February In Review

I set some pretty specific goals that had to do with budgeting this month. I even made this fancy image:

Which came first: the image or the goals? We may never know.

Let's talk about how I did:

1. Actually read Dave Ramsey's book. 

• Fail. Didn't do this. But I did sit through a very long heated debate on my way to Asheville about Dave Ramsey and his methods. So that kind of counts, right? No? Shoot...

2. Read one of my fundraising books before I go home to fundraise.

• Again...fail.

3. DEAL IN CASH. 

• Semi success? I did this for 2 weeks and then I stopped and then I did it again this last week. 3/4. I stopped mainly because I don't have a bank in Colorado and getting cash is hard. Those weeks I did have cash, I stuck to my quasi-budget, which is good!

4. Do a budget analysis.

• nailedit. I feel like I have a pretty decent idea of where all my money goes. I'm overall pretty happy with it, but now I've identified areas that I can cut back and put that money towards some of my financial goals! Hooray, being informed!

5. Set some financial goals.

• naileditagain. This one was really fun. When Emily visited at the beginning of the month, we talked about taking a trip together in a year or two. So I spent some time with that goal, which was fun to start dreaming up. Unfortunately, the rest of my goals looked pretty much like, "save money," "don't go into debt," and "don't spend all your money on things you don't need" because I have no idea what I'm doing with my life. 

Moving forward...I definitely want to keep moving on some of these. Like reading Dave Ramesy's book and dealing in cash and making progress on my financial goals. I think the main big next step is to set a budget and stick to it. Doing this will allow me to implement some of these goals that I want to turn into habits. 

Some February highlights:

• Emily's visit
• The Smokies Greek Getaway
• My dating fast post
• Speaking at my parish about FOCUS
• Working from home this week
• Cinderella, the ballet
• Visiting Tommy at KU

Cheers, friends. March is my birthday month, so it's about to get real.

February Goals: All about budgeting

When I started thinking about how I can continue to keep living out this More Jesus, Less Stuff mantra in February, the only thing I could think of was money. What the heck, that doesn't even make sense. This month I'm moving, headed to KC to do some fundraising, and working a lot on budgets at work. So maybe that's why all I could think of is money. Or maybe because February has president's day in it and there are presidents on dollars. Who knows.

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty responsible with my money. I attribute that to my CPA parents and fundraising my salary - holla. But....I'm also super impulsive and as much as I love planning and lists, I am no bueno at it with money and budgeting. 

Ever heard of Dave Ramsey? He's all the rage in FOCUS. Basically, he's all about how to handle your money in a responsible, Christian manner. I pretty much just want to know where I am spending my money. AND, I'm starting to be a responsible adult who sets long term goals instead of just being all whimsey through life, so betting attentive to my money is probably a smart choice. I hope this month will be all about setting foundations for these money habits.

SO HERE ARE THE GOALS.

1. Actually read Dave Ramsey's book. 

2. Read one of my fundraising books before I go home to fundraise.

3. DEAL IN CASH. Like Dave Ramsey says! I think this is the biggest thing that I want to do this month. Hopefully I can post more on this after I read the book.

4. Do a budget analysis. AKA go through my spending the past few months and try to see where I can cut out spending.

5. Set some financial goals. Like a real adult! Emily and I talked about going on a trip sometime soon...but I can't go on a trip if I don't save and plan for it!

So...yeah. Weird that they're all themed. We'll see how this goes. What do you guys do to help you budget and keep track of your expenses?!