January Wrap Up

January went pretty well. Our employer income went up by 2% because the hubs got a raise. In this economy we are glad he got anything. My review is in April and I don't know yet if my company will be giving out merit increases. We made no extra money this month but did cash out the CD from the stimulus check last spring to buy five new tires for the Subie. We also bought a Wii fit board with about $130 of that money and the rest went to savings.

Eating out and coffee continue to be a problem for us. We went way over the budget we had set. Eating out budget was $50 and we spent $115.37. Coffee was also $50 and we spent $156.69. Some of this money was getting breakfast at Starbucks as well. We were not too prepared in the mornings this month.

We did stick to our $500 grocery budget this month as long as I only spend $100 today which I think is completely possible since we don't have the kids until next weekend.

We had planned to put $1800 on debt and pay off two credit cards. We put $1284.28 on debt and paid off one credit card. The one credit card I paid off I used to get a couple items of clothing that were on sale and that is scheduled to be paid off again next month.

As far as working out went I did still walk with my friend every Sunday morning except last week because she was sick. The elliptical machine, Wii fit and Firm was spotty this month. Water was also spotty, I started out doing great in the beginning of the month and waned. The hubs and I didn't really get a date night either.

As far as hand crafting and decluttering go, I didn't work on any of my hand crafting projects but did get my pattern pieces put away in a temporary spot until more decluttering can be done. We donated about nine bags and made a little bit of money taking items to Half Price Books.

So, goals for February...

Finances

• Reduce debt by $1318.71
• Pay off the two store credit cards
• Keep eating out at $50
• Increase coffee budget to $80
• Try $400 grocery budget ($100 per week)

Health

• Take BJ to dog park every Saturday
• Continue to walk every Sunday
• Elliptical once per week for twenty minutes
• Wii fit twice per week for twenty minutes
• Drink eight glasses of water per day
  

Hand Crafting

• Finish SD tabi socks
• Finish SS fingerless gloves
• Finish headband

Decluttering and Condo projects

• Find homes or donate stuff behind the couch
• Find homes or donate stuff along the wall in the master bedroom

So, I didn't check off a whole lot from last month. They continue to stay on my list. Here's to a better month!