Underemployment, Part 2

I have actually been very proud of myself for the fact that since I got laid off I have not had an afternoon nap once. Since I got back from L.A. I have not turned the television on during the day. (Okay, the day after I got back I did turn the TV on around 4:30 p.m. and flipped back and forth from Oprah to Ellen ... but I have not done it again since.) I think I'm actually watching less TV overall, and I fell good about that. When I was working full time I would come home and turn the TV on right away, if for no other reason than to have some background noise - especially if Chris wasn't home. I've been spending more time on (inexpensive) craft projects than normal. But I'm also wasting a lot of time on the Internet. Things I should be doing a better job of since I have more free time include ...

• Going to the gym
• Staying on top of the laundry and dishes
• Cooking new recipes for dinner

I'm hoping since I've now put that into writing, I will motivate myself to improve my habits next week. I also was hoping to do some new things ... but the part that sucks is that I have lots of extra time, but much less money. I was pretty excited about signing up for a beginning sewing class, until I realized the four sessions cost $125!?! I looked at cooking classes ... most are $75-$95 for a one-time shot. Although the recessionista cooking class next weekend is just $35, I still can't decide whether I'm up for spending that kind of money - $35 really just feels like a lot right now - especially if you think of it as food or gas. That's also how much it costs to become a member of the Nevada Museum of Art - a requirement if you want to volunteer there. So I guess I have to really think about what it is I want to focus my energy on, and what is worth investing my time and money on.