Christmas: did I stick to my budget?

Christmas has come and gone. And now, most Americans are looking at their bank accounts wondering how they managed to over spend again. I decided to take a look at my spending and compare it to my set budget and was quite surprised. My budget was $300.00

After tallying all of my receipts, I spent a total of $312.00 for Christmas. I bought gifts for 15 people and was quite proud of my gifts.

One way I tried to stick to my budget was by buying Dollar Tree toys for my nieces and nephews (all ages five and under). They were so excited about their toys! It's proof that you don't have to spend $20.00 on a toy for children. The younger they are, the less complicated toy buying should be.

I also looked for inexpensive perishable items that many people enjoy but aren't expensive (i.e. peanuts). For my Mom, Aunt, and soon-to-be grandmother-in-law, I bought inexpensive flowers from the supermarket. I was surprised at how much they loved the flowers!

Finally, I graciously told my extended family and friends there was no need to exchange gifts. They're love and friendship was a gift in and of itself. (Well, at least that's what I hope they understood).

Overall, I enjoyed Christmas shopping this year. I purchased all but two of the gifts on the day before Christmas Eve (surprisingly, the stores were not insanely crowded). I thought of innovative ways to wrap the gifts (I wrapped most of the gifts in colored tissue paper tied with a bow). And I didn't stress by trying to find the perfect gift! I bought things that I thought each recipient needed or would enjoy. Most importantly, I learned that you can stick to a budget at Christmas!

Even though I overspent by a slight margin, I'm happy that I set a budget and was able to come very, very close to sticking to it.

Were you able to stick to your Christmas budget?

Got's to be mo' careful!

There is a Bible verse that talks about how money sprouts wings and flies away towards heaven. I'm pretty sure I know EXACTLY what that means. I FINALLY got my check from the blog I write for. $300 smackaroos. And what do I have left? $19.51.

Yeah. I know. What in the ham sammich did I do with it? I have absolutely NO clue! Y'all this isn't good AT ALL! My bills are paid (at least), but that money was supposed to a) be for Christmas presents or b) pay down debt. And I've done neither. Let's look at my bank account and figure this mess out:

Initial deposit: $280 ($20 for cash)
-$17.00 (gas)
-$20.00 (money borrowed from Big Brother cuz I was too lazy to go to the ATM)
-$16.00 (Boy scout popcorn) (technically this should have been covered by funds in my account before the check)
-$5.00 (Parking)
-$102.27 (check for my guy's HOAs) (again, this should've been covered b/c he put the money in my account the day I wrote the check)
-$5.93 (Lunch)
- $12.23 (lunch at new trendy spot)
-$44.84 (gift for Boss Lady (I'll get $29.88 back from co-workers b/c we split it))
-$97.15 (Cable)
-$12.00 (parking)
-$7.54 (lunch)
-$12.00 (parking)

*** My spending totals more than $300, but my roomie also gave me her half of the bills and I had a check from my part-time deposited within the last week for another $175.00.

Umm... yeah. My unnecessary spending is out of CONTROL and needs to be fixed. Like, yesterday.

True confession: I did a "no, no" and dipped into my Fit Fund to tide me over until my check came in. THAT should've been my first clue that I was overspending. Well, my check has come and gone and I STILL haven't replinished my fund.... I get paid Tuesday and priority numero uno is to replenish my Fit Fund (it's coming out of my spending budget since I SPENT it).

Cheap buys

With a tanked economy, everything (and I mean everything) is on sale or reduced. If you're in the market for a house or car (and have a strong credit rating and down payment) you can find AMAZING deals on not only the cost of a home, but also the the interest rate on a loan.

But, the point of this post isn't to talk about housing. It's to emphasize that you can find deals on everything! Including bridesmaids dresses (you know wedding talk was coming). Yesterday, I ordered a dress for each of my attendants for $28.00 from Ann Taylor. Yes, you read that correctly - $28.00. The total for seven dresses was $212.00 (that included tax and shipping and handling). We're talking about dresses that originally sold for $198.00. Basically, I saved my bridesmaids over 85% on their dresses.

Not only is the dress re-wearable and pretty, it's so low cost, I could easily give the dresses to my girls as a gift! I haven't been in any free weddings - ever. So, I could be the one bride who bought her attendants their dresses....

Anyways... here's a pic of the dress:




I LOVE IT!!!! What do you think?

Random

Saturday, I woke up to an unworkable phone. The only thing I could do with it is accept incoming phone calls. No texting, placing phone calls, returning phone calls, checking voice messages. Nothing. So, I began using creating communication techniques.

1. Landlines. Hey, I almost forgot these things existed! I've never used my office phone more.

2. Chat Functions - I'm HUGE fan of Gmail's Gchat, but I had to get used to yahoo chat, too. I could send messages to my intended through yahoo chat (gotta keep the lines of communication open)

3. Gchat's text function. Talk about innovative! I can use gchat to send a text message to anyone's (in the US) cell phone and receive a response. This beats going to Sprint or Verizon's website and sending a text simply because you can actually get a response back!

4. Email. An old stand-by, I've used it to let people on my "most called" list know I wasn't ignoring them if they happened to call, but my phone was dead. Didn't want any hurt feelings, you know?

How does this relate to finances? Well, obviously I've done fine communicating without a cell phone for 5 whole days. Maybe I really don't need one THAT bad...

Wedding Budget

Wedding plans are getting underway. We've got a target date (8.1.09) and a budget. $10,000.

Let's marinate on that for a minute. $10,000! That's a LOT of MONEY for ONE event!! LOL! But, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event. We're looking at around 200 guests (or thereabouts) and around seven attendants. So, of course I've been doing my research. Here's the suggested budget breakdown for a wedding:

Transportation: 2%
Ceremony: 3%
The rings: 3%
Stationary: 3%
Gifts: 3%
Flowers: 8%
Music: 8%
Finery: 8%
Photography/ Videography: 12%
The reception: 48%

So, with my $10K budget, and my percentages for each category in hand, it's time to figure out how I can have the wedding of my dreams without spending all of my moolah!

Do you have any tips or tricks to save money?

6 things that make me smile

1. Looking at my credit card statement and seeing a $0.00 balance.

2. Knowing I only have three more months before my credit cards are paid off.

3. Having the power to close my credit card account when my credit card company will not lower my interest rate.

4. Not needing to use my credit card when unexpected expenses pop up because I have an emergency fund.

5. Watching my credit score rise as my debt lowers.

6. Knowing I'm on my way to financial freedom!

I LOVE paying off debt!

Hi to all of my uber fab readers out there! I know I haven't been posting like I want (i.e. 3-5 times a week). Life has gotten so busy for me! Not only have the usual end-of-the-year rush at work and the holiday hustle and bustle started, but I'm actually beginning to plan my wedding!

But, to not lose sight of our focus, I have an update on my debt snowball progress: As of Monday, I paid off TWO MORE cards! Woohoo!!! Y'all, it's like I can't wait to get paid because I get EXCITED about paying off my credit cards! You know why?!?!? Because once they are paid off, I can use my money for whatever I want. And you know what I want! Yep, that's right. A FAT bank account. AND I don't have that chain around my neck! It's like being an independent woman! ***all my ladies, independent***

Anyhoo... I will update my networth info later. I'm a few days off from a month from when I updated it last. From now on, I want to update after I've paid my bills and the payments have posted for my credit cards. I guess I should do it on the last day of the month before payday then, huh?

Well, next up, I'll keep you posted on my wedding budget (and woes), Christmas shopping, and job search updates.

Oh, just in case you wanted to know, my favorite word for the day is Fiance'! LOL!