Good Boy, To Get Ahead

Okay, so since today is the Friday of the Labour Day Long Weekend, this means that I am being tempted to run to the hills.

I also know that since it is the beginnings of September, that October is coming and with it the Winterizing of Wanda. 

Whether winter comes in a day or months from now, it doesn’t matter, I lose my indoor plumbing. 

Whenever the RV Dealership has their special day to winterize the trailer (in early October) I pay to have Wanda Winterized. 

This means that I lose the use of my fresh water lines until spring (when I de-winterize).

So, this particular weekend I have been particularly tempted to run to a full hook-up campground so as to be able to splurge and have an actual shower in my trailer and do other silly things like not care about how much water I am using. (Wasteful I know).

Yet, in order to do that it would cost the camping fees (which is more for a long weekend as there is an extra day) and also the fuel costs to drive to and from the campsite.

This time, if I do this I am stealing from my savings and in so doing putting my fiscal plans in jeopardy. 

I have a timeline and goals and as silly as it may sound, I have things that I want to get done before this year is out. 

Things that are (as is normal for me) ambitious goals; yet they are goals that I can accomplish, if I am a good boy and not spend extravagantly. 

I can spend a little bit along the way on cash and get a few things, even go for a weekend of camping, just not this month. 

This month I have been focusing on another small task, all focussed on getting myself further ahead, one step at a time, one payday at a time.

You know . . . if I continue to be a good boy.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

A Tale of Two Winters

I have seen two different predictions for this upcoming winter. One says that it will be warmer than normal and the other says it will be bitterly colder than normal. 

I gotta tell you, I am hoping for the former, rather than the later. (But that’s just me).

Warmer winters are so much nicer, I can stay in Spring/Fall Mode longer. (Meaning that I can use my sinks and toilets longer.)

As well there is the fact that I don’t have to do my “Michelin Man” impersonation on a daily basis (You know, bundle up to 5 – 7 layers just to lounge around the house and watch things freeze).

Yet, the truth is that a big, bad, nasty, bitterly cold winter does not scare me (it doesn’t enthuse me either) but it does not scare me.

After surviving my first night at -30C in Wanda, not much scares me, because I know that I can handle it.

I take each day in stride and ask “What can I get away with today?”  

As in: 

• Can I keep water liquid just sitting around the house?

• Can I run my fridge for half a day rather than 24/7?

• Can I open the: windows, vents, and door so as to enjoy some fresh air?

• Can I wear normal clothes and not bundle up so much that I have trouble bending my knees and elbows?

You know, normal, everyday stuff like that.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Wallet Budgets’ Shakeup

Okay, so I have said a few times that I use wallets in order to help budget for my spending between paydays. 

I do this by putting and keeping cash in various physical wallets, that are labelled and allocated for different types of spending. 

The theory is simple: when there is no more cash in the wallet that budget is spent until payday. 

Also every dollar I spend out of each wallet between paydays has to be put back in that wallet come next payday.

So this way, when I spend cash out of a wallet, I am actually spending money out of next payday’s budget.

So, this gives me a reward for not spending cash, (as I will have to put less cash back in the wallet next payday).

Yet this also gives me a double pain of the spend, as there is the pain when you hand over cash for something (the spend feels more real). 

Yet also I know that I have to take cash out of the next payday’s budget to put the cash back in the wallet that I have just spent.

For me the magic number that I base these wallets around is $20.00. Why is that? 

Well, it’s simple, it’s easier to divvy up a fistful of twenties between wallets, than have to calculate out how many twenties, how many tens, and how many fives you will need.

So, each time I “Crack a Twenty” I have to update the next payday’s budget to reflect that I am going to put that twenty back in to that particular wallet.

This system also generates a fair bit of coins, which accumulates across a few different wallets. This got me thinking, why not consolidate those coins?

Here are my wallets as they stand now.

 

Okay so you see the labelled ones, they are self explanatory. You can also guess which wallet I use the most due to the wear on its label (Hint, it’s the Grocery Wallet).

The black square wallet on an angle is my regular wallet which contains all of my essential cards that I need on a regular basis.

So, what I have done is order new wallets (I simply could not find wallets locally that were not stupidly expensive.)

The new coin wallets arrived just now and they are the two new black ones with the coloured tags in the front. They are identical so the tags are so I can tell them apart. 

The blue tag is for my Laundry Wallet (for the coins to use in the machines at the Laundromat).

 

And the yellow tag is for all of my coins to go into (you know, other than the ones for the laundry machines).

 

This new system collects all of my coins and forms a new “slush fund” of coins. This way I can try to spend with exact change or just steal a twonie to buy a loaf of bread.

This way I can reduce the amount of bills that I crack and hopefully save a bit more.

Also, I can perhaps be a bit freer with the smaller spends, say a cup of coffee or a candy bar.

We shall see how this works out.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Camping No-Go

So, as expected, I waited too long before booking my campsite for this upcoming weekend (the Labour Day Long Weekend). 

I had wanted to give myself more time in order to make my goal of Fully Funding my Mid-Term Account (to contain one year of living expenses) . . . and I did that.

But, in so doing, I waited too long and as a result there are no spaces available (other than stupidly far away ones, as in north of Edmonton.

Since, when I am towing Wanda I get about 23 Litres per 100 Km, I am not driving anywhere close to that far unless I have to (as in a giant asteroid is hurtling towards the city where I live.)  

So, I will stay around town and even more so, most likely in my Eastern Home as I try to make the best of it. 

I will remind myself that I am doing this in order to save as much cash and get some traction on my Grand Savings Project.

After all, I don’t want to live in this trailer forever. 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

The Sly Cutbacks

So, this is one of those situations where we will have to wait and see how it plays out. 

We knew all week that Boss was planning on heading up to his cabin for this week. Fine. 

We also knew that he seemed to want to leave early on Friday, Fine.

So when Boss said that “We will be closing at 1:00” it was not a big deal because we all figured that this was just because of that. 

(We typically close at 1:30 on Fridays.)

Yet, when it came time to leave, Boss was still in his office and said “Bye.” (Boss likes to work a little bit after we leave for the day, yet not if he has to leave early.)

This was odd, and yet something that had happened before. 

Way back when I first started, Boss would run some errands on Fridays (like everyday) and say “I’ll be back by 1:30” only to almost never do so.

This lead to me saying “Fine, if you’re not back and I can’t leave, then I’m still on the clock, and so I marked on my timesheet that I worked until 2:00.

Fast forward to a number of months ago, where Boss let us go at 1:30, and told us to mark on our timesheet that.

Okay, fine, it is his right as Boss, but it seemed a little sneaky.

“Do you guys want to leave at 1:30?” Boss said.

“Sure,” we all casually replied.

“Fine! Put that down on your time sheets!” Boss proudly said and went into his office.

That was the death of working till 2:00 . . . But Boss always did make a point to be back before 1:30 after that.

Then there is this latest thing and something tells me that this is another one of those “sneaky cutbacks.”

I will not know until next Friday and if Boss says again that we are closing at 1:00 that we have all officially lost another half-hour of pay.

I will be okay, and I get that it is his right as the employer and that it may be necessary, but, if you’re going to do it, just come out and say it.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!

It’s Okay To Keep Your Money

That seems like an odd thing to say and one that shouldn’t need to be said, but sometimes you need to restate the obvious. This is one of those times.

I find it interesting that for the most part we average people ‘consumers’ have been . . . wait a minute why are we thinking of ourselves as ‘consumers’ all the time?

Is that it? Is that the sum purpose of our existence? To go out, get a job to earn money, then turn around to buy stuff in order to CONSUME, only to turn around and do it all again. 

Then when you run out of money, you borrow some from your neighbourhood friendly bank in order to go out and buy more stuff only to CONSUME it. 

Let me ask you this . . . what’s in it for you? All that nifty stuff you bought? You mean, last year’s stuff? That obsolete stuff? That stuff that is breaking down and needs to be replaced? 

I know that people will be calling me a heretic and saying that I am an inadvertent proponent of a recession or even depression, but I say . . .

SCREW YOU, IT’S MY DAMN MONEY AND I CAN KEEP IT IF I WANT TO!

I don’t need to buy the latest and greatest stuff. I don’t need constantly replace what I have with newer stuff. 

I don’t need to run out and buy the newest shiny bauble (just because it is new and shiny.)

Buy what you need, sure, but don’t, inadvertently and/or subconsciously, take the weight and guilt of ‘spend or the economy crashes’ upon you.

Your first responsibility should be to yourself and ensuring the financial wellbeing of you and your family. 

Put cash away for that rainy day . . . and keep using the old crap if you have to.

I’ll get off my soap box now. 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Grand Savings Update

Okay, so it is that time again, when I update how my progress is going on my “Grand Savings Plan!” 

Okay, so let’s see how I did . . . 

   

For review, here is how things looked from last payday . . .

   

And this is how things look like, after the dust settled on this payday’s budget . . . 

   

That’s right things jumped up to 6.7% of my savings target. That means I put away 1.1% of my total Savings Target this payday.

Now, I can either look at that as a depressing number and tell myself “This is taking too long, I will never get this done!”

Or, I can look at this as progress, small progress, but progress nonetheless. I choose to look at this in the latter sense, because I refuse to accept the status quo.

The other win was the fact that I was able to save on fuel, both in generator fuel and in truck fuel. 

That means that despite fuel prices being high, I was able to come in $7.00 under mu fuel budget. (That means $7.00 more dollars in my pocket, thanks.)

It is by looking for all of these little wins that I am able to stay motivated and keep going. 

What is also working for me is that I have done this type of thing before. Success breeds success. Wins breed wins (at least in a personal sense). 

So, look for the little wins in your life, recognize that and then go for another slightly larger win. 

Each time you do, each time you succeed, your self-confidence will increase. Trust me, I know. 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Pained, Yet Necessary, Balance

Okay, today is payday, and so this is the day that I have been working towards. I have had a few goals that I have wanted to achieve by this payday.

The first is to fully-fund my Mid-Term Account and the second is to get myself out of my Personal Overdraft.

Things were a bit tighter than I had expected, and I had to make a few minor cutbacks, yet I have made it, I have done both of those things.

I am still moving forward, and I have much more saving to do, yet I have a slightly larger cushion than before. 

Again, each payday is one step forward, and it can be frustrating to wait two weeks to take a step forward. 

This is why I need to stop to take notice of what I have accomplished this payday. (Or rather, what I will accomplish, this evening, after going to the bank and running around).

I think one of my larger accomplishments was one of my earlier ones, that was the ability to leave cash in the bank and not spend it. 

I used to spend with my debit card all the time on whatever I felt like. That was a steady drain on my finances and that one habit prevented me from getting anywhere.

(But I digress.)

It is good to accomplish a goal that I have had on my board for a while now (fully fund my Mid-Term Account.)

Now I will start building my Long-Term Account! 

(Well, yes, but technically I will temporarily put that cash in my Mid-Term Account as the Long-Term Account doesn’t pay any interest on balances less than $5K.)

Anyway, the fact remains that this is a pivoting payday, in so far as I have accomplished one larger goal and I am working towards another one. 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!

Mild Winter They Say.

As you may expect, I keep a weather eye on the weather. During winter I monitor it daily, so as to know what is coming.

I don’t really do so in summer, as there is an extremely remote chance of things flash-freezing where I will need to worry about my water pipes bursting or not being able to dump.

Still, since my house is for the most part the same temp as the outside, my life is heavily influenced by the weather. 

I have seen a few preliminary reports from some weather gurus and they seem to predict a mild winter . . . I say bring it on.

I could use a non-freezing everything winter. I don’t expect to be sun tanning or running around in shorts, but anything warmer than a deep-freeze is welcome.

We shall see what happens because even if it was colder than normal, I would still be out here and living in this trailer, because this is what I need to do to get my hiney ahead.

(But a warmer than average winter would be welcome.)

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!

First Weekend in Eastern Home (Again)

So, this weekend, for the first time in a while, I did not go to my Western Home, while in town.

I stayed in my sleeping spot all weekend and it wasn’t all that bad. After all, most of the time Wanda is in “Compact Mode” anyways. 

So, what are a couple more days on the weekend. 

In the dead of winter I don’t bother getting out of Compact Mode because there is little point. The place is damn cold anyway, that I hibernate

I did not hibernate this weekend, but I did rest and recover from a stressful week at work. I think the word “inventory” will explain everything.

I did still have a BBQ a couple of times and sat out in the smoky sun. In the end, I did my best to enjoy the weekend while resting, as I needed to do.

Again, I keep reminding myself that this is a journey and not a destination, and I will have a proper place to live, someday. 

Until then I will do what I need to do to survive and save as much cash as I can. 

(After all, obtaining a lotto win, is not a viable fiscal plan.)

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Focus Forward

Okay, so things are a bit frustrating right now, with the lack of a place to belong (particularly on the weekends). 

So, my focus is always to look to the future and the better times that brings. 

This is not airy-fairy wishful thinking, but rather as a result of me looking at my fiscal plan, the one that I have laid out in my cascading budgets.

I can see what happens if I do this or that and in so doing see how my good fiscal stewardship of this payperiod will carry through to the next and the next.

It is looking at those plans with the confidence that I have gained from the past few years of budgeting and sticking to budgets that gives me that hope for the future.

I do need to remind myself of what I have achieved so as to reaffirm my faith in my ability to reach this new far off goal that I have set for myself.

I will continue to work to better my fiscal position so as to one day move out of this trailer and onto my own house on my own land, as I begin that homesteading process (to start that town).

So, I suppose that it is also that dream, that vision that keeps me going through the “Why am I doing this?” phases.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Still Nowhere to Be

The weekend is coming, for me that means tomorrow afternoon. At that time I will need to figure out where I will be parking for the weekend. 

Usually this would mean going to my Western Home so has to have a slice of normalcy as I do my weekly shopping. 

With Western Home still in a snit, this means that I will most likely be spending it here in Eastern Home, as in where I stay during the week.

I will still do my weekly shopping, yet it will be in the area where I have my mailbox (much closer to my Eastern Home).

The downside is that I will be still parking on the street which means I will not be able to put my stabilizer jacks down or put my slide-out out.

I can’t put my slide-out out because it will put my hiney in traffic. I technically could put my stabilizer jacks down, but I have found that doing so attracts attention.

I will still think on this as I try to determine where I can go that is not too far away. As saving fuel and cash are always my top priorities.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Banks Terrify Me

In one week, I will have finally stashed away enough cash to last me one year, this is half -way to my initial goal of having two year’s worth of living expenses stashed away.

With me starting to have something called a “Long-Term Savings” my thoughts are now turning towards what to do with them?

Sure, I have had Long-Term Savings before, but it was always with a stated goal of draining them to pay off a large loan (Truck then Wanda).

This is putting cash away for a longer term, and so I am looking what to do to keep them safe but also grow them. 

Yet, I only have 4 years to grow them before I start to eat into them. 

So, playing the stock market is not an option, as I am not an investing savant and I absolutely need my balance to be assured and guaranteed.

Therein lies the problem, where to put my savings and how to grow them. 

Another complication is that as a result of all of my investigations into the financial and banking system, putting my faith in them terrifies me. 

Especially after knowing how currency is created and what it is actually worth, at the end of the day . . . nothing. 

(As in there is nothing of real, tangible value backing it, and it is literally created out of thin air by the banks.)

No matter how this scares me, there really are no other realistic savings options. I will keep looking into this as I plod on forward with my savings.

After all, all I really need is for the financial world to keep spinning for 5 – 6 years. (Just long enough for me to get my land and get the homesteading process well underway.)

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!

Western Home Still Wonky

Okay, so this weekend I went back to my Western Home. Things seemed to go okay the last time I was there and so I figured that I would be okay.

I saw a few of the old regulars there (both RV’s and Vehicles) as well as my ‘canary.’ Again, I figured that I would be okay, so I setup and did my weekly shopping.

A while ago, Western Home freaked out and threatened to ticket and tow everyone there. 

I won’t go into the “they have a right, as it is their land” as I haven’t heard them or anyone say I have a right to be anywhere. (Other than “anywhere but here.”)

So, everyone went next door to the empty-since-winter big box retailer. Things were fine until whoever it was, let’s say the ‘property manager’ came by and freaked out.

Once again threatening to “ticket and tow” anyone who was there. (I’m waiting for someone to threaten to “blow in place” anyone still there . . . but I digress.

Apparently Western Home is still in a snit and Sunday was the day that they were going to “ticket and tow” everyone.

It was a good thing that I had to do laundry, so I left anyways. 

I guess Western Home has too many customers and doesn’t need a few loyal ones.

Yet, this means that once again I have nowhere special to go on weekends; nowhere within reasonable distance at least. 

One thing is sure, I will always find a place to park and I one way or another I will be okay.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Another Anniversary On The Weekend

So, it was another special day for me this past weekend. It took a nudge from a friend to remind me of this one, however.

It is funny how time flies and how the little things become special. It was four years ago on Saturday that the first news article about me was published.
 

I am not a conceited man, how could I be when I put all of my mistakes out there for everyone to see.

So, I do not say this to even suggest that I am some sort of celebrity or any sort of big shot.

In truth, the reason why I did the article and why I blog is to let people know that you don’t have to accept lifelong, never-ending debt.

Just like part of the reason why I do not hide what I am doing (being an Urban Nomad) is to protest as to why this should make sense?

Why is it that living in an RV while holding down a full-time, good paying job is not only a good idea but the only realistic way for a work-a-day stiff to get ahead?

Yeah, there are all sort of other schemes and plans (most of them multi-level marketing, or other similar pyramid schemes).

I have said it before, when faced with fiscal difficulties, you can do one of four things:

1) Do Nothing and Hope (EG: Keep doing what you’re doing.).
2) Increase Your Income (EG: Get a second job, online income, etc.)
3) Decrease Your Expenses (EG: Live in a RV and don’t pay rent.)
4) Increase your Income AND Decrease Your Expenses. (As in do #2 and 3.)

So, again, I do not mark this anniversary to say how wonderfully fantastic that I am or how much of a big shot that I am. (Let’s face it, I still live in an RV).

I mark this anniversary to say that it is a special day in my journey, so I will humbly take not of it.

I also humbly submit that if you are mired in debt that you look at the above list and do some hard thinking.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Thankful For Friday

So, it’s Friday, and that means the weekend is here, the good old average-lengthed weekend.

I am thankful for it because I have been the last man standing at work (so to speak). 

Why? Well, life has happened, that’s what.

The Boss is on a well-eared and planed vacation and the Sales Guy has been detained all week on something that should have just taken last weekend (maybe till last Monday).

Well, it’s Friday and I’m still not sure if he will be here this Monday. Boss will be here Monday and so at least I won’t be alone.

So, all week I have been doing everything around the place (with the exception of working on the website).

I let the Web Guy work on the website as I do the other daily duties. When the others are here he still just works on the website. 

After all that is intense brainwork and programming (not just a pre-done website) so a lot of focus and thought is required. (I still say he deserves his own office).

Anyways, I have done this stuff before, as in back when it was just me and Boss went on a holiday. So, this is nothing new, I can do it, but it just keeps me hopping.

So, this weekend I will do some more flopping.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Heat Wave

So, it’s been hot in my neck of the woods, and I have been doing what I always do . . . just adapt to deal with it.

Sure it’s hot but in reality there is little that I can do about it. I suppose that I could run my generator and then run my air conditioner.

That, however, would be a foolish waste of resources . . . and only offer a temporary reprieve. 

It would also get me used to the cooler temperatures. Only to then be hit with the wall of heat once the air conditioner is over.

My tactic is to make/find some shade and hope for at least a light breeze. As well as, yes, wear as little as modesty will allow (and yes in as private as possible).

So I open: the door, all the windows and both vents and just let the breeze blow through. (Yes, I do keep myself hydrated by drinking water.)

I find that my body finds a natural balance and I just seem to get used to it. There is nothing I can do about the weather, so I have no choice but to adapt.

By hiding out in air conditioning, I am not doing myself any favours. 

After all, the one thing that is a constant is I am perpetually outside(ish). The temperature of my house is pretty much the same as the outside. 

I heat it a bit in winter, just to take the edge off, but I do not blast the heat. That would be a waste of resources.

My life is about conserving as much resources and cash as possible, in order to get through this savings-building phase as quickly as possible.

That means toughing it out through the heat, or the cold.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Grand Savings Update!

Okay, so yesterday was payday, and so that meant that it was a busy day for me. There was not only running around but also finalizing my budget.

This also includes adding to my savings in my Grand Savings Plan!

So, let’s see how I did.

   

For review, here is how things looked from last payday . . . 

   

With all of my budgetary magic, here is what it looks like now!

   

So, not only did I cross over the 5% mark (at 5.6% towards my savings goal) but I also moved the estimated “Done Payday” up (as in one payday sooner). 

The “Done Payday” is the payday I can conservatively say that I will be done this savings project. (As in put what I want to into savings).

Another thing of note is that it looks like I will be out of my Personal Overdraft come next payday, as well as put fully fund my Mid-Term Account.

I think I might have set another record, but just to show you how committed I am to this project I put 91.2% of my paycheque into savings. (Yes, that means that I lived on 8.8% of my take home pay)

*pause for reader cursing*

It has taken me a long time and a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get to this point. This savings plan is in essence me paying off one last debt . . . to myself.

Yet, there is a long road of me.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!

Mini-Break Went Well

This past weekend was a long weekend for me and so I went on a well-needed mini-break. 

I was looking forward to the peace and quiet of the forest as well as perhaps having a nice time warmed by a crackling fire in the fire pit.

I did a lot of relaxing and so I didn’t really do much of anything. 

Here was the view out my front door.

   

Here is what was behind me.

   

This is what my little home for the weekend looked like.

   

For those of you who are trapped in a city, here is a panoramic shot from the middle of the forest.

   

In the end, I did get a lot of rest . . . but I didn’t have that campfire.

As always: Keep your head up,  your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Mini-Break Is Here!

Okay, so here I am, ready to go on my fantastic long weekend almost to the mountains. It is a place that I have been to many times, yet haven’t been to in a couple of years.

I am looking forward to getting some rest and having some peace and quiet. I plan to sleep in.

I am also more relaxed in a campground than I am anywhere else. 

My best guess is that for the weekend at least, I have a place to belong because I have paid to be there, and for that weekend at least, it is mine.

Again, only four more years before I am ready to finally have a place (fiscal apocalypse notwithstanding). 

I shall push all of that off and just get through the workday (half-day as usual) before heading out to my mini-break.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Deficit Budgeting For Savings

Okay, so Boss is heading out for a two week vacation, and so he leaves tomorrow, or rather he won’t be in tomorrow.

Since he is gone for two weeks he gave out our paycheques yesterday. Again, we still can’t cash them until Tuesday, but at least we know what we’re getting.

For me this means I can balance my budget, this time it doesn’t look good. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration; I’m $30.00 short of balancing my budget.

This means that I am in my Personal Overdraft for $30.00 this payday and considerably more next payday . . . but that’s okay. 

(Don’t worry, I give myself much better rates than the bank would when lending me money.)

I could balance my budget this payday but then I would not have any treats for my trip out to the mountains this weekend. 

(That counts for $20.00, the other $10.00 would most likely come from savings in the fuel budget).

As far as my next payday budget goes, well, it’s early. I still do the trick where I make the assumption that I only have the sales in hand to count on. 

So, my paycheque looks grim at the beginning of the payperiod and gets increasingly better as the days roll along. 

It is a simple trick to not only be prudent but also always get a little lift each day when any sales come in. 

(Sales = Commission for me.)

The thing to remember is that I am doing this so that I will make that Milestone Goal of fully funding my Mid-Term Account by the end of this month.

I plan to put at least that much (hopefully 1.5 as much) into my Long-Term Account before this year is out. (Assuming the fiscal world keeps spinning.)

So, I will dip into my Personal Overdraft for a short period of time in order to keep myself on track and keep moving my goals forward.

Yet, I won’t live in there, and most likely I will still balance my budget for the 22nd. 

As always; Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!

New Month, Same Drive

So, it is the first of August, and I am closing in on my first major Milestone Goal. 

I have a good idea what my upcoming paycheque will be, and I also have a good guess as to what the one after that will be.

I am happy to say that it looks that I will fully fund my Mid-Term Account by the payday after this one (on the 22nd).

It is nice to see some progress and see that things are coming together, as it is sometimes dreary to see how slow progress ticks forward.

It is seems slower when I get to look ahead a few months to see what is coming. Only to then look back at this upcoming paycheque or worse . . . the current state of my bank accounts. 

Yet, progress is progress and the important thing to remember is that I am taking steps forward and even more importantly, I am making my targets, routinely.

Since I am able to budget and forecast and then stick to that budget and make that forecast a reality, I am able to do what I have been able to do so far.

It is also with this confidence and hard won victories that I will continue to clomp on forward and somehow make my dreams come true. 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!