2007: YEAR OF THE ADULT

I've been doing some pretty grown-up things lately, hence this year's above-mentioned, aptly named theme. I got engaged. Last weekend I went to an investment seminar. Today I spent two hours with a mortgage loan officer and a real estate agent.

A friend of mine is the personal assistant to a huge-wig east-coast real estate mogul, and she hooked me up with two great contacts so I could get an idea for what kind of mortgage I could qualify. I found out I have an excellent credit score (in the 800s) and being a prospective first-time home buyer, I have all kinds of options.

I also learned that, having spent the past two years living back here with Mom (and paying an extreeeemely small amount of rent per month) I should have scads of moolah mounting up in my bank account.

Guess what...? I don't.

I have not been a thrifty girl. And although I am not some obsessive spender, I must admit that the expensive dinners out and the occasional spendy gadget here and there have taken their toll. So with all two of you as my witnesses, I am hereby dubbing 2007: "Turtle's Year of Saving." I am vowing to be smarter so I can do bigger, better things.

Also know that if I should falter, I'm blaming YOU, blog readers, for not stepping in to remind me of this post.