Better Budget #4 roundup
Thanks to everyone who participated in last Monday’s Better Budget Challenge! We checked our credit reports, checked in on our budgeting methods, and shared what we want to improve on this year. Later tonight (at midnight EST), the next challenge post will be up. This month, we’ll be tackling the food aspects of our budget.
Here’s a small summary of what this week’s participants had to say. Be sure to visit them!
S.B. and her husband check their credit report throughout the year (checking one bureau at a time). They’d like to continue saving money to knock out some debt.
LJ told us she’d like to cut spending across the board, even though their overall spending is reasonably low. There’s always room for improvement, though! She mentioned she’d like to focus on cutting grocery and household expenses. She writes, "With money saved on not so important items (like shampoo and ice cream) we will have more money to spend on the important things…" well put!
Melissa wrote that she spends too much at Wawa (What is that? I need to look that up). She says she’s spending too much there and on books. Looks like she’s taking some steps to cut back in those areas.
Erin joined in this week, and already is in the process of checking her credit report. Apparently, someone had been using her credit (eep!) and she’s cleaning that up. This year, she doesn’t want to get discouraged by financial setbacks. She writes, "So, I really want to work on taking everything in stride this year. Just because we have a setback doesn’t mean that our financial goals are ruined."
A is keeping tabs on his credit report (and lived in eight different places in six years! Whoa). He’s going to adjust his money flow this month, so that it’s earning the best interest rates on his money.
20 Something Money writes that someone had applied for a credit card in her name–and found that out when she was trying to get a loan for her home. Yikes. I hate a thief, don’t you? What’s the matter with people? Anyway…she wants to work on her food spending, especially the restaurant portion of that.
Tenille is planning ahead. She’s already saving for Christmas! Way to go! She’s taking steps to stop "running out of money before running out of week," ya know? Generally, she doesn’t like clutter, including too much food in her pantry. But, she’s rethinking that strategy.
As for me, I’d like to reduce spending everywhere. A few things include making healthier choices at the grocery (without harming my budget) and finding ways to save on my car maintenance.
Additional related posts:
- Better Budget #3 roundup: It was just too much!
- How we created our budget
- Better Budget Challenge # 4 — Budgeting odds & ends
This was a great week! It looks like everyone has set some great goals and I think we all will do a fantastic job sticking to them!