Thursday, July 30, 2009

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.

9 comments:

Zoya said...

Well, you seem to be moving in the right direction, congratulations! Keep it up!

Dawn said...

Thanks Angelica!

Duddes02 said...

Great Blog. Is the picture in your profile the actual house?

Good luck with August income :)

Dawn said...

Hi there Duddes02! Yep, that is the actual house in question. Once I have it all painted I will have to take a new photo. This one makes it look gray, but it is actually light blue.

Miss M said...

Your doing great and inspiring me. I worked out how much we need each month to reach our early retirement goal and our income is $1500 short each month right now. It made me think of you and your extra $900 a month, with two of us I have hope we can we make our goals too.

Duddes02 said...

It's a beautiful home! What year was it built in?

Dawn said...

Thank you! It was built in 1874.

Dawn said...

Miss M - It can be done!! I know it is a huge stretch, but you can do it. I know a goal like that sounds so scary and big, but once you start tackling it you can make it happen. I've found I haven't even had to give up a lot to make it, some of the biggest changes I've made (like changing my payroll deductions) I don't even notice in my day to day life.

Lise F said...

Just curious - where do you find most of your books these days? I know at the beginning you had people who gave them to you, but is that still the case?

I do a little bit of book sales on the side, but many of them are from my own collection. Some come from garage sales, but more and more it seems like people are asking outrageous prices for books at garage sales...