Woo, things were pretty crazy in September. I had a few wedding purchases to attend to due to the fact that we finally booked our reception location, as well as our photographer. I’m so stoked about both of these decisions and also am happy we didn’t settle for somewhere we wouldn’t truly love or settle for photos we would not be excited about. Both of these purchases came out of savings and did not affect my monthly budget. Overall, I think I did pretty poorly on spending again, but it could be worse. Things always seem to get tough near the end of the calendar year for me because I’m tired and need time away from work. Therefore, I get lazier and start to be more reckless with my spend. This is something I’m trying hard to overcome. One other reason my expenses were higher than usual is because September is my vehicle maintenance month. It’s funny though because I spent less than August – I guess I am good at being frugal without trying.

I still managed to put a very nice dent in my debt and am still on track to be paid off by Christmas.

Expenses:

Groceries 220.00 Entertainment 195.00 Gas 170.00 Rent 360.00 Other/Bills 319.00 Debt Payments 1279.74 Grand Total 2543.74

Debt:

Credit Card 1 $0 Credit Card 2 $1733.31 Student Loans (won’t touch until November) $3000.00 Grand Total: $4733.31

In sad news, the part time job I was hoping to have was a flop on my end. I have become extremely busy with work and sports again, which has truly cut into my side hustle time. I’m currently researching other ways to make money that are more attainable with my schedule but honestly I am more worried about burning myself out than anything. I normally only have 1 weeknight off and am attending sporting events on the weekends. I guess it’s time to get creative – especially with Christmas around the corner. Any suggestions?

My rent goes up in November, not by much, but enough to make an impact on what I can spend on entertainment. So that will provide a new challenge that I’m welcome to embrace. Budgeting is not an easy task, and I don’t blame anyone for being afraid to look at the numbers.

Next time we talk, I should have so little left to pay. Let’s do this!