Today

was a lovely day. I went thrift shopping with Alan, and was shocked to see that a Ralph Lauren shirt sold for $14.99 at a THRIFT shop. Still, I got a Ralph Lauren, a Christian Dior, and a couple of GAP shirts all for less than I would have paid for the Lauren shirt new. Dropped them off at the cleaners on the way home, and I'll have five new dress shirts (that actually fit!) next week.

Also cleared out a couple of closets. It's AMAZING to me how much junk I can pull out of crevices and corners and then to look at how much is still left. It really drives home the idea of what a blessings God has bestowed upon me, and how incredibly overindulgent I have been. I'd like to get better with that.

Towards that end, I'm paying off my credit cards. Slowly, but I am paying them off. I'm much better at restraining myself now than I once was. I actually think this Chase Blueprint thing is a good idea. It forces you to think about how you'll pay for a purchase when you make it. For me, that's what's been the missing link -- if I charge something, I may understand how the charge fits into my overall budget, and I may even keep my total indebtedness at less than 25% of my available credit, but what I need to do is, before I purchase something, figure out how I'll pay for it. That's a way to stay out of debt.


I'm going to look for some financial blogs.

This morning I woke up to tennis. The Italian woman, Francesca Schiavone, was the underdog, first time an Italian made it into the final round in years. She was up against the Australian upset Queen -- Samantha Stosur, who upset Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic. Stosur had an impressive physique and a good game. I watched for a while, until Schiavone tied it up at 4-4 in the first set. I posted on my FB page that I was rooting for Schiavone, then I went off to the gym and went thrift shopping. I was delighted to come home and find that Schiavone had won!

It's late and I still have to study for tomorrow's Bible study. I also probably need to go ahead and finish paying for the Israel trip next November. Really excited: Egypt, Israel, and Jordan, all in a single room this time. Doesn't get any better than that.... I'll be able to decompress at the end of each day. Can't wait!!!