Budgeting for 2010

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. 

Making financial plans for next year? What did you do or didn’t do in 2009 that you might want to do differently financially in 2010?

Christmas shopping this year made me think more about searching around for more products online. There are many things that I need and when I run out, I go to the store to buy what I need or stock up on sale items. Thought there are times when you can’t get what you need on sale or for less than you already get the items.

One thing I would change would be to buy in bulk from Amazon -  the savings would be worth it, I just need to make sure I have enough space to store the extra items. Also, buying whenever a non perishable item of the brand I like is on sale would save me extra cash as well.

What I started doing in 2009 that was very good and helped me a lot was that I started taking all of the dollar bills out of my wallet. Not because of any special savings technique – my wallet is a zipper wallet and singles take up more space than larger bills. I have three small tins filled with dollars that have served me for gifts, sporadic treats of cappuccino and cheap takeout. This bonus money helped me stay on target and I put more into the containers than I take out so it ends up being a bonus for me.

There is always room for improvement when considering financial habits, but no one is perfect either.