The bottle that kind of started it all...

I bought this reusable bottle about a month ago. I thought it was absolutely adorable but I figured if I forced myself to keep it full of water and go with me everywhere then I would be doing myself a huge service. Since purchasing this bottle I've given more thought to the environment and what other small changes can I make.

Let's take a closer look at these goals...

Weight- In the past two years I’ve gained a substantial amount of weight. I’ve talked to my doctor’s about it and thankfully overall I’m healthy. I just need to get to work the old fashioned way to lose these LBs! I’ve always had an overall interest in nutrition, cooking, and working out. I just haven’t always put my knowledge to use. I do not blame anyone but myself. I always have an excuse for not working out or taking the easy route when it comes to quick meals or just plain being gluttonous.

I also would like to find ways of entertainment that do not center on food. Going out to eat is always my fallback plan of entertainment. That needs to stop! I would like to start hosting game nights, join a book club, or some other form of socializing that does not revolve around the presence of food or booze.

So far I’ve invested in a new pair of trainers, three new gym outfits, and have purchased a variety of gym passes thanks to Groupon. I have a 30 day pass to MAC Fitness, 5 classes at Bikram Yoga Baltimore, 1 month unlimited at Charm City Yoga, and a 3 month unlimited pass at MV Fitness. So this should keep me active until January unless I overlap the yoga passes with the gym. Dance classes will start up in October and that will be every Wednesday evening. Also, I am extremely blessed to have a supportive group of girlfriends that are my weekly workout buddies! I’ve known some of these ladies for almost 20 years and my Beautiful Bootyliscious Ballerinas are my <3!!>

My ultimate weight loss goal is 55 lbs! It isn’t going to be easy but the time is now!

Finances- I have not been the most money savvy person. I would live well beyond my means, constantly going out to eat, and plain and simple not being able to turn down a sale. God forbid if something has a red tag on it! The damn thing could be marked down $.35 but it would be in my cart.

Thanks to some assistance by my parents (…I know right!) I got a consolidation loan and I’ve been paying $540 a month for the past 3 years. I’ve also stopped buying stuff that I will “need in the future” and analyzed prices. I’ve done very well to dig myself out of the hole that I was in, +$20K! I will have the last of that debt paid off in November 2011. More than 1 year but considering that the debt is not carrying any interest and principal is actually getting paid, I’m happy with that. Unfortunately I still have a pretty wicked clothing addiction and while I’ve been paying cash for them I still have accumulated too much stuff and am not saving any money.

My goal is to hopefully pay off this loan 2 months early and set up an emergency fund account, a vacay fund, retirement IRAs, and a play money savings account. I want to really compartmentalize my money and analyze what am I busting my hump for?

Simplified Life- This goal is not as specific as the others. Basically I would like to analyze what I can do to make my life easier and make other people’s lives simpler. I know this goal will change and adapt as the year progresses but as long as the end result is a simpler way of life then I will be OK with that.

One aspect of this will include doing more volunteer work. I’ve always been a charitable person but, in the past few years I haven’t donated as much of my time as I would like. I plan on getting back to monthly volunteer activities.

I would also like to scale down on the amount of material items that I own. Things just bog down a space and I don’t need that any longer. I only want to keep things that I truly love.

So far I've already applied to be an ER Victim's Advocate for Turnaround. I've been wanting to do this for some time but I haven't had the time while I was in school or once I graduated I started working two jobs. I've also returned anything in my room that still had the tags attached and I had the receipt for. I also keep a box on top of my wardrobe and I use that to keep clothes that do not fit/I do not want anymore. When the box is full I will take the box to the Family Crisis Center of Baltimore County. They've taken my clothing donations in the past.

Well these are my three main goals that I would like to achieve by August 1, 2011. I plan on doing this in the most Eco-friendly way possible. I will not be avoiding using TP, I will still use electricity (just moderately), and I will still be driving my SUV. I have no intentions on being an extremist and I will not harp on others for what they do. This new project is for my own good. If I encourage someone to do something differently then great!

Oh...Hello there!

Name: Jessie
Age: 29
Occupation: Server
Education: B.S. in Women’s Studies
Married: Nope

Now that you know the important stats let me get into why I’m starting a blog. I am quickly approaching 30 and I have things in my life that I need to change.

There are three main things that I would like to change about myself.
1. Weight/Health
2. Finances
3. Simplify my Life

I’ve been attempting to deal with all three of these things separately with no real luck. Recently I watched an inspiring documentary, “No Impact Man”. This doc helped me realize that if I put more thought and effort into how I lived my life I can succeed not only at my above listed goals but I will be making a huge effort to be “eco-friendly”. Really the goal of the movie was an environmental one but the domino effects were the goals that I’m looking to meet.

I was born on Earth Day (April 22) and I’ve always cared about the earth; reuse items when I can, never litter, and recycle whenever possible. For the most part it was a very casual thing. In the past few years as it has become trendy to be “green” and I have kept away from it. I didn’t want to participate in a movement just because it was the trend. In the past few months I’ve been reading about how to live eco friendly which if done right can also be very cost effective…two birds, one stone! I will be going through what is called an eco-cleanse over the next year. Starting August 1st I will slowly begin to make changes in my life that overtime will help me reach my goals and ultimately lead to a happier, healthier, simpler life!

I will be utilizing this blog as a journal, a posting place for relevant articles/tips, and a way to meet like minded people. I hope to keep this blog interesting and informative but I promise that it will be honest!