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Wow, it’s November. The final 2 months of the year.

October wasn’t my greatest month financially. However, it’s been quite a productive month and I believe that is going to set me up for a better financial situation in the months to come.

At the start of the month, I thought October would look better than September, but that wasn’t exactly the case. I had one large bill to pay plus another fairly large bill, so my spending numbers piled up really quick.

Honestly, my feelings fluctuate about my finances. Sometimes I don’t stress about it at all, other times I get really overwhelmed and frustrated. Debt is awful, and I always end up thinking about what my life would be like without it. How much less debt I would have if I made different choices in my life.

I know those aren’t the best thoughts to have, but I think that’s normal. I know I’ll be debt free soon, but no one said this would be easy and it will definitely always be a struggle.

Well I paid off a lot of debt and I did a lot of spending…keep reading for more detail.

DEBT PAYMENT/INCOME SPREADSHEET

*This spreadsheet does not include payments for my insurance (life, health, vision, dental)*

CURRENT FICO SCORE: 695

THE GOOD NEWS

My credit score went up 3 points

This is always good news but I’m actually a bit disappointed in this number. I completely paid off my Bank of America credit card, dropping my total credit card utilization down to 23%. I’m now in the “green” and I thought doing so would improve my score by at least 10 points. It’s not a big deal but would have been nice to see a 700 score again. Maybe next month!

My Capital One credit card interest decreased

I didn’t have to pay interest on this card for the last year, but then it ended up being 23.74% once the promo was over. So I decided to call them and they were able to lower my interest rate to 19.65%! It’s not a huge reduction, but it’s definitely something. It was free to call, took 5 minutes, and it will save me a few bucks!

I paid off a lot of debt

I paid off a total of $1,470.01 of my debt!! My new highest month which is super exciting. Remember that this number is debt paid off AFTER interest. I’m hoping to pay off at least $1400 every month from now on, but aiming for more.

THE BAD NEWS

I had to pay 2 large bills

My dog (Haylee) went to the vet to get a dental cleaning and a small eye mass removed. They ended up draining the eye mass, but she did get 2 teeth extracted. Costing me close to $900. I also had to pay the “wear and tare” charges for my car lease I turned in back in June…$320. I have to pay another $350 for the “disposition fee.” It’s ridiculous, never lease a car.

Low extra income (again)

I made an extra $33 this month. At least it’s something, but I feel like I work so hard on my side hustles and see very little return. You really have to believe in yourself for these things and just keep going.

However, I did reach my HIGHEST traffic month ever and was sent free products by two companies, no cash payment included though.

I can’t seem to stick to a food budget to save my life

I am really struggling with my $250 food budget. Most of it was on groceries, I only spent about $6 on 2 donuts (going out to eat). I always meal prep my food but I end up buying expensive things or more than I intended. I just love my food agh!

SPENDING

Highlighted fields are spending areas I can/should improve in!

Savings: I’m not including this in my “spending” total because it’s not actually spending. My income is not taxed, therefore I transfer $1550 from each paycheck every month into my savings. For months I was using the app Qapital which I think is great. In July I started using the app Acorns. Acorns invests your money in stock for you which I think is so cool.  If you use my link to sign up you’ll actually get $5 invested for free! I have also started investing in stocks (well kind of). I have opened and deposited $50 into my Ameritrade account and I opened a RobinHood account with $1. Use my Robinhood link for a free stock!

Rent/Utilities: I live with my sister (and her boyfriend) so $600 goes toward the mortgage, electricity, internet, etc. $100 goes toward the money I owe her!

Food: Like I said above, I can never seem to stick to my food budget. I don’t go out to eat, I just spend a lot on groceries. I spent less than last month but I still want to lower this.

Gas: I drive 22 miles to and from work Monday-Friday so I have to get gas every weekend. $118-$130 is expected for gas each month. Glad to see I was a bit under the norm!

Health: This includes my multivitamins and my gym membership. In October I also got a massage ($95 total).

Car: My minimum payment for my 2015 Toyota Camry plus $320 for the “wear and tear” of my lease that I turned in back in June.

Credit Card Debt: Self-explanatory. I do still use my Bank of America credit card for the rewards. Now that it’s at $0, I pay off the totally completely if I use it.

Student Loan Debt: I pay $288.37 every month. Once I pay off my credit cards I will throw extra to my student loans!

Insurance: This includes vision, dental, and life insurance. I have health insurance through work on top of my salary which is really nice.

Business: This literally includes just paying for hosting/my domain for this blog and G Suite (by Google), which is $7.99 and $5 each month. I am also now paying for a monthly membership to Tailwind ($15). I paid $2.20 in Ebay fees.

Other: This category basically includes unnecessary spending. I wanted to break this down to exactly what I spent my money on.
Google Play – $9.99
Amazon (joint supplements for my dog, blue light glasses, fridge water filters, a gift for my sister’s birthday, Atomic Habits book, and tiny hoop earrings) – $148.81
Pets (Haylee’s dental) – $885.84
Parking – $12
Acorns app – $1.00
BCAAs – $44.98

Excluding my debt I spent a total of $2,553.07. Womp, womp. Not good to look at and not good to feel. It’s incredible how easily those numbers add up.

Let’s review my October goals

• Lower my interest rate for my Capital One credit card by calling them CHECK
• Spend less on myself/unnecessary items CHECK (more on Haylee!)
• Make at least $500 in extra income NOPE
• Get my Bank of America credit card debt under $500 CHECK ($0 woohoo!!!!)
• Track my spending WEEKLY so I stay on top of my food budget (~$250) NOPE (I tried and didn’t enjoy it lol)
• No going out to eat! KIND OF? (I spent $6 on 2 donuts!)

My November Goals

• Spend no more than $300 on food (I can do this)
• Don’t spend ANY money on myself
• Make at least $500 in extra income
• Pay off at least $1400 of my debt
• Actually buy a stock share(s)