Yes, I've missed a few weeks along the way. Please be assured it was only due to the holiday rush in addition to losing power (and partially my mind) during our big ice storm, and I will begin posting more regularly now that the craziness is just about to subside after the new year.
As I said previously, we did not inherit any new debt over the holidays, and I was able to stay within my "envelope system" quite well. There were a few instances where I was unable to plan, which in turn caused me to pay more for items than I normally would (ie. we ran out of pull-ups. Normally, I would not purchase them if they weren't on sale or without a coupon, but I weighed going out again in holiday traffic vs. paying a couple extra dollars right then, and it was worth the money to not have to go out again).
Another instance where I didn't plan well was for our Christmas Eve party. I made a list of what I needed and just went to the market. It was painful for me to not use one single coupon. Seriously, I spent $70, and I probably could have easily saved $20-30 had I had the time to prepare a little better. Overall, it was fine and within my budget. We didn't go out to eat last week, so I was able to combine my grocery envelope with my out-to-eat envelope, and I still stayed $10 under budget. But now, thankfully, the leftovers are just about gone, and I now need to go grocery shopping again.
Wow, I'm just a chatterbox today! I did have my excise tax to worry about this month, though. I bought my new-to-me SUV in July, and my town finally caught up with me to pay my excise tax of $288. Of course, it was due around Christmas. Somehow, I managed to scrape together the money without dipping any further into my EF. I just wish I could have used all that extra towards my CC debt. Oh well.
I'm hoping things get back to normal next week, and I can properly recap in a more precise manner. Basically, I used my budget where I needed it these past weeks. The key word, though, is BUDGET.
I guess I'll break down how I came across the "extra" money for my excise tax:
Refund check from past business expenses: $71
Money in an old savings account: $80 (thank goodness!)
Cashcrate Check for November: $22
Treasure Trooper Check for November: $22
Refund check from Doctor's visit: $10
Extra money from budget the last two weeks: $83
Total = $288
It was definitely a challenge, but I'm thankful I was able to pull this money together without putting it on a credit card or taking money from my EF.
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That is great that you found a way to 'scrape' together money to pay for the excise tax on your SUV. :)
Holidays can prove to be something hard when living w/in a BUDGET, but you are doing great! ;)
Keep up the good work!