I earned it!

The last few days have been a whirlwind of events and moving, and doing and always being somewhere all the time. I need to sit and relax a bit. Don't get me wrong, I have been having a great time.. but I get used to the

solitude of being in my home with my thoughts and myself nothing else. Reflection like this actually always seems to come around this time every year. Now that it is June 1st .. I have about 27 days till the next BIG birthday. Well, I say 'BIG' because I am getting older.. but it is nothing major. I will finally be a guy in his mid 30's though. It's not a big deal.. and I have said often, that the 30's have been good to me so far. More money than in my 20's, more stability.. and and actual idea of who I am. I never was a huge fan of birthdays anyway, not for any particular reason. It's just that I have (happily) spent many of them alone.

With the start of this month comes the beginning of the slow season in Las Vegas. It means living frugally and keeping more to myself for a few months. We really just don't have alot of the kind of tourism here during the Summer months that fuels the life-style that I like to live. When the Holidays hit.. it will slow down even more. So I usually begin to prepare right about now.

I will be buckling down for the next couple of weeks.. in order to be able to have a vacation of sorts in late July. Then it's more frugality and alot of time spent working on myself rather than going anywhere and spending money. Don't get me wrong, I will find away to spend some money... I just have to be very good about it. Bills and savings and personal finances have to become even more focused.

I have been keeping track of my daily income. As I am a tipped employee, I make money on a daily basis. I have a large calendar on my desk that I record my income on every evening when I come home. It helps me see what I am bringing in at a glance, and in turn helps me see what it is I need to bring in to ensure that everything stays in line. It's just another personal reminder for myself so that I keep track of things more closely. I have never been the best with money and spending and saving.. but I finally have plan that works and it has been gong well for some months.

I also keep a moleskin notebook in my back pocket and in it I record all of the things that I spend my money on. I also add up my weekly income and jot down when I deposit money and when I transfer money to savings. This is yet another way of me being fully aware of what I have in my accounts and where the money needs to go. June is going to be an experiment in saving. I have a birthday celebration to join in on in late June for a friend, which won't be expensive, but wont be cheap either. So that is on my list of things. I still need to save $500 bucks this month and pay the bills and feed myself (a task that can be very expensive in its own right) and I still have a vacation that I would like to take.

I know that it seems unreasonable to think about a vacation after all this talk of being frugal and saving money.. but I learned a while ago that if I do not treat myself right and care for me when I have time to.. I become a grumpy old man. So even if it is a quick 4 day vacation to someplace nearby, or a quick flight to California to visit family.. I know it is a necessity for my sanity. So that has to stay in the plans.

Next comes my Summer cleaning event.. where I pull all of the items and clothes that I do not need or wear or use any longer and I donate, sell or recycle them. That is another subject though, and since it is now late.. Monday is upon me. With it I gotta get back to a work-out schedule and daily routine that keeps me in line and focused. So until the next time.. I hope you are all well and I look forward to hearing about your Summer plans and trips too!