$14,075.00 Beginning EF Balance
+__,__6.60 C1-360 Interest Added
-----------------------
$14,081.60 New EF Balance

$918.40 to go to my next goal.

Our income tax refund came. It actually came on the 25th, but since I have never had a refund come on any day but a Friday before, I didn't bother checking for it until today. So here is the new Emergency Fund Balance.

$12,075.00 Beginning EF Balance
+_2,000.00 From Income Tax Refund
---------------------
$14,075.00 New EF Balance

My goal for the year is to get the EF to $15,000. So now just $925 to go. $15K is both my main goal and my next mini-goal. $15K is the most minimal of expenses to survive for 3 months with no pay. It's not a comfortable 3 months, but between that and unemployment we could survive on it.

The goal after hitting $15K will be $21,000, which would be 3 months of very comfortable living or 4 months of tight living. But I imagine that will take another year and a half to two years of savings to get to. It'd be faster, but we have some college to cash flow.

$11,903.00 Beginning EF Balance
+__,162.00 Coin Jar, B'day Money, and AMEX Rewards
+__,_10.00 Weekly Deposit
------------------------------
$12,075.00 New EF Balance

And things are still on track for the new closing date of March 6th.

$11,893.00 Beginning EF Balance
+__,_10.00 Weekly Deposit
-----------------
$11,903.00 New EF Balance

$97 to go to hit my mini-goal of $12K.

$11,883.00 Beginning EF Total
+__,_10.00 Weekly Deposit
--------------------
$11,893.00 Ending EF Total

$107 to go to hit my mini-goal of $12K! It's getting so close.

$11,852.00 Beginning EF Total
+__,_15.00 Pinecone Check
+__,__5.00 Pinceone Check
+__,__1.00 Coin Jar Money
+__,_10.00 Duck Egg Sales Money
-----------------------
$11,883.00 New EF Total

I have $117 to go to hit my mini-goal of $12K and $3,117 to go to hit my main goal of $15K for the year.

$11,738.26 Beginning EF Balance
+__,100.00 Monthly Deposit
+__,_21.02 Remainder of Propane Fund
+__,__2.72 Remainder in checking from last payday
----------------
$11,852.00 New EF Balance

$148 to go to hit my mini-goal of $12K. $3,148 to go to his my big goal for the year of $15K.

I got what will be our final bill for the propane tank and there was still plenty of propane in there so nothing was charged. We still have a $49.50 credit that we will end up getting back. So I disbursed the propane fund, putting $300 into the College Fund and $21.02 into the EF. I had $2.72 left in checking from last payday, so I transferred that along with the regular monthly deposit of $2.72.

Even if stuff with the house falls through, I will be able to hit $12K by early in March, between the $10 weekly deposits and next month's monthly deposit. I am feeling pretty good about that.

$11,728.26 Beginning EF
+__,_10.00 Weekly Deposit
---------------
$11,738.26 New EF Total

$11,586.76 Beginning EF Balance
+__,141.50 Deposit
---------------
$11,728.26 New EF Balance

$271.74 to go to hit my first mini-goal of the year of $12K. $3,271.74 to go to hit my main goal of $15K for the year.

This is money from my Costco refund of $47.26, a $50 check from my in-laws because they didn't spend as much on me at Christmas as everybody else so were trying to even it out, and the rest was from the coin jar. I couldn't really think of anything I wanted other than to get the EF to $12K so I put it in there.

$11,569.55 Beginning EF Total
___,_10.00 Weekly Deposit
+__,__7.21 C1-360 Interest
-------------------
$11,586.76 New EF Total

413.24 to go to hit my mini-goal of $12K and $3,412,24 to go to hit my next big goal of $15K.

I was reconciling my accounts today and realized I forgot to add some interest into the EF at some point. It was 35 cents. New balance is:

$11,569.55

$11,549.20 Beginning EF Balance
___,_20.00 Last week's and this week's auto deposits
----------------
$11,569.20 New EF Balance

I have done some figuring and we might be able to get around using the EF for house stuff by using money in the other funds instead.

$500.00 from Propane Fund
$300.00 from Property Tax Fund
$800.00 from School Fund
$200.00 from January 2016 Money Fund
+_70.00 from Dues Fund Excess
--------------
1870.00 Total

That would leave us with $200 in the Propane Fund and $200 in the School Fund. Property Tax is paid in full through April and with the house closing at the end of February we would not need to use that money to pay PT. However that is the last place I will take it from just in case the sale falls through. I would draw it from the other funds first.

$11,371.20 Beginning EF Balance
+__,178.00 Monthly Deposit (plus)
------------------
$11,549.20 New EF Balance

$3450.80 to go to hit my $15K goal and $450.80 to go to hit my mini-goal of $12K.

$11,047.70 Beginning Balance
+__,323.50 Deposit Added
---------------
$11,371.20 New Balance

This is survey money, egg and rabbit sales, and coin jar money. I decided to wait on buying stock so that money is going into the EF instead. I really want to get the EF to $15K this year. I would just feel more secure with that amount in the bank.

$3,628.80 left to go to hit $15K and $628.80 to hit my first mini-goal of the year. Tomorrow is payday and I have $78 even left in the checking account and that will get sent to the EF tomorrow. Not sure yet if I'll have the monthly $100 deposit out of tomorrow's payday or next weeks, though. We have some medical bills to pay so we'll have to see how that changes things first.

This is the first paycheck with the 401K, also, so I don't yet know how much of a difference that will be in planning my budget.

$11,037.70 Beginning Balance
+__,_10.00 Weekly Deposit
----------------
$11,047.70 New Balance

Today is the weekly $10 deposit to savings. usually it is on Thursday, but because of the holiday it didn't transfer until today. I added it to the Emergency Fund.

$11,027.70 Beginning Balance
+____10.00 Amount Added
--------------------
$11,037.70 New Balance

$11,020.00 Beginning Balance
+_____7.70 Interest
--------------
$11,027.70 New Balance

This is the interest of $7.22 from C1-360 and $0.48 from CU#2.

$11,010.00 Beginning Balance
+____10.00 Weekly Deposit
----------------
$11,020.00 New Balance

Today is the weekly deposit of $10 into savings.

$11,000.00 Beginning EF Balance
+____10.00 Deposit Amount
-------------------
$11,010.00 Ending EF Balance

Back to making baby steps for a while, but as I always say, even baby steps move you forward.

The Christmas Bonus came in the mail yesterday. We weren't expecting it until the 19th. It was the same as last year, gross, but less net as they took out some for 401K and 25% for taxes, which they do for all bonuses no matter how big or how small. Gubmint has to catch those super bonuses after all from those tax evading CEO's, by going after everyone who gets them right off the top. We'll get most of it back when we file our income taxes, though.

I am tentatively setting aside $1000 for DH's bachelor's program, and $1000 to the Emergency Fund. I'm not going to decide on the rest of it until I know for sure the exact dollar amount on the van repair. I'd like to set aside more for the bachelor's program. Ideally I'd like to have enough for two classes that he could take back to back. He does one at a time. And then we'd have the income tax return to pay for the next couple classes by the time he'd finished the first two.

$10,000.00 Beginning EF Balance
+_1,000.00 Amount Added
-------------
$11,000.00 New EF Balance

Today is payday and I was able to achieve my goal of getting the EF to $10K by the end of the year. Exactly $10K.

$9676.22 Beginning Balance
+_323.78 Amount Added
---------------
10,000.00 Ending Balance

My goal for 2015 is $15K, with a mini-goal of $12K.

Between what I saved for December/January bills and today's paycheck we have $6067.22. $2100 to $2500 will go for the car. $1000 to Mom's loan. $225 to the chiropractor. The early January bills it will need to cover will be $500 or so. That leaves us with $1842.22 to cover Christmas and anything else between now and the next paycheck on January 9th. And we have $200 in grocery store gift cards. We should get by on that just fine.

The Christmas Bonus comes on the 19th or thereabouts. We have no idea of how much it is going to be and it will be mostly relegated to the EF and DH's bachelor's program.

The important thing is that despite the curve ball of the car repair, we won't have to touch the Emergency Fund to cover anything. I am so happy about that.

$9666.22 Beginning Balance
+__10.00 Weekly Deposit
------------------
$9676.22 New Balance

I forgot to add in the auto deposit of $10 yesterday. I also had $59.53 left over from the last paycheck, so I am sending that to the Emergency Fund, too.

$9596.69 Beginning EF Balance
___10.00 Weekly Deposit
+__59.53 Leftover paycheck amount
----------------
$9666.22 Ending EF Balance

$333.78 to go to hit $10K

I went ahead and sent $100 to the Emergency Fund out of last Friday's pay.

$9496.69 Beginning EF Balance
+_100.00 Monthly Deposit
------------
$9596.69 Ending EF Balance

$9490.39 Beginning EF Balance
+___6.30 Monthly Interest
---------------
$9496.69 Ending EF Balance


$503.31 to go to hit my goal of $10K.

With the holiday, I forgot to post the weekly $10 auto deposit.

$9480.39 Beginning EF Balance
+__10.00 Amount Added
--------------
$9490.39 Ending EF Balance

I just got the mail and there was a letter in it from the Imaging Center. I was sure it was another bill, but couldn't figure out from what, since I've already paid for both my MRI and my daughter's CAT scan from her skull fracture. Turns out it was a refund check. When I got my MRI, I had to pay $125 up front, even though we don't have a co-pay. Well, my insurance covered more than they thought it would, so the $125 led to an overpayment.

The amount of the check is $35.73. I also had enough quarters in my coin jar for a roll, so rolled those, and I have 2 ones in there, so I am going to go make a deposit into the Emergency Fund with this money.

$9432.66 Beginning Balance
___35.73 Refund
___12.00 Coin Jar
----------------
$9480.39 Ending Balance

That leaves me with just $519.61 to go to hit my $10K goal.

There is a possibility that DH may be able to get an extra week of work in December. It has been signed off on by all but one person. If he does get that week, we will only have 4 weeks without a paycheck instead of 5. And it might just be enough that between one extra paycheck, what I've saved, and the Christmas bonus (assuming it is what it has been the last 2 years), we won't have to touch the Emergency Fund at all.

And in a best case scenario, I might even have enough left over to boost the EF all the way to $10K by the end of the year. That would be wonderful, but I am not counting my chickens before they hatch, or in my case not counting my rabbit kits before they reach butcher size.

$9422.66 Beginning Balance
+__10.00 Weekly Deposit
--------------
$9432.66 Ending Balance

Every once in a while a charity that I no longer contribute to sends me letters begging for a contribution. I have written to them to ask them to stop sending me these as we do not have the ability to contribute anymore and it is just a waste of their postage. But they continue to send requests and sometimes these things have gifts in them. Usually they are address labels, sometimes note cards, pens, and even Christmas cards. This time it had a dime and a penny taped into it. So my coin jar is up 11 cents.

I really don't understand these places. If they need money so badly why do they waste it sending out goodies and coins. Why don't they just use the money to support their needs? Oh, well, it obviously comes from a fund-raising budget. But I won't feel guilty about these gifts because I have asked them to stop and they've ignored it.

$9322.66 Beginning EF Balance
+_100.00 Monthly Deposit
-------------
$9422.66 Ending EF Balance