A Thrifty January Recap

 

TO BEGIN WITH:  I started off the year and the month of January in great form.  By the end of the 2020 I had accomplished a huge goal that this time last year I was certain would take the better part of two years to complete.  I am DEBT FREE with the exception of a very small mortgage on my home.  I also hit all of my savings goals last year exceeding them far beyond my wildest dreams.  Our pantry and freezers were quite full and my grocery shopping list was quite short.  Both vehicles had enough fuel in them that I did not need to purchase any gasoline until the end of January.  It was a fantastic way to begin a brand new year!

 

NEXT STEPS:  The latest U.S. Stimulus payment arrived in my bank account on the 4th.  It was enough to pay our monthly bills, buy groceries and what remained went into my savings account.  Pay days fell on the 6^th and 20^th of the month.  Both paychecks went straight into my savings and retirement accounts.  That was definitely a first for me.

 

I acquired a lot of groceries for just a little bit of $$ by focusing
on sales items and using digital coupons as well as a gift card

WAYS I SAVED $$:  I knocked our 2021 grocery budget down to $100 a month and was very happy to find I was able to stay well within that budget.  I was very careful with my grocery spending and only ventured out a handful times to do my shopping.  This not only helped curb my spending but also forced me to use up what I already had on hand so nothing was wasted.  I kept errands to a minimum doing them on the same days I grocery shopped so I saved time and fuel.

 

A Christmas gift in the making

I got a jumpstart on the upcoming holidays by making my own Valentine’s Day cards and planning gift items that I can make for no cost by using what I already have.  Some post Christmas shopping netted me a few things to give my girls at Valentines and Easter as well as birthdays and Christmas.

 

Some of the cards I made last month

I also made my Christmas cards for next year using up scraps I had saved, updated my card list, set aside the stamps I have left from this past Christmas which is enough that I will not need to buy new ones and made some gifts using supplies I had in my sewing and craft stash.  Right now I have a plan, a good start and I am already excited for next Christmas.  In the meantime however, I will have plenty of fun projects and work to keep me busy.

 

Sold items getting ready to ship

WAYS I EARNED EXTRA $$:  I had the opportunity to work several hours of overtime so I took advantage of that.  I restocked my Etsy store with new greeting cards and listed some items I had in our garage for sale on eBay.  I used some of the money from these sales to pay for a pair of shoes and clothes I needed for work, a new toaster oven (totally a want item), a crosscut paper shredder ,renewed the registration on my car and filled it with gas and paid our electric bill that is due in February.  The rest went into savings.

 

Updates to my work wardrobe

LOOKING AHEAD:  I don’t anticipate much happening in February (and I'm praying that is true), especially as the weather is typically still quite chilly and the pandemic is continuing to be an issue.  With that in mind I choose to look at it as an opportunity for me to enjoy my home, work on some craft and sewing projects and spend less money so I can save more.  For the time being I think that is a pretty good plan.  I will let you know how it goes.

 

The new toaster oven - $20

LOOKING BACK:  I am extremely pleased with how well our month went and where I currently sit financially.  I know how fortunate and blessed I am to be in this position right now and pray that it will continue for a while as I gear myself up to prepare for the next phase in my life.  January far exceeded my expectations and I couldn't be happier.