I am amazed that the time moved so fast. There were weeks, no months, that I even forgot that this blog was here for me.
In nine days, I plan to write a recap about my 365 debt reduction journey. As of today, I am feeling content with my progress, understanding that I have a way to go before my financial journey can be deemed a true success story.
Today, I shopped at Target for household items that I needed, but could have lived without. That is a huge step. Almost one year ago, a trip to Target required a very short less of absolute necessities, such as toilet paper and milk. Things that were needed to bridge me and my family from one week to the next, anticipating another small paycheck on the horizon. Today, I was able to look at items to help organize the house, and even enjoyed time checking out extra kitchen items for another shopping trip.
My bi-weekly paychecks haven't gotten much bigger, but they seem to carry a better wallop these days thanks to my new budgeting system. My system is a two parter - checking my online bank accounts while viewing my iPhone budget. Every morning with my coffee, even during the busy school year, I go online and see what checks and debits have cleared the bank overnight. With my laptop screen displaying my checking account, I take my cell phone and open up to the "notes" app that has my monthly budget.
Each item of my budget has (1) a date, (2) creditor, and (3) dollar amount. On the morning that a budget item has cleared the bank, I type a large "X" next to the item showing me that it has been paid. I then use the laptop calculator to determine how many dollars are left before the next paycheck.
For example, when my online bank account says that the automatic payment for the telephone bill has cleared on its due date of July 15, my iPhone budget shows me:
15 Telephone $145.00 X
The "15" next to the word "Telephone" means that I must always anticipate this auto payment on the 15th of every month, and this helps me to never be surprised by an automatic debit or a check that I forgot to write down in my ledger.
After my trip to Target for a new shower curtain, a couple of on sale space saver bags, and some bright red lipstick (a little $6.00 splurge!) I got home to find a tree service guy waiting to speak with me. I had called yesterday to schedule an estimate to clear some of our brush. I had budgeted $200 for this job to be done, but I ended up saying to the guy, "I really don't want to spend more than $125." After a brief negotiation session, we agreed on clearing our brush for $188. Win for me!
I like this new me and this new found sense of spending freedom. Even though my teacher's salary doesn't afford me to spend like a maniac, at least now my care has led me to make purchases that continue to make small improvements around the house.
