My Thrifty January In 2022

 

I was excited to begin 2022 with $20 in my wallet, $65 in my checking account, a full tank of fuel in my car and a nearly full tank in my truck.  My pantry was full, my chest freezer was full, our prepper pantry was well stocked, we had leftovers in the refrigerator and lots of things in the freezer to use up as well.  Our needs were covered, our wants were few and my family healthy, with all of us gainfully employed.  To say I am blessed beyond measure would be a complete understatement.  I greeted 2022 feeling on top of the world with loads of goals and plans in mind.  I was ready to get started!

 

I get paid twice per month, usually on the 5th and the 20th.  My goal this year is to carefully live off of one paycheck so I can funnel the other one directly into savings.  Each payday I contribute to my 401(k) as well as to my HSA and all of our health insurance is paid before the remainder lands in my checking account.  Right now I am trying to save 65% of my current income and live off of 35%.

 

I had paid the power bill that was due on the 8th of January in December because I had the extra funds available to do so.  On the 5th, I paid all remaining bills, the mortgage a month early, set aside funds for our February grocery budget (I am always planning ahead), set aside funds for any miscellaneous expenses and still had over $300 left.  On the 20th I transferred my entire paycheck into my savings account along with all of the proceeds from my Etsy shop I had earned so far.  Then on the 26th of January I was able to use part of the remaining money from my first paycheck to pay the power bill (our highest one this winter) that isn't due until February 9th.

All spending was tracked
This is my pile of receipts for the month

I used funds I had set aside in December to buy our groceries and even some items for the prepper pantry.  I only shopped twice this past month, but it was definitely enough to meet our needs.  I was extremely happy with how that all worked out, even with shortages and rising costs.

 

It feels really good to have been able to pay all of our living expenses well ahead of their due dates, the mortgage an entire month early, meet all of my savings goals, keep our cupboards full and eat well, be able to live very comfortably with just one paycheck and still have money left, which will be pushed into savings after the 1st of next month.  Now, let's see how well I do in February.  I'm super excited about it.