When the month is over, its over

I just finished reading an e-newsletter I receive. The gist of the newsletter was to remind us to let go of whatever tasks on our to-do lists that we didn't finish at the end of the day. I try to have the same mindset when it comes to meeting my monthly financial goals.

In January, when I vowed to get myself out of debt and into a better financial position, I didn't realize just getting started on this journey would be so HARD! I would set a financial goal for the month -- like limit my food bill to $XX -- but at the end of the month I was over budget, either because of poor planning or unexpected circumstances. It was so easy to get discouraged and fall back into my same spending habits, but each month, I reviewed my expenses, made adjustments, dusted my shoulders off, and tried again. I didn't beat myself up over how much I overspent, or how little I paid towards my debt. After a few months, somewhere around July/August, I started actually SEEING results. I was making PROGRESS!

Now, don't get it twisted, I STILL mess up and miss the mark. But, I am learning to congratulate myself on the progress that I make, and forgive myself for the setbacks I encounter. This saving/debt reduction habit is slowly but surely taking shape.

So, if you don't meet your financial goal for the day, week, month, or year, let it go! Don't give up, but don't beat yourself up about it either. When the month is over, it's over.