January Monthly Report: I DID NOT Give Into The Shopping Devil

I don't know why, but by the end of the month, no matter how disinterested in shopping I've been, suddenly I want to go shopping. Suddenly, I notice every sale. Suddenly, I just NEED new clothes. Suddenly, I need some gourmet gadget (funny, considering we have a dinky kitchen).

You get the idea.

But I grit my teeth and, thanks to encouragement from some of y'all, I said NAY!

I'm sure no one was going to anoint me a saint or anything, but just in case you were thinking about canonization, know that this wasn't about denying myself or proving my own willpower. I'm not in debt and am saving automatically, so if I did do some shopping it wouldn't have been a tragedy. It's just that I want some other things, so I didn't want to waste money on things I don't want as much.

I finished January $311 $269.48 in the black! (correction: I forgot to tally a grocery receipt!)

For me, that's amazing. I'm always right on the edge. If I've done well, I might be $100 in the black. If I've done, well, the way I normally do, I either break even or come a few dollars short.

Not this month!

I saved even more than I normally do, thanks to a glitch in our payroll system (when do we ever thank a glitch?). Basically, it make my automatic deposit 3 times instead of twice because our first check of the month was split into two because we changed systems.

I paid $403 for my dental crown, but didn't need to use the money in my emergency account to cover it.

I went over budget on eating out, but under on groceries.

The only clothing I bought was thermal underwear for Obama's inauguration. Ok, I also bought a wrap dress because it was on sale for $17.50... less than a week ago.

I will stick that black money in my savings account for my later purchase. What do I want to buy, you're wondering? I'll let you know... if and when I actually buy it.

Love ya!

DH

Comments

[Fabulously Broke]

You did MUCH better than I did this month..

Ugh. I over spent by a lot, like $300-$400 but this month will be my more frugal month.

It's only when I take a trip back to Ontario that I get smashed with bills lol.

And I get the same urge too - near the middle of the month, I head on to Etsy and .. BAM! Before you know it, I'm lusting.

Fabulously Broke in the City
"Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver."

[Kristy @ Master Your Card]

You did waaay better than me! I totally blew this month's budget. I spent $200 on DVDs (in addition to the rest of the entertainment budget) and $200 on eating out (but I didn't cut back on the groceries).

I'm not much of a shopper, per se, in terms of sales on things I don't need...unless we're talking DVDs...so I usually get lucky in that sense. My biggest problem is eating out! I need to cut that out completely and maybe I'll start seeing some more numbers in the black! Anyway, thanks for sharing! Good luck in the new month!

[Revanche]

Congratulations!! I wonder if just blogging it got the gimmes out of your system; that works most of the time for me. Uh, except for the computer thing. I just wanted one more and more. But that was justified.

[DEBT FREE JOURNEY]

Found your blog while browsing the archive comments at Blogging Away Debt. What a great site you have! I am so happy that you came in UNDER budget for January! CONGRATULATIONS! I was WAY OVER...DANG! Oh well, it gives me a headstart on what to watch for in February, but I am already over in the grocery category, which means I really need to watch the other categories to try to make up the difference! Anyway, reading others' stories is sure inspirational! Thanks for opening up! How is your February budget coming??

God Bless!

DEBT FREE JOURNEY