Sunday, March 16, 2008

Feb Budget

The numbers are in... First I am updating my side bar. Every other paycheck I try to put 10% into savings. I was paid on the 15th. This means my savings is now $1209 so I have contributed 60% of my emergency fund. That is really exciting! After I have reached my goal I will start saving for my masters. I will create a bar after I have completed savings. I have a plan but I am maintaining my focus.

Budget.

I am still trying to get a handle on what we can really afford. Keeping the eating out low and the extras to a minimum makes a BIG BIG difference in our budget. Last month (February) I had an additional $341.00 left over. Now, I would put that towards debt but I also have Car insurance coming at the end of this month. I have to take care of the immediate and necessary first. With a new driver in the house it makes a world of difference to be able to know we would be sort of covered in case something happened. I have also noticed that my fiancée has been buying more groceries. That seems to make a big difference in what I am spending and what we are able to do. I also think it helped that Feb was so short. And my daughter was sick quite a bit I did not spend as much on lunches as I usually do. That should teach me to bring my lunch to work!

So there it is I actually sat down and did calculate all our spending. I have updated the budget spreadsheet and I am working on where the money really goes. It is a huge step forward in my financial maturity. I am acting like a grown up not a kid. Sigh… It’s about time.

No comments: