Goal Update Febuary

I thought I would give an update a month after I wrote my 2011 savings goals. I feel really good about the progress we've made. There's always room for work, but things are really going well.

“save 20 percent of my paycheck right away. This will be money I won't even think about.” This hasn't happened since I've been paying off debts. I don't want to save money if I'm paying interest on my bills.

“Cook our meals from scratch. This will take some menu planning but it's doable” This goal has been so much fun. I love creating our weekly menus, and cooking with Josh is a huge bonus. It does take some work as well as planning, but whats 20 minutes out of my week? :)

“Continue to use coupons” I can not begin to talk about how much success I've had using coupons. This week alone I will save over 20 dollars. That's a weeks worth of food for one of us. I am finding new websites almost weekly, and hopefully it will continue.

“Make menu plans for the week using food on sale” It does take some thought, but it does get done. Sometimes I write it on just a random piece of paper and other days I'm more formal, and type in in Excel

“ Cook meals not using meat. (This saves crazy amounts of money. Meatless meals often=more cash)” Josh has had a hard time with this goal. We went from eating nearly every meal with meal in it, to maybe 10 out of 21 meals. I have to say though it does save loads of money. Stir-fries are a great way to eat a filling meal, and we don't miss the meat at all.

“Pay off all credit card debt by the year of the year” This goal really should have said “be debt-free by the end of the year”. Last month I was able to pay off my wedding dress, and any money I was throwing at that, I'm now using for another bill. If I continue at this rate, I'll be debt-free by October.

“Lower the heat and wrap in blankets” I HATE this goal! I am now sitting here typing in my winter coat. The house is maybe 55 degrees. It's cold, and uncomfortable, but last month our heat bill was 20 dollars lower. In a year that's over 400 dollars. It may suck now, but 400 can pay for a lot.

“Maintain my car's upkeep/do most of the repairs ourselves*

*I was lucky enough to marry into a mechanically inclined family. I could not do the repairs without the huge help of Josh and his dad. Do not do the work if you don't have the experience. It's unsafe and can be very costly.” We haven't had to do any work on our cars since it's winter time. This does save huge amounts though. I know that we will have to replace my clutch soon, so we'll be working on the cars soon.

“Drive slowly and condense my trips.” This goal is boring, but it does work. I like having a car full of things form my days errands as well.

“ Eat out only twice a month. Order wisely” I can surprising say we have been very successful with this goal. I love cooking at home, and we try to have one nicer meal a week. So far so good. Last month we went out probably three times, instead of the usually six or seven.

“Treat myself occasionally. Bubble baths, red wine and warm fires.” I love my bubble baths, though I can't say my cats do. They think it's very unnatural that I willing submerge myself into water. They sit a cry at the tub's edge. It's so important to treat yourself though, and I don't want this to be a goal I slip up on.