Hello friends,
I would have written this post sooner but I was working 12s and I did not have the time, plus I have been having sleeping issues and I was dead tired.
So, since my last post, I have been adjusting to the single life. It has been interesting. Some days I am really good, other days I am just surviving. I guess that is normal.
Well, let's get to it, shall we?
I read The Push by Ashley Audrain. It took a little bit of time to get into it, approximately 100 pages and then I was hooked. It was beautifully written, and I connected to the Blythe. The emotions are real and raw, as I have experienced a loss close to me, so I understood the emotions and the yearning that the main character was experiencing. The divide and growing apart in a relationship; this is extremely fresh to me and have experienced it myself. All in all, I would give it 4 stars.
I did my monthly budget and I did really well. I actually came out positive, which in the past, was not the case. I have money put aside for emergencies and I am saving for Christmas, repairs, etcetera. Did I achieve all my budget goals this month? Not necessarily. I did quit my no spend challenge, as you know, I am single so my budget was rearranged and new goals came about. I did not do a cash diet, as I have been ordering my groceries online, but if my spending gets out of control, I will be making the switch. I did set my savings goals to automatic transfers, so that was positive. I did end up getting more debt, which I was trying to avoid, but I was concerned Mark would be taking the couch, so I did finance one. That is a bad word to some (finance), but I was smart about it. I was pre-approved for $1,500, but only spent $1,000 including taxes, delivery, and insurance. It was also 0% financing for up to 3 years, but I opted for 12 months. I do plan on paying it back sooner, but I have some other things to tackle. I had the most trouble with groceries, but I feel everybody struggles with the food budget. I do have to give up my Red Bulls and I will be under budget. I did receive my Employment Insurance, and I did put some away for Emergencies, so I made progress on that goal. I have picked up more hours at work to increase my income. Child care is a new expense that I have now that Mark is no longer in the picture, as well as benefits.
My financial goals for February is to save and leave money in true expenses, fully fund the emergency account, payback little debts- which were bills from January that I did not have the income to pay because Mark and I split at the middle of the month and I had to cover the basics. I also have some furniture to buy, which is going to be fueled by my budget. I crunched the numbers, because that is what I enjoy doing, and not including an amount for child care (as I do not know how much it is going to cost), I have approximately $1,700 a month left over. I plan to save some of it and replace the things I am going to be losing when Mark moves out.
Side note, I should tell you about my budgeting categories. My fixed expenses are rent, heat, hydro, Netflix, my cell phone, "cable", and internet. I have both my life insurance policies, Remy's RESP, my car insurance, credit card bill, personal benefits, water cooler rental, and now the couch. My variable expenses are gas, stuff I forgot, personal care, Remy, the pets, groceries, repairs, my nursing license and insurance, my plate sticker, amazon, the water bill, dining out, and fun money.
Because Mark moved out, I was behind on paying some bills, incurring more debt. But, I am happy to report that I paid it back as of yesterday. I owed hydro, heat, my credit card (I missed a payment, but my credit score was not affected), counseling. So the "little debts" have been caught up. I started February with $54, 347.29, so up $3,000 approximately (not great). I knocked it down to $53, 589.58. I am planning to reduce my debt to $53, 011.58 when I get paid Friday. It will take me approximately 2.5 years to pay it off, which I am super excited about.
As for my other goals, I was not consistent. I did not practice French every day, meditate or drink enough water. But that is why I am excited for February, it is another fresh start to accomplish the things I set out to do. I just need to adjust and find the time to do it.
This week's menu plan is as follows- today is take out because my grocery order is going to be late tonight, garlic butter shrimps with orzo, cheesy chicken broccoli and pasta, oven jambalaya, million-dollar spaghetti pasta bake, and shrimp fajitas.
Next week is creamy tortellini soup, beef and broccoli stirfry, scallop risotto, pasta with artichoke sauce, baked beef and bean tacos, chicken and dumplings, and sheet pan sausage and veggies.
I printed off enough blank calendars to make this year's monthly meal plans, but I need to buy ink to print off some more recipes.
This month's goals are to quit smoking, read No Exit, eat 3 meals a day, quit procrastinating, go to the gym 3x a week, drink enough water every day, meditate and practice French daily (did not do that yesterday- whoops), pay back little debts, save for true expenses, have my baby emergency fund fully funded, wash face twice a day, create a cleaning schedule and journal every day.
I will keep you posted.
Lots of love,
Mandee
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