Wow. Week Three. The Third Week.
I admit, I am a little shocked. We started our Three Piece Plan the second week of a short month (February). We get paid on the last working day of the month and get another piece of income around the 20th.
For a year now, every month, at the end of the month, we are out of money. Plain and simple. Out. The well has run dry. I mean we make it. But it’s with $18 left in the account or having to hold off on something for a few days.
Every month. Every month for a year. Every month for a year it’s been this way.
This month– it looks like we will have about 15% of our take home pay left over. Wow. Now, to be clear this may not be a typical month. We did have a birthday party and Valentine’s day. But there is always something.
I know we need brakes on our car. But we are supposed to pay for such stuff out of our Everyday Money. So we will wait until we have enough of our weekly “pay day” money saved up to put the brakes on the car.
A second point- something very important needs to be mentioned here.
Last week we got handed cash $100 more in cash than our weekly “Everyday Money” pay day is supposed to be. We actually had to break into that money a day early. We also put $15 in gas on our debit card because our $100 bill was at home. So really we are $115 “over”– that means that today, when I go to the bank to get out our cash- I am going to subract $115 fro it. That will keep us even and on track.
The flip side would also be true, as it was last week. If you get to your pay day and have had a slow week, let’s say you have $200 left over. You still need to PAY YOURSELF EVERY PENNY of your Everyday Money. Things will come up, things you have not planned for and you need to have money to pay for it.