My Dearest February, Thou art always the Worst.

Financially Speaking that is.

I don't know what it is about this month, I start off strong, still reeling from bringing in the New Year with a bang. Then two or three weeks go by, valentines day, my Birthday and all of a sudden I've lost track of my spending and my budget for the month is shot to hell.

Maybe you've noticed my lack of spending? Well thats the reason.

Today Marks the first day of our last week as Floridians. These next few days are going to be hecktic and I don't know if I will have time to post. So I figure this is as good a time as any to review my monthly goals.

-Double up on my Car fund : Put $10.00 each week instead of $5.00This thought donned on me the other day, I figure, why not? So instead of putting $20.00 aside, I'll be putting $40.00 aside this will bring my total to $80.00! Woo - High Roller. Its getting there - a little at a time.
We were laggin here in the middle (all of that mindless spending) but assuming all goes well this week we nailed this one! :] And I am that much closer to a new Car!
-Put $80.00 in my Charity Fund
I guess this is my magic number this month! So far I haven't put anything in my charity fund and that's a little upsetting. Now $50 seemed like to little, while $100 seemed like A LOT so I'm sticking to $80 this month.
Almost there! Once I work on tuesday I will be there and we will be writing our check. I am so happy we managed this!
-Comlete 1/2 of my first blanket.
I am slacking! I swear to you I will never crochet another blanket again. it takes WAY TO LONG!
Probably my best accomplishment! I was on a roll! then I slowed down, but I am deffinately about halfway there. I can not wait to see this puppy finished.

Whats next you ask?
March Goals:

-Do some exercise 3 times a week.
My original goal for the year was to walk 3 miles a week. But finding the time to walk was difficult. So I'm changing it to exercise. Any kind. 3 times a week.

-Attempt to put $200 in my emergency Fund.
I haven't put anything in here yet, but if I'm going to get to $2,000 by January, I need to start being more aggresive with it.

-Show Auston the awesomeness that is New Hampshire.
I grew up here. He is moving from Florida for the first time in his life. I just want him to understand the beauty and coolness of where we are going to.

-Donate $90 to a charity of my choosing.
A little more than last month, but I can't skip out on a month, or else meeting my goal for the year will be near impossible.

-Sew 3 baby bibs.
I want to start sweing and selling different items to help pay for our adoption fee's in the upcoming years. Hopefully I will be gitting a machine shortly.

-Write another Chapter in my book.
I have been neglecting my story :( And it is off to such a great start. So this month I want to sit down, and really focus on it.

There you have it!
Agressive, but imprtant to me! <3

My Plan for the Next Five Years ...

In about a month I will be turning 20!
The big Two-Oh. right?

This is Part one Of a Two Part Series. (the next will discuss 25 things I want to do before I am 25)

To me it's a big deal, I have been playing grown up for quite some time now, paying my own bills, managing my money. But it has all been in a day by day basis, with no real plan for the future.
Its always in the back of my mind. I know I SHOULD be saving, I SHOULD have some kind of a plan, but when you're 19 its okay to make mistakes. I am, however, done with living like that. I am the kind of person who needs to know where I am going.
Auston and I have sat down and we have figured out where we want to be in five years.
I have written it down and now I will share it with all of you.
Now of course, five years is a while down the road, and plans may change. But this is a rough idea of the things we hope to accomplish.

My Five Year Plan

20

• Fund my $2,000 emergency fund - A large feat, considering it currently sits at $0.
• Sign up for a Sign Language course
• Start saving for adoption – Start sewing&selling to raise money
• Start a Retirement Plan
• Get married – Small, intimate wedding, filled only with people we truly care about.
• Plan a weekend away for Auston and I (sealed pot money)

21

• Increase Emergency Fund to $4,000
• Continue with learning sign language
• Save $1,000 to Spend New Years Eve in Times square (12/31/13).
• Start adoption process
• Start saving for a down payment on a house. (atleast 3,000)

22

• Increase Emergency Fund to $6,000
• If I wasn't successful in the previous year, continue adoption process.
• Take a vacation out of the country
• Make $40,000/year
• Be consider “proficient” in Sign Language
• Continue saving for a house down payment.(atleast 6,000)

23

• Increase Emergency Fund to $8,000
• Start looking for a house to buy.
• Get something – Anything – published.

24

• Increase Emergency Fund to $10,000
• Start creating my dream bathroom, in whichever house we chose to buy. : )
• Make atleast 3 extra Mortgage payments.

Now, you may notice that I only plan on saving roughly $2,000/year. This is for a couple of reasons 1) so we will have money to do other things with, such as vacations and toys. and 2) so that we can put a good amount towards a downpayment on a house. 3) this doesn't include our retirement plan (as I have yet to decide on one).

I believe saving is extreamly important, but I also think it is important to live, and to have fun with the money you earn. After all, we have no guarentee of tomorrow, what if I were to save and save and save, in hopes of one day living a dream life full of money and things - just to never make it there. I want to live responsibly, but I also want to live in the now. Not in the tomorrow.

How about you, do you have a plan?

Do you think I am saving to little, or just enough?