Until recently I made enough money to pay my bills, save a little, and have a little fun. I paid cash for everything but school, car and house, somehow saved enough to qualify for an FHA mortgage after the mortgage crackdown started, but I never really set goals, I just saved and when an expense or a "really want" came along I had the money to take care of it.

Now I'm making a lot more than I was but my expenses have risen a lot less than my income. I want to make sure the excess goes to good use instead of my usual "save $X every month, and skim off the balance of the checking to savings if the balance gets over $Y". I do want to repay debt faster (I have issues with paying the minimum) but I don't feel a need to go through a massive drive to get it paid off as fast as possible. I do want to save for a new house because although my current house still works it's not my forever home and the neighborhood has been getting worse.

For now, I have these goals:
-Roll over my puny TSP into an IRA.
-Max out my Roth by April 2013.
-Settle on an amount for my EF - I keep bouncing back and forth between what's enough.
-Start saving for a down payment, at least $30k in 2 years, preferably 1
-Figure out what balance I want to take between saving and paying down debt.
-Create a solid plan for savings and debt repayment.
-Get an app into the Android store by the end of August. Any income made will go to debt and down payment savings.
-Make an exercise plan, then follow it
-Schedule more "fun" activities, ie bike rides, hiking, etc so that I actually do them.
-Take my lunch to work 3-4 times a week.
...that's actually more than I thought I had planned, amazing what happens when you write things out

My debt:
$83k mortgage (30 year fixed, 5.5%)
$26k student loans (all federal, 2.1 - 6.5%)
$16k car 2.7%

My assets:
$100k est home value
$10k emergency fund
$2k extra in bank
wimpy retirement

What I'm doing now:
-I have a weekly transfer of $200 to go into my EF/DP savings account (every pay day). Will probably go up to $250.
-My Roth is finally set up with my bank account, just transferred the first $200. Plan to transfer $100/week, plus extra as needed to max it out.
-I set up auto payments for my student loans of $50 extra/month, with plans to make other payments throughout the month depending on income.
-I've been rounding up my car payment to an even $300. Since this loan has the lowest interest and I have gap coverage I'm not going to be aggressive with this one yet.
-I created a budget estimating $1000/week income. I'm paid by the hour so some weeks I'll get less, some weeks I'll get more, most weeks I should be just above that amount. Any extra will go to debt, savings, or replenishing my checking buffer if I had a low week before.
-I created a spreadsheet to track my weekly progress.

I think that's it for now. I feel like the plan is still formulating so there will probably be changes as I figure out what works/doesn't work.

Hi and welcome.
I like your plan of attack, the only thing I noticed is that your goals aren't specific. I would say 'I'm going to go on a hike on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.' Then you'll know whether you're meeting or not meeting your goals. Saying 'I'm going to hike more' doesn't really cut it if you're serious about your goals.

You're going to have to figure out if 10k is enough in an emergency fund. Not sure of your lifestyle as far as kids/family, etc.., but I would think 10k is plenty for emergencies, and you can move that 2k extra to the car or the student loans or whatever. Once you have your plan set with specifics, it'll be easier to put your money where you want it, instead of having everything all over the place.

I'm 31, single, no kids.

As for some of the lack of specificity, that's sort of the goal, to get specific. I'm pretty new to this job so I don't know what to expect of weekend work - I've worked the past 5 weekends and have to work this Sunday as well - so it's hard to say "I'll go hiking twice a month and take a 10+ mile bike ride once a month". Actually, I'm going to change it to "Set a schedule and stick to it". The schedule needs to include household projects, fun stuff, whatever it is I need or really want to do. I was on a strict schedule when I was in school and I need to get back to that mode.

Yeah, $10k is probably enough for an EF, it's about 5 months of expenses. I'm sure I'll get more comfortable with that number as my other savings increases. As for putting my money all over the place, that's actually the plan, to save for the down payment while also paying extra to my debt (student loans first).

Yay, Payday! Unfortunately my check is less than $700 this week thanks to Memorial Day, plus I was sent home early Friday last week. It's also the first week insurance and HSA was deducted so I'll have to wait and see if I'm right about getting $1000/week after the pretax deductions.

My progress (starting June 1):
Down payment - $400/$30,000 (+200)
Roth - $300/$5,000 by April 2013 (+100)
Since I started tracking 2 weeks ago, I've increased my savings by $700.46 and paid off $736.15 of debt principal.

No extra pay means no extra to the SL or savings. I did make a double payment on the SL earlier this month.

I have a dilemma: my dad invited me to drive with him to visit my brother and brand new niece. My dad's covering most of the expenses so it'll be a cheap trip, but I'll miss a few days of work and I'll have to find sitting/boarding for my pets. I can probably make up for the lost time, and it is a 5 paycheck month so even with the trip I'll get my usual pay without having to make it up...

I still have to figure out what to do with the dogs, but I'll probably go. I won't have another opportunity to see my niece and brother for a while, and it's my first niece! And it's my brother's first Fathers Day as a dad. There is a large part of me saying "What about the down payment? You really want to move", yet another part says "There's more important things besides money and moving - like family. Go visit while you have the opportunity."

Go visit while you have the opportunity.
Do you know anybody with pets or friends that would be willing to watch the dogs? I always volunteer to watch my coworker's and friend's pets, but I'm a foster dog mom and love dogs. My bestie always gives me gifts, but I tell her it's not necessary because I love watching her dog.

A lot of kids are out of school for the summer, maybe one of them could feed and walk your dogs if you trust them. *shrug* Find a way.....

Payday again... well, it was yesterday but I was too tired last night to post. I did update my spreadsheet before going to bed, however.

Down payment - $600.46/$30,000 (+200)
Roth - $400/$5,000 by April 2013 (+100)
I had an extra $200 in this week's check but the next two checks are going to be low so for the time being I'm leaving it in the bank.

I did take the trip to visit my brother and his family, in fact I'm there now! To ensure I make up for the hours I'm not working I put a mark for each missed hour on my board at work. I might also add in some hours to cover the dogs' boarding - I have one friend who could've taken the dogs except she was going out of town herself. The rest live in apartments; have dogs that don't tolerate other dogs; just plain can't handle two large, high energy dogs - one of which has separation anxiety; etc. Still, this is why I save, to cover unexpected expenses on short notice. I am glad I took this trip even so.

This week I'll go over my goals and start nailing them down better. I've already started putting due dates on my list of house projects, I'm making a list of activities I want to do this summer, been thinking about what exactly my fitness goals are, etc.

And I got paid... again! Since I took two days off last week it's a small one, just over $700 so nothing extra to savings or debt. Next week's check will be about the same, but it's a "bonus" 5th week check so it'll still get me caught up after two low checks this month. Hopefully I'll be moved to a new project soon - this one's just about wrapped up and there's so little to do I can't justify staying late to make up hours.

Down payment - $800.46/$30,000 (+200)
Roth - $500/$5,000 by April 2013 (+100)
Lawn - $200/$600 by July 15 (+200)
Laptop/tech fund - $30/$1000 (+30)
House - $0/$1000
-The lawn's a new one, I've given up trying to rehab my front yard (and the pros agree) so I'm gonna dig it up (it being a lawn of weeds) and get new sod. The $200 came from last week's extra.
-The laptop fund is in anticipation of wanting a new laptop next year - probably won't spend $1000 but it's a nice round number to save for It'll mostly be funded with leftovers from my "wants" budget.
-The house fund is for various projects I want to do over the summer - some simple DIY landscaping, hauling away the vinyl siding then patching and painting the stuff underneath, etc. That's an estimated budget, to be revised as I actually get ready for the projects.

As for my other goals:
FISCAL
-Roll over my puny TSP into an IRA. DUE 7/31
-Settle on an amount for my EF - I keep bouncing back and forth between what's enough. DONE - $10k is enough.
-Figure out what balance I want to take between saving and paying down debt. DONE-ISH - I think I've found the balance but will probably revisit it again (and again) in the future.
-Create a solid plan for savings and debt repayment. DONE-ISH - same as above, it looks like I have a decent plan in place but will revisit again. And again.
-Get an app into the Android store by the end of August. Any income made will go to debt and down payment savings.
----I've determined the first app I plan to write and have started the planning phase
----At the same time I'm using the down time at work to study Android development, I have enough Java experience I'm not starting from scratch but there are several differences in using the Android APIs.
----I want to finish the above two phases by 6/30 and start the next phase of development
----I plan to have it "finished" by 8/15 to do final testing
----Before the app can be published I'll need to get a website up and determine if I'm publishing as myself or as a business. Need to figure that last one first, probably by the end of the month.
-Take my lunch to work 3-4 times a week. - IN PROGRESS. Week 1 was a success, week 2 (this week) was a failure, I worked 3 days and didn't take my lunch once. I need to cook this weekend so I start out right next week.

NON-FISCAL
-Make an exercise plan, then follow it - IN PROGRESS I've started narrowing down what my actual fitness goals are, ie take an all day bike ride, do 100 pushups, etc. Next week I'm going to try to do something at least 5 days. Once I have a better idea of what I can actually do now it'll be easier to set a schedule/routine.
-Set a schedule for my free time and stick to it - IN PROGRESS I've made due dates for my household projects, made a list of activities I want to do this summer, and have started merging them into a schedule. This weekend will be my first test of sticking to it. (Yardwork. In 100F temps. Yay. Might let myself to adjust it to more inside projects during heat of the day instead.)

Great website for this: http://hundredpushups.com/

There's also an Android App that's useful, find it on rittr dot com. (can't post link due to forum rules of one link per post)

Thanks for the link, I'll have to give that a try. I'm downloading a couple of those apps as well, especially the squatting app. I need to do squats to get my endurance built up for next ski season!

Looks like you're on your way! Good job. I get paid weekly too so yes the extra pay check this month has been great!

That's awesome on the Droid App idea! Keep us posted.

Where we live there are frozen meals for $2-3 easily available at the grocery store. I usually bring a sandwich once a week and the frozen meals the other days. Also, eating breakfast in the morning with say a yogurt, fruit, or some serial might be a good idea.

Consider ways of cutting expenses and saving money on this thread.

A few questions come to mind:

1. What does your budget look like? Have you devided expenses up between fixed and variable expenses? Have you differentiated between needs and wants?

2. Have you considered getting a roomate/tenant? How many rooms does the house have?

3. How often are you home? Do you have a landline you could get rid of? What about the cable/satellite bill (and switch to netflix for a few months)?

My car payment went through so before my next paycheck comes I want to review how I did during my first month of tracking.

Income: 3,629.14 - Lower than usual thanks to the Memorial Day and taking a trip
Savings: 1,525.46 - $225 is short term, the rest is down payment and Roth
Debt principal: 1,090.22 - Most of that is from paying extra early this month
Remaining: 1,013.46 - paid for food, interest, insurance, gas, escrow, etc

Overall I think I did pretty well. I was a bit too ambitious with savings and debt payment - I'm a little short in my "needs" checking account for bills paid on the 1st but I have a 5th paycheck coming this month so I'll be fine there. If I hadn't taken 4 days off I don't think I'd need that check at all so my budget should be sustainable. Of course, paying for 6 nights of boarding for 2 dogs didn't help either but there were no other feasible options. I definitely met my goal of making sure my money has a purpose instead of sitting around, waiting to be spent or moved to savings.

On another front, I've decided to get serious about Android development. When I first made that goal it was something I really just wanted to do for fun and maybe make a few bucks at the same time. I've now decided that I'm going to run it like a business. Fun is still a priority but I'm also putting time into the business aspects. Once I see how my first few apps do I'll decide if it's something I want to steer towards being a full time business or keep it on the side. Still haven't decided if I want to create an LLC or just publish as myself, need to decide soon so I can get the paperwork started if I take the LLC route.

Eagle - I'm not really concerned with reducing my budget at this point, I already live pretty cheaply and can easily afford my lifestyle. I have split out wants vs needs and each have their own checking account, I don't have a landline or cable, my cell phone's part of my dad's family plan so it's pretty cheap, I'm living in my basement to avoid the summer heat instead of running the swamp cooler, etc. I've had roommates before and while I could get one if necessary I'm much better off on my own (with my two dogs and cat). Making more money at this point isn't a need, it's just that I really want to get that down payment saved up and I already wanted to learn to write Android apps so it made sense to pursue that goal. Oh, and my lunches this week have been left over pizza - $6.50 for a large and I got 5 meals out of it, $1.30/meal

Another payday, another weak check. Instead of transferring to savings I'm writing myself an IOU to be paid back next month. Hopefully this will be the last low check for a while, I won't be working July 4th but it's getting busier now and it should be easy to make up the lost time. The good news is that even with the time off and extra expense of boarding the dogs I can still afford all my expenses, I just can't save as much as I'd like.

Goals progress:
FISCAL
-Roll over my puny TSP into an IRA. DUE 7/31
-Settle on an amount for my EF - I keep bouncing back and forth between what's enough. DONE - $10k is enough.
-Figure out what balance I want to take between saving and paying down debt. DONE-ISH - I think I've found the balance but will probably revisit it again (and again) in the future.
-Create a solid plan for savings and debt repayment. DONE-ISH - same as above, it looks like I have a decent plan in place but will revisit again. And again.
-Get an app into the Android store by the end of August. Any income made will go to debt and down payment savings.
----Finish basic design and study by 6/31 - GONNA BE LATE - I've also spent time researching how the market works, which ad suppliers are better than others, etc.
----I plan to have it "finished" by 8/15 to do final testing
----Before the app can be published I'll need to get a website up and determine if I'm publishing as myself or as a business. Need to figure that last one first, probably by the end of the month. - IN PROGRESS - I'm leaning towards filing as an LLC but haven't truly decided yet. I've also started outlining what the website needs to have since I plan to use it as a support and marketing tool.
-Take my lunch to work 3-4 times a week. - IN PROGRESS. Success this week!

NON-FISCAL
-Make an exercise plan, then follow it - IN PROGRESS I didn't quite hit the 5 day exercise goal, only got 4 days in. I'm starting to refine my plan.
-Set a schedule for my free time and stick to it - IN PROGRESS I have a hard time setting an absolute schedule unless something absolutely has to be done, but I've still been more productive which was ultimately my goal. For example, I was supposed to do yard work but because of the heat I did some things outside that needed doing then spent the rest of the time moving into my basement (after completely rearranging it!). That was a much better use of my time this weekend.

Another payday has come and gone. Two, actually, but I didn't update last week because there was nothing interesting to report.

So in two weeks I have saved:
Down payment - $1,200.97/$30,000 (+400 and interest)
Roth - $700/$5,000 by April 2013 (+200)
Lawn - $200/$600 by August 14 (date changed 'cause the lawn isn't ready yet)
Laptop/tech fund - $30/$1000
House - $0/$1000
$1000 of the down payment will go into my business's account when I open it, hopefully to be repaid. I'm also going to have some new debt to pay down - I went to the dentist for the first time in a long time and will have around $2,000 in bills not covered by insurance or my FSA. It'll be at 0% interest for 12 months, which is definitely manageable and the work really does need to be done.

An interesting observation from my spreadsheet - my cash worth (and therefore my net worth) is increasing by about $1,000 every two weeks (cash worth = savings - debt, don't know if that's a real term or not).

So much for catching up on the missed hours from last month - I was sick last week and didn't even get 20 hours in. I'll try to get some extra this week but I still have little on my plate. I keep hearing about how there's a lot they want done, they want me to split my time between an internal project that I'll be doing mostly on my own and a major release coming up in a few months, but both projects are very slow in getting started.

And now for other goal progress:
FISCAL
-Roll over my puny TSP into an IRA. DUE 7/31 gotta get on this soon
-Get an app into the Android store by the end of August. Any income made will go to debt and down payment savings.
----I'm writing code now! And working on graphics, and planning the website, etc etc.
----I'm also the owner of a brand new LLC. I'll open a bank account for it this week so I can link it to my developer account with Google. I now have to decide if I'm going to buy QuickBooks or just use a spreadsheet. I'm leaning towards QuickBooks but a spreadsheet will be enough to get me started.
-Take my lunch to work 3-4 times a week. - IN PROGRESS.

NON-FISCAL
-Make an exercise plan, then follow it - FAIL I've completely fallen off the exercise wagon. Once the excitement of 'Yeah, I'm doing this!' wore off I found that I really don't have a lot of motivation to exercise. So what if I can do a hundred pushups? If the reactions I get are any indication I must be freakishly strong for my size already (except I know I'm not). If I find an activity that requires improved fitness then I'll get motivated but until then I'm just going to do what I've been doing and stay generally active.
-Set a schedule for my free time and stick to it - IN PROGRESS I'm going camping this weekend! Since I was sick and useless last week that means I have to get all the prep done this week after work. I'm still trying to find the right balance of free vs scheduled time. My sleep issues mean that I have a varying number of productive hours each day - some days I come home from work and get another 6 hours of work done, other days I come home and crash, most days are in between.

Another Friday, another payday... I skipped posting last week and went camping instead

So now my savings are:
Down payment - $1,600.97/$30,000 (+400)
Roth - $900/$5,000 by April 2013 (+200)
Lawn - $200/$600 by August 14
Laptop/tech fund - $30/$1000
House - $0/$1000

This week I'm getting overtime! Yay! Ok, it isn't actual overtime since I don't get time and a half, but more hours still = more pay, which will start to make up for the time I was sick a couple week ago as well as the trip I took in June. I should be able to get some extra hours next week as well.

Unfortunately, I've also incurred some more debt. I finally went to the dentist after not going for years and the dental work is going to cost $3-4,000 beyond the $1,000 insurance covers. I have $2,000 in my FSA which will help and the balance so far is on a 0% interest dental credit card. Having insurance is really helping, even though only $1,000 is covered the negotiated prices are lower than "retail" (although I wonder what they actually charge people without insurance...) I haven't decided if I'll use my savings to wipe it out or just make sure I pay it off before the interest free year is up.

So a quick debt update, after two months my debts are:
$82,713.54k mortgage (30 year fixed, 5.5%) (-221.47)
$26,154.75 student loans (all federal, 2.1 - 6.5%) (-793.94)
$15,860.96 car 2.7% (-523.13)
I don't have the balance on the dental card right now.

And now for other goal progress:
FISCAL
-Roll over my puny TSP into an IRA. DUE 7/31 I actually forgot about this, I'll have to find the paperwork this weekend so I can call Monday.
-Get an app into the Android store by the end of August. Any income made will go to debt and down payment savings.
----Still writing code along with the rest of the stuff. I'm not sure if I'll make my deadline but I'm still aiming for it.
-Take my lunch to work 3-4 times a week. - IN PROGRESS. I do it one week, I don't the next. Then I do, then I don't. It doesn't help that I really hate cooking and that I've been living in my basement while my kitchen's upstairs where the heat is.

NON-FISCAL
-Make an exercise plan, then follow it - FAIL Haven't jumped backed on the wagon, still have no real motivation. I'm picking up an old hobby again that might give me that motivation, we'll see. If nothing else I'll have to practice which is exercise in and of itself.
-Set a schedule for my free time and stick to it - IN PROGRESS Same old. Right now my schedule's pretty monotonous so it's more of a routine. I should probably stick something random in there just to shake things up, I get stuck in routines way too easily.

ps- I wrote this yesterday but never hit submit

And yet again, I'm late posting. Oh well, at least I got the important stuff done on Friday.

Down payment - $1,801.55/$30,000 (+200 and interest)
Roth - $1000/$5,000 by April 2013 (+100)
Lawn - $200/$600 by September 14
Laptop/tech fund - $50/$1000 (+20)
House - $0/$1000

I've pushed out the lawn date again simply because I still have thistles pushing their way up. I want those things dead before I lay sod!

I didn't work overtime last week but will this week. I figure I might as well take advantage of it while this project is in full swing, plus I'll be taking a couple of days off at the end of the month for a long camping trip, then I'll be off Labor Day because it's labor day, so now's the time to get in the extra hours. Of course, since it's a 5 check month missing a few days isn't a big deal, but it's the principle of the matter.

And now for other goal progress:
FISCAL
-Roll over my puny TSP into an IRA. DUE 7/31 I requested a new PIN, once that comes I'll be able to do the rollover.
-Get an app into the Android store by the end of August. Any income made will go to debt and down payment savings.
----I really doubt I'll make the goal, but I'm not changing the date yet.
-Take my lunch to work 3-4 times a week. - IN PROGRESS. I do it one week, I don't the next. Then I do, then I don't. It doesn't help that I really hate cooking and that I've been living in my basement while my kitchen's upstairs where the heat is. Yes, this is what I posted last week and it's still true.

NON-FISCAL
-Make an exercise plan, then follow it - FAIL? I started working out again this week. It hasn't been enough to actually call it a routine but it could form into one. I'm leaving this goal on the back burner for now but it might turn out to be a success.
-Set a schedule for my free time and stick to it - IN PROGRESS This month is going to be interesting. Between the Android app, getting stuff ready for a camping trip at the end of the month - which includes a lot of sewing and building armor - I'm going to be very busy. At least the band is taking some time off while the singer's on vacation.