Thursday, September 7, 2017

My Uber Thrifty Month In Review - August


Financially speaking, August was a stellar month for me.  Unbelievably so.

I began the month by paying all of our monthly bills ahead of their due dates.  I'm always quite happy about that and feel a true sense of accomplishment.  It's not that I paid them on time; but I paid them ahead of time.  It really does do something for the psyche, let me tell you.  As soon as the monthly bills were done I completed my big financial goal by making the final payment.  It feels extremely good to have that paid off and behind me now.


Mid month I paid off the oldest daughter's orthodontist, just two weeks after she got them off.  He doesn't charge any interest as long as you make your agreed upon payments on time.  I made sure I did (ahead) and even doubled up a couple months which put me ahead of schedule.  I always want that extra cushion.  Two debt goals completed in one month!  Fantastic!

I spent $30 on school clothes (new uniform for the youngest, on sale) and less than $3 on school supplies (8 spiral notebooks, 2 pkgs. three ring paper).  Registration fees and yearbooks nearly killed me (gasp) but since I didn't have a big financial outlay of clothes and supplies I was able to manage it without too much trouble.


I spent $50 stocking up on lunch items for the girls and about an extra $50 over our regular budget stocking up on items for winter.  Extra meat in the freezer and canned goods in the pantry.

I topped off the gas tank in the car using my Fred Meyer rewards card and saved an extra 10¢ a gallon.

After all was said and done I still managed to fit in a thrifty date with my girls.  We celebrated my accomplished goals and the beginning of a new school year over hamburgers at Freddy's Steakburgers.  I surprised them with that at the last minute, which made it extra fun.


Despite the fact that my latest financial goals have been met I still plan to continue my thrifty ways.  I have more goals in mind and I know that maintaining my thrifty lifestyle is going to allow me to accomplish them.  So onward toward a thrifty September!

Make that an uber thrifty September!



8 comments:

  1. Congratulations on a great month! What a relief to have those debts paid!!

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  2. Would you be willing to share the categories of things you budget for? Having lived on such a tight budget for years I am realizing that there are categories I am going to have to try to carve out funds for - like clothing as things do have to be replaced. Do you "micro budget" every penny or do you have funds you leave discretionary each month? I appreciate your blog so much.

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    1. What works best for me it to first pay all of my bills and take care of my savings goals. Then I divide up what is leftover. I try to stick to around $150 a month for groceries, $50 for entertainment, and the rest I pretty much leave as discretionary. It just depends on how much is leftover after the bills and goals are met. Sometimes we have less for entertainment and sometimes we have none. I do, however, track every penny spent. That helps me trend our expenses so I pretty much know what to expect each month. It also helps me not to overspend. Just cause I have it doesn't mean I need to spend it. :)

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  3. You did very well! WTG! I am having scrimpy September as I absorb the costs of some additional repairs to my forever home that must be done before Winter, which is forecasted to be a brutal one. October will be more of the same!

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    1. Thank you! I am not looking forward to winter at all. Last year was rough and it looks like we'll be in for a few of those in the years ahead. I wish you much success with Scrimpy September! ;)

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  4. Congrats on paying off your debt.. So happy for you.. And best wishes for your future saving..

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