Man, December 2019. That was a time, wasn’t it? Things felt a little wild back then, especially with my money. I mean, it always felt like I was just kinda reacting to whatever came up, you know? Paycheck hits, bills get paid, then it’s like, poof, where’d it all go? I was never really in control, just floating along. And December, with all the holidays and gift-buying and just general festive madness, always felt like a financial black hole. I usually just braced for impact, hoped for the best, and then spent January trying to dig myself out of a hole.
But something shifted that year. I dunno, maybe it was just getting tired of the same old cycle, or perhaps a friend mentioned something about actually planning their spending. Whatever it was, the idea finally clicked in my head. I remember sitting there one evening, probably November’s end, staring at my bank account summary, and just thinking, “This can’t be it. There’s gotta be a better way than just guessing and hoping.”
The Nudge to Get My Act Together
I wasn’t exactly broke, but I wasn’t thriving either. It was more like a constant low-level stress humming in the background. Every time a friend suggested going out, or a new gadget caught my eye, there was this tiny knot of anxiety. Could I afford it? Probably, but what would that mean for the rest of the month? That uncertainty was really eating at me. Especially going into December, I knew it would just amplify all that. I had some gift ideas for family, a few get-togethers planned, and I just didn’t want to feel guilty about spending on joy, you know? I wanted to spend smart, not just spend away my earnings.
So, the first thing I did was just gather everything. I dragged out my old laptop and opened up a simple spreadsheet. Nothing fancy, just Google Sheets. I started dumping in all the numbers I could find. My monthly income, first off. Then, all the absolute must-pays: rent, utilities, phone bill, student loan payment. Those were easy, they don’t change much. That already gave me a clearer picture of what was left after the essentials.
Building the Blueprint: My December 2019 Money Plan
Next up, I had to figure out where the rest of the money usually vanished. This was the painful part. I went through my bank statements from the previous couple of months, just scrolling, transaction by transaction. Coffee here, lunch there, a random online purchase, groceries that felt a bit too high. It was eye-opening, seeing where my cash was actually going without me really thinking about it. A lot of small “treats” added up fast. I was basically bleeding money in tiny increments.
With that info, I started sketching out a plan for December. My main goal was simple: get through the holidays without feeling completely drained, and maybe, just maybe, actually save a little something. I gave myself categories. Strong categories.
- Fixed Bills: These were already set. Automatic payments, done.
- Groceries: I looked at my past spending and set a realistic but tighter limit. No more spontaneous fancy cheeses, bud.
- Eating Out/Social: This was usually a huge black hole. I put a hard cap on it. Like, ‘this is your fun money, once it’s gone, it’s gone’ kind of cap.
- Transportation: My commute costs. Pretty steady, but I factored in a few extra trips for holiday visits.
- Gifts: Oh boy, this one. I made a list of everyone I really needed to buy for and set an individual budget for each. Then a total. This was huge. It helped me avoid overspending on one person and then scrambling for others.
- Miscellaneous/Buffer: A small pot for unexpected stuff. Because something always comes up, right?
- Savings: This was the big one. I decided I wanted to put a specific amount into my savings account before I even saw the rest of the money. A ‘pay myself first’ kind of deal.
I literally sat there for a couple of hours, dragging numbers around in that spreadsheet, trying to make it all fit. It felt like a puzzle, and honestly, a bit like a game. If I cut a little here, I could add a little there. It was the first time I felt like I was actually designing my financial month, instead of just reacting to it. I even wrote down “Virgo December 2019 Money Plan” at the top of the sheet, just to make it official for myself. Sounds silly, but it helped me commit.
Living the Plan: Execution and Adjustments
Once December rolled around, the real test began. I had my plan, but sticking to it? That was a different beast. I started tracking every single expense. Every coffee, every snack, every bus ticket. It felt tedious at first, pulling out my phone and typing it into a simple tracker app or just jotting it down in a small notebook I carried. But seeing the numbers add up, or more importantly, not add up beyond my limits, was actually motivating.
There were definitely moments of weakness. A coworker suggested an expensive lunch, or I saw something shiny online that wasn’t on my gift list. But having that plan, that visual representation of my goals, really helped. I’d check my budget category for “eating out” and think, “Nope, not worth blowing it for one meal.” Or for gifts, I’d remember my specific budget for that person and force myself to stick to it, even if it meant being a bit more creative with my present choices.
I had to make a few tweaks too. Life happens, right? One unexpected small repair came up, and I had to dip into my “miscellaneous” buffer, which was exactly what it was for. It felt good to have that safety net, instead of panicking or going into debt. I shifted a tiny bit from my social budget to cover a bit more for a specific gift, deciding that one party wasn’t as important as getting the right thing for my mom. It wasn’t rigid; it was flexible, but still structured.
The Aftermath: What I Learned and Took Away
When January 1st finally arrived, I pulled up that spreadsheet again. And man, what a feeling! I actually hit my savings goal, and bought all my gifts without stressing, and didn’t feel like I starved myself of fun. It wasn’t perfect, I definitely overspent a little in one or two spots, but overall, I was way, way better off than any previous December. The best part? I didn’t start January feeling guilty or behind. I actually felt ahead.
That December 2019 plan, simple as it was, changed a lot for me. It wasn’t just about the money; it was about the control. It was about knowing where my money was going, instead of wondering. It taught me that a little bit of planning goes a long, long way. It gave me peace of mind. And I carried that habit forward, refining it month after month. It started with just December 2019, but it became a whole new approach to my finances, all because I finally decided to sit down and make a damn plan instead of just letting things happen.
