|
some future decisions Even though I don't have to work for most of this week, I do still have other responsibilities to occupy my time and school would be the most important one. What I mean is that I still have class this week and a final paper due next Thursday. Second on my list of duties would be my house which is a complete mess at the moment and really needs some serious attention. ... With my birthday coming up this Wednesday, I've been looking back at what I did this year and I have to say that it was a good one for me. After so many years of talking about it, I finally made it to Europe. Other people go when they are in college or immediately after, but it took me a little longer to make the journey. Despite the lag in time, I wasn't disapppointed. Some of my assumptions about Europe were met, but other times I was very pleased with what I saw and I hope to go back sometime in the future. Before I go back I want to go to Australia first, which leads me to my next line of thinking. With my somewhat comfortable salary, I managed to make my money go a long way this year. Not only was I able to fund a three week trip to Europe this summer, but I also bought quite a few new electronic gadgets for myself this year. Some of my new purchases included speakers and a cd burner for my computer and a home theater system for my livingroom. Then there were numerous online auctions that I won and the stacks of books and cds that I bought online as well. This year was definitely a year of consumption for me. Now the question is whether or not I need to change my habits. For the past month or so I have shifted into what I call saving mode. In order for this to be a success the home theater system has to be the last major purchase of the year for me. Soon I'll have to fund another semester of school and put aside whatever I can for Australia. This was my plan until I talked with my parents today. I've mentioned before that the house next to mine is for sale and that part of me would like to buy it, but my parents were even more into that idea than me when I told them about it. I think that they would be very happy to see me settle down in a house of my own and I can see their point. I'm not getting any younger and a house is always a good investment. Of course this means that my trip to Australia would vanish in an instant and would be put on hold for another year or two. At the moment I am juggling both possibilities in my mind knowing full well that the trip would be much easier of a task to accomplish and in some ways a much more memorable one. Obviously the house has its advantages as well, but it would also mean a whole new way of living for me. I would definitely be grounded for the first time in years. There would be a solid connection between me and where I live. Another funny thing is that I have been thinking about getting some new furniture so having a new place to put that investment makes sense to a small degree. To complicate things even more I could try to get a different job next year to give myself a nice salary upgrade. Something tells me that next year is going to be a big one for me no matter what I decide to do.
|