A native Californian transplanted in southern Illinois.It has been a full year of blogging and budgeting now. I started using Mint in December 2010 and started this blog for good measure. Even though I am 44 years old, 2011 was the first year I kept a written budget.
When I began, I had $4460.69 of credit card debt. Now I have $1523.00. If I had not enrolled in a CPA Review course and charged it, I would now be credit card debt free again.
(Have I sat for the exam? No. Am I ready to sit for the exam? No. So the books and I have a study date. I can't focus on that right now, but once another tax season is behind me, I have to hit those books. I want to pass and be done with the exam in 2012.)
How has it worked for me? Well, I feel both the budget and blog really helped me rein in my spending. It's not that I didn't overspend, it's that when I overspent, I recognized it. And overspending was typically followed by penny pinching to ease some of the fiscal pain. There is still lots of room for improvement. In 2012, I want to find more dollars for saving/investing/prepaying the mortgage. And let's face it, if I can penny pinch after overspending, then I can penny pinch without overspending. I still want to have fun and enjoy myself, but I also want to make more significant progress towards my ultimate minimum financial goals (600k traditional, 150k Roth, no mortgage).
I will turn 45 in 6 weeks, so I'm just 20 years away from the time I would like to retire.
A Full Year of Blogging and Budgeting
January 3rd, 2012 at 08:14 pm
January 4th, 2012 at 12:39 am 1325637563
I can relate. I am always amused that I am so often labeled a "perfectionist." Um, NO. But keeping a sharp eye on spending and knowing where every penny goes makes ALL the difference. IT means QUICK action when you flub. Versus 5 years down the road, "Why don't I have any money???"
I just read some quote that most millionaires know where every penny they spent went. Something like that. I believe it!
Congrats on your blogoversary and on good results!