Tracking My Finances In 2010: February Week 1
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.
No Spend Month: February 2010
My last No Spend Month (January 2010) did not go as well as I had planned because of a number of unexpected crises. I did do less shopping but I ended up spending more money on bills that completely ate away any savings that I might have had from buying less. I am going to try another Financial Fast this month and try to have a No Spend February.
Here are a few of the things that I already know I should not buy this month because I already have enough to last me until the next month:
- toothpaste
No Budget And No Clue
In addition to Getting Mad About Getting Paid there are people who have No Budget and No Clue. Recently someone complained about all the high fees her family was paying in overdrafts every month. She thinks that she was paying about 3 overdraft fees every month because of not knowing who was withdrawing money or having late deposits.
I offered to help the individual and even set up a spending log so she could track her spending to get an idea of where the money was going. The person said she would fill in the sheets on the weekend and I reminded her every few days. On the Monday following our conversation I asked how it went and she admitted that she had not done any of it.
Month End Financial Check Up January 2010
It is the end of the month and I am pleased to report that I came out in the black this month at a total of $42.20 even after all the drama. It is a little bit strange because my paycheck for this month was down by $9.30 as my withholding amount went up. I have no idea why this happened because I did not change anything but I did reduce my zero based budget by $10 to account for this reduction in income.
Tracking My Finances In 2010: January 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.
Wisdom Tooth Is Causing Me Financial Pain
I had a Wisdom tooth taken out in December and according to what I was told by the billing specialist I put the balance on the credit card that I used when I got LASIK a couple of years ago.
I was lucky to get 0% financing on that card and planned to pay it off well before the deal expired. I went ahead and tweaked my Zero Based Budget to fit the payments in and I was on a roll….until I received a bill from the dental office for an extra $260.50. This is the balance that the dental insurance has decided it will not cover off the $450 that was charged for my anesthesia.
Getting Mad About Getting Paid
I know this sounds like a strange title but I have found some people who got mad that they got paid. Actually the scenario really goes like this. We get paid on the last day of every month, except for December, when we get paid around the 18th of the month.
Now you would think that people would be happy to just get paid but they are getting angry. I asked someone else who gets paid regularly why they think that someone would get mad about the pay cycle being changed and this is what I found out.
How I Save Money At CVS: 24 January 2010
Today I paid $0.00 out of pocket for $3.98 worth of items. I got the toothpaste for my dad and the toothbrush for myself to place in my overnight bag. I was all excited about the Kitty litter being on sale but when I got there the box was a small box, and not the size I normally buy.
Transaction 1
Item: Crest toothpaste
Price: $1.99
CVS Extra Care Bucks earned: $1.00
Item: Oral B toothbrush
Price: $1.99
Total coupons used: $0.75 MFR + $3 ECB
