Blog Hiatus

Hello lovely readers! I'm sorry for the blog hiatus-it has been over a month. I've been keeping myself busy during the new year, as I hope you have been as well!

January was relatively gloomy here in South Dakota (as to be expected). We did have a couple of days of sunshine and above-freezing temperatures, which was fabulous!

My dear friend Judy celebrated her 23rd birthday, so we of course made dinner reservations and chatted the evening away. I'm trying to shop my own closet nowadays to cut down on unnecessary spending, but I did have to showcase my new herringbone vest (styled with a light weight black sweater and handmade pearls).

As the new year has progressed, my subbing schedule has filled up to about 3-4 days per week. On my off days I spend time at the gym, reading, and snuggling my puppies. Not a bad life to say the least! However, subbing means irregular income which is not something I've ever dealt with. I'm glad my only big expenses are my student loans each month, otherwise budgeting would be much more difficult.

I'm glad to share that the Associated School Boards of South Dakota website has started kicking out some job postings for next year! In January I interviewed for a position in Mitchell and was offered the job. However, after checking on possible housing options, the salary would not be sufficient to support single housing and my hefty student loans. Harrisburg has also recently posted middle and high school English positions. Ideally I would like to find a position within a reasonable commuting distance so I can stay at home. This will allow me to pay off my loans in two years. I desperately want the financial freedom to not be tied down by my debt. I am planning to find a summer nanny position again. Once the school year starts in August, I plan to calculate out exactly how much I'll need to pay to be debt free in 20 months. Are you ready for the big number? $33,000! Yikes!

Like I mentioned before, another one of my goals is to update my wardrobe. I have SO MANY items that I rarely or ever wear, but I find myself clinging to when donation time comes around. As many of you know, I'm partial to patterned dresses. Upon a recent tally, I have 32 patterned dresses! Oops, how did that happen?! I want to make my wardrobe more versatile, which means going back to basics. Many of my patterned items are fun, but do not pair well with anything else. These type of items have to go! I'm looking at building a professional wardrobe based mainly on neutrals with accent pieces. Wish me luck!