TO
BEGIN WITH: I ended February and headed into March in pretty good shape.
I had just over $6 in my checking account, $5 in my wallet and a full
tank of fuel in my car. Once again I was
blessed to have my cupboards full with no immediate needs or wants. I am a very lucky girl.
NEXT
STEPS: I had no bills due on the 5th so
I pushed that first paycheck right into savings, HSA and retirement. Our
latest stimulus payment arrived on March 17th (Happy St. Patrick's Day to me!) and
without a second thought I transferred it immediately into my savings
account. The next payday was a couple
days later and included my annual bonus. I paid all of our monthly bills that were due
and our April mortgage plus some extra as well as the power bill that isn't due
until April as well . I funded 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 $$: Once again I didn't shop
very much because fortunately we didn't need very much. I checked the ads before grocery shopping and
downloaded digital coupons so I was able to stay on budget this month. I am always thrilled about that.
WAYS
I EARNED EXTRA $$: I sold some more
items from my Etsy shop and on eBay. I also worked a very small amount of overtime at
my job. I put some more items up for
sale on both Etsy and eBay. So far this
year all of our power bills have been paid using money from those sales. That has been a huge boon to our household
budget and allowed me to put even more into savings each month.
LOOKING
BACK: I feel I was pretty productive and
did really well with my savings and spending.
I was able to pay off half of the medical bills I incurred in February using funds from my HSA. Having that account has
been a godsend for me as well as given me great peace of mind.
LOOKING
AHEAD: I have already scheduled a
payment from my HSA to handle half of the remaining medical bills. I will schedule a final payment for the rest
in the beginning of May and that will be done. I wanted to break it up into three payments
so I didn't completely deplete my funds.
Plus the hospital gives you one year interest free to pay your bill.
I couldn't be any happier with how things went last
month. I am so grateful to have the
means to take care of us right now. It makes
me feel so good to know I can handle whatever live throws my way and not have
to worry or stress about it. God is so
good.
Proud of you, girl. Others would be griping at the small amounts in your pocket and checking account. You're right -- if your needs and wants are met, and you're planning this out, you're rich!
ReplyDeleteWe have been doing better than usual the last few months, for having our utilities paid for (by volunteering for a missions group. They give me freebies from their thrift store "Missions Barrel," too!) And we're out in the desert, about 20 miles from the Mexico border. Nothing to spend money on, and very, very few places open for restaurants at night. Other than the Friday night fish special at one place, we don't go out much.
The only bad part has been repairs on the fifth-wheel: fixing the sink and replacing the toilet, expense-wise. Other than that, we get probably fewer groceries and supplies than usual...because when I run out, I tend to make do, rather than trudge 20 or 30 miles to the store. It helps!
Oh dear, well at least you have a shiny new potty that should last you a good long time. Check that off your worry list! LOL
DeleteSounds like you are having a grand adventure. Enjoy your perks too. :0)