the six month mark

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it's been six big bad months since i started my financial lockdown!! and, i'm still hangin' on. i've had my set backs, my misfires, my days where i wanted to give up...but overall it has been a really good experience!! here's how things have broken down over the last six months:

may 2011: month one was amazing! i don't know if i have tried so hard to succeed at something. total debt paid $1,950.52.

june 2011: i took some money from my emergency fund this month to put on the student loan. did well overall with watching my spending, but learned maybe i have to give up whole foods during the lockdown to save more on groceries. total debt paid $3,108.09.

july 2011: had a tails job this month for some extra dough, and also traveled for work so saved a bit on gas/groceries. downside, i ran into unexpected expenses and overspent on my budget. total debt paid $1,695.51 (and $149.35 into savings).

august 2011: this was my first sucky month. sucky, actually, might be an understatement. my car cost me a decent pot of cash, i had to buy an airline ticket i wasn't planning on, broke my camera and had to get a new one, overspent my ass off on a bunch of clothes, etc etc. i only paid my minimums due on both my student loan and my car payment this month. boo, i know. total debt paid $495.30 (oh and that $149.35 came back out of savings).

september 2011: at the beginning of the month i decided that i needed to put more focus into some other areas that were causing me way too much stress in my life. i decided to be good about money, but not focus on it for a little while to hopefully lower my stress level. this month i had a bachelorette party, spent a good deal of money altering a dress, paid for 6 months of car insurance, and focused pretty heavily on getting in shape (and training with my trainer stephanie). i did a few things to help my debt situation this month also. i returned about $200 in unworn clothes that i really didn't need, i had a tails job, and i stayed one night a week at my grandpa's to lower some gas costs. i also got together with friends quite a bit this month but worked those get togethers around free tickets i had to games, pool afternoons and hikes...all free!! total debt paid $778.95

october 2011: what?!?! october is over!??! wtf! talk about flying by! it probably flew because i don't think i stood still for more than one minute for the first three weeks of the month. i was all over the place! aspen to encourage a beautiful friend to try something new, kansas city to watch my oldest friend marry the man of her dreams, beaver creek for a getaway, and various other projects had me hustlin! i followed my plan of relaxing a bit on the lockdown during super hectic times-and still did pretty well! total debt paid $1135.30

starting amounts:
credit cards: ($812.57)
student loans: ($14,059.09)
volkswagon: ($19,243.07)
savings: $5,000.00

amounts due:
credit cards: $0.00
student loans: ($7,828.61)
volkswagon: ($17,351.92)
savings: $2,627.93* it's important to note that i took money from savings for paying down debt and also purchased $500.00 in a Roth IRA (right before the market plummeted-not happy!)

if i can do it with my anthropologie addiction, my self proclaimed food and wine critic position, and excessive number of trips back to kansas city to see friends and family, you can too. i promise. let's change our financial situations. all of us!

this calls for a dance party.
xoxo ashleycolean

month three!!!

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here we are-Q1 of the financial lock down completed! if we were sharing this at an ashleycolean shareholders meeting, i feel that everyone would be very happy with the results...feeling good about Q2!!

this month i figured out one of my downfalls...whenever something comes up that screws up my goals, or plans, or budget i get a 'screw it' attitude and feel like just spending more and more. i guess it's sort of like, well, you screwed it up so you might as well go nuts!

the good news, my friends, is that i fought that feeling and when my car got destroyed by mother nature and i had to spend another $70.00 i wasn't expecting for travel-i held out. i didn't 'go nuts' i felt secure in the fact that i had the money to cover it. sure my lock down numbers wouldn't be as high this month (and next when i have to get my car at the shop) but at least i did the best i could.
i'm happy with myself. hap hap happy.

i had a couple of 'tails' jobs this month that helped out the amount i was able to pay down. and, despite a slight over spend on my 'wants' i still pulled out a total debt down of $1,695.51, and also put $149.35 in savings! not bad, eh!
july i met goal 2 on my list! under $10,000 on my student loans!!!!

august is going to be a big month too! despite the fact that i'll have to take care of my rental car and the costs to get my vw back, i think i'll meet goal 3, a positive net worth. can i get a woot woot!

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thanks tina! i think you rock too!
xoxo ashleycolean

can i get a....

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exciting news, i made goal 2 on my list!!! i am below $10,000 on my student loans! a total pay down in 3 months of $4,676.04. i'm actually bowing as i type this....now i'm curtsying...while bowing.

check meowt!
xoxo ashleycolean

small goals, big progress

i talked recently about making step ladder goals....little goals along the way to be happy about progress and breakup the hugeness of paying $34,114.73 in 24 months!

here are my bigger, little goals :)

1. pay off all consumer debt (credit cards)
2. get under $10,000 on my student loans
3. achieve a positive net worth
4. $7029.55 on student loans (which will be half of what i started with on may 1)
5. $10,000 down on my total debt in 6 months or less

the best part about goals, are rewards. so i came up with a few fun things i can reward myself with for meeting each goal.

rewards:
1. i already reached this goal, so rewarding now would be anticlimactic :)
2. mkors watch (don't worry, i've been saving gift cards)
3. a dinner out (my mom will be in town the month i think that i'll make it, i bet i could talk her into paying)
4. brunch with a friend at the st julien (use my gift card, that even includes tax/tip) i won from a contest)
5. a night at the st julien (with a gift cert)

i'm a big believer in goals and rewards. just be careful your reward doesn't hurt your future goals. they say when you're dieting it's horrible to reward with food-the same goes for financial goals, don't reward with spending money because it'll just curb your future progress!!

save those gift cards!
xoxo ashleycolean

the loop

hey ya'll. i've been way off on my blogging for the past couple of weeks. between travel, work, and recent mother nature related events i have had a full plate.

this month is costing me a small fortune-which sucks. but, like i said before, such is life. i've had a ton of unexpected expenses this month. most of which were out of my control. but i also did a little overspending this month (so far). not a crazy ton amount over my $200.00 limit but a bit....okay, more than a bit. $103.24-that, unfortunately, is not including all the crap i'm going to have to pay for because of my car damage. which right now is looking like about $400.00.

here's where i failed this month:

$43.83-at a bar in kansas city when i went to visit friends
$42.37-once a year i place a marykay order. that happened this month. i know you are probably thinking 'i remember that post about all the products you have. you didn't need anything'. you'd be partially correct. i have a ton of stuff, but a few things i didn't have any of and that $42.37 oughta get me through at least 6 months.
$37.98-a necklace online. it's an old anthro necklace and i was obsessed then and still am. but alas, didn't need it.

see-it's so cute!

$69.70-my obsessive compulsive planning got me in trouble this month when i had to rebook a plane ticket because the timing of the event i was flying home for was different than anticipated.

so those few bigger hits have pulled a bit more change out of the pocketbook than i would have liked.
i should be okay for the rest of the month not spending anything. i gotta lock it up.

i'll update you on what this car dilemma is costing me. i should know next week when i get gwendi the vw back. i already miss her.

here's to cheap weekends.
xoxo ashleycolean