We have reach the end of another month and it is time for me to look back at the goals I set and reflect on how I have done. So did I achieve my goals in November 2018? I feel like I could write the a very short answer here. No. No I didn’t achieve all of my goals. I have made some progress none the less.
My goals for November 2018 were as follows:
- Boost my side income
- Begin a sinking fund for next year
- Clear another £500 of my second credit card
- Finish saving my tax payment
Boost my side income.
My intention, my hope, was to make an extra £200 this month from side hustles in order to combat the lower amount of freelance work that I always get during the winter months. Well I am pleased to say that on the 24th I smashed this goal and I am still adding to it. Considering this has been quite an unsuccessful month goals wise I am so pleased that this one has gone well.
If you have debt yourself, or you have had debt in the past, you will know the stress of limited funds at Christmas. This £200, although it is not a huge amount of money, will cover my Christmas shopping and ensure that I can still pay my bills without even having to think about using my credit card. That is priceless. Both Ebay and Prolific Academic have played big roles in my success with this goal. I highly recommend both if you’re trying to boost your income!
Begin a sinking fund for next year.
With the help of my extra income total, I have also been able to add a small amount of money to my savings in preparation for next year. With our wedding, honeymoon, my hen do, a friend’s wedding and hen do, two big birthdays and many other things along the way I’m sure, there will be a lot to pay for.
Saving a small amount of money each month now is going to make such a difference to my debt progress and my bank balance. It also ensures that I won’t be panicking and scraping together money at the last minute. So far I have put away £50 which is a good start.
Clear another £500 of my second credit card.
Unfortunately I was nowhere near reaching this goal in November. In fact, I was only able to pay £100 towards my credit card this month. I’m definitely disappointed as I was hoping to clear the majority of my card before the new year. With £2277 still left on it, this won’t be happening.
On the plus side, I paid in more than the minimum amount and I was able to make the payments towards both of my loans comfortably too. This is a world away from the way I handled my finances when I began my debt free journey. At that time I was scraping together the pennies and pounds and in a constant state of panic. That difference alone is something to celebrate!
Finish saving my tax payment.
It hasn’t been possible for me to complete my tax payment goal either. My earnings just weren’t high enough. Thankfully I have been able to add a small amount to savings and don’t have too much further to go now. Another £250 in the pot and I’ll be ready to process my tax return, so this will be the focus of December. Once that’s completed I’m sure I’ll feel a big weight lifted as of course there is a deadline. Then I can return my attention fully to my debt free journey.
I’ll be setting my goals for December on the first of the month so keep an eye out for that post!