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It’s December!!!! I love Christmas time! Honestly though it’s not as fun when you’re broke. I always have amazing gift ideas but at this time in my life I can’t afford those gifts.
My family will be keeping it quite small this year. Which is fine, I don’t need much and I can’t afford to lose much!
November flew by of course and it was good for the most part. I had one REALLY low day triggered by multiple things but it’s done and over with and I’m doing my best to manifest positivity into my life. This month I spent more than I wanted to and I ate more than I should have haha! Keep reading for the details!
DEBT PAYMENT/INCOME SPREADSHEET
*This spreadsheet does not include payments for my car (a lease) or my insurance (life, health, vision, dental)*
CURRENT FICO SCORE: 593
THE GOOD NEWS
My debt went down again
As you can see above I pay over $600 toward my debt, however after interest I only actually pay about half that. Small progress is still progress and my total debt decreased by $313.70! Look how close I am to being under $65,000 too!!
I opened a Qapital account
One of my goals for November was to open a Qapital account. It’s a cool app that helps you save effortlessly by rounding up your purchases to the nearest $1 or $2 (or whatever value you want) and putting it into savings. I chose to round up my purchases to the nearest $1 and in less than one month I saved over $12! Obviously it’s not much but it’s a great start. There’s other options too and it’s a safe app that you can also withdraw your money from at any time. If you sign up using my link you’ll get $5 and I’ll get $5 once you make your first deposit!
I didn’t touch my savings
I now have $102.40 in my savings account! I have always had to reach into my savings to stay afloat but I think I should be good from now on. I’m so eager to get to the $1000 mark!
I was able to decrease my monthly withdrawal into my life insurance policy
This may be bad to some people but I would rather have a savings cushion than a retirement plan right now. I actually am thinking about cancelling my policy altogether. It’s something I’ll have to discuss with my financial advisor and carefully think about. If I cancel it and remove the money I have saved, I’m going to lose quite a big chunk due to penalty fees. It’s an account I wish I didn’t open and I would rather be contributing to my Roth IRA. I’ll keep you updated!
I went into overtime again
Overtime = more money = closer to financial freedom! My next 2 pay checks will also have at least 10 hours of overtime 🙂
I redeemed $205 in gift cards
$30 ($25 to Target, $5 to Amazon) from Swagbucks, and $175 from my CapitalOne credit card points! How ironic haha 🙂
I received the e-mail below and I had NO idea I could use all my points for gift cards! I got $175 in Amazon gift cards because I can use it for my necessities (toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, etc.). I already got the 2 from SwagBucks but I should be receiving the others in the mail sometime in December!
THE BAD NEWS
My credit score dropped again
A court date is set though and I’M GOING TO FIX THIS. People, please please please don’t sign your name for anything for anyone. My credit has taken a HUGE hit and I strongly believe I’ll be coming out on top in this situation, but otherwise it’s going to be on my credit report for 36 months+. It’s stressful, it’s frustrating, and I can’t wait to share more of my story to prevent this from happening to others.
I spent more money than I wanted to
First off, I attended a wedding and gifted money so there’s that. That’s fine though it’s for people I love. Secondly, I spent more on food. Thanksgiving food plus I even bought a coffee and breakfast one day. I got my comforter professionally cleaned (I should have just waited). And finally I bought something quite expensive in hopes of “flipping” it for more than double what I bought it for. I’ll sell that soon so it should make up for everything!
I used my credit cards
One of my other goals for November was to not use my credits cards at all. Due to the extra expenses, I had to use my credit cards for a total of $91.25 (gas and groceries). The good news though is that I got 3% back for the gas and I paid $45.94 back almost immediately so it won’t gain interest. I’m going to do my best to not use my credits cards in December!
