Reverb, December 11, 11 Things

See, I am making progress! I really love this challenge so hopefully after tomorrow night I will be able to keep up consistently.

Dec. 11 prompt: 11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life? 
 This is actually one of my favorite prompts thus far and I was inspired by Mindy over at just a one girl revolution and may or may not have copied a few of her answers too!

1.  late nights and early mornings. I am infamous for being a night owl and an early bird but those do not work well together. I end up staying up late to get things done or because I just don't want to go to bed yet (my inner 3 year old rears its ugly head) and then I get up early for work. Need to pick a nice, decent, respectable bedtime that will not drive me to an early grave.
2. any reminders or negative feelings from the past. I am an emotional packrat. There, I said it. I carry things with me far too often even if they have been resolved. I seriously need to just leave things where they are and move forward.

3. excessive spending. Truthfully, my spending isn't out of control or anything but as I have come to learn, I can get by with much less if I just sit and think about it for a second. Example: I love finding things at thrift stores so if I see a cool cup or plate or something, I normally wouldn't think anything of it to just buy it. However, I have plenty of plates for me to use so it is just excessive. This may be more difficult when I actually have some extra money to spend on things and there are deals on DVDs or winter clothes.
4. procrastination. Seriously. It is what stresses me out the most but then I keep doing it. You know the quote from Albert Einstein about insanity and I do believe it perfectly describes my situation.
5. buying crappy clothes. As I have gotten older, I realize the quality part is incredibly important in buying anything. In the last year alone, my budget for shampoo/conditioner went from $1.50/bottle to $5.00/bottle and I am eyeballing an Aveeno shamp/cond. that comes in around $7.00 but that I already know I love because I ordered a free sample. I keep buying clothes that are cheap but that don't fit perfectly and really, it is just a waste of money.
6. excuses. I am amazing at excuses. The minute something comes up that I need to get out of, I can come up with an excuse. It could be a necessary skill in some career field but just not mine. I have made the conscious effort this year to make these lessen and disappear. So far.....making progress. 
7. shitty people. There, I said it.
8. culture shock. Since I have moved to Michigan, the culture shock has slowly made its impact on me. Now that the winter weather is here, it is definitely a big ol' smack of reality. Two years ago I was in Chicago for the winter and it was 1.5 weeks of freezing weather, snow, and wind. I could handle it for those many days but it was exhausting. The weather has arrived and it doesn't go away...until...like Spring.
9. wasting food. I always have the best of intentions when I buy fresh fruits and veg but just don't get around to eating everything before it goes bad. I have made a good stock pile of frozen vegetables but still hoping to keep a few fresh things in the mix as well.
10. debt. See, I laugh at this one a bit only because I will be out of car debt (yay!) but still have other things to work on. I have medical bills that have built up and the credit card debt repayment plan to chisel away at but I am definitely making some strong progress.
11. commiserating. A lot of the people I work or go to school with like to commiserate over crappy teachers, crappy assignments, or just how tired we all are. There is camaraderie built this way but also it is just negative and non-productive as well. I want to do a little less commiserating and a little more reflection and discussion.