A Thrifty February Recap

 

TO BEGIN WITH:  I ended a joyful January feeling ready to head into a fabulous February well prepared.  I had $27 in my checking account, $3 in my wallet and a full tank of fuel in my car.  My cupboards were full and I had no immediate needs or wants.  What more could a girl ask for?

 

NEXT STEPS:  Pay days fell on the 5th and 19th of the month.  I had no bills due on the 5th so I pushed that paycheck right into savings, HSA and retirement.  The next one I paid all of our monthly bills that were due and our March mortgage plus some extra.  I used what was left to finish funding our $100 grocery budget, our $25 non food budget, my pocket money and the rest was scooted right into savings, HSA and retirement.

 

WAYS I SAVED $$:  I didn't shop very much because fortunately we didn't need very much.  I checked the ads before grocery shopping and was able to stay on budget this month.  My oldest needed a new pair of snow boots which we found for a song at the shoe outlet.  I was thrilled about that.

 

WAYS I EARNED EXTRA $$:  I sold some more items from my Etsy shop and on eBay.  I also worked a small handful of overtime hours at my job.  I put some more items up for sale on eBay.

 

LOOKING BACK:  Last month flew by at a rapid rate but I still feel like I was productive and did really well with my earning, savings and spending.  I hope to continue this trend in March.

 

LOOKING AHEAD:  Last month I had to have some medical tests after a trip to the emergency room and I expect those bills will show up this month.  Fortunately I have nicely funded my HSA account and we also have our emergency fund if need be.  I'm just hoping and praying the final bills won't be too horrific.  Nonetheless I am super grateful to know I can take care of these things without the worry of going into debt.