I'm Soo Good ;)

Since I've last spoken to you all, I've successfully paid down a nice chunk of debt. Instead of spending the $700+ on myself (or for gifts on other people)...it put it RIGHT towards the wedding credit card :) YAY!! So I'm excited that I put my nose to the ground (is that the right expression) and made it happen!

I made some minor tweaks to my Christmas budget and my parents gave me an unexpected birthday gift (yay) and confirmed that they would give us our normal "Christmas gift"/money - I can't believe it! I just knew since I was engaged they would officially CUT ME OFF...guess I'm blessed that they still care - yahooski!

In other news, my fiance and I are meeting with a financial counselor Dec. 20th, 2008. Hopefully, she'll help us to get our minds right. Its hard to figure out whens the best time to put your money together and when we should start being accountable towards each other for spending (and not spending)...

Oh tis so deep to be engaged and merging two lives as one.

In other news - our wedding budget is going SO great! We're meeting with the DJ Friday who assured us we wouldn't be charged the regular rate (YES SAVINGS!!!). Me and my pook completely over estimated how much our second party/reception was going to be (like we over estimated some thousands more)!

We've committed to read "Think and Grow Rich" together....in fact we read to each other last night...I love that I can grow with someone. The next book we're going to read is "Smart Couples Finish RICH!"

Things are heading in the right direction!

In other GREAT news...

I won $250 worth of awards at work...and I have a very slim Christmas budget. Mostly because the people in my life require one "decent" gift, a piece. So...with this award money, I plan to put it towards my gifts and then I'll to pay only a whopping $300 for the rest of my gifts!! YAY!!!

I think I'll put the rest of my unused/saved money toward the wedding budget/savings.

I was excited. I also found the main gift that my boo wanted for Christmas for $10 less than I anticipated :)

I'm about to find all types of deals and sales - who knows...perhaps I'll come SUBSTANTIALLY under my budget!

YAHOOSKI!

Back to budgeting!

How many times have I meant to write this blog???

Ooooooooooooh 16 hundred million times!!!

The SPBFF sent me a blog today, "The Hustle of Sistah Ant"...or something like that. Let's just say, it was like going to church, when the preacher is talking DIRECTLY to you and you're like, "hey? how did you KNOW that!" grrrr...and then you think, "sheesh, I gotta do better." Two major things I've realized, I got to start budgeting and STICKING to it. I mean really, I have entirely too many things going on in my life to just "watch"the my money go, on my on-line banking account and check the balance!

And #2 - I have to start making better groceries.

Random I know - only not really....

The main reason is because, we compared our budgets at my investment club meeting and I vastly outspent our group, by approx. 5%! So...what the heck am I eating? I think I just go to Harris Teeter and spend spend spend...never truly mindful of the sales items. I also like to cook - it's my joy and I share with my family and friends. Especially my fiance, who has a big appetite and sometimes likes to take food in his lunch the next day.

So...I'm committing to shop the sales for an entire month and see if my groceries improve. If it's not on sale - then I'm NOT buying it. PERIOD. And I'm not eating out anymore. I refuse. Unless someone else is paying, then forget it. I'm bringing lunch every day to work and I'm putting my "savings" on my credit cards...which are getting slightly outrageous now.

I'm just going to put all of my business out there.

My wedding is taking over my life and every time an unexpected expense comes up, we put it on our 'wedding credit card' and vow to pay it off, in Never never land. NO MORE!!

I'm committed to paying at least the MMP, PLUS $400 each month on my credit card until its lower than 30% of my credit limit. It's now, dangerously over 50% and I will have no parts of it anymore.

I'm angry with myself...but this is good. I do good when I'm angry. I set goals, I'm passionate...I'm just like I was when I first began.

So - I'm taking control over my finaces - among other areas of my life.

I make entirely too much money to be this careless and not have more to show for myself.

So...I'm making a 'new' networth page - which I may provide the link (I don't know if I want yall ALL up in my business).

But I'm a pretty public person. I'm a blogger, for crying out loud....

And I like to put myself on the altar...so that I can be forgiven, accepted for my honesty and appreciated :) then I can repent and move on for the better.

So, I'm naked - judge if you will - but i'm making a change back to the old me!

BUDGET ON PENNY PINCHIN' SISTA :)

tee hee...