Finances are complicated. I am posting only facts. Perceptions may differ. My goal is to shift to a growth mindset from a fixed mindset, and the shift is not instantaneous, nor smooth. Think of a spastic, ADD person learning to drive on a stickshift 1980 Mercury Capri: that's me approximating my path to "where everyone else seems to be."
I attempt to eat down the pantry but can't resist seafood sales and deep discount whole bean coffees. My "eat down the pantry challenge/buy on sales" activity is averaging $20/day.
We thought, errrrr, hoped, that jaunting across BC's tolled Port Mann Bridge with out of the country plates in August 2013 would give us a free pass. We thought wrong. $21.20 due in February.
Son's PC has issues. Our options: replace the motherboard at $150; buy a Raspberry Pi and share the PC w/boy (I don't really want Steam installed though).
I've spent some days wondering how I can manage this week's savings challenge. I saved myself fifty cents "miscoding" items into the self-checkout kiosk. Saved a dollar "forgetting" to pay for parking at a meter. Did I deny myself a treat thinking "I can't afford it/don't need it" this week? Yes. Does that count, or is it negated 3x by the "Ugh I got out of bed w/o breakkie or coffee because boy's alarm didn't sound so now I need an espresso when I drop him off"? That kind of overthinking.
I feel like this:
My worst financial weeks, mentally and emotionally, are in late July and late January, when the tsunami of car insurance and bimonthly utilities crashes into my pocketbook. (Ha! See what I did there? Fukusima? Tsunami? Fukuppy?) It doesn't feel like saving when I know hundreds more than a biweekly paycheque are due all in one short week. I SEE that the insurance premium accumulated in the Money Market Account, and the MMA balance grew every month. It STINGS when that money leaves, no matter how rational a purpose.
I'm still positive on my monthly budget for January though, despite overspending on clothes, charity and transportation.
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It's not evident from my post, but Fukuppy is the brand mascot for Fukushima.
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I put $800 instead of $1200 or $1500 toward stocks. Turns out I had a wee bit of cash in each account, and today's slide was precipitous. Even my child knew of today's market dip: apparently he looks up his stock holdings on someone else's iPad on the school bus.
More levelheaded today, but making tomorrow's 52-week savings challenge deposit an arbitrary figure
I fell into the Overthinking Pit this week.
January 24th, 2014 at 05:49 pm
January 24th, 2014 at 05:57 pm 1390586263
Confession: I actually cried over being a poor money manager/budget predictor (OK, so I was also sick, sleep-deprived, and PMSing all at the same time). I was traversing well along my money map until: $45 for Father-Daughter dance tickets, $30 for Turnabout Week T-shirts (proceeds go to a good cause), $30 for Cub Scout Pinewood Derby supplies, $50 deposit for daughter's class ring, AND a tire. And my husband desperately needed dress pants because he's gained weight from the stress of the job. I kept saying "But my extraneous budget is empty". DH said, "Take it from savings" (very unsympathetically, might I add.)
I certainly hope February is better and I return to normal. Good luck making your way out of the pit.
January 24th, 2014 at 06:36 pm 1390588562
January 24th, 2014 at 06:47 pm 1390589232
Yes.
January 24th, 2014 at 06:53 pm 1390589618
January 25th, 2014 at 05:40 am 1390628435
I'm grateful to your overthinking this week! Thank you very much for catching that score in the FCC. Its been an "immersive" week for me, work, condo board stuff, and wrestling with gmail. Blech!
January 26th, 2014 at 12:15 am 1390695316
You will like this:
Son's Homeroom teacher: "Lindsay Lohan needs help."
Son: "NO SHE DOESN'T! MY MOM'S IN A DEAD POOL!"