New Year's Resolutions

I have a couple of New Year's Resolutions. The one that relates to this blog is to continue getting my finances in order. Due to a couple of things, including a big doctor bill that my crappy insurance didn't cover, I was unsuccessful at paying off my smallest student loan. Not the end of the world. Because of billing errors, I have not yet started paying on the doctor bill. I expect the corrected version soon.

I have, however, been a successful transactor with my credit card. On Friday, when I get paid, I will pay the balance currently there, which was for a Christmas present I ordered online. I also used my mom's store card to buy some things, and will make a payment there.

Another contributing factor was the Salvation Army family we adopted. We basically bought everything they wanted; the needs (bedding and clothing, down to socks and underwear) were greater than the wants (watch, basketball and dvd's). I spent more than I should've, but that's okay. My credit union has a holiday account into which I plan to divert money so I have cash in hand next year for presents.

For myself, I don't have much luxury to cut out; most of it went a few years ago. Lately I've splurged on new books at the bookstore, though I haven't been reading that much lately and still have a big stash of books left to read. In this economy, having a steady income seems like a luxury.