End of the Month Reflection : January 2011

January was a tough month. We started off with high hopes, but there were times we messed up. No matter if we did good or not, the month's end is still a good time to look back.

Here's where we started and where we ended up :

:: Make a budget and stick to it - - we met half way. We made a spending plan, but we overspent. I took some personal days off work and indulged in Restaurants with my Besty, my Mommy and my brother. . in 5 separate occasions. $200 over budget. OUCH

:: Get all bills current and pay them by the end of the month - - DONE DONE DONE!! It's been a while since all our bills were paid by the end of the month. What a relief! I can actually close out January and file it away. YAY! We had 4 past due accounts and now only have 2. Still a bummer, but we're a few steps closer.

:: Start an emergency Savings fund - - DONE! I wanted to open an ING account, but apparently, about 7 years ago, I had an ING account that was closed due to inactivity. ING directed me to send a form, but I got lazy. I opened a Smarty Pig account instead. The features were enough for me and I got to post a nice little widget on my side bar =) I'm only 1% in, but it's a start, right?

:: Organize finances - - almost done. While I started to organize 2011, 2008, 2009 AND 2010 haunt me. I had so many unorganized bills I just had to get that out of the way. I finished organizing 2010 finances last week and I was fatigued. I did that 2 weeks straight - investing 30 minutes each night. I had to take some time off and I plan on continuing that this week. It was a hard day @ work today, so I already penciled that project in for tomorrow night.


I have 40 more projects around the house while dealing with the finances. I really need to find some sort of balance.

For February 2011 Our goals are

:: Create a spending plan and try our best to stick with it. I'm hoping to create something realistic this time around. I also need to find ways to avoid spending on stupid things. I recently changed my diet and choose to go 'sustainable' Not necessarily "all Organic". People do have the misconception that going Organic = expensive, but I think I can make it with our $400 budget for groceries.

:: Get all bills paid again! Mr. Broke didn't have the same 'WHOOHOO' reaction as I did. I guess it was something expected. . but I was ecstatic! I'd like to do it all over again. I'd also like to get the last past due account current this month. I also need to make pretty Spending envelopes. =)

:: Continue Organizing 2011 Finances. I'll be posting how we organize our bills next month when it's all done.
:: Make a TAX envelope. We're starting to get Tax Statements in the mail and they're mixed in with other junk mail. I need to make a pocket for these important documents.


:: Bump up the Smarty Pig. Although most money will go toward the past due accounts, I want to bump up the smarty pig to a few more %'s. As soon as the baby emergency is funded, I'll get to start saving for the Buffer. Life would be so much easier by then.

:: Submit our Home Modification to CitiBank. ARGH. I hate Citi. Most people I talk to are incompetent. But it's something we MUST do. Should our Home Modification be approved, we'd be paying 50% less. Something we really need right now.

Here's to a new month!

My First NO SPEND DAY!

No Spend are hard to come by. I need to gas up about every 2-3 days. I'm too lazy to pack lunch. I go to places where I'm tempted to buy stupid stuff.

I get dozens of emails about the sale of a lifetime. People post recent purchases and good food they eat and I want to out-post them.... Coz I "make" more money than they do. Sigh.. Moving on...

Today was my first official No Spend Day during a work week. Party dance! I'm so proud of myself!

1st Temptation: Went to Barnes and Noble for lunch to look at Personal Finance Books. Saw them cheaper on Amazon, so I decided to skip. I also didn't have the lost of books I want to read with me either.

2nd Temptation: Didn't pack lunch for work. I was Hungry - so I found Instant Miso in my drawer and had a free banana. The McDonalds my coworkers had smelled so good, but so bad for you. 600 calories saved!

To relieve the itch : My Daughter and I went to the library to borrow a few books. We got home early and chores were done by 7pm.
The Contra Costa libraries don't have that many personal finance books, but they have a whole lot of recipe & special diet cookbooks I can try! The online catalog wasn't working either... But can't complain for Free!

To feel better: my coworker paid me back the $2.50 she owed me from the red bull run this past Thursday. That was $2.50 I didn't think I'd get back.

I can sure use a lot more of these no spend days. I could have easily spent $30 on a few books, notebooks that I don't need and lunch. That makes me $30 wiser. I would need to pack lunch - I was hungry!