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 6th and 20th 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.
Great work in January! We had a good month as well - no dining out, stuck to our grocery budget, and generally stayed on track with our expenses.
ReplyDeleteThank you! You did great too! January was just the best month ever. I am super thrilled.
DeleteJanuary three me for a loop,got covid from son
ReplyDeleteI am hoping to watch my expenditures over the next three months in order to pay my entire property taxes for both houses without dipping into savings. So far, my spending is way down from where it was a year ago. So here's crossing my fingers no surprises over the next few months. That way I can pay everything without dipping into savings.
ReplyDeleteAside, I tend to overspend because I know I have a safety net. Reading your blog and others like it is helping me to stop mindless spending. Thanks! I have major plans for some of those funds. So I need to stop dipping into them. Next year I will be sixty five and eligible for my pension. I can hardy wait.��