As we are approaching the end of the year, I decided to look at my savings goals for the year.
I did not like what I saw since, I will not be able to meet my savings goal. Here are the major reasons:
1. I have decided to step in and help a family member and I gifted the money.
2. I have budgeted for a lower cost, in-country vacation but decided to take mom to Italy for her birthday.
3. I went to the US for a business trip and spent some money on shopping which was not budgeted.
I was a bit bummed about this but then I remembered to check my numbers by December 2015 and was surprised to find out that by the end of the year I will have increased my savings by 67%! Now, that is a great achievement.
I will plan more carefully for next year factoring in some unexpected expenses. I should have a miscellaneous category in my budget.
Still it is too soon to be thinking about the end of the year so, I will just focus on spending wisely. May be I can make up for a little bit of the gap between my goal and my end of year outlook.
At the same time, don't beat yourself up for what you DID do with your money. You have to live, too, and you had a couple of terrific holidays and helped someone you love, even if these expenditures weren't planned as well as you'd have liked. You got to spend more time with your mom. Those memories are more precious than the cost of the trip. xx
ReplyDeleteVery true! I am not feeling bad about this at all. I just need to budget better next year.
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