New Year, New Mantra: Check-in #1

As written about previously, my New Year's Mantra has been "I can do it with what I already have." This was partially motivated by the realization that I am going to be broke as hell for the next year or so, and partially motivated by the fact that I am sick to death of being surrounded by extraneous crap. Let's see how I did these first two months of the year, shall we?

I succumbed to:

A Sweater from AllSaints: I shop their sale every winter, because it's the only damn time I can afford anything from their store. I will admit to having bought this simply to have something, and I feel badly about it in a way that I wouldn't let anybody else make me feel.

Alcohol: You guys, drinking in cute bars with friends? It's really fun. So is sitting on the floor in the living room and downing G & Ts. I don't mean to make it sound like I have some kind of problem, but seriously. Being in the city has really showed me how much fun social drinking can be.

Stuff from the Toy Fair: I did manage to flirt my way into a few free things, but they were selling Catan expansions at 50% off! I saved $20 (on something I probably wouldn't have bought if it wasn't on sale...)

Stuff from H & M: Ohhhh boy. The store in Times Square is HUGE, and all the stuff is just so darn cute, and - and - and -.... Yeah, there's really no excuse. I think I need to stay out of clothing stores for a little while.

I resisted:


Patton Oswalt's New Book: I'm sure it's hilarious, but I just can't cough up $25 for a book I'll read once. I'll put myself on the NYPL list for it (I'm spot #12), and when I get it for free in a year I'll enjoy it just as much as I'm enjoying reading his blog in the mean time now.

A Desk: I'm one of those people who needs a desk to feel sane, but I didn't want to have to drag one up and down the stairs in my new apartment building. The solution? A board on two (admittedly, Ikea) sawhorses.

Television: When we set up our new apartment, Schmem & I made a unilateral decision not to get cable. It's only saving us a few dollars a month, and I really wished I had it when the shit was going down in Egypt, but overall I don't really feel like I'm missing that much. I've never been a big TV watcher though, so that hardly counts as resisting.

***

Guys? I didn't do so well. When I first moved in I thought that I was just spending the necessary money to move, but now I've moved out of that grace period. If I find I'm not capable of controlling myself in stores, I'll try to avoid going in at all.

I will say that I find art and food to be the things worth spending money on right now. I finally live in the city I've spent the past four years running back and forth to for entertainment, and I'll be a sonofabitch if I don't take full advantage of it. But a little bit less with the clothing accumulation, especially since I'm about to run out of places to put it. 

New Year, New Mantra- old things.

I'm one of those people. You know, one of the ones who makes resolutions & actually tries to stick with them. Who will remind people in June of what they said they were going to do in January.

***

Last year, I resolved to spend less money & to have moved out of my parents' house by the end of August. The first one was far too vague to actually stick to, & I'm still working on the second one (as some of you know).

This year is going to be a wild one for me- I'm going to move to the city, get at least one job, try to actually support myself for the first time ever while also being a functional adult & maybe even having some fun once in a while; so I'm thinking it will be better for me to set a new mantra rather than "goals."
I think I'll have enough on my plate without also deciding to read 30 books or make sure I learn a new monologue every month.

My mantra, as previously mentioned, is "I can do it with what I already have."

How many times have I looked in my closet, & thought "oh, I could make the perfect outfit if I only had x."
Or cast about for a new knitting project to involve myself in & said "Well, this would be a great time to buy that silk blend I really wanted."
Or even just gotten bored with what I was reading & thought "If I go to the libraray, I can find lots of fun things I will want to read!", checked out 20 new books, & let them languish on the shelf.

Enough is enough. Or, as my clown teacher would say, "I am enough."

In 2011, I will gently remind myself that I already have the talents I need to begin to live my life. I am only doing a disservice to my creativity if I feel the need to fill an outfit with things I don't have. Instead of this pizza shop right here, I have many fresh vegetables in my house to fill my belly with.

Are you the kind of person that sets goals & resolutions for a New Year (calendar or religious)? Or do you set new goals on your birthday, perhaps? Or do you think goals are for big fattie stupids?