Well, 2013 is here. A new year...time for a fresh new start. Time to make some big changes. I've been thinking a lot lately about just stuff. Looking around at what we have compared to what others don't have. Looking at what we could have if we made some changes.
I'm not a fan of New Years resolutions...when I make a resolution I rarely never keep it. So, this year I'm not making resolutions. I'm just making changes. Living simpler..getting healthier.
First and foremost, quitting smoking. Chuck and I both need to quit. Tomorrow is our official quit day. To be completely honest, I'm scared. Scared to death. We've done it before, we quit together for 6 months. We can do it again if we really try. We just have so many habits we need to change. That first cigarette when we first get up in the morning. That cigarette right before I leave for work...the cigarette right when I get home from work. The cigarette right after we eat dinner. The cigarette's from dinner til we go to bed. Then there's the social aspect of it...going to the neighbors to hang out...having a cocktail and smoking a cigarette just naturally go together. UGH!!!
It's going to be so hard...but SO worth it in the long run. We need to quit, not only for the health benefit (I'll get to that part in a minute), but the financial benefit. The kind we smoke, $5.50/pk right now (on sale)...so that's $55/wk for the carton that we go through together...$220/month that we could be WILL BE saving...$2,640 per year that we're literally burning up...LITERALLY!!! Would I take a $5 bill and burn it? No, I wouldn't...I work too hard for the money I make, so why do I want to smoke? That's doing the same thing, right? I know I sound like I'm trying to convince myself...maybe I am, maybe it's just more of a reminder to myself.
Then there's the health benefit. There's the obvious...we all know that smoking kills. We all know someone who has died from lung cancer caused by smoking, right? So, why would I want to do that to my body? Along with that obvious health concern, I have an added health concern. I have Barrett's Esophagus. I will have it for the rest of my life. That alone results in a chance of it turning into esophageal cancer...being a smoker, it puts me at an even more increased risk. I NEED to quit.
That being said...I have a financial plan for 2013 (and beyond)...the money we save from not smoking, will be put towards getting other bills paid off. Get rid of them...get out of debt a little at a time...one pack of smokes at a time. $55/wk that I plan to put toward various bills and get them paid off and out of the way. Cut up the credit cards and cancel them. $220/month put towards getting stuff paid off.
Live simpler...save the eating out for special occasions, not just because it's convenient. Plan menus for the week and stick to it, so there's no reason to go out and get fast food. Go back to using the homemade laundry soap and fabric softener, dish towels and cloth napkins instead of paper towels. Every little thing I can do to save a penny or two.
Get healthier...along with quitting smoking, we're also going to try to get into better shape together. I pretty much have a home gym in the basement. Right now it's just collecting dust. Time to clean the dust off and get using it!
Here's to a fresh start and a great 2013!
