How I Did

I committed to following everything that I swiped my debit card for in February, and I'm happy to report I succeeded!! YAYY!!!! Now, on to the dreaded task of reporting how I spent, lol...

Food 295.67
Fees 3.5
Apt Bills 173.69
Gifts 104.84
Credit Card 200
Rent 1003.48
Clothes 214.49
Personal Grooming 159.49
Gas 45.76
Personal Items 55.83
Entertainment 213.5
Business 49.86
Cell Phone 82.81
Computer Software 84.9
GLI 50
Dior 13
$2,750.82

YIKES!!! That bottom like is ultra scary. I will add some brief notes to the totals...the gifts section came from Valentine's Day and I set a goal of no more than $100, which I exceeded by a mere $4.84 so I'm pleased with that. My clothes are higher than expected, I did have two purchases that I had previously made at Express & Piperlime that were due this month, so these were factored into what I spent. Normally, I'd say I spend about $100/month on clothes. My personal grooming was higher than normal because I had to get my hair done, which is an expense I'm really trying to cut back on by learning to better take care of my own hair. Entertainment was definitely higher than ususal because I went on a ski trip with boyfriend, and it cost me $92 to participate. I also signed up for tennis classes, which were $86, so that isn't a traditional monthly expense, although I plan to re-enroll at the conclusion of the class. I had to purchase virus software for my computer to keep it protected, so I purchased two years to avoid having the added expense next year. So that's very unusual. All-in-all, I spent WAY more than I would've EVER anticipated. This will definitely make me think twice this month before swiping my debit card for any old thing! And the funny part is that even though I had non-traditional expenses come up this month, don't they always come up? I mean every month there will be an unexpected expense...like this month, I have a birthday and most likely another hair appointment. It makes me sick to think about it...lol

March Goals

For February, I give myself a pat on the back. Not a huge pat, just a pat...but a pat nonetheless. Here are my goals, and here's how I did:

1. Don't overspend. Valentine's Day is this month and while I LOVE to shower boyfriend with gifts...I shall refrain. I think we (boyfriend & I) should pledge to spend $100 MAX for V-Day. Our love is solid, I don't need material things to solidify anything. Ehhh, so-so. I could've definitely spent less, but I don't feel that I overspent. I didn't incur any debt.I'll try to do better again this month.
2. Put all extra money towards my credit card. The tax refund is looking pretty solid right now, so hopefully I can knock out my credit card (for the 3rd or 4th time, I'm losing track at this point.) FAIL. I didn't do it...period. I spent most of the extra money I had. Of course, I haven't thought about moving any extra money yet, so I technically still can...I plan on paying off the good old Chase credit card with my tax refund. Again, I'll keep striving this month.
3. Track what I spend. Every single penny, nickel and dime. PASS! I tracked everything that I spent in the month of February and I was definitely SHOCKED at the outcome. So I think the exercise was well worth it.

Now it's time to set some goals for March. Sidenote: This is my birthday month!!!

1. Don't overspend. Period, point blank, self explanatory.
2. Put all extra money toward credit card. Including my tax refund! This is going to be painful, but I know I can do it. If I was a good girl before, then I'd have extra money to shop for Spring. But alas, I wasn't a good girl, and I swiped Mr. Chase, so I have to pay him back! Next year, I'll smile as I burn up the mall for some Spring clothing.
3. I can't think of a heartfelt goal to put here. So I'll go with DO YOUR BEST. I can do a better job at hitting these goals than I've been doing. So this month, I'll really aim to hit the mark on them. Isn't it funny that we free up extra money in order to do other things and we end up spending it, but not for what we intended? Ughh, I've gotta do better. Lord, please give me some gut-wrenching determination!

Update

Remember this goal...

• Push all extra money towards credit card debt. I've decided to take all of my extra money and put it towards my debt. This in addition to my tax refund, which I hope will be grand. What's the point of me saving money that's earning 3% interest, while I'm racking up interest on my credit card at a rate of 8.99%?! Not a huge difference, but over time...I'm sure it is. So as of now, all savings is halted...I have more than 6 months living expenses saved up, so the next responsible thing to accomplish is to pay off my debt.That's it...simply said. No fancy resolutions, just simple goals. HIT/MISS. No extra money yet...I get my first paycheck for February this Friday, which means I will then push all extra money from January to the CC. I'd planned to push $200 at a minimum to them, so that will at least be done.

...well I did push that $200!!! YAYYYY for me! Next up is getting through the rest of February and putting a whopping $400 towards Mr. Chase (as I'll lovingly refer to him now).

I set a goal to only spend $100 for V-day for Mr. Man...and I did that!! YAYYY!!! I shopped around and ordered all my things through the internet and managed to get great gifts that I think he'll love. I can't tell you what, in case he reads...lol. One of the gifts he never would purchase for himself though, so hopefully he won't make me return it. lol.

I am still seriously tracking all of my expenses for the month. Faithfully. That can be sooo annoying at times. But I've done a great job of it. I did use Mr. Chase 3 times for internet purchases, but included them on my spending log since I'm going to pay those back immediately. At the end of the month, I'll post an overview of my spending to see where it all went for February. This should be interesting...oh! And I don't think my money is spent the same way every month either, so it makes this exercise all the more interesting because in March, my spending pattern will be completely different.

I have not overspent...I did spend $27 at H&M for a khaki pencil skirt and a teal skinny belt. I also used a 20% off coupon for the skirt, taking it from $19.90 to $15.92 and the belt was $9.90. That was a semi-impulse, coupon induced purchase. But that's the only one! Oh yeah...and I'm obsessing over purple polish since seeing he's just not that into you, so I plan on purchasing a bottle of that. Not too bad for a working girl, who's a compulsive shopper at times...

February Goals

I would have to say that I'm pretty happy with my January progress. Being mindful is a beautiful thing. By just being aware of when I'm swiping, I have reduced the amount of money I carelessly piss away. And I'm proud of me. Next up...February! Since February is a short month, it gives me less time to act up, hence...I'll add another goal to my list:

1. Don't overspend. Valentine's Day is this month and while I LOVE to shower boyfriend with gifts...I shall refrain. I think we (boyfriend & I) should pledge to spend $100 MAX for V-Day. Our love is solid, I don't need material things to solidify anything.
2. Put all extra money towards my credit card. The tax refund is looking pretty solid right now, so hopefully I can knock out my credit card (for the 3rd or 4th time, I'm losing track at this point.)
3. Track what I spend. Every single penny, nickel and dime.

January Goals: Hit or Miss?

Below are my goals that I set for myself in January and whether I Hit or Missed:

1. Don't overspend. I know what I make, and I know what I have to pay. So when that money is gone, that's it. Period. No credit cards. I will accomplish this by monitoring my spending and truly thinking through purchases before I swipe my debit card. I have a closet FULL of clothes...so much so that I wear things once and often forget about them. I gave 35 sweaters and 13 pairs of shoes to Goodwill and my closet is still full...I have clothes in waiting?! No more... HIT. (Cue the cheers) I did however have to swipe my credit card for Michelin tires at the dealership. I'm beginning to think that I got hoodwinked.
2. Push all extra money towards credit card debt. I've decided to take all of my extra money and put it towards my debt. This in addition to my tax refund, which I hope will be grand. What's the point of me saving money that's earning 3% interest, while I'm racking up interest on my credit card at a rate of 8.99%?! Not a huge difference, but over time...I'm sure it is. So as of now, all savings is halted...I have more than 6 months living expenses saved up, so the next responsible thing to accomplish is to pay off my debt.
   That's it...simply said. No fancy resolutions, just simple goals. HIT/MISS. No extra money yet...I get my first paycheck for February this Friday, which means I will then push all extra money from January to the CC. I'd planned to push $200 at a minimum to them, so that will at least be done.