Money Talk - the good/the bad

[bk1]

Since we love money talk around here travelbug (I always think of you since you are so awesome at it!) 


What are you GOOD about?

What are you BAD about?



Good:
paying everything on time
having cushion in our checking account for unexpected expenses
knowing how much money we have in our account


Bad:
staying in budget for food/eating out (I think I'm being unrealistic on how much food costs us)
remembering exactly how much we charged to credit cards  :^)  
keeping credit cards paid off  
putting money in savings every paycheck


I need to take a hard look at our finances. I haven't truly budgeted and just been going with it and I know we could do better. I also keep more cash available then I probably should rather then paying on debt because when I was growing up my mom lived on variable income so I always want extra put up just in case.


Also, the last few months we have been paying out more then we are bringing in. (about 95% positive on that, though I haven't checked this month yet. Hoping to do that during nap time) I'm trying to stay ahead on our medical bills and they are just higher then they have been. I'm actually thinking it will be much better after I have this baby so I can put the hospital bills on a payment plan rather then paying things outright. 

[estrellita]

Good-
Not using CCs very often
Making payments on time
Saving

Bad-
Spending too much on food
Not using coupons (I forget and our printer isn't set up right now to print them)
Not meal planning or planning ahead to take better advantage of sales

[travelbug]

bk1 Thanks! That's so sweet, some days I feel like I'm drowning. But you are right I LOVE money posts

Good:
- We are finally at a good place with our incoming income vs our bills.
- Bills are being paid much prior to due dates, which creates good vibes for my stress.
- I'm getting a raise for my promotion!!

Bad:
- Meal Planning... It's tough when I don't have a set schedule... But I really need to have meals prepped and ready to eat snacks!
- Gym Membership... We pay for this every month and basically never go. It's super embarrassing actually. I really need to decide if it's worth it to keep or renew it. I always have high hopes, but then fail. I have found a personal trainer sonic hoping with her I'll have motivation to up my game to make the gym membership money worth it.
- Remember to take money out to set aside for new tires that we have to buy in October/November. So I can pull $ little by little so it doesn't feel so expensive.

[HoneySpider]

Good:
-Paying everything on time
-Budgeting in general - we are able to make what we have go pretty far
-Keeping track of everything - I am obsessive about checking the credit card/checking accounts (typically every morning) but it helps me to find any inconsistencies and just feel better in general. In addition to budgeting/tracking checking and savings, every month we track our debts (currently just SL) and retirement assets. I like data and seeing the changes.
-Not adding new debt
-Adding to savings when we can, even if it's a small amount
-Shopping sales/coupons/clearance racks
-Stocking up on often-used items when I get a good deal so I am not stuck buying out of necessity and paying more
-Finding extra income/ways to get gift cards, even if it's something small like ebates, MyPoints, etc
-DH brings lunch to work/I eat at home

Bad:
-Over the last few months, not being as tight with spending as we could be....using big changes (moving, baby) as an excuse

Overall I think we do really well given we are in HCOL on 1 modest FT income and my PT income. I know we always could be doing better with savings and retirement, but I'm happy where we are and proud of how far we've come. I still use the same debt/asset sheet from when we got serious about paying off debt about 6.5 years ago and sometimes I love going back and seeing what we used to owe and seeing what we owe now. 

[awick14]

Good:
-paying household bills
-making positive changes to get in control of our money

Bad:
-having an actual budget
-working on paying off debt
-spending too much money on food
-needing to figure out a list/baby budget so I don't just spend to much money

[melsamoony]

Good:
-paying things on time
-not carrying any credit card debt
-using coupons for luxuries like yankee candle
-finding ways to save money ie negotiating directv bill down, annually looking at refinancing our house and finally doing it when we could eliminate PMI and save $400 per month
-limiting spending on clothes and other expenses

Bad:
-saving...I had been good at it but we had a huge tax bill this year and a lot of medical expenses so it has gone by the wayside. My new goal is to save small amounts each month
-weekend spending: we buy coffee every sat and sunday and just generally spend too much on food those days

[amaranth]

Dear heavens, I just finished importing the final month numbers into YNAB (first month of using it) and all I feel is bad. I'm so depressed.

Good:
-Never spending more than we earn
-Paying credit cards off every month
-Using rewards points creatively and effectively for splurges
-Never paying full price for anything (except foods)
-Being respectful to each other about financial matters/being on the same page

Bad:
-Basically over budget in every category this month, and my allotments are very generous
-Not giving enough to charity. If we go over budget, this is where the extra money comes from. It's shameful
-Like melsamoony, weekend spending. If we could curb this, so much would be better.
-Specifically, our food is out of control. We spend about $1000 on food (eating out and groceries).