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First update of the year!

January 2nd, 2015 at 04:39 pm

So the craziness of the holiday season has passed. Let's all have a well-deserved collective sigh.

SIGH.

That feels much better.

Went through and took a look at how bad the holiday craziness got me off track from my budget. Unsurprisingly, it was quite a bit. It doesn't help that I'm still expecting about $1,500 from clients from December. Right now the bank account is a little tight. Hopefully, though, I'll get those payments soon. And do some booking after the bridal show next weekend.

***

In other financial news, I got the $300 rebate AmEx gift card I've been expecting from buying my camera. That'll help offset costs this month a bit. I tried to use it to pay for the photo class I'm taking online, and it didn't work. So I'll have to look into that and make sure it works in general.

Cancelled Hulu (again). My two free months ran out, so it's gone now.

***

Started my financial spreadsheets for 2015. It feels good to start fresh Smile The New Year always brings me a renewed sense of energy about life and pursuing my goals. So hopefully the momentum will push me forward vigorously.

Most of my resolutions revolve around being intentional - about my business, about my practice, and about life in general. I feel like the last few years have been great, but I've lost touch with the world around me a bit, merely floating along. Thankfully things have worked out for the better, but putting more effort into the things that make me happy has only to improve upon the way I experience them.

In terms of my financial goals, I think that really translates into being mindful when it comes to spending. I know that's something many of the SA community understand (and excel at!). But for me, thoughtlessly spending left and right is the norm. There are things that I find worth spending money on (travel, photography education and equipment, etc). But really *thinking* about the purchases as I make them, and putting things into perspective in terms of priorities is really necessary.

Making smarter decisions, too. There are so many free resources out there - entertainment options, loads of things available at the library, etc. There are many cases where I just pay without thinking of how I could accomplish a task more cheaply. And it's not a good practice.

So that's that. What are your goals for 2015? How do you plan to accomplish them effectively?

Posted in Goals, The Budget | 2 Comments »

2 Responses to “First update of the year! ”

  1. LittleMissSplendid Says:
    January 2nd, 2015 at 05:02 pm 1420218159
    1420218159

    I definitely relate to the concept of thoughtlessly spending on things that I think are worth spending on. I do that with entertainment, food, pampering, and clothing. At times I remember to look for more affordable options, but other times that takes a backburner because I would rather just get to enjoying myself. I also agree that there are loads of free entertainment options, I just struggle with those being solitary activities or things my friends won't join me for and I rarely want to be alone and entertained.

  2. pjmama Says:
    January 4th, 2015 at 09:13 pm 1420406028
    1420406028

    Little Miss, we do a lot of dinner nights with friends (we switch off every week) at home, which is a lot of fun, and cheaper than going to a restaurant. If you and your friends like to cook, it's a nice option. We also do a lot of board game nights (with plenty of beer/wine!). During the summer months we'll organize soccer games at the park, or go on hikes. With just my girlfriends I like to do rom com movie nights (again, with plenty of wine) structured like an oldschool sleepover (because I'm a nerd). I'm not sure if your group of friends gets into any of that, but those are some things we've found get other people excited to be involved!

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