(I’m pretty pissed. The first intro post I went through did not save for some reason and I’m sure I will not be able to recreate what I originally had to say.)

Well, we’re here. Just Me, Myself and Money. The plan is to generate and save enough Money so that there is enough to share between Me and Myself.

And, please don’t get it twisted. It’s not about greed.

It’s about self-reliance. I cut up the credit cards and I don’t want to ever look back. Who likes the feeling of not being able to pay for basic needs with real cash and always owing somebody something? I want to be able to vacation every year and not feel like I need to rob a bank to do so.

And, it’s about self-control. Trying to keep up with the Jones’ is not only expensive but tiring too.

So, it is about time that I whip me and myself into shape and take control of my money. You know what’s funny? Some people really think I live the good life. I have a full time job, work part-time as a real estate agent, have my own car and apartment, and I am in graduate school.

But there are so many things financially wrong with the aforementioned list. Let’s start with how my full-time job is really my main and only source of income. Real estate is not bringing in the dollar-dollar bills; it’s tiring and it is getting expensive. My car? It’s financed… 6.5 years of payments and that baby will truly, truly be mine. The apartment? Okay, so I don’t pay rent but geesh the heat bills kill the pockets! And grad school… yea, I am not going to stress myself with how much I will owe (around $70K) when I graduate.

I cut up my credit cards this past summer but still owe about $4,600. I used www.whatsthecost.com to create a payment plan. If I continue following the plan, I will be done paying off the beasts in 24 months but I am already thinking of ways to be more aggressive with debt reduction.

I earn $33K per year. I’m getting a raise in January, the increase amount is still TBD.

I save 5% of my income in a 403(b) retirement plan; I also save 5% in a savings account but it really isn’t worth mentioning right now since I have definitely dibble-dabbled in it.

To make a long story short: Financially, I am stretched thin because I stretch myself thin. I know there are areas where I can and should cut back. This blog will track my progress in doing so.

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