It is official..... I have caught up on all of my household bills! I can start off the New Year sans late fees and past due notices, what a relief! It will be so much easier to just pay them as they arrive and finally get off the which-bill-should-I-pay-now-and-which-should-I-juggle merry go round. I can also see if I qualify for incentives to lower any of them as well.
Additionally, I have done well bringing breakfast and lunch to work, which is a nice improvement and makes the day more relaxing. I even made a small donation to a charity that I feel very strongly about which is something that I am hoping to do more often as my finances continue to improve.
In other expense tracking news I am enjoying this process. As predicted it is not depressing the way sticking to a budget was and it feels way more flexible in terms of unexpected costs and things I want. At the same time I am not having any difficulty thinking first and often postponing purchasing wants because it is so much easier to see how close I am to my goals and I love accomplishing things.
I have begun to notice my wants (whether things, entertainment, etc) increase significantly when I have too much time on my hands and I grow frustrated sitting around by myself. I work two jobs, have a handful of volunteer projects, have hobbies, and yet I still have so much down time. This is so much worse this time of year as friends and family spend more time doing couple and/or kid things and my life is not like that. I ended up with a free guest pass to a gym in my area which has helped kill some time and improved the quality of my sleep. The monthly fee would not be a hardship and the New Year will likely bring a few specials so it is on my to consider list. Regardless I still have a ton of time to fill.
Advantageous Achievements
December 22nd, 2014 at 02:56 am
December 22nd, 2014 at 03:13 am 1419218018
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December 22nd, 2014 at 04:44 am 1419223464
It's important to continue to motivate yourself to get debt paid off and we certainly can be counted on to cheer every accomplishment. Have you identified items no longer used, needed or serving you that could be sold? it does double duty by reducing the amount of stuff you need to look after.
December 22nd, 2014 at 06:01 am 1419228110
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December 22nd, 2014 at 03:48 pm 1419263298
Don't you think that the reason malls are busy because so many have time on their hands and use shopping as recreation?
December 23rd, 2014 at 01:30 am 1419298219
And yes I do think boredom is part of the reason malls are often busy. I enjoy going to the mall even when I have zero money simply to people watch or to walk laps during the colder months.