Budget: 5 December

Before I go over the numbers, my friend sent this to me:

Caty is my "debt sponsor". Much like an alcoholic needs a sponsor, I believe people in debt do too. 

I wrote in this post how hard it's been lately mentally. November didn't really help, since I had barely enough to cover everything and nothing left over. 

Recap of 20 November payperiod:

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Yikes. I'm so glad to have the peace of mind of having my emergency fund, so if I need to dip into it to make my rent and payments, I can.

I honestly don't even really acknowledge the paychecks of the 20th, since expenses pretty much eat up the entire check.

5 December payperiod:

EXPENSES

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My utility bill is slowly creeping up to what I have budgeted for it. Corduroy has a cold and the vet said he might just have it from not being warm enough (which made me feel like a bad owner).

I had to raise my food/household budget due to Corduroy's wet food, need for litter, and I also am making Christmas cookies so I had to raise it a bit to get the ingredients.

I was incredibly blessed to receive a gift to go see The Nutcracker: a 14 year tradition. The seats were super high up, but thankfully, the theater is well built and we still had excellent view, especially since we were in the center. This is the second time I've seen the State Street Ballet, and they always put on a good show.

Even though I had a gift for The Nutcracker tickets, to get two, I decided to dip into my entertainment budget and forfeit the remainder ($9).

I commute by bicycle in the winter, and I'm a little behind in the game to getting my snow tires, but I finally ordered them on Amazon, and they should actually be waiting for me when I get home from work today. I will have to go to my bike shop to have them installed later this week. Take that, ice!!

I think I freaked out my mom a little with mention of the local weather (single digit lows, and I work the late shift) and my lack of winter clothing and gear: base layers are necessities. She -- as mothers do -- sent me money she probably needs so I could get some clothes, lights, and pepperspray. Once I get them all, I will be able to run to my heart's content, even on days I work the morning shift, and feel confident riding home after the sun goes down. I was specifically verboten to use the money for debt, but I did end up getting pretty much everything I absolutely needed (knocking out about half of my Amazon Wish List). Thanks mom!

DEBT

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I'm stupid excited to have my personal credit card paid off and to be working on Dentist 1. Once they're paid off, I'm going in for a cleaning to celebrate (and paying out of pocket). The $125 payment is glorious to see. It should be paid off by January, if my numbers are correct, and everything works out the way I expect it to.