Resolutions - May Update

So here we go again. And again, and again, and again...

1. Accomplish all the necessary stuff involved in selling this house and moving into the one we are buying. This is the sort of resolution that, although not easy in itself, HAS to be followed through on.

Report - House sale was finalised on April 15, as was house buying.  For a scarey 45 minutes we had no place to live in but were comparatively wealthy.  Now we have gone back to having no money but owning 3/5 of a rather nice house.  The bank owns the other 2/5, of course.

The move went as well as expected.  Tempers got frayed, things got lost, one or two things got broken (mostly by us!).  The bloomin' removalists packed THE KETTLE.  They obviously had not studied Removalism 101.  So I ducked out and bought a cheap and nasty kettle that was on special in Target.  THEY PACKED THAT TOO.  We have not fully unpacked, of course, it will take months before everything is sorted out completely, but the house feels like home and we are very happy with the move.  Some furniture still needs to be acquired to make sense of it being larger and with more rooms/functions for the rooms, but that will be done gradually (a mixture of IKEA and Ebay, probably), together with the other things we want to get done.
2. This was 'get a job'.  I've decided that after nearly three months whingeing about it I will be deleting this one from the monthly report.  Periodic whingeing may still occur but it will be same old, same old.
3. Complete a project a month. Even if it is just a plain sock (pair of socks!) Preferably try out some new techniques or whatever, but at least one project a month.

Report - I had low expectations for April, what with the house move, but I am glad to announce that I finished the April Bead Journal Piece a few days before the end of the month.  When we can find the cable that connects my camera to the computer, I will blog about it!  It's the one important cable that is still missing, of course.
4. Stop spending money like water. With this in mind, this resolution is split into sections :

4.1 I will not buy any clothes or shoes unless ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
Report - I bought another couple of work things, but I have pretty much reached the stage now where I have plenty of work things and really don't have any space for any more clothes.  Though I want to get back into dressmaking again.  And there are some killer boots I am waiting on to come into a shop in the city!.
4.2 I buy far too many DVDs. I will restrict myself to the equivalent of one full-price film (i.e. one new release or something like those 3 for $30 specials you see around) and one TV series. I need to be VERY STRICT about this.

Report - I'm really quite a good girl.  I slightly exceeded the above, but now I am spending my own money on them I feel less guilty.  For my film, I bought Harry Potter 7 Part 1 (still haven't watched it yet).  And for the series I bought the complete (2 series) box set of Campion, because I have read a couple of the books in recent months and fancy it.  And also, the slightly naughty bit, an extra series - Children of the Stones which is a 1977 kids program that looks wonderful!
4.3 Likewise with books. One full-price book or the equivalent per month.

Report - to my complete surprise I stuck to this, buying a new AWW Pressure Cooker cookbook.  I've cooked a couple of things out of it, too!
4.4 Craft materials - only to be purchased if necessary to make a specific project immediately after purchase. Otherwise all craft material shopping is to be done from the stash.

Report - One roll of strong double-sided tape bought to replace the one I lost in the move.  Used for sticking face cabs to beading foundations, and that sort of thing.  And then another roll to replace the one I managed to lose between the shop and the car. 
4.5 Exceptions to the rules will include craft shows, where I will take a fixed amount of cash and leave my credit cards at home. Nothing purchased under these circumstances will count towards the total!


Report - I passed this one - I went to AQC with a fixed sum of money and bought Nicole Maillieu's new book, which I had planned to buy, and as I was exhausted from moving and at the end of the show when everyone's defences were down, was conned into buying a showbag of Japanese goodies that had originally been $60 but were being sold off at $30.  It supposedly contained over $100 worth of stuff.  Well, it contained some things I didn't like, but the fabric selections alone were worth well over $30 and I love Japanese fabric, so though an unplanned purchase I was happy with it!
4.6 Items for any room in the new house, but especially the kitchen, will only be purchased if necessary, not just because they catch my eye. There will be some purchases, planned in advance.

Report - No impulse buys have been made, but some very expensive planned ones for the new house.  We have bought a new fridge, dishwasher and microwave, all to replace the old and decrepit ones that were wearing out.  Also two new beds, ditto.  And new carpet.  And there will be other things to follow.  In particular a new digital TV and recording device for me, to replace my tiny and old CRT telly and decrepti VCR.

So I am happy with how things are tracking.  We are exhausted and broke but we love our new house.  I might even take some pictures of it, if we ever find (or replace) that cable thingy that connects my camera to the computer!