My Uber Thrifty Month In Review - December

I ended the month of November with about $15 left in the ol' checking account.  I also had some cash in my wallet leftover from our vacation.  I was pretty darn pleased about that.  Once payday came on the 5th I was able to pay all of our monthly bills well ahead of their due dates and I was pretty darn pleased about that as well.

After making a triple payment on my debt elimination goal in November and a double payment in December I was able to go to my spreadsheet and re-work the numbers which, once again, moved up the timeline for completion.  Whooooo hoooooo!

In the second week of December my boss informed me I was to receive a cost of living wage increase.  Yippeee!!  After a couple of days spent thinking about it I decided to put that entire amount into my 401(k) account for retirement.  I don't need the increase in income so it makes much more sense for me to put it into my retirement account and allow it to build there.

With my Christmas shopping completed in November and our freezers and pantry well stocked I was able to treat my girls to a mini shopping spree.  I had some great coupons to use which allowed us to get $10 in free merchandise at Nordstroms Rack and another $10 in free merchandise at JC Penney.  Tights for the youngest and socks for me were purchased at Nordstroms.  I paid an extra $4 and left happy.  We all got the softest slippers ever at JC Penney.  I ended up paying $5 for three pair of slippers by the time all was said and done.  I also had a coupon for a free item at Bath & Body Works.  I bought a bottle of lotion and got a bottle of shower gel for free.  Needless to say, none of those shops turned much of a profit with me that day.

On two separate occasions I treated the girls to meals out.  Breakfast at Denny's and lunch at Outback.  I used my new AARP card to get a 15% discount at both restaurants.  I used funds leftover from our vacation in November to pay for those two meals as well so it made a minimal impact to our budget.

I went online to renew the registration on my car and they sent my new tags to me in the mail.  This saved me a trip to the DMV.  At the same time I also renewed our state parks pass for $10, which is an incredible deal.

We entertained quite a bit last month.  All food and beverages served came from our well stocked kitchen.  No extra grocery shopping required.  And because our freezers and pantry are so well stocked I needed very little in the way of groceries.  Mainly I purchased some fresh produce and dairy.  I did stock up on a handful of items that were on sale for a really good price and managed to come in well under budget for the month.

I filled the gas tank on the car at Fred Meyer using my rewards card.  I saved an extra 3¢ a gallon paying only $1.91 a gallon.  That is the lowest I've spent on fuel in a very, very long time.  Our travels throughout the month were fairly minimal, mostly me going to and from work, so I ended the month with a good quarter tank left.  The truck still has a third of a tank of gas in it and I seriously can't remember when it was I last filled it.  I think it was sometime in April 2016.

For the final month in 2016 I felt like I managed to keep it uber thrifty and as we head into 2017 I hope to continue to have more months like this so I can get that debt paid off!  Wish me luck.