Still here plugging along.
Made $400 at the craft show this past weekend. Have another one scheduled for this Saturday.
So far this month, I have made $1,700 in jewelry sales at craft shows this month! I really can't believe it. It has kept me very busy making enough stock to bring to the shows. But boy does it feel good!
After this weekend things will slow down. I have not found many craft shows that I can participate in over the summer. I am going to try to do a 2 day show at the end of August, but that's about it.
Once September is here, I'll be doing a show basically every Saturday in September, October, and November, and maybe a couple in December.
I hope to use the summer down time to make tons of stock and spruce up my on line store.
Things are going pretty much as planned as far as the budget goes. My husband is still expecting about an $8,000 commission at the end of the month which will bring our Emergency Fund up to $25,000 - only $5,000 short of our $30,000 goal. After we get the commission I plan to open that checking account that pays 4.44% interest.
Over the summer I also plan to go through my basement and get rid of a bunch of stuff. I plan to make a section for items to sell on ebay and post some stuff every week.
So, that's what's going on with me. Sorry I haven't been posting often. I hope to keep up better. Hope you all are well!
Showing posts with label Daily Progress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daily Progress. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Daily Progress Report
THE GOOD:
Extra Earnings:
Associated Content: $4.89
COULD DO BETTER:
- 2DD bought lunch today. I should have made it for them.
- Going out to dinner for DH birthday today.
Extra Earnings:
Associated Content: $4.89
COULD DO BETTER:
- 2DD bought lunch today. I should have made it for them.
- Going out to dinner for DH birthday today.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Daily Progress Report
Haven't had much time to post this week. The kids are on school vacation this week, so we've been busy.
I was able to earn a little money babysitting this week. Originally I was going to babysit for three whole days, at $10 an hour I would have made $240, but it didn't work out like that unfortunately.
First the three whole days turned into two full days and one half day. Then they ended up not needing me the two whole days and only needed me the one half day. I was very disappointed because I was really looking forward to the extra money and I had planned our vacation week around those obligations. So, today I babysat for a half day, but they ended up paying me for a full day since they had canceled out on me at the last minute.
Anyway, in the end I earned $80, so not too bad.
I am planning on taking two of my daughter's skiing one day this week though, and skiing is so expensive! They have been wanting to go for the past two years and we haven't managed to take them yet, so I'm going to bite the bullet and just take them. I did plan for it in our budget for this month, but we do have a very tight budget this month. So, I'll need to be very careful with the rest of our spending this month.
What's worse is that I just found out from my husband that he won't get his commission in March with his first check on the 1st, but will have to wait until the check he gets on the 15th. This is going to make March a very very tight month. I might have to transfer some funds from savings.
At least we found out in advance and have a little time to plan for this bump in the road.
I was able to earn a little money babysitting this week. Originally I was going to babysit for three whole days, at $10 an hour I would have made $240, but it didn't work out like that unfortunately.
First the three whole days turned into two full days and one half day. Then they ended up not needing me the two whole days and only needed me the one half day. I was very disappointed because I was really looking forward to the extra money and I had planned our vacation week around those obligations. So, today I babysat for a half day, but they ended up paying me for a full day since they had canceled out on me at the last minute.
Anyway, in the end I earned $80, so not too bad.
I am planning on taking two of my daughter's skiing one day this week though, and skiing is so expensive! They have been wanting to go for the past two years and we haven't managed to take them yet, so I'm going to bite the bullet and just take them. I did plan for it in our budget for this month, but we do have a very tight budget this month. So, I'll need to be very careful with the rest of our spending this month.
What's worse is that I just found out from my husband that he won't get his commission in March with his first check on the 1st, but will have to wait until the check he gets on the 15th. This is going to make March a very very tight month. I might have to transfer some funds from savings.
At least we found out in advance and have a little time to plan for this bump in the road.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Daily Progress Report
Did a bit of shopping today. Bought some spring/summer clothes for my girls as well as some winter clearance items for them for next year.
Also got 2 Glade Scented Oil Candles - for free! I had a coupon to buy 1 of them and get another one free, and I had a rebate to buy one and have the full purchase price reimbursed. So, net result - 2 free candles! I will save these in my gift closet.
I love free stuff! :)
Also got 2 Glade Scented Oil Candles - for free! I had a coupon to buy 1 of them and get another one free, and I had a rebate to buy one and have the full purchase price reimbursed. So, net result - 2 free candles! I will save these in my gift closet.
I love free stuff! :)
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
1/30/08 - Daily Progress Report
Did a few returns today. Two large Littlest Pet Shop playhouses that I had got two of my daughters for Christmas that were still unopened - $20 each. Some socks my daughter didn't like - $6, and another unused Christmas gift - $6. For a total of $52 dollars returned!
I still have a couple more things from Christmas that I know I need to return. And I'm sure if I looked around a bit I could find still more things around the house that we bought but later found that we didn't need. Returning things is one of the easiest ways to "earn" extra money, I find.
Okay, I did buy myself a couple of things - a new shirt, socks, and earrings. These are to wear on my 40th birthday this weekend, and I used a Target gift card we received for Christmas.
The kids have a half day today so it will be a noisy afternoon!
I still have a couple more things from Christmas that I know I need to return. And I'm sure if I looked around a bit I could find still more things around the house that we bought but later found that we didn't need. Returning things is one of the easiest ways to "earn" extra money, I find.
Okay, I did buy myself a couple of things - a new shirt, socks, and earrings. These are to wear on my 40th birthday this weekend, and I used a Target gift card we received for Christmas.
The kids have a half day today so it will be a noisy afternoon!
Monday, January 28, 2008
1/28/08 - Daily Progress Report
Well, I'm gearing up for February 1st - Planning to start tracking every cent that comes into or goes out of my life. Going to give it a try for at least a month. This is going along with the "Your Money or Your Life" program. I did give this a try many months ago - and it was A LOT more difficult than I had anticipated.
Also gearing up for my 40th birthday this weekend. :( Yeah - can't say I'm too excited about turning 40. I think my life should be in better shape by this age. I have weight to lose, debts to pay off, and things to save for. But, I'm on the right track, so I guess things could be worse.
That reminds me of a great blog post I read recently (can't remember which blog, sorry!). It was about learning to be content as the best way to keep from overspending. I think this is SOO true! Learning to be content is definitely on the top of my list of things to work on. And I do have a lot to be content about! Great family, good friends, nice home - the list goes on and on.
I just have to remember to keep remembering that! :)
Also gearing up for my 40th birthday this weekend. :( Yeah - can't say I'm too excited about turning 40. I think my life should be in better shape by this age. I have weight to lose, debts to pay off, and things to save for. But, I'm on the right track, so I guess things could be worse.
That reminds me of a great blog post I read recently (can't remember which blog, sorry!). It was about learning to be content as the best way to keep from overspending. I think this is SOO true! Learning to be content is definitely on the top of my list of things to work on. And I do have a lot to be content about! Great family, good friends, nice home - the list goes on and on.
I just have to remember to keep remembering that! :)
Sunday, January 27, 2008
1/27/08 - Daily Progress Report
Wow! It's been over a week since I have posted! I can't believe that.
Anyway, I was away for the weekend, scrapbooking with a group of friends. It is a yearly trip and is a lot of fun. Scrapbooking can be an expensive hobby though. Luckily this whole trip was paid for last year. It was great looking at all the photos of my 3 daughter's when they were babies. Boy the time does go by fast! Gets me thinking about how quickly the time will come when they will be going off to college. That thought makes me both want to save, save, save to have enough for college. And also to spend some making more wonderful memories - creating a fun childhood for them. I guess fun times can be had without spending money, or without spending a lot of money. So, for the next few months I'm planning to spend some time planning some fun activities - at least one per month. Bowling, skiing, movies - whatever. But I think we have cut our entertainment spending too much. And I want to align my spending closer to my values. So, spend more on fun for the kids, and cut back somewhere else. Need to think more about where we can cut back . . .
Anyway, I was away for the weekend, scrapbooking with a group of friends. It is a yearly trip and is a lot of fun. Scrapbooking can be an expensive hobby though. Luckily this whole trip was paid for last year. It was great looking at all the photos of my 3 daughter's when they were babies. Boy the time does go by fast! Gets me thinking about how quickly the time will come when they will be going off to college. That thought makes me both want to save, save, save to have enough for college. And also to spend some making more wonderful memories - creating a fun childhood for them. I guess fun times can be had without spending money, or without spending a lot of money. So, for the next few months I'm planning to spend some time planning some fun activities - at least one per month. Bowling, skiing, movies - whatever. But I think we have cut our entertainment spending too much. And I want to align my spending closer to my values. So, spend more on fun for the kids, and cut back somewhere else. Need to think more about where we can cut back . . .
Saturday, January 19, 2008
1/19/08 - Daily Progress Report
My three daughter's had a birthday part to go to today. Luckily I was able to re-gift several nice toys that my daughter's had received for either their birthday or Christmas that they didn't need or want. So we didn't need to spend any money and we were able to give 3 nice, new, appropriate presents to the birthday girl.
I also did a return of a gift that I had received for Christmas and have a merchandise credit that I will use later this year to buy a gift for my sister for her birthday.
So I think I managed not to spend any money today.
I must admit though that I have not been tracking all of my expenses daily, which I had planned to do (as outlined in the steps of the Your Money Or Your Life program). This sounds like an excuse, and maybe it is, but it seems odd to start in the middle of the month, so I plan to start tracking everything to the penny starting Feb 1st.
I'm also a few days behind in posting my earnings. So here's the update since my last earnings posting:
Earnings:
Associated Content: $1.20
Babysitting: $45
Rebate: $5
Returns: $10.50
Ad Revenue: $ .98
TOTAL: $71.68
I also did a return of a gift that I had received for Christmas and have a merchandise credit that I will use later this year to buy a gift for my sister for her birthday.
So I think I managed not to spend any money today.
I must admit though that I have not been tracking all of my expenses daily, which I had planned to do (as outlined in the steps of the Your Money Or Your Life program). This sounds like an excuse, and maybe it is, but it seems odd to start in the middle of the month, so I plan to start tracking everything to the penny starting Feb 1st.
I'm also a few days behind in posting my earnings. So here's the update since my last earnings posting:
Earnings:
Associated Content: $1.20
Babysitting: $45
Rebate: $5
Returns: $10.50
Ad Revenue: $ .98
TOTAL: $71.68
Monday, January 14, 2008
1/14/08 - Daily Progress Report
We had a "snow day" today, no school because of snow. We have taken advantage of this and all stayed in our pajamas for the day, including my husband who is working from home. Fun!
I have spent the majority of today re-reading "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" by Amy Dacyczyn. This is one of the few books that I found worthy enough to purchase after I had borrowed it several times from the library. I get inspired to be more frugal every time I read it.
I think I will spend the rest of the day making homemade meatballs and flash freezing for later use. I'll probably make 5 meals worth of meatballs with very little extra effort as compared to making 1 meals worth.
It would be a "no spend" day except that the plow service did plow our driveway at a very UN-frugal cost of $45. (And this is our 3rd plow of the year, making the total cost $135! - yikes!)
In some ways this does seem like an extravagant expenses. Especially since we were going to have my daughter and her friend shovel it for $10 each. But the plow guy showed up too soon, and we don't want to lose him. (For some reason it is tough to find a plow service around here. They are all booked up and don't want/need more business.)
On days like today when my husband and kids are home, we could handle the shoveling of the driveway. But in the past, we have had it snow at very inconvenient times and had trouble getting the cars out of the driveway, or if my husband was at work, had trouble getting his car in the driveway. And that's a lot to ask of someone who just worked a 10 hour day plus another 3+ hour commute (in the snow), to get home and shovel in the dark. And I must reluctantly admit that I am not able to handle the daunting task alone. So, plow service it is.
Today's Income: $0
Today's Expenses: $45
Snow Plowing: $45
I have spent the majority of today re-reading "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" by Amy Dacyczyn. This is one of the few books that I found worthy enough to purchase after I had borrowed it several times from the library. I get inspired to be more frugal every time I read it.
I think I will spend the rest of the day making homemade meatballs and flash freezing for later use. I'll probably make 5 meals worth of meatballs with very little extra effort as compared to making 1 meals worth.
It would be a "no spend" day except that the plow service did plow our driveway at a very UN-frugal cost of $45. (And this is our 3rd plow of the year, making the total cost $135! - yikes!)
In some ways this does seem like an extravagant expenses. Especially since we were going to have my daughter and her friend shovel it for $10 each. But the plow guy showed up too soon, and we don't want to lose him. (For some reason it is tough to find a plow service around here. They are all booked up and don't want/need more business.)
On days like today when my husband and kids are home, we could handle the shoveling of the driveway. But in the past, we have had it snow at very inconvenient times and had trouble getting the cars out of the driveway, or if my husband was at work, had trouble getting his car in the driveway. And that's a lot to ask of someone who just worked a 10 hour day plus another 3+ hour commute (in the snow), to get home and shovel in the dark. And I must reluctantly admit that I am not able to handle the daunting task alone. So, plow service it is.
Today's Income: $0
Today's Expenses: $45
Snow Plowing: $45
Sunday, January 13, 2008
1/13/08 - Daily Progress Report
Went grocery shopping today. Spent $120 but haven't been in two weeks, so I'm doing okay so far this month with the grocery budget.
Chuck E Cheese ended up costing $150 yesterday - yikes!
Good news from my husband though, he will be getting a $1,000 bonus (before taxes) for referring a friend to his company that got hired. Yeay! That will basically pay for my husbands car repairs he had done on Friday for $800!
Anyway, the budget is looking pretty good for this month. We need to get working on the taxes to see how much we will be getting back. We usually get quite a bit back and this could make a big difference in paying off debts this year. If we do find we'll get another large refund we'll definitely adjust our withholdings so that we can earn the interest on our money this year! :)
Chuck E Cheese ended up costing $150 yesterday - yikes!
Good news from my husband though, he will be getting a $1,000 bonus (before taxes) for referring a friend to his company that got hired. Yeay! That will basically pay for my husbands car repairs he had done on Friday for $800!
Anyway, the budget is looking pretty good for this month. We need to get working on the taxes to see how much we will be getting back. We usually get quite a bit back and this could make a big difference in paying off debts this year. If we do find we'll get another large refund we'll definitely adjust our withholdings so that we can earn the interest on our money this year! :)
Saturday, January 12, 2008
1/12/08 - Daily Progress Report
Requested a credit refund check from American Express for some Christmas gifts that I returned.
Bought a gift for a birthday party my daughter is attending today. Got a $17.99 gift, used a $5 off coupon, and paid with a $15 gift certificate I had. Net: $3 profit! :)
Today's Earnings:
Returns: $58.00
Gift: $3.00
TOTAL: $61.00
We have my daughter's birthday party today at Chuck E Cheese, so it will be a high expense day. We did make cupcakes ourselves with stuff I had on hand, and I made up the goody bags with some stuff I bought on clearance. This saved the Chuck E Cheese cost of cake ($10) and goody bags ($2 each x 9 kids = $18). So saved close to $28.
Bought a gift for a birthday party my daughter is attending today. Got a $17.99 gift, used a $5 off coupon, and paid with a $15 gift certificate I had. Net: $3 profit! :)
Today's Earnings:
Returns: $58.00
Gift: $3.00
TOTAL: $61.00
We have my daughter's birthday party today at Chuck E Cheese, so it will be a high expense day. We did make cupcakes ourselves with stuff I had on hand, and I made up the goody bags with some stuff I bought on clearance. This saved the Chuck E Cheese cost of cake ($10) and goody bags ($2 each x 9 kids = $18). So saved close to $28.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
1/10/08 - Daily Progress Report
Still getting payments from Associated Content every couple of weeks for articles that I wrote months ago! Pretty good.
Also, went ahead and signed up for the special thing that American Express was offering for another free $50 gift card. This will cover $50 of my gift budget and allow me to use $50 cash to pay towards debts, so I'm counting that $50 in my earnings. :)
Ad Revenue: $4.44
Associated Content: $ .06
American Express Rewards: $50.00
TOTAL: $54.50
Also, went ahead and signed up for the special thing that American Express was offering for another free $50 gift card. This will cover $50 of my gift budget and allow me to use $50 cash to pay towards debts, so I'm counting that $50 in my earnings. :)
Ad Revenue: $4.44
Associated Content: $ .06
American Express Rewards: $50.00
TOTAL: $54.50
Saturday, January 5, 2008
1/05/09 - Daily Progress Report
Spent a nice family day at home today. Played around with our budget spreadsheet and debt snowball just to see the best case and worst case scenarios for this year. Things are looking pretty good. But my oldest will need braces soon, so I need to try to figure that in somewhere.
My husband, who is not usually a spender, bought himself some new clothes (which we had discussed), but he also came home with a Ralph Lauren Polo shirt for my two oldest daughters. They don't need clothes, and my second daughter doesn't even like polo style shirts. My husband found them on sale for $12 each and couldn't pass them up because it was such a great deal. I don't think $24 of unnecessary clothing is such a great deal. Especially since they got so much stuff for Christmas.
Anyway, he said he would return the shirt for my second daughter who didn't want it. So, it's only $12.
I just wish he wanted to be gazelle intense about getting debt free.
We'll still get there.
My husband, who is not usually a spender, bought himself some new clothes (which we had discussed), but he also came home with a Ralph Lauren Polo shirt for my two oldest daughters. They don't need clothes, and my second daughter doesn't even like polo style shirts. My husband found them on sale for $12 each and couldn't pass them up because it was such a great deal. I don't think $24 of unnecessary clothing is such a great deal. Especially since they got so much stuff for Christmas.
Anyway, he said he would return the shirt for my second daughter who didn't want it. So, it's only $12.
I just wish he wanted to be gazelle intense about getting debt free.
We'll still get there.
Friday, January 4, 2008
1/04/09 - Daily Progress Report
Sold a bracelet today. Also spoke with a friend who might be arranging a vendor fair at the nursing home she works at. If she puts it in place, I will go and try to sell some jewelry. Probably right before Mother's Day - a great time to sell Mother's & Grandmother's Bracelets.
Jewelry Sales: $35.00
Total: $35.00
Jewelry Sales: $35.00
Total: $35.00
Thursday, January 3, 2008
1/03/08 - Daily Progress Report
Well, I'm a bit discouraged about my husband. I was telling him how good things are looking for this year. How, if all goes well, we should only have about $8,000 of debt left by the end of 2008, and we could probably be debt free by May 2009 (except for the home mortgage).
Unfortunately, he was not so optimistic. He pointed out that our van will need to be replaced by then if it even makes it that long and his car will need to be replaced soon after that.
I said that we could save up to pay cash for the cars. He just rolled his eyes and said that everybody has a car payment. And that he wants a nice car, not a crappy one.
I wanted to say that if we started saving the $2,100 a month that we will be paying towards debts this year (starting in March), that at the end of a year we would have almost $30,000 saved to buy a car (or 2) with - but he was not in the mood to discuss finances.
I'm just hoping that our cars will last (which they should). Mine is a 1999 Mercury Villager minivan. It has a little rust on the hood which we are planning to get fixed soon, but I'm the one who drives this, not him, so I'm not sure why it bothers him so much.
He drives a 2001 Volvo "something". Nothing at all wrong with it except for being 7 years old (which I see no problem with).
Anyway - just hoping that things will work out and I can prove my husband wrong.
I did forget a little about needing to save the FFEF (fully funded emergency fund) after paying off all the debts. I didn't mention this to my husband. Maybe we can save for the new cars at the same time. We'll see . . .
Unfortunately, he was not so optimistic. He pointed out that our van will need to be replaced by then if it even makes it that long and his car will need to be replaced soon after that.
I said that we could save up to pay cash for the cars. He just rolled his eyes and said that everybody has a car payment. And that he wants a nice car, not a crappy one.
I wanted to say that if we started saving the $2,100 a month that we will be paying towards debts this year (starting in March), that at the end of a year we would have almost $30,000 saved to buy a car (or 2) with - but he was not in the mood to discuss finances.
I'm just hoping that our cars will last (which they should). Mine is a 1999 Mercury Villager minivan. It has a little rust on the hood which we are planning to get fixed soon, but I'm the one who drives this, not him, so I'm not sure why it bothers him so much.
He drives a 2001 Volvo "something". Nothing at all wrong with it except for being 7 years old (which I see no problem with).
Anyway - just hoping that things will work out and I can prove my husband wrong.
I did forget a little about needing to save the FFEF (fully funded emergency fund) after paying off all the debts. I didn't mention this to my husband. Maybe we can save for the new cars at the same time. We'll see . . .
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Daily Progress Report
Couldn't work at the Church Nursery today because of a big snow storm. Hate to lose the money but it was nice not to have to go out in the chill.
Spent the day reading blogs, updating my blog, and listening to the Dave Ramsey show.
I feel inspired. :)
Spent the day reading blogs, updating my blog, and listening to the Dave Ramsey show.
I feel inspired. :)
Thursday, December 6, 2007
11/06/07 - Daily Progress Report
Well, I forgot to report on the Craft Fair I went to on Saturday. I ended up making about $127.00. Of course I had to pay $25 for the table, and I did spend a bit on supplies I needed, but I can use them for future events too. So, not great earnings but not a total waste of time either.
I really need to plan and research a little better next year. This fair was at a church and was their first year holding it, so there wasn't much traffic.
I did get a jewelry order from an ad I have in a local newsletter, and that will bring in $45 so I'm pleased with that.
I really need to plan and research a little better next year. This fair was at a church and was their first year holding it, so there wasn't much traffic.
I did get a jewelry order from an ad I have in a local newsletter, and that will bring in $45 so I'm pleased with that.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
12/04/07 - Daily?? Progress Report
Okay. My Progress Reports have been anything but "daily" lately!
We haven't exactly been off plan, but with life so busy lately, we have been just sort of cruising along. The biggest problem with this is that I haven't been to the bank to withdraw our monthly cash (we pay cash for all monthly expenses except bills and things like that) - so, the debit card has been in use. Yes, it's a lot better than the credit card, but it is so hard to keep track of what we are spending with the debit card. Seems I have really come to like the cash system.
We were supposed to withdraw $560 at the beginning of the month to cover groceries ($360), spending ($200), pizza ($80), and school lunch ($27). My task for tonight will be to figure out how much of this "cash" we spent via debit already so I can determine the right amount of cash to withdraw from the bank tomorrow. Once I have the cash I think we'll be in pretty good shape for this month.
As for the very low commission my husband got this month, he says that next month will make up for it with a very high one. (We should be able to save several thousand from next month's commission to save for future possible low commission months.) So, I'm feeling much better about that.
I do still need to check on the Christmas spending and see how in line we are to the budget. That will be quite a project.
I did manage to complete a full budget for next year for all twelve months. With my husband's raise and the big commission expected for next month, next year's budget looks really good. I have the debt snowball payments set at $1,100 still, but we may be able to up that quite a bit ($2,100?) and get out of debt that much sooner. (Can't wait for that!)
So, lots to do. And I hope to get back into regular daily posting. It definitely helps to keep me on track.
Thanks for the kind comments and encouragement from everyone!
We haven't exactly been off plan, but with life so busy lately, we have been just sort of cruising along. The biggest problem with this is that I haven't been to the bank to withdraw our monthly cash (we pay cash for all monthly expenses except bills and things like that) - so, the debit card has been in use. Yes, it's a lot better than the credit card, but it is so hard to keep track of what we are spending with the debit card. Seems I have really come to like the cash system.
We were supposed to withdraw $560 at the beginning of the month to cover groceries ($360), spending ($200), pizza ($80), and school lunch ($27). My task for tonight will be to figure out how much of this "cash" we spent via debit already so I can determine the right amount of cash to withdraw from the bank tomorrow. Once I have the cash I think we'll be in pretty good shape for this month.
As for the very low commission my husband got this month, he says that next month will make up for it with a very high one. (We should be able to save several thousand from next month's commission to save for future possible low commission months.) So, I'm feeling much better about that.
I do still need to check on the Christmas spending and see how in line we are to the budget. That will be quite a project.
I did manage to complete a full budget for next year for all twelve months. With my husband's raise and the big commission expected for next month, next year's budget looks really good. I have the debt snowball payments set at $1,100 still, but we may be able to up that quite a bit ($2,100?) and get out of debt that much sooner. (Can't wait for that!)
So, lots to do. And I hope to get back into regular daily posting. It definitely helps to keep me on track.
Thanks for the kind comments and encouragement from everyone!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
11/26/07 - Daily Progress Report
Well, I did a lot of work getting my jewelry ready for the craft show this Saturday. Looks like I'll be ready in time this time. Hopefully will make a little money!
Going to do a little Christmas shopping again today. Went yesterday and did quite well. Those gift cards I got for signing up for American Express have been really fantastic. I have used them for almost all of the gifts for my extended family. Not so much for my kids though, since none were for toy type stores. But only needing to shell out the cash for my kids has been a great help to the Christmas budget.
As for the rest of our finances, I am still very worried about using the last of our "buffer" money from savings. (This is money from my husband's high commission months that I put aside to use for the low commission months.) I feel very nervous about using the rest of that money only leaving the $1,000 emergency fund in savings. What will we do next month if there is another low commission?
I am thinking about only paying the minimum on our debts this month and saving the rest for a "buffer". The minimum would be about $350 and that would leave $750. I really hate to do this as it will move back out debt free date but it might give me peace of mind.
Need to think about it a little more.
Going to do a little Christmas shopping again today. Went yesterday and did quite well. Those gift cards I got for signing up for American Express have been really fantastic. I have used them for almost all of the gifts for my extended family. Not so much for my kids though, since none were for toy type stores. But only needing to shell out the cash for my kids has been a great help to the Christmas budget.
As for the rest of our finances, I am still very worried about using the last of our "buffer" money from savings. (This is money from my husband's high commission months that I put aside to use for the low commission months.) I feel very nervous about using the rest of that money only leaving the $1,000 emergency fund in savings. What will we do next month if there is another low commission?
I am thinking about only paying the minimum on our debts this month and saving the rest for a "buffer". The minimum would be about $350 and that would leave $750. I really hate to do this as it will move back out debt free date but it might give me peace of mind.
Need to think about it a little more.
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