Photo Credit: jurvetson

This post was included in the Carnival of Personal Finance at Dollar Frugal.  

A new year has started and it’s already feeling pretty good. It’s not that things have been going smoothly (for example, my brother’s car broke own on his way to see us and the estiate is $1,100 to replace his clutch), it’s just I feel like appreciating things when they go right. January is already over, so I’m going to review our progress on some of our financial goals. 

Our Financial Goals For 2009

How We Did in January

Debt: We’re around$500 on the car loan. We decided to hold back on paying the car loan because we didn’t want to deplete emergency funds. It may not be the best financial decision, but it gives me some piece of mind to have our cushion in tact. 

Spending: Good news: We went twice out for dinner. Bad news: We cheated and ate out for lunch a few times. We did cut down our expenses overall, so we’re happy. Reducing our dinners out has also enhanced the experience, as it’s a special occasion. 

Frugal: He keeps forgetting. I think packing the night before would help out a bit. I got some fresh honey ham, cheddar cheese, and hone wheat bread. I’ve reduced eating out for lunch to around twice a week during weekdays. Weekends are a bit harder, but I have to learn to just say ‘no’ once in a while.

Savings: I forgot to set up an automatic transfer, so I did that last night. We now have a regular deposit going into the joint savings account. The money based on what we saved from reducing our dining out.

One month down, eleven left to go. I’m expecting time to fly like it did last year, but my goal is focusing on achieving our goals. How is everyone else doing with their 2009 goals? Have you had some unexpected changes?

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

• Brownbag Your Lunch and Save Money I just started my new job and I have software training all this week. My new manager mentioned that bringing lunch in to save time and some money. Seeing as some of our goals include building the emergency fund up a few more months and have a house down payment ready this......
• July 2008: Progress Update   Half the year has past I feel like I want to stray off my financial course. Being semi-responsible for a 'long' time is making want to take the money I sock away and just spend it. Has anybody else felt this way? Let me first review my financial......

• Stores With Layaway Option Seeing Increased Interest I know it is en vogue to bring back things from the past, but this is a trend I thought had gone forever:  layaway.  With tightening credit policies, and maxed out consumer debt, it seems layaway is making a comeback.  Personally, I am not a big fan of layaway, ranking......
• Choosing between a 15 or 30 year mortgage With mortgage rates at or near all time lows again, it's time to consider the ongoing question, do you choose a 15 or 30 year term? The 15 can be the way to go, especially if you are in your late 30's or older and have a goal of having......