I downgraded my Comcast internet from 1Gbps to 150Mbps so still pretty good but now saving $33 per month!

Raked and mowed the yard myself instead of paying someone. Although I'm paying someone to paint the bathrooms because I'm just too messy with paint.

Bought part of a birthday gift for my partner using a gift card. Kept spending on another gift for a friend in check (while still getting her something that I know she will love) and re-gifted something (new) I already had to another friend for her birthday. I want to be generous but looking at the pattern of my spending over the past few months I can see that my 'gifts' category is one that is regularly over budget. Sometimes I have failed to anticipate the expense but sometimes I have simply been disorganised and over-spent because I have bought something generic and expensive last minute. So have not only kept the spending under control but have also managed a bit of a mind shift towards intentional spending - so that's a win :-)

I'm mega new (I'm still on the free trial) but I already feel like I have a better sense of where my money is and how to feel prepared. I've already had some weird one-off expenses like a domain name renewal, renter's insurance, and a rec center yearly renewal but now I feel positive that I can pay for them in cash instead of having to do the credit card float. Everything already feels like less of a scramble and I'm only about two weeks in! I had to do a double take when I did my budget for the coming week and realized I ALREADY had cash for my internet bill.

Only a week out from completing my first no shopping month ever. Also my first ynab month! I got the ynab book from the library on kindle so I can read it for free and have been listening to the podcast for motivation, as well as checking in with my budget daily and logging spending on my phone.

This is my first month doing YNAB, and the first month in several years where I haven't gotten a single text from my bank telling me I'm overdrawn or heading that way.

Assessed my subscriptions (self care, education), which I feel like I underuse. Kept one, as I love the cause and want to use it more; cancelled one that wasn't a good fit for me and was set up to auto renew in January; one month left on another subscription, which will renew at a full-price rate rather than the promotional one I signed up with so I really need to consider whether it is worth it and have been looking into free alternatives. Calling this awareness of where my money is going  a win. 

I just opted to buy two instead of six of something. Something I need/use but can't buy locally anymore. Site was having a 50% off sale but as I looked in my shopping cart, I realized this is a weakness of mine - buying things like this in bulk (and then justifying it as potential gifts...). So I dialed it back to two (one small, one large). Nothing wrong with buying in bulk from time to time, but I realized I want to do so with intention not just at the whim of some website that sucks me in with a deal. Small win. 

I discovered Aldi for the first time and oh my god my life has changed. 

Starting to notice that I am being a little less YNAB-obsessed, not out of not following the method anymore, but because it feels like I finally have my categories in some order and that my spending pace and earning pace are starting to feel more in sync. 

I've officially made over $100 from babysitting this week and all that money is going towards credit card debt! 🎉

Finally received a long-awaited work reimbursement. I had taken note of where I had 'borrowed' from my savings to cover the amounts in YNAB and was able to plough the money back where it came from (even though the purchases had taken place over a few months). Result: money diverted back into my savings rather than regarded (as there is always a danger to do with big sums that just arrive in your account) as a bonus. Healthy savings categories, happy me :-)

I joined an Affiliate Shopping program that rewards with cash back.  I'm not a big shopper so am confident I won't spend just for the sake of earning cash back.  Doing my regular shopping this month through the program has earned $60 this month.  It's a passive minor income source as opposed to a perpetual discount/s.

I made a step to improve my attitude today.  My husband is a work-a-holic and hasn't made time to vacation with the family for the past two years.  Our twins are in Grade 12 this year and I really want to go on an Epic Adventure with them next summer.  I was reading this week's blog about another YNAB'ers Epic Adventure with his kids to Portugal and I realized that I don't need to wait around for hubby to get his act together, I can save up and enjoy a trip with the kids.  I switched the "Renovation Account" to "Epic Adventure" and I'll start sending money over every paycheque!  This makes me so happy! 

Today I knew I needed to check my budget and cover/adjust/roll with the punches for overspending. Instead of hiding my head and avoiding in shame, refusing to check my bank account and pretending like nothing was happening, I logged on to YNAB. I imported all my transactions, categorized, and reconciled my account balance. Then, instead of panicking when I saw the red categories, I took a breath. "I can figure this out," I told myself. I remembered on of the training videos: what does my money need to do before my next paycheck? There, I saw that my monthly category for my car payment, which had $230 in it, did not need to be paid this month. Because of YNAB, I was one month ahead and my next payment wasn't due until 12/28. I was able to move that money around and set aside money for the following month without worry. 

This is my first Christmas with YNAB. I set aside money and saved for it for the past 6 months, but when the time actually came to buy presents I went over what I planned for. Doesn't have to be a shame spiral when you have a place to start and a method for finding solutions. I still feel that icky, "things didn't go as planned" feeling, but in my mind I keep repeating to myself this is a learning experience and to roll with the punches. 

I went to the auction with dad and didn't buy anything.

This evening I reviewed my supply of vitamins and such and adjusted my Amazon Subscribe and Save settings appropriately - changed the frequency on an item and adjusted the next delivery date on a couple more to account for my backlog of those items.

I also submitted my extra student loan payment tonight since my paycheck hit the bank.

Despite FOMO and a sense that I *should* be in town buying bargains I resisted 98% of Black Friday adverts that hit me everywhere I went and only replaced a pair of slippers which I was going to have to buy over the next few weeks anyway. Tough day-it really normalizes that easeful spending from the desk with the pressure of the limited availability of the offer. But I survived!

I started using YNAB!