TV. Decisions decisions. (But let’s face it — if I go back to school, I won’t have time for either — a quick workout at home and the TV on while I cook. That’s about it.)
Life: I’m also working it through that I will be Cali-less in a few short months. No, this isn’t a surprise. From Day One, it was understood that our relationship would end in May when she graduates from med school and returns to California. That was always her plan, and she was very honest about it. There was a small chance that she would stay here, but from recent conversations with her, she’s found residency programs out West that have captured her interest and will likely (99.9%) be heading back. Ugh. Not looking forward to that day, but hey, I’m not gonna stick my head in the sand and pretend it’s not coming, either. A little more than a year of fun times and great learning experiences is something to embrace — and there’s still a few more months with her to enjoy.- Tear down, start over: I’ve also been reorganizing the house. I started with the kitchen to make it more efficient for me — moved my baker’s rack and my small island table closer to the stove in order to have storage for my pots and pans as well as having my cutting surface right there next to the stove. This created a ton of space. I’ll probably move my bike rack into my kitchen soon (it’s a big kitchen). I’ve also cut up my old wooden futon frame that’s been lingering in my basement and created shelving for my baker’s rack (it just had wire slats). I’m ditching a lot of old crap or recycling it, and I feel better doing that.
I do feel like I want to start blogging more (feel slightly guilty for not blogging as much recently), but as you can see, I kinda got a full plate already. But, I’m gonna try. I have another 30 days coming up — so if the new habits have taken hold, maybe it’ll free up some time to write more often.
Sheep the Moon 
Lots of changes happening here, and most for the better. I too dealt with a relationship that had a finite end defined from the start. The dreaded date always loomed large and yet I chose to ignore it like the plague. My only hope is that you are far better equipped to cope than I. Best of luck my friend!
Well, in my case, she’s also been gone for a total of 3 months. Gone all of September, and then gone from November until February. I think this has given us both time to reflect on what it will be like to be without the other person and miss them while still getting the opportunity to see each other down the road. Finite relationships aren’t easy, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.