February Redux

Did finally do taxes, but am in the middle of final papers for my second-to-last quarter at school, so I have to wait to make my financial goals. (Agh!) Did some interest chasing this month, though, love that. :)

February:

No-Spend Days: 14

No Eating Out Days: 17

Extra Income: $73.46 ($48.25 from surveys and $25.21 interest – rewards checking account is down to 2% – boo! – but I just opened another account that will get $1k to 6%. Come to me, Interest!!)

Progress Toward Savings Goals: Still not set yet – crazy busy! After last tuition payment – just one last one, hooray! :)

Retirement Savings: $245.60

Work-Out Days: 0

No-Carb Days: 7 (yeesh!)

Books Finished: 2

Gotta run, goin to Vegas!

January:
No-Spend Days: 16
No Eating Out Days: 19
Extra Income: $192.63 ($75.50 from surveys, $50 cash back from my rewards credit card, $38.84 from selling back book on amazon, and $28.29 in interest)
Progress Toward Savings Goal: - Haven’t set it yet! Married taxes are … complicated. Will figure it out shortly.
Retirement Savings: $216.16 (more on THIS later, what a pain!)
Work-Out Days: 1

No-Carb Days:16
Books Finished: 2 (including an audiobook – does that count? I’m going to say yes for now.)

Looking back (and forward) (are you getting dizzy?)

Well, this fall I've managed to hold onto a 4.0, keep saving enough money to pay cash for my grad school classes, not go crazy at my job, spend time with friends and not lose my mind[1]. What I have not managed to do, as you have noticed, is update The Internetz. I also haven't had time to do a lot of surveys lately, so that extra income bit trailed off for awhile (as did my no-spending-excellence, toward the holidays, yeow!). But it's a new year now, and that always makes me excited. I find once more that I have to wait a little bit[2] to figure out a few financial goals, since I need to figure out what our New! Married! MAGI will be before I know if we can contribute to 2011 Roths, which I'd really like to do. And honestly between my variable paychecks, Airbear changing jobs, employee stock stuff, and, well, Married Filing Jointly, I have NO idea what that's all going to shake out to be. If he screws up my student loan interest deduction, though, I'm going to poke him right in the eye :P

Anyway, MAN was 2011 a hell of a year. Student taught in Special Ed, went on a workout spree, got married (twice? ha ha), traveled to South America, wore a Carnaval costume made out of wires and sequins and feathers (and not much else), paid for a lavish[3] wedding IN CASH, paid for grad school classes IN CASH, actually got dedicated to eating better and lost 15 pounds, had a ridiculously fun and silly summer, made a new nemesis, worked as a financial advisor, found really thoughtful Christmas presents for Airbear, maintained a 4.0 GPA, got two endorsements added onto my teaching certificate, and was able to save up enough to take my brother, my best friend, and my 87-year-old grandmother with me to Rio. Shit, now that I've typed it all out I need to go take a nap!

But first I'm going to FINALLY post the last two reduxes (reduxen?) of the year, as well as the totals for 2011. Not *quite* as good as 2010's, as I let myself relax a little after the wedding was paid for, but all in all a year I'm pretty proud of!

November:
No-Spend Days: 19
No Eating Out Days: 21
Extra Income: $142.29 ($108.75 from surveys, and $33.54 interest)
Progress Toward Savings Goal: Don’t know, never got around to the mid-month update! Ack!
Retirement Savings: $24.66
Work-Out Days: 2

No-Carb Days: 9
Books Finished: 1 (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – tough to read)

December:
No-Spend Days: 17
No Eating Out Days: 25
Extra Income: $76.29 ($19.38 amazon credit from my chase card, $3 from surveys (Uh… I kind of took the fall off—oops), and $53.91 interest)
Progress Toward Savings Goal: 74.40%
Retirement Savings: $213.56
Work-Out Days: 0

No-Carb Days: 14
Books Finished: 6 (!!!)

And the grand total (!):

TOTAL for 2011:
No-Spend Days: 223
No Eating Out Days: 283
Extra Income: $2090.59 ($1202.20 from surveys, $369.38 cash back from credit cards (AND NO INTEREST PAID, TAKE THAT! Ahem.), $178.71 from selling books back on amazon (actually, I think there was more than this but they were small books and I forgot to watch out for them when doing my tallies), and $340.30 interest)
Progress Toward Savings Goal: 74.40%
Retirement Savings: $2753.94
Work-Out Days: 51

No-Carb Days: 68 (So a total of 119 "healthy days" compared to last year's 50-something - WAY better!)
Books Finished: 25 (A lot better than last year!)

And no, I don't know why it won't do the spaces normally. But whatever. Good job, self, now let's get started on conquering 2012!

You know, right after that nap ;)

[1] Well, you know. Further.

[2] HATE!

[3] If you ask me![4]

[4] Or even if you don't![5]

[5] But obviously, why wouldn't you, since you're here :)

October Redux

October:
No-Spend Days: 19
No Eating Out Days: 25
Extra Income: $232.80 ($149 from surveys, $50 statement credit from my credit card, and $33.80 interest)
Progress Toward Savings Goal: 54.57%
Retirement Savings: $243.66
Work-Out Days: 5 – AND 21 No-Carb Days! I am on a roll! Well, over the long Halloween weekend I totally fell OFF the roll but I’m working on getting it back :)
Books Finished: 1

Look at all that healthy-type stuff! :O

I am really, really proud of something in this post - see if you can find it!

September:
No-Spend Days: 19
No Eating Out Days: 28
Extra Income: $249.04 ($91.91 from selling books on amazon, $105.75 from surveys, and $51.38 interest)
Progress Toward Savings Goal: 42.85%
Retirement Savings: $316.32
Work-Out Days: 0 – BUT as of today I have made it four weeks without carbs :) Going to start adding working out into the mix in October, too, but I think the diet thing is a good trade-off for this month!
Books Finished: 2

Eventually there will be a post that *isn't* a fly-by

...but this isn't it. As we ramp up for the "start of the school year" (we're open all year long but we get a big influx around this time of year) I am working on not losing my mind. Oh, and I just got laser eye surgery yesterday! Ha! Big things going on over here. Anyway, I'm rushing off to put in my ten thousandth set of eye-drops and maybe break for some food, but in the meantime:

August:
No-Spend Days: 16
No Eating Out Days: 26 (Really surprised this isn’t higher)
Extra Income: $110.81 ($81.65 from surveys – see what happens when you stop doing them – and $29.16 in interest)
Progress Toward Savings Goal: 44.56%
Retirement Savings: $171.74
Work-Out Days: 5 (better!)
Books Finished: 0 – yep, that’s right, a big fat zero. Honestly, after summer quarter, I’m surprised I even remember *how* to read!

Fly-by

July:

No-Spend Days: 16 (I think)
No Eating Out Days: 22 (I think)
Extra Income: $198.40 ($71 from surveys, $100 statement credit from my credit card, and $27.40 interest)
Progress Toward Savings Goal: 40.38%
Retirement Savings: $201.18 (including $2 I found in the road – ha ha)
Work-Out Days: 1 (I know this one is correct – and yikes!)
Books Finished: 3 (but two of them were technical manuals – does that count for, like, 7?)