Working Towards Financial Freedom

Confession....I have a MAJORLY detailed personal finance spreadsheet. I'm such a nerd about it, that I like looking at it almost every day. I've only been in charge of own finances since April of 2015 and I just created the spreadsheet September of 2018. Finally seeing where all my money goes is mind blowing!

So what is on it you may ask? I have my monthly bills, minus my salary + my extra money after that. THEN each month, I log what I use that extra money on. This year I've even begun documenting money spent on dining out, groceries and gas. I have that included in my monthly bills, but I like to see if I go over my set budget or not. Mostly I do.

I'm making more than I did last year, I have company provided health insurance and now a 401K. But even with all that, I've found that this year, more than last, I've been splurging a bit too much. Some were needed (new tires, tune up on the car) and others were not...returned the Gucci belt because it was too small and not sure when I can re-buy it again. Bought a new camera (loving it for the 'gram!) and 2 pairs of Tory Burch sandles for our San Diego trip, which I cannot wear here in Denver yet! LOL

So March I went a bit overboard...now I'm challenging myself to a no spend April. "Other" spending is going to be as close to NONE as possible! Besides our hotel room for NYC next month WHICH I was able to get an Influencer discount on! So saving about $500! 

How am I going to be saving money this month?

1. Skipped Me Undies subscription - $32 saved

2. Using food that we have at home for breakfast and lunch meal prep. We have a bunch of frozen fish from un-used Blue Aprons that I'm taking advantage of. Leftover veggies, canned goods, etc. This also contributes to less food waste! The first week of April, I didn't have to go grocery shopping so saved about $40.

3. Not eating out as much. I'm pretty good about not eating out a lot. I have a $80 set budget for that, but I haven't stayed under that for the last two months. So really buckling down on that for sure this April!

3. Selling on Poshmark. I love Poshmark. It has helped me make a bit of extra money and have my things go to a happy home, not the garbage! I'm selling a lot of my Studio DIY clutches on there as well as my Futurama collection. I have the subscription until August and hopefully start saving more money there once it is over. So far this month I've made $260 on Poshmark!

4. Skipping movies this month. Both Marvel movies can wait until May. Endgame comes out end of April anyways so I can miss some of the crowds - $40 saved.

It doesn't seem like a lot, but a little goes a long way, especially with a little bit of Poshmark income coming in. How do you guys work on saving vs. spending? Do you have a crazy spreadsheet like me? Ocean Eyes says NO...LOL Share with me in the comments below! Lets help each other!!