Skip to main content

2016 so far ...

So far not off to a great start. I misread a letter from the student loan company and was $4 short for one of my payments. I started off the new year with a $45 NSF fee in my "no-fee" account. It was a really stupid mistake, since the line of credit they granted me is sitting there unused, and I could have transferred an extra amount from there just in case ... could have, should have. The mistake will eventually be forgotten, but not my grudge against that bank. I have already pulled almost all of my money from it to use another no-fee bank that is serving me much better.

It felt great to end 2015 with all my bills paid, thanks to the "Xmas Saving" account I set up, where I deposit a small amount each month to cover December (extra) spending. However, I forgot to leave a little bit in there to visit a friend before New Year's, and ended up having a larger than expected credit card bill to pay in January. So I'm playing a bit of catch-up this month and not spending on anything else. I think I might make February a no-spend month as well, and this year try not to compensate by having a spendier March.

I had my 2016 budget in place a couple of months ago, and I'm still making tweaks to make sure I can pay back the RRSP I borrowed to put the down payment on my house. I'm also trying to save a "Car savings" fund for parking tags, plates, and oil and tire changes. Those bills always seem to come up the same months as my extra mortgage payment months.

The cat stays indoors now, so hopefully no large vet bills this year.

The car loan is under $15 000, the student loans are chipping away, and the total debt is under $180 000. Still pretty good for a single mom working not-quite full-time.

Comments