How much will it be?
DH has a very irregular income. We never know from paycheck to paycheck just how much it will be. My income from my part time job is also a bit irregular, but nothing compared to DH’s checks. He also earns the bulk of our income (thank you dear!) so that check is always the one we wait on with the biggest anticipation. There are times I think it would be easier to have a consistent check, but when a check is larger than expected, I’m happy for the inconsistency. Of course this unfortunately works the opposite way too. I’ve trained my brain to think low when it comes to our checks, hence avoiding too much disappointment. No matter how much it is, I know DH has worked hard to earn it.
The day before the check hits our bank I can get a sneak peek of what is to come. Today I was pleasantly surprised (and a tad relieved!) to see how much tomorrow’s check will be. I knew money was going to be a bit tighter during these last two weeks of the month to accomplish our goal of reaching $2,000 in our emergency fund. As life would have it, we experienced a mini emergency a few days ago when DH needed to replace his GPS. It wasn’t an item he could put off buying as his old one had finally completely bit the dust. He had been babying it along for months. Thankfully with a better than anticipated check it is looking like we will indeed accomplish our emergency fund goal even with the hit of the new GPS.
Other tidbits of the day…
I was also pleased to see that we came under budget by $3.51 on our electric bill. I was able to make yet another $25 deposit into our emergency fund thanks to Swagbucks. There are more watchers on the items I have listed on eBay. Ah, the little things in life! As always, we shall see what today brings!
Lucy
Those little wins can add up 🙂 Our electric bill was a few dollars higher, but not much and I'm still trying to figure out since we are new to the area. I did see on our bill they actually put the average temperature for the month and same month last year. Quite a bit colder for January this year.
I think the number days in the billing cycle makes a difference too. I've considered going on a budget plan, but then would worry about having to make up the difference at some point in the year.
My paychecks are consistent, but even so I still have so much anticipation when it comes to payday because I have already thought so much about how that check will be spent (savings, mortgage, retirement, etc.). I wonder if there will ever be a day when I am not anxious for payday?
I have wondered the very same thing! I always seem to have it spent on paper or in my mind days before I even see it. I truly hope this mindset changes once we are debt free!