Step 2 Update: $13k!

My $5k federal tax refund hit! You’ll recall that I only worked for about six months last year and took some time off before starting my new job. The new job also offered me a large singing bonus. All of that put together meant a huge federal refund. I was a bit behind my projected……

Step 2 Update: $8k

I haven’t updated in a while but a lot has been happening! I just broke $8,000 on my safety net goal. Other than the downpayment I put on the house almost two years ago, this is the largest cushion I’ve ever had in my account. Thanks to bonuses at work and SUPER tight budgeting, I’m……

Q4 2017 Bonus!

It’s Bonus Day! The company I work for pays out bonuses quarterly and annually. Amounts are dependent on company performance. The Q4 payout is my first full bonus (since I joined the company at the end of September my Q3 was prorated). And it’s great! I know we, as employees, earn this money and it’s……

January Recap

I did it! Partially thanks to gains in the market, but I finally broke $3,000 on my safety net goal. Here’s the breakdown of deposits in January: January 2, $675 January 3, $220 January 17, $1600 January 18, $200 January 22, $155 I squeaked out every possible cent I could. Some of the deposits were pretty……

Step 2 Update: $2k!

Well, I did it! I finally broke $2,000 on my way to my $25,000 safety net goal. In fact, I’m now at $2,635.69 to be exact! I’m really excited about the progress. It seems like I’m spending a lot of time sitting around and waiting for pay checks to be deposited and for funds to……

Cash Envelopes

Budgeting for food is my biggest trouble spot. I’ve never had a Target addiction, or a habit of maxing out credit cards at TJ Maxx– but food– food has always been a challenge. I could spend a whole pay check at Whole Foods, or eat out every single night of the week without a second……

Step 2 Update: $1k!

I broke the $1k mark on my safety net! It feels awesome to finally start seeing the numbers move in the right direction! I’ve started to gain a lot of traction in the past few weeks. Not in the numbers (they move just as I tell them to), but in my belief that I can……

2017 Recap

Here we are at the end of 2017! This year was a bit of a mess but in the last few months I turned things around. If you’re new to this blog, here’s a recap: In October I committed to a debt free plan and I’ve been chugging away ever since… I started paying things……

Step 2 Update

The first $100 has successfully made it in to my emergency fund! Today was the first payday where I still had money left over from my last check. And damn it felt good! Here’s the budget breakdown: I’m giving every dollar a line item in my budget. I have a formula in my budget spreadsheet……

Starting Step 2

There were a few unexpected medical expenses this month after I got an upper respiratory infection and had to go to urgent care. But the bills are now caught up (for the first time in a while) and damn, it feels good. So on to step 2: Save a $25,000 safety net. Fast and furiously. The first……