2013 Financial Goals and Tools



This is a very good program to listen to on Financial Provident Living from the Mormon Channel here - I recommend listening to it. Great Advice.

2013 Financial Goals. 

 I made up a binder last night and am going to log every expenditure I pay out this year. I'd truly love to be debt free this year - everything except my house (which I hope to be able to focus on paying down when all the other debt from my life is gone).

I decided instead of paying for a notebook or journal, I'd make up my own spreadsheets and put them in a binder I already have on hand.

Here are the spreadsheets I made for each month:

Because I am self employed as a household cleaning service, I have an income ledger that tracks the money I earn each day through the month. My schedule is set each week, so I sat down and put down what I will earn each day on the ledger for the month and totaled it to know what I will be earning. Then I can budget what I will be spending this month.

 These are my actual monthly bills - I haven't received my Power bill yet, but will add it when I do. I also am going to put my credit card total down each month (or stupid tax). I will be putting ALL excess money on the credit cards and watch each month how they decrease. My goal is to have them all paid off by June.

You can see that I don't have any car payments or smart phone bills. My cars are paid for (we purchase a new car with cash 1 1/2 years ago. My cell phone is a tracfone that I pay $100 per year and it is all I need in a cell phone. Since I am self employed, I have to pay 100% for my health insurance with a huge deductible of  $5000 to get the payment low. I figure I can work my way out of $5000 instead of what health care really costs if you do get sick (insurance). I pay for regular doctor bills as I go.

 Last is the House account ledger. I will put in everything I spend. Even when I go grocery shopping, I think I will itemize each item - making me truly think about what I spend my hard earned money on. I hope this helps me become more mindful of what I spend each month and help me keep track of really what I want - to be debt free.

My motto and sign posted in my binder and above my computer is:

Last year I gave up my land line for a Magic Jack.  

 

The total cost per year is $19.95 for a year of phone service. I hooked up a telephone with 2 other sets that are connected with the main unit. I have a phone in my kitchen, TV room and my bedroom - basically how I had with a land line. I love not getting a phone bill each month!

I also gave up my Direct TV. My Century link bill was $170 a month and now it is $35 for my Internet service.























This year for Christmas Jason and Sharon gave me an Apple TV!

Oh my goodness I am in love with this little box. It is ran by the wireless Internet and I can watch Netflix, Hulu and YouTube on my big screen TV. It has a remote which is awesome!! I love this and wish I would have dropped paying for TV a long time ago - just like Jason and Sharon had been telling me to do.

I love that I can watch what I want on my own time - just like a DVR. I love that I can watch older TV shows and all the series they had (TV shows that are G and PG rated - not the types of R rated shows in TV now days). I love that I can still watch Lifetime type movies and am VERY careful that I don't watch any R rated type shows.

It's been wonderful to save so much money by switching to Majic Jack and Apple TV - Woo Hoo!

This savings has gotten me to think about what other costs I can do without. The less I spend the more I have to meet my financial goals. I've been more frugal with water, and power - however I like a warm house so I use the gas bill normally - I won't freeze in my own home. I keep my house at a warm 72 degrees.

2013 is going to be the year that I am determined to make all my financial dreams come true!!