A year older... need to be a year wiser ..

I've been MIA the last week or so.  There were a few times I tried to start a post, but I'd sit in front of a blank post, and nothing would come out.  I turned a year older yesterday and this past weekend, we decided to celebrate with a small BBQ.  The costs for the BBQ wasn't in our budget but I don't think we spent a huge amount.  In the end, I got a handful of gift certificates, which works out perfectly as I am in need of new shoes and work clothes.  It will be fun to go on a mini shopping spree and having the gift cards to pay for the purchases.  I just need to make sure that I'm being smart with my purchases and making good decisions.

Another negative for me the past week was going to the casino yesterday with the hopes that I'd have a bit of birthday luck on my side.  Turns out being the birthday girl doesn't make you a winner.  Looking back, I know that I pretty much flushed my money down the drain.  And yet earlier in the day,  I was on Beyond the Rack and there was a Marc Jacobs wallet that I really wanted to purchase, but I managed to talk myself out of it.  And yet, later in the day, I gave my money away to the casino.  Even worse, I gave away a cash advance from my credit card to the casino.  Double negative!

I guess sometimes a bad decision has to be made to put one back on track.  I haven't made any extra payments to our credit cards but I'm selling a few baby items this week, so I will make sure that money goes towards a credit card.

My next paycheque will be a couple hundred dollars more, since I've now maxed out the yearly max for CPP and EI contributions.  I will need to be extra careful to make sure this money is either put into savings or put towards debt.  First thing I will do on pay day is transfer the extra money into our savings account.  This ensures that it is not sitting in our joint chequing account waiting to be spent.  Once in our savings account, I can figure out what to do with the money.

I would love to end this year strong and focused.  I would like to buy all Christmas gifts with cash only.  I need to put my Christmas list together to see exactly how many kids I'm shopping for.  In past years I would purchase gifts throughout the year.  I'm a little behind this year but will do my best to get a majority of the shopping done by end of October.

I'm feeling so much better, now that I've posted.  It's a reminder to stay focused and motivated.