Wow, haven't posted in quite a while!
I have been busy, but I have to admit that part of the reason for not posting is that I have not been paying attention to my finances properly.
Several things have been going on.
One bad thing that I am embarrassed to even post about - is credit cards. Yup. One day last month I was making a purchase at the party goods store. I had two American Express gift cards that I was trying to use to make the purchase. But for some reason they wouldn't work. And at that time our bank balance was very low so I was afraid to use my debit card. Sooo - what did I do? Yup. I used a credit card. I told myself I would go home and make the payment on line immediately. (You know what is paved with good intentions!) Well, of course, I forgot. And because we have no credit card debt right now, I wasn't looking out for that bill. And it didn't get paid. And, yes, they hit me with a $30 late fee! And I only charged $8!
I do plan on calling to see if they will waive the late fee, but honestly, I just haven't been able to face it.
The other things going on should be good. We got our tax refund (a big one!) and we got our stimulus check. I did plug these into my yearly budget, taking them out of upcoming months (I was expecting them to arrive later), but for some reason, I can't get my yearly budget to work out. I drove myself crazy with it one night until I couldn't take it anymore. Then I gave up. And honestly, I haven't been watching my finances since then. I just got so frustrated that I didn't feel like dealing with it. Part of the reason is that we have such a large amount of money in the account now that I sort of feel like I don't have to worry about it. This is not really the case. All these funds have already been allocated and we shouldn't be spending the money now.
I guess it's sort of like a study I heard about where people will unconsciously use more of something from a very large container - like if you have a huge bottle of shampoo, you are likely to use more per wash than if you have a tiny bottle. Well, our huge bank balance has set me on a kind of shopping spree too.
Yup. For the first time since we started the plan I have allowed myself to buy clothes for myself and the kids. Clothes that are not necessarily necessities and not exactly budgeted for.
My husband needed the brakes on his car fixed, which we had budgeted $400 for, and it ended up costing $700. The new/used riding lawn mower needed a new battery to the tune of $50. We went to a bat mitzvah of a friend's daughter which cost us $100 for the gift and $80 for the babysitter. All these things were not budgeted for!
I am just overwhelmed with all the unexpected expenses and haven't had the courage to sit down and figure it all out. I need to though . . .
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8 comments:
Wow, this all sounds so familiar to me. I've had much the same experience--when there's money in the bank, I get sloppy about managing it and before you know it, it's gone! It's OK to slip up now and then, but I hope you can get things back on track soon.
Jennifer,
Wow. I was going to post about this very thing myself. Ever since we paid off all our credit cards and cars, I've been totally lax about the money. I should have saved at least $3,000.00 more by now with all the "extra" money...but guess what? We barely have the $5000.00 in savings that we started with! So, I am having my husband take over the main bills and savings...(he doesn't spend anything) and I'm managing the groceries, clothing, gifts and misc. I think he will do a better job...I would have done that sooner, except relinquishing the "control" end was holding me back. Don't worry too much. You've caught yourself, and you can get right back on. Just remember to see how far you already came!!!!
I'm *just* like you- I can totally identify!
It sounds like a slump that's bound to happen now and then. I hope after a break you're able to get back into it and start fresh!
Thanks to everyone for your kind words. I know this is just a bump in the road and we WILL get back on track! I even listened to the Dave Ramsey show yesterday! If that doesn't motivate a person, nothing will! lol! :)
Speaking as someone who suddenly upped her indebtedness this month (much to my own dismay), I think it is important that bloggers admit it. This is what financial life is all about--and nice as it would be to have a single downward arc to all our debts, (and as much as some bloggers seem only to write about that downward arc!)I personally prefer "warts and all" real-life blogs.
Thanks for checking in and commenting on my blog! It's great to get in touch with you again! I'm having a similar problem right now--I haven't retooled our budget through two raises, tax refund, and stimulus check. We finally have more than we need for our tight budget each month, but it's made me a little lazy about staying on top of money concerns. Just this week I remembered I had a $20 coupon in my wallet for the auto shop as I was leaving the parking lot, but it seemed like too much trouble to get the kids out again to have them refund the $20. Then I let 5 pounds of ground beef spoil in the fridge because I kept putting off freezing portions--another $10 down the drain.
Hope your budgeting goes well--and thanks for the reminder to pay attention to mine!
We do this kind of stuff all the time (on a much smaller scale, only because our income is much smaller! lol) -- and I totally beat myself up every time.
I liken it to losing weight. Falling off the wagon. Beating yourself up...it's all part of the game.
but you were brave and stepped up and faced the issue. That's the main point, right?
We're all going to fall off...the real strength comes in what we do next. :)
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