The other day I got a phone lecture that inspired my new years' resolution - and I'm not waiting until the 1st to begin. Numbers and me have never been friends. In third grade we learned our times tables. Every week (or day) we took a times table test; the same test every time. When you got 100%, you didn't have to take it any more. I took that damned test until the last day of school. I'm not a dummy. My report card proves it, and I certainly have enough common sense to carry my own. Common sense has been drilled into my head thanks to my father, who has no patience for people without it. I'm also not an idiot with math. Really, it's all physiological. It's a lack of confidence that began way back in the beginning and it's a hurdle I've never been able to jump over. It's also a problem I've always been too afraid to tackle. I'm afraid of looking stupid. And because of that, I avoid math at all costs. I rely on calculators, computers, and my boyfriend to tell me the total, the percentages, the whatever. And that, I've come to realize, is about the worst thing I could do. I'm not sure I should be putting this out there, but I have an overdraft problem. Really. Some people can't stop biting their nails, or smoking, or no matter what they do, they can't lose weight. Well I've learned my lesson many times, but I still get that nasty notice in the mail that I've overdrawn. And it's not just a few dimes and dollars, it's a lot. And it shouldn't happen. But my nemesis with numbers keeps me from paying attention to them. Even when they're in my own bank account. There is no excuse for overdrafts, no matter what I say. I know there isn't. I had good examples growing up, I know how it's done, I know how important it is to keep on top of finances, I've had examples of the good and the bad all my life. And I can't continue the way I do or I'll end up digging my self a grave of debt. So here we go. I've got my book, the balance written at the top, and from now on, I'm not losing my balance.