Random Thoughts

Sometimes I just don’t know what to write for my weekly blog so this week I’m going to share a series of random thoughts by Jen Jones!!

It’s strange to see yourself on a billboard on the highway.  Even though people are driving too fast to even notice who or what is on the billboard. I always wondered what it would be like to be famous and see your face all over magazines, on billboards and TV. I’m sure they get used to it after a while – I have!!

I can’t believe it’s already December.  It’s hard to believe we’ve been working on our finances through Project Money for seven months now.  At the same time it feels really long – at least my family and friends think so!!  It was really warm when we started. I felt bad for Greg Jeschke because he came to my apartment for an interview on a day it was over 100 degrees.  Of course I didn’t have air conditioning.  I remember thinking seven months was a long time to pay really close attention to your finances, and here we are, really close to the finish line.  A lot has changed in seven months – including the temperature!!  Greg will appreciate the difference when he comes back for the second interview.

My birthday was this week.  I turned 41.  I actually didn’t have as hard of a time this year, as I did last year.  Last year at this time, I was climbing a live volcano, Vulcan Pacaya in Guatemala (and I almost died so when we got to the bottom I was finished with my mid-life crisis)!!

I’m working more hours at my second job now that the holiday season is officially upon us.  This week I worked Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  Next week I work Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.  The money is great but it’s really taxing to work all those hours.  I’m sure it’s not good for your health – all the stress and not enough sleep and very little exercise.  This morning, I got up at 7:30 AM.  It should really be illegal to get up that early on a Sunday!! 

Last month I surpassed my gas and grocery budget.  I have $200 budgeted for gas and $300 for food each month. I had to buy extra food for thanksgiving that put me over the $300.  I also had to drive back and forth to my parent’s house in Beaver Dam several times in the last two weeks so that made me go over my gas budget.  I’m hoping to stay under this month – at least by what I overspent this month – so it will even itself out.  It will be like being on the Food Stamp Challenge all over again!

I often wonder what it would be like to be rich and not have to work.  I would probably have way too much fun.  I would travel and go to parties and volunteer, and exercise, and read, and write, and go to parties!  It’s not that I don’t do any of that now.  I probably do too much of some of those things!  But, it seems, sometimes like work gets in the way of what I want to do with my life.  If I didn’t have to worry about making money then I would be able to do more of the things I’d like to.  Although, had I started working on my financial situation in my 20s (when I was out having too much fun) I might be in a much better place!!  But, I have no regrets, and with the help of Emily and Project Money, I’ve come a along way in seven months!!