I have not posted since the end of December, when I restarted my blog. That sounds about right, though, I have been on the go since then. Until about 3 weeks ago when our routine life came to a screeching halt.

I have been working at home since Friday the 13th of March. Fortunately I do get paid since I have a contract. The part time job is limited, though, since it involves face to face intervention. I now conduct a few hours a week of direct intervention in the highest need cases, and will be conducting telehealth where the insurance allows it.

My finances are doing ok, actually. I took chunks such as my tax refund and did NOT throw it all on my final credit card. I put over half of it in savings to build my cushion back up, and to plump up the 'unexpected but they will happen' expense categories. I realized that I throw every spare penny on a debt, and leave the rest of myself so thin, that any little swell or bump in finances puts me over the edge again. I don't need to live so close to the edge! I should not be keeping myself up at night because I spent an additional $150 on an unexpected hiccup. I need to keep those 'unexpected' coffers full. These are, after all, my 'true expenses' (shout out to fellow Ynabers!)

With a little breathing room in my budget, I've been able to calmly look at my budget and work on lowering my 'true expenses'. The easiest way to budget is to not need to budget for something at all.

The rest of my time has been spent learning how to distance teach, keeping my mental health during this time of chaos, and keeping my family as healthy as we can. I'm trying to develop A.M. and P.M. routines that support my priorities. Exercise seems to be a big catalyst to having a productive day for me. I know how important exercise is, but still, since this Covid crisis started, I have been sluggish with developing a new routine. So exercise has been sporadic, eating has been on the rise, and my sleep is terrible. I need to get these habits/routines going!!!

I look forward to catching up with everyone through their blogs. It gives me something to think about besides the health crisis and myself. Health and safety to you all!

I had my first SA blog years ago. When I was experiencing some major changes I decided to start a new blog so that I could focus on moving forward. Now the original blog pops up and I cannot access the new blog. After spending time hunting it down, I decided not to spend any more life energy on that and I started a brand new one. This time I wrote down the username and password correctly!

I am still in the DC area with my 2 kids, one a high school junior and one attending community college. I'm making slow financial progress in this high cost of living area. There are exceptional career opportunities here, though, so I'm staying here until my youngest graduates from high school in 1.5 years.

In the meantime, I'm deciding if I'm ready to leave teaching. A few years ago I completed a post-grad behavior analyst program and currently work in the field part time for experience and to supplement my teaching income. I make a lot more money in this job compared to teaching and honestly, I am enjoying it a lot more. I'm wondering if 10 years in special education is enough.

I'm planning to get rid of all of my consumer debt (again) early 2020, and then make those payments to myself and my investments. That will buy me a lot more flexibility with my future options.

I haven't put my yearly objectives down in words yet, so I can do that during winter break. Happy to be back on SA once more!