Cleaning Out For 2008

Tuesday November 20th, 2007 - Lake Villa, IL

My last day off for a while. I’ve got a busy schedule coming up and used today to sort a few piles that have been stacking up lately. I cleaned out my car which needed it and that’s always a good feeling. There was rotting fruit and old newspapers and receipts I’ll need to keep for taxes and I got it all out of there. I’ve been meaning to for days but today I did it.

I also had a stack of mail I hadn’t even opened. My UPS Store box is in the city and I’m only in Chicago on Mondays so it piles up. I wrote out my bills and that’s another feeling I love. Putting those envelopes with all the checks written in the mail makes me feel like I’m out of the danger zone for yet another month. I’m starting to get myself ready for 2008.

This was a good year in many ways but financially it was pretty lean. My dental hell cost a few thousand dollars I was saving for way more exciting things. I had it and I’m glad but it sure would be handy if I still did. I guess I need my teeth for a few more years so I made a good choice but it would be nice to have a cushion heading into the new year. I’m tight.

But who isn’t? I’ll bet even Donald Trump wouldn’t mind a few extra bucks in his piggy bank for a wacky night out sometime. Money is a commodity and I am learning to manage mine for the first time in my life. Yes I blew $300 on Packer tickets on Sunday but that’s a calculated expense. I planned for it and used my money from a show I didn’t expect to get so it’s not like it’s out of pocket. It was a once in a great while treat and I’m glad I did it.

I’m talking about finances as a whole. I have started to get a grasp of it and I’m working to improve all the time. I have ZERO credit card debt and a paid off car. That car may not last the week but I have been smart enough to put away a $400 a month phantom payment so when it does explode I have some cash to put down on my next one. It’s a slush fund.

My rent is cheap and I don’t have a cocaine habit or a gambling addiction so on paper it all looks pretty positive. I know I’m in the .0001% of Americans who aren’t drowning in a sea of debt but now I’m starting this business and I will need money to get it started. I live within my means pretty well but that’s it. My savings is dwindling and I’ll need it soon for start up costs after the first of the year. I’m taking a calculated risk that I’ll make a profit.

If it is going to blow up in my face this is the time in my life to do it. I’m still able to find work as a comedian so at least I can support myself doing something I enjoy. If I need the money I can still take gigs and pay my bills while I build the business. If I was forced to go get a day job at a mall I don’t think I’d last very long. I was never a good employee and to go back to that all these years later wouldn’t make it any better. I’d be older and grumpier. My tolerance for idiots is at an all time low and there would be fisticuffs in the first hour.

This whole thing really is a big challenge. It’s also a big risk too. I feel in my heart that I am going to succeed at it. I am reading and studying as much as I can and preparing for an all out assault in 2008. I am glad I kept good tax records this year so that won’t be a giant hassle like it has been in the past. It felt good to hang out and rest but now it gets hectic.