Fighting Foreclosure July Income

Well, I am taking a look at the last month and naturally, a little disappointed in my extra income. This is the lowest amount I've gotten to date. However, it isn't all bad news! Remember, I reset my budget this June and am not counting all the gains that I get every single month due to all the work that I did last year - both in increased monthly savings and increased earnings. I started June 2008 being $900 in the hole every single month and by June 2009 I was getting $250 more than what I needed. So, though that number on the sidebar there is low, I still paid all my bills on time and in full and had money to set aside.

There are other bits of good news as well - this month has been great for book sales. Of course most of my transactions are $3.00 or less so it takes a lot to make a significant amount of money, but still, I've been very pleased with how things have been going. Especially since things were so slow the month before. I love having book sales - even though they don't add a lot, those little snowflakes of income really boost my mood.

Plus, there are good things on the horizon...

Part time job 1 has some work available from the end of this week through next week. Happily I was free almost every single time they needed someone, so I will be picking up 5 shifts over the next week. That will be fabulous! In addition, I just got my contract for part time job 2 in the mail. They need me 3 weeks out of the year, one in October, February and May. I am glad to have that work all lined up! Those extra paychecks really add up.

The garage sale I had this year was a lot of fun and helped my budget by nearly $200. I am hoping that I can plan another one in early fall and make a little more money. Not only does it help earn a little extra, it also helps me clean out my closets and drawers! That's always a good thing.

The other good news is in spending. I continue to be pleased with using the envelope system for Home Improvement and Grocery purchases. While I admit, the pantry is a little low right now and I am at the edge of the grocery budget with just $4 left in the envelope, I still have food to eat and only one more day before I can go grocery shopping if I want to. Since this was continually an area where I went over in my budget in the past, I am proud that I am reigning it now.

So, even though things weren't quite as good as I would have liked, I cannot complain. I have money in my pockets and the bills are all paid. Since I paid off my credit card and car last month, I feel like a bit of the stress has been lifted off. Now, all I need to do is get enough put away to paint the last two sides of my house! My birthday is in September and I would love to have it done by then!!


Photo by: pixieclipx.