Happy Birthday To Me!

That's right, it's the month long birthday celebration to me. Born the day before Elvis' birthday, and after the New Year. I tend to have a quiet dinner with family and friends and then go out and buy some extraordinarily extravagant gift for myself.

Well, you guys know what I got for myself this year. I add to the ever growing list of goodies a dash of school tuition and a pinch of accounting classes to start on Tuesday. Hooray for me!

As if that's not enough, I am stuck with a $700 repair bill for my truck. I failed the state inspection over the weekend and was told to get the seals replaced on my rear axle. Just the left side is toast, the right is okay according to my mechanic. I should hopefully have the truck back by today. I also have a $500 insurance premium to cover, and my half of the bills from December...another $500. Much to my surprise, Swede's Kimber is in and I have to pay that bill, too.

Well, payday is this weekend, and I can defer my tuition bill until mid-semester. Swede is going halfsies on the insurance and that will help defray my share of the bills. I've got some scrap metal in the garage that needs to be recycled (a place nearby buys scrap) and some video games I can get cash for at the local game store. As you can see, I have fallen far off the financial responsibility wagon. Christmas tends to do that to me.

Here and now is the time to get back on track. Since I am starting at zero (maybe a bit below), I can work towards becoming fiscally sound again. Shouldn't be too hard. I have done it before, and just need to stick with the program to the conclusion. I will have a budget back in place and make timely payments on the remainder of my credit card bill and line of credit.

I haven't given up on myself. The past couple of months were pretty draining with the house and some needed expenditures. I don't know why, but the stress really put me in a mood. It got the attention of some of my superiors at work and was a swift kick in the arse for me. I didn't want to hear what they had to say and just didn't feel like facing my problems at the time. I am glad that I did. It has been a rough two months, but with a new year there is a renewed spirit. I am getting back on track and taking the opportunity to get my rear in gear.