Financial Goals - Checking In

Really, you can achieve your New Years Goals  or so I keep telling myself.  I believe the best way to achieve goals is be accountable and keep the list in priorities. You know I had already forgotten some of the things on my list. This week's blog will be about how I am doing so far and help me stay accountable and give us both support because...


Let's see how I am doing with my Financial Goals

• Save at least $1000 for the year after the next goals
• Replace air/heating unit - praying the emergency heat holds up until income tax time
• Mr. Man's truck needs new motor
• New windows for house

Mr. Man lost his job right before Christmas so this has put a little damper in my goal of saving but he took a drug test for a job yesterday and today has an interview with another company so we should be able to get back on track. 

The casualty of losing my satellite service for lack of funds made me evaluate other options and I learned from talking to my younger employees about all kinds of different streaming TV options. I guess this is why smart TVs are so popular now.

I did find that you can get HBONow and was able to finish the Game of Thrones, I learned this from the younger employees at work - they sure do know a lot about technology and things like this. How did I get out of the know? There are also technology that you purchase like the Kodi that is a box and you can get everything. 

Perhaps I should let go of the satellite long term and do this instead. I mean if I keep HBONOW for $16 a month and then do Hulu or something similar for $20 a month - and pay $36 a month versus almost $200 a month....I also found Sling TV and Direct TV Now. Mr. Man and I are leaning towards the Direct TV Now as Direct is what we have now and we like and trust the service, plus I must admit that I am a loyal AT&T customer.  Direct TV Now offers my local and the channels he and I watch the most, HGTV for me and he likes Fox Business, History, and the Discovery Channel and HBO is only $5 and Starz is $9 - still saving around $100 a month.

Another way we can cut costs is for me to give up my land line telephone, which will also free up $45 a month. I am most upset about giving this up - not sure why - I can hear better on it and just like it better than my cell phone but it does not justify the additional cost.   Pinterest article suggestions says that I won't die without my land line :)





July  will be a money freeing month, the refrigerator will be paid off and so will our cellphones. That will free up another $150 a month, almost $300 back in the house if I follow through. 

 I cannot believe we paid over $800 for our cellphones. $800 is almost my house payment, yet I did not blink an eye at the time, when we bought two. Wow $1600 in cell phones, wouldn't that have looked nice a savings account? Make you wonder how we, as a society ever got to think this was okay. Do you ever think about trying to live off the grid? Uh oh, could my way of thinking be changing? Am I learning? I just do not want to worship money but balance it.

Filing Chapter 13 one year ago with only four more to go of only getting a partial of my paychecks is really teaching me the value of money.  I have never really had a relationship with my money - gave it and spent it freely - I always thought there would be more. Honestly, I really have not gone without, God has always provided  what I needed but I think I pushed that too far and needed a lesson.

 Funny thing is that even though I blew my money, I did not live extravagantly, I live in a modest house and drive a modest car, hand me down furniture but I was paying over $500 a month in cellphones, TV, and Internet alone. My electric run about $300 a month until I got on budget billing which has finally leveled off to about $200 a month - hopefully running the emergency heat will not negatively impact my budget. I think my mistake was not putting any money back - so when I had an unexpected expense it pulled me under and then I made huge mistake of getting cash advances, multiple, to the point that I was only getting partial paychecks but unlike being in bankruptcy, my bills were not getting paid, like my house payment. 

I feel like such a loser sharing this with you but, well, this is who I really am, the girl with two Master degrees, one in Accounting, and well, the girl who made bad decisions and did not respect my blessings and took them for granted.  I am now desperate to build a nest egg, my company is creating a new company with another company and not sure I will make the merger. Entering the job market at 46 after being at the same company for 18 years - well, that is another post all together :)

Still waiting on W2's to file our taxes and we are hoping to have enough to replace the unit and Mr. Man's TV that blew up. I also need to save for 2 new tires. Winter nesting makes it hard for me as I look around the house and think of things that I need  want.

What ways do you cut costs? What is comfy range for savings, the least amount that must be in savings?