February, February, February! Where do I start? This was not a good month for me. One of my long term goals is to be debt free in the next three years. Unfortunately, I spend money like I’m in Congress. My spending habits have proved to be a harder habit to control than I thought they would be. I have no discipline when it comes to swiping my debt card. I realize I don’t believe in telling myself no. I also am an emotional spender. I spend when I happy, when I’m sad, because it’s a Tuesday, or simply because it caught my eye and I want it. You can image how that has worked out for me.
My financial goals for February were to continue cash envelope stuffing and to take a mini vacation. Let’s start with the things I did right. I saved for the hotel, the art class, my hair, and nails over three paychecks. I started off really good…then I started adding on expenses; a facial, lashes, and buying skincare products (I’m a skincare junkie). I also didn’t increase my budget for gas, eating out, or fun money. Needless to say I went $500 over budget. A small win in this is that I spent cash and I still put $2,000 toward my debt. Isn’t that a win?
I’d say if you really want to be successful with keeping on track with your budget just stay disciplined and STICK TO YOUR BUDGET. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT pull that card out and start swiping. I’m hoping in the next few months to really have ironed out all the kinks and have good news to report.
“My mental health is way more important than any money I’m going to spend.” My sister said this to me and I think I took it to heart on my trip. One of my goals was to do more activities to support my mental health. My mini vacation was everything I needed and more. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed solitude. When you become a parent alone time is often hard to find. With that being said a vacation might not be in everyone’s budget so I recommend finding other activities that you enjoy. I could’ve spent time painting, drawing, reading, writing, or hiking. All of these things are activities that I enjoy but don’t seem to have enough time for. I encourage you to make time for activities you enjoy because your mental health matters.
I failed miserable at reaching my reading goal. I don’t think I picked up one book, other than my Bible during the month. I did have a devotional where I spent time reading and studying my Bible at least twice a week. That’s an improvement, but still not where I want to be.
I’d be interested to hear some goals you set this year and how you are doing with them. Meet me in the comments, DM me, or send me an email.
From Farming to Fashion 