My sidebar needs help and progress updates

Can anyone please tell me where I can find a progress bar widget? Obviously, my sidebar needs a lot of help! I'd like to keep track of my progress with a progress bar, but I can't seem to find one!

Anyways... here's my progress for the month:

Credit Cards: $4,257 ($1,030 reduction)
Fit Fund: $1002

I've refunded my fit fund. Now I'm going to focus on paying down the rest of my credit card debt.

I should receive an extra $160.00 from my part-time job. That will go straight to the credit cards. And I'll also receive $300 for an article that I'm submitting. That will also go straight to the credit cards.

Right now I have 4 cards with balances:

Capital One Mastercard (my 0% interest card until 2/09): $2,822.23
Capital One Visa : $151.07
Ann Taylor: $438.35
Citi Student Visa: $844.53

I'll pay off the small Capital One Balance, then the remaining Ann Taylor balance. I'll pay off the Citi balance with my November paycheck and use any remaining funds to pay down the large Capital One Balance. Hopefully, I'll pay the remaining balance with my December paycheck. I don't want to carry any credit card debt into the new year, but as of now, I'll need to pay $2,128.50 over the next two months! Practically impossible. It looks like my plan will have to be revised. Even with my impending pay raise (the State needs to stop playin' and give me my raise!), I won't have enough money after all of my expenses to pay $2,128.50 on the cards. It looks like I'll be credit card debt free at the end of January 2009. YAY!!!!

Not quite the timeline I had in mind, but close enough. I've had a few setbacks along the way and have had to pause the debt reduction goals to replenish my fit fund. This whole process is making me look at money in a NEW light!!!! I can't wait until I can save money and actually see it grow! Woo Hoo!!

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.