December 2016: A Month In Review

I know I say this every month, but how is December over already? Each month seems to go by faster and faster. I must be getting old 😉 I love December and the excitement of the holidays and this year has been no different. Although Frugal Baby still doesn’t quite understand what is going on, he definitely knew something was different on Christmas Day; he was a lot more excitable than usual! I also loved seeing his face when he got his presents; he was a very lucky baby boy with lots of gifts from other people.

 

Inevitably, December has definitely been a busy month. Isn’t it for everyone? Work was really busy up until the break and then we have been busy seeing various friends and family over the break. However, I love seeing other people and it makes it more special at Christmas somehow, so I’m not complaining in the slightest. I know we are lucky to have such wonderful people who surround us.

 

Moving onto my aims for December; these have been very hit and miss, as you’ll see!

 

My Financial aims for December were:

– Have 15 No Spend Days (NSDs)

– Overpay our mortgage by £100

– Put £500 into savings

 

NSDs seem to be very elusive for the second half of 2016. I just don’t know what is wrong with me! I am such a fan of NSDs to help a budget, yet I can’t seem to manage them at the moment. In the end, I had 10 NSDs in December, which is my lowest number for months. Not the greatest end to the year! Mortgage overpayments have also been hit and miss over the last few months. I have overpaid our mortgage by £40.85 so nowhere near target. Finally, the savings target was definitely going to be a challenge. We had a decorator in for the first three weeks of December, plus various presents bought meant that spending would be a lot higher than normal. I have managed to save £258.46 which is not great, but better than nothing. I really need to supercharge my savings in 2017!

 

My Personal Aims For December were:

– enjoy spending time with family.

 

We have had a lovely Christmas with both of our families, which is exactly what I wanted. Nothing major, nothing too exciting, but just time spent with those that we love. After all, there is nothing better than that.

 

So, December is over. It’s been a busy month, as always. My 2016 reflection will be up tomorrow, so come back then to see how my year targets have gone!

 

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