The GreenMan Blog: view all entries at blog.devonblosch.com
Small World, Money, & 90 Days
If you read my previous blogs, you know I have a few New Year's resolutions. Well, you'll be happy to know I am working on all of them. I even got a chance to use one stone for two birds (make a Dallas friend/workout). The other week I made an acquaintance that has had a personal trainer for over 7 years. We made time where he would come over to my apartment's gym and help me setup a workout program. After he showed me how each exercise is to be done and in what order, we went up to my apartment. The first thing he saw in my apartment was a picture of Meryl and me on my nightstand. He looked at me and said, "How do you know that girl?" I responded, "Oh that's one of my best friends, you wouldn't know her. She is in Houston right now." He answered, "Is it Meryl?" Needless to say, my jaw dropped to the ground. Turns out he was Meryl's psychology professor a few semesters ago. Small, small world. Go figure! In other news, I filled my 2009 tax return yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised to discover I am getting a $700 refund. I love e-filing. I should get it in 10 business days, directly deposited into my checking account -- oh, the magic of technology. Of course 10% is going to savings (10% of all my income goes to savings). I am thinking of spending 40% on apartment stuff and upcoming wedding gifts, and then 50% goes to either credit card and/or student loans. In upcoming events, next Tuesday (Jan 26, 2010), i'll have lived in D/FW for 90 days (3 months). I guess this means work is keeping me and I'll be getting business cards soon. I am happy with my job, residence, and Dallas. I am still getting over being homesick and so far from all my friends. I'm not going to lie, it has been hard being alone and getting used to a new city -- especially with the events that are happening with some of my friends. I feel so helpless, distant, and don't know what to do. Sometimes I wish I had all the answers, sometimes. Yet, part of the fun in life is trying to figure them out, right?
Forbearance
It finally happened. My student loans found me. As of last week I finally got all my bills for all my students loans. I was expecting 112 monthly payments of around $275 (at the max.) Oh no, no, no, no. Boy, was I foolish. The total of my monthly payment was over $500 -- way out of my budget. So, I figured I need to consolidate my loans. The thing about consolidating is that you pay more over time, but get a lower monthly payment. Right now I have 6 loans with interest between 2.4 and 7%. I am consolidating with the Department of Education and based on the calculator, it looks like I will get 4.2% interest with 220 monthly payments of around $240. That fits in my budget -- but I will end up paying an additional $18,000 in the long run. Oh, and as my loans are consolidating, I don't need to make any payments because I put them all into forbearance. It does feel good to finally get this all taken care of. At least now I know I can make the payments and not worry about defaulting.
Happy New Year -- 2010
I knew how to bring in 2010 right -- asleep. Yes, I slept through New Years! Here is the story. After work I went to the bank, Target, grocery store, and then home. At home I watched some TV and ate dinner with a glass of sparkling wine around 8pm (it was a special day, I started to celebrate early). I knew I had a few hours before going out, so I decided I would take an hour nap, then get up and get ready (a nap so I would be more apt to staying up late -- sounded like a good idea, right?). But no -- the "once in a blue moon" blue moon had another idea for me (at least that is what I am "blaming" it on). If you don't know, the Full moons used to have 12 names, one for each month, such as "harvest moon." The term "blue moon" referred to the rare 13th full moon in a year. It only happens on New Years every 20 or so years. The old wives tale goes that the moon can effect humans, for me, I guess it made me sleepy (and as you may know, I have not been sleeping well for the past few weeks). My quick nap turned into 8 hours. It's the first night I slept over 5 hours straight through in two weeks. I guess that's the silver lining -- at least I got some sleep -- I'll catch the next New Years in 364 days. When I awoke groggy and realized what happened at 4am, I figured it was to late to call/text anyone "Happy New Years," so I just went back to bed. But that didn't last long, now it's 6am, I'm groggy but awake, and I have a headache. Oh yeah, because I did not do my regular after work routine, I forgot to un-silence my phone. I am so sorry to the people that called/texted me Happy New Year --Happy New Year back! As for my New Year's resolutions, I have come up with 4 (for now). First, I want to make friends in Dallas. To do this, I am going to put myself out into the social scene. Not just bars/clubs, but gatherings, such as things held by my apartment complex or volunteering at events -- anything that I find information on that intrigues me, I will try and go. Second, I want to lose 10 pounds. According to the weight charts at the doctor's office, I am still overweight by 5 pounds for my height and my ideal weight is 10-15 pounds less then I am now. I am going to lose the weight by using my apartment complex's gym regularly, at least 3 times a week, and eating smaller portions (with counting calories). Third, I want to try and reduce self-inflicted stress in my life. I need to stop analyzing everything to the point where it drives me crazy. This is going to be a hard habit to break and I am still trying to figure out how. Fourth, I need to stop relying on spellcheck and Google. I have become lazy when it comes to spelling. I need to focus more when typing and only use Google when I honestly don't know how to spell a word. Happy New Year! Here's to a fantastic 2010 -- wow, 2010!