Tracking My Finances In 2011: May Week 4
I have decided to post my weekly spending for the previous week on Fridays so you know how my cash has been flowing for the week. Please note that I get paid on the last day of the month so my cash flow net effect will usually be negative until the last day of the month.
This does not mean that I am adding to my debt, it just means that the money coming in is less than the money going out because bills are due starting on the first but I don’t get paid until the last day.
CVS Haul: 22 May 2011
On this trip I paid $0.00 out of pocket for $6.97 worth of items. My goal for 2011 is to not spend any money out of pocket, while using coupons and ECBs to get tons of items at CVS, with an initial gift card of $50.
I missed out on an opportunity to get my reusable bag scanned because the girl did not do it at checkout and I did not even notice until I got home. I passed up on the razor deal this week because the list prices would have caused me to get three razors at $11.49 each in order to meet the $25 minimum and that was just too much.
Started A House Down Payment Fund
So after speaking to my friend about buying a house I decided that one of the next steps I should take after becoming debt free was to look towards purchasing a home.
To this end I have started the House Down Payment Fund in ING and it is being funded concurrently with my other funds. The other sub accounts that I have in ING are as follows
- Emergency Fund
- Never Go Back To Fresno Fund
- Car Fund
CVS Haul: 20 May 2011
On this trip I paid $0.00 out of pocket for $22.32 worth of items. My goal for 2011 is to not spend any money out of pocket, while using coupons and ECBs to get tons of items at CVS, with an initial gift card of $50.
I realized after getting to the register that I could have used more coupons when the cashier told me that they accept expired coupons. I had more coupons for the Nivea items but they had expired 5 days prior so I began to crumple them up and throw them away…but one remained in my reusable bag and fell out when I was being checked out. The cashier grabbed it and said they do take expired coupons as long as the machine accepts them. I will file that away for next time!!!
CVS Haul: 3 May 2011
On this trip I paid $0.00 out of pocket for $25.61 worth of items. My goal for 2011 is to not spend any money out of pocket, while using coupons and ECBs to get tons of items at CVS, with an initial gift card of $50.
Transaction 1
Item:Colgate toothpaste (I got two because they were FREE after ECBs)
Price: $2.77 each
CVS Extra Care Bucks earned: $5.54
Coupons used: $4.75 MFR
Item: 3 Nivea body washes
Price: $6.49, $6.59, $6.99 (buy $15 worth get $5 ECB)
Tracking My Finances In 2011: May Week 3
I have decided to post my weekly spending for the previous week on Fridays so you know how my cash has been flowing for the week. Please note that I get paid on the last day of the month so my cash flow net effect will usually be negative until the last day of the month.
This does not mean that I am adding to my debt, it just means that the money coming in is less than the money going out because bills are due starting on the first but I don’t get paid until the last day.
Monthly Financial Check Up: April 2011
April was a very crazy month for me financially, emotionally and health wise. I had surgery that month so the cash flows for the month were really crazy and even after getting my Adsense and other advertising money I ended up $1905.02 in the RED!!!!!
I had the money in savings to cover all the additional spending but the flow of cash (actually credit since I don’t use cash) was much greater
because of the high bills. I am still waiting on the bill from the anesthesia from my surgery but based on experiences from the last time I knowthat it will take while before I see the last of the medical bills.
My Apartment Flooded
So as if I was not under enough stress from having surgery, something else had to happen to upset me. I spent a week away from home to recover from my surgery and then came back home. I puttered about the house for a while in the afternoon trying to get things ready so I could go back to work and although I did not do too much, between the pain medication and straightening up I was exhausted by bedtime.
