For me November has always been a month filled with expenses. My annual auto insurance premiums are due at
the first of the month. Both girls
celebrate their birthdays. I usually
finish up the last of my Christmas shopping.
Thanksgiving is this month. The
weather has changed and we get our first big heating bill of the season.
So how did I do?
Well, as it turns out, I did better this time than I have in a
long time. I paid all of our monthly
expenses and the insurance bill, but I did have to use money that was meant for
savings in order to do it. Needless to
say, I did not put anything away into regular savings this month. I did, however contribute to my retirement savings
accounts.
I made my final payment to PayPal meaning I officially own every
stick of furniture in my home. Best of
all $0 interest owed and paid. If you
choose to finance something it doesn't get much better than that.
I made some substantial payments on the old business debt I am
diligently working to eliminate. Despite
the extra expenses this month I was still able to make those payments as
planned. I am super excited, because one
of those debts will be paid off in full next month leaving only one more to go.
I kept our grocery expenses to a minimum and I kept our personal
expenses low as well. I bought only one
tank of gas this month. We only dined
out for the girl's birthday lunch.
We did not spend any money on entertainment, however we
entertained more company at our house this past month than we had any other
month this year. I was able to provide
meals and refreshments using items I already had on hand. It helps immensely that I brew my own beer.
And as you now know I bought a new car in November. I originally planned to buy it in December so
my first payment wouldn't be due until January.
But when a great opportunity presented itself, such as 0% financing for
72 months, no down payment, and no payment due for 90 days, there was no point
in putting it off a couple weeks.
Prior to making this purchase I did a lot of calculating to see
how it would fit into my budget, including the increase in my insurance
premiums and the fees to license another vehicle. I checked everything out ahead of time.
I am feeling pretty good about how things unfolded in November. I still want to work on new ways to make the
month have less of a financial impact. I
may start paying my insurance in October or work on getting birthday gifts done
earlier. I waited to license the car
until this month so I won't have those fees due in November too.
When it comes to handling finances it sometimes seems more like a
balancing act or a juggling act to get everything worked out than simply paying
one's bills. At least I'm always up for
the challenge.
You brew your own beer? That's super cool. I wish I could do that. I also have so many bills to pay. They never end. It is good you were frugal during that time. It makes things so much easier. I plan on buying a car soon, but it won't be a new one, I can tell you that.
ReplyDeleteLachelle Muse @ Ernstam