I have spent the better part of the last 31 months living with extreme gazelle intensity; however, I must confess that I have lost some of that steam since returning home from Afghanistan.

While I have stayed within my budget and kept my absolutes I haven’t done all I could. Far too often I used the excuse that I owed it to myself after my deployment. Traveling for the Army hasn’t helped either. I did pretty well on my trip to Arkansas; however, I can’t say the same for California, South Padre Island and Salina, Kansas.

That is all the past now…Sunday after church Amy and I headed to Wal-Mart and returned $21.00 of unopened merchandise we didn’t need and spent another $17 of blow money in order to get groceries through Wednesday. No more eating out and no more eating large; we are on a diet in our house once again!

What brings back this new found intensity you ask. One thing is the realization of no longer having a predictable income starting in just a few weeks. While I currently have substantial accounts payable, there is no guarantee of when that will arrive. I also need about another $700 in sales this month to meet my budget, but the bottom line is I’m tuned in and geared up, ready to finish this ride! No more pit stops before the finish line!!