December Budget Report Card

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Hi everyone! I’m back again to tell you about my December budget. December was a great month. It seemed long to me, but that’s only because I didn’t work for two weeks. I really enjoyed the time that I spent with my family as well as at home with my husband. Nothing important happened this month besides the holidays. I went to my hometown to spend Christmas with my family where we enjoyed our annual Christmas party. It was so much fun! As far as New Year’s celebrations go, my husband and I stayed home alone and brought in 2017. I’m glad that we closed out 2016 just resting and enjoying each other. Check out my year in review for my 2016 recap.

Groceries

As I have stated before, we budget $280 for groceries each month. We came in under budget this month because of the amount of time that we spent out of town. This was a big help for us and I kept the money that we did not spend just in case we go over our budget in the coming months. We had $70 per week to spend in December. We ended up spending $250.37. This left us with $29.63 to roll over to next month. I’m excited about coming in under budget.

Debt Payment

We have a $300 debt payment goal for each month. That does not seem like much, but it is what we can afford right now. We are still adding more medical debt even as we are paying medical bills in full because that is just life. Inserting the new bills into the snowball where they fit works for us. Our objective is to pay the smallest bills first. This makes us at least feel like we’re making progress. Honestly, I will be so happy when we can pay these medical bills and student loans off and have them all behind us! Anyway, we paid off $330.74 in December. This was great because we exceeded our goal by $30. Any little bit helps.

Miscellaneous              

December was a month full of traveling and holidays. We have a sinking fund for Christmas that we add money to throughout the year. We used this money for gas, Christmas gifts, and any food that we needed to purchase while out of town. The total that we spent from the Christmas fund was $344.95. We also had a few miscellaneous expenses this month. The total that we spent for the miscellaneous category was $129.34. I am a little disappointed in this amount, but I know that it will go back down after the holidays.

The Grade

This was a full month! I think we did well with our December budget between traveling and holidays. We paid $30 extra towards debt and we came in under budget for groceries. I call this a budget win, so I give December’s budget an A. I’m really excited about two excellent months in a row.

Goals

The goal for January is to cut back on miscellaneous spending. I would also like to pay off two small (less than $200) medical bills. The small bills are really a pain to keep up with so I would like to get these out of the way as soon as possible. Next month, I want to be able to follow the budget strictly and not have to make any adjustments for things that I have forgotten about. I am positive that I can meet my January goals. Don’t forget to set your own financial goals for January!

Don’t forget to check out November’s Budget Report Card!

Question of the day: What grade would you give your December budget?
Please note, I AM NOT A FINANCIAL PLANNER. This series was written based on my experience and journey to become debt free. If you feel you need additional advice, please consult a certified professional.

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