Used chi

It seems like every time I get one step ahead with my finances, I get knocked 10 steps back. One of the reasons I wanted to come overseas was for the chance to get my finances straighteded out: get rid of a huge load of debt and get some decent savings (any savings actually, I've got about $6 in the savings account). It's been over a year now and I'm almost exactly where I were when I got here. I've had a few unfortunate incidents that have contributed to my financial woes, but mostly it's just a lack of discipline and willpower, mixed with an over abundance of laziness.

I blogged about my lucky money frog a few weeks ago. My friend Cici is from Tawain, her great grandfather was a feng shui master, she saw my frog the other day and gave me the low down. In Mandarin he's chian wa. Because I got him at a recycle shop, his good chi is used; to regenerate his chi, I have to soak him in a sea salt bath (the ocean would be best, but a bucket of sea salt water is okay) then let him dry in the sun. For extra good chi I can place a small bowl of uncooked rice in front of him. And it's very important that he always face the front door. Another good money chi tip she gave me was to keep the corner that sits at a 45 degree angle (to the left) from my front door clean and free of clutter at all times.

Maybe the combination of recharging the chian wa chi and posting here for some accountability will help me buckle down, stick to a budget and get things on the right track.

So, you're all my witnesses: Starting today I will pay CASH for everything I buy. If I don't have the money readily available, I won't make the purchase. There's an awful lot of traveling I want to do over the next 2 years, but if I can't pay cash, I won't be going. I will also be putting a MINIMUM of $50 from every paycheck ($100/mth) into savings (I'd like to eventually get that up to $500/mth, but I've got to start with baby steps).