Resolution Update for January

- Cutting back on the amount of money going out The second half of the month was easier than the first. I was on vacation for the first half of the month, but since I was visiting family I wasn't paying for meals out. The problem was the exchange rate is $2.00 to the pound.
- Eliminate NSF fees. This is just a stupid fee after all. So far, no NSF fee.
- Cut back ATM Withdrawal fees to a maximum $5/month for emergencies only. Better planning and sticking to my budget should eliminate the need to use other bank's ATMs. The only problem I see is while traveling. Because of the trip I did use the ATMs, but I only had $3.50 at home.
- Cut back on meals out. Another area where better planning will help. I need to work on that menu planning thing. Well, I need a lot of work on this. Jet lag stopped me from shopping for groceries and I didn't have anything in the fridge because of the trip.
- Pay off Visa #2. This will take a bit of work since my budget is pretty tight right now, but if I make sure that the snowflake money goes to it instead of getting used before it makes it to the bank. This will save about $1,000 in interest fees in the next year. I only put the normal amount towards the card, but I'm working on creating snowflakes.
- Contact credit card companies about lowering interest rates. Okay, I'm going to do this tomorrow. I promise!
- Increase Savings- Continue putting $25 per paycheck to IRA January I put $100 towards my IRA because I wanted to take advantage of the market crash. I got 10 more shares of Intel. Yeah!
- Build Emergency Savings to $1,000 I'm working on it, but I may have to use some of it this month.
- Create savings for new tires for the car Nope. This one was a dud.
- Increase Income I've been working on market research opportunities and I have a taste test coming up for $20.
- Look for other employment opportunities with additional compensation Nope
- Invest more time in compensation for hobbies (photography, knitting...) Third Nope
- Look for other income possibilities I am looking, but I did add the Google Adsense to the blog.