My Uber Thrifty Month In Review - December

 

At the beginning of December I paid all of our monthly bills before they were due.  I also paid the mortgage two weeks early as I have been doing for almost a year and a half now.  Just paying the mortgage a half month early saves me interest and it will really add up in the long run.

I paid a full year of insurance for the new car.  In doing so my insurance company offers an additional discount.  If I paid semi annually, quarterly or monthly payments not only would I miss out on the discount but I'd also be charged a service fee each time I made a payment.

I received my annual Christmas bonus at work and have put that in savings for the time being.

Despite some extra expenses this month, Christmas and otherwise, I still made all of my financial and savings goals.  I was thrilled to pay off one of my larger debts in full.  I had been working diligently on it all year.

I kept grocery and personal spending in check.  Since I had already finished my Christmas shopping in November I didn't need to worry about that.  I did, however, need to get the girls new school shoes.  Thankfully I found a wonderful sale.

I bought one tank of gas this month and used my rewards card to save an extra 10¢ a gallon.  Since I didn't buy a whole lot at Fred Meyer this month I did two store surveys to add bonus points to my card.

I went through all the cabinets, drawers, freezers and the pantry so I know what I have and then I made a list of the items I feel I will need in the coming year.  I also started a grocery list for next month.  Short-term planning for the future helps me to stay on top of things and seek out the best prices for the things we need.  My goal is to spend as little as I can on the things we need.

I am ready to take 2016 on by storm.  I have new goals and big plans.