A Writer By Any Other Pen…

So last night, I finally sat down and forced myself to take a cold, hard look at the ol’ credit card bill. It’s at an all-time high and with crap that isn’t even fun. Like repairs to the HotMamaMobile.™ I almost cried.

So in true Listmaker fashion, I took pen and paper and started to jot down a list of items I can do without. Why am I blogging about this in my writing-related blog? Because I found out that most of these pleasure items are writing-related. I’m very sad.

Things I Can Eradicate From My Life Because While They Bring Me Pleasure, I Don’t Actually Need Them. Okay, superlong title. Sorry. Here goes:

1. HBO. I know. And I just discovered Generation Kill. Hot men, big guns. Maybe I’ll quit after the end of Generation Kill. I think there are only four more episodes left.
2. Subscription to Audible. I have the 14-Mile Commute From Hell and Audible (through iTunes) was the only thing that made it bearable. But it costs $14.95 a month, and it’s $14.95 I could be spending on something more fun, say gasoline.
3. Subscription to TIME. This pains me. I get lots of ideas from this magazine. Perhaps I will reconsider.
4. Subscription to Writers’ Digest. Again, another expense I might reconsider. This is the place where I get most of my writing industry and craft advice. The reason it’s on this list is because I hardly ever read it.
5. Account on pMachine. They host my old website. I will cancel my account, and related to that, will cancel my license of their fabulous backend web software, Expression Engine. It’s okay…I think WordPress meets my needs for now. Hey, if Suzanne Brockmann can have a shitty website, so can I.
6. My membership to the Romance Writers Association. You’re like, wha? But isn’t this invaluable? To tell you the truth, I haven’t really been going to meetings or conventions, participating in the listserves, or even reading their magazine. When I do, it’s mostly to keep up with old writing buddies. But getting actual advice/writing tips? I get that from other sources.
7. My subscription to Romantic Times magazine. Since I don’t read romance novels, I don’t really find this publication useful, apart from keeping up with the new releases of author friends. And I can just as easily do this by going to their blogs/websites.

So there you have it. There are more things I’d like to cut back like the yard service, HD service and XM service, but those items fall under the purview of County Boy™ (new nickname for darling hubby). I figured with the above cutbacks, plus penny-pinching the good folks at Verizon (we no longer have Caller ID, Call Waiting or Voice Mail), that should save us a good $100-$150 per month easy.

Okay, this was a fun exercise. :-/