Thanks for sharing! It sounds like you’re off to a great start 
Keep up the great work!
March Update!
Hi Goodbudgeters - It’s already March! Congrats on getting this far. We’re so excited to hear about how you’re doing on your debt paydown and money saving journeys! Feel free to share about…
- How much you contributed in February 2021
- How much you plan to contribute in March 2021
- If you’ve encountered a setback, share about how you’re responding. For example, if you got an extra large energy bill that left you with less for your goal, tell us how you adapted.
Leave a comment below!
I had the opportunity for a short-term second job - and with that, I had no time to spend the extra money! I was able to save more than double my goal amount in February, and will have that again in March. And with that, I decided to get the ball rolling on my remodel goal - materials are ordered, and the contractor will start the end of April.
This will wipe out my home projects account, but I still have my annual bills fund and 6-month emergency fund, and I will stick to my aggressive savings plan through the summer to get some back in the home projects account.
I’m so glad we did this - every extra dollar or earning opportunity, I’ve thought immediately about my bathroom remodel. Usually a little extra money ends up gone on small treats because I don’t have it allocated anywhere. It’s much easier to save aggressively with a goal in mind!
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Thanks for sharing! That’s awesome that you were able to save more than double your goal in February. Remodels are exciting, but also stressful, so I’m sure knowing you have the money saved up gives you lots of peace of mind.
April Update!
Hi Goodbudgeters – We’re already one quarter of the way through 2021! We hope you’re feeling encouraged by your progress so far, and we’re all excited to hear about how you’re doing too. Feel free to share about…
- How much you contributed in March 2021
- How much you plan to contribute in April 2021
- What’s something you’re doing to keep yourself motivated? For example, are you checking in with friends or your budgeting partners about your goals? Have you automated your saving goals so you don’t forget?
Leave a comment below!
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I haven’t joined the challenge because we already have a nice, auto-recurring savings allocation set up. But I love that I can Auto Fill my Savings envelope so as I make the transactions, everything drops into Goodbudget automatically. Transfer from checking to savings, Fill savings envelope from Unallocated in Goodbudget; meanwhile, the banks are doing their thing automatically in the background as well. Set it and forget it!
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I put in $1100 in March and will add another $900 in April (we get paid on the 20th each month, for some bizarre reason). I did have a few moments of foolish impulse spending this month - what usually works for me is making myself wait 24 hours before buying something outside my budget and unnecessary. I usually forget about it. But I had company one weekend that always adds to the temptation instead of supporting budgeting goals. I need to figure out a strategy for dealing with this friend!
My weird challenge I’m having right now is spending the money I saved for the purpose I saved it! It’s such a hard fight to save it up and it goes so quickly - but that was the plan, and I don’t want to skimp on my bathroom remodel when I budgeted money for things. I just hate watching that balance go down now!
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Thanks so much for sharing about how you’re doing on your goal! It sounds like you’re really chucking away at your bathroom remodel.
There were so many cool nuggets of wisdom here. I love your idea of waiting 24 hours before buying something that’s outside of your budget. That’s a great way to take time away from the item so that you can reevaluate whether or not you actually need it. This is a great tip for other folks doing this challenge who are also trying to cut back or limit spending out of their budget.
Thanks again! Can’t wait to see your May update 
May Update!
Hello Goodbudgeters – Great job keeping up with your goals! This month, we’re reflecting on what we’ve learned so far. Feel free to share about…
- How much you put towards your goal in April 2021.
- How much you plan to contribute in May 2021.
- What you’ve learned about yourself when you look back on your journey so far. For example, have you learned more about what motivates you to keep saving? Or something else?
Leave a comment below!
I will be putting $1700 toward my goal in May. I’m getting close to finished with my bathroom remodel, so I actually have more coming out that going in right now, which makes me sad! I think what I learned about myself is that I really can have a savings mindset, but I need to work on spending that money on my goal with joy and not stress. Even though my monthly budget is now healthy, and my retirement account is coming along, and I’m out of debt other than my mortgage, what I’m realizing is that I still don’t have a healthy relationship with spending.
Thanks so much for sharing and being so honest with where you’re at! I totally can relate to that feeling of stress when I’m spending a lot of money on something… even though I’m spending the money I saved up for that particular thing!
I know I can get comfortable with having a larger account balance. So when it comes time to spend, I feel less stable. Or I worry, “what if I end up needing that money for something else?” I don’t think it’s irrational, but I agree that it’s not healthy. But I think it does help to have a budget that I can look at to remind myself that I have planned well and don’t need to worry as much.
I’m pretty positive we’re not the only ones who’ve come up against this kind of struggle! I wonder how we can all have a better relationship with spending so that we don’t experience that guilt and stress? I don’t think I have the answer, but would love folks to chime in if they have thoughts or have found freedom in that area.
Thanks again!
I have multiple Savings envelopes—a long term Emergency envelope, a short term Unexpected envelope, and different ones for Vacation, Renovations, Gifts, etc.
I am well aware that not everyone has this luxury, because it took us decades to get here, but it makes it much easier to spend money for something like a trip when I know there’s still enough money in my other, safety net envelopes. Like anything, the safety nets had to be filled to a minimum first and then I started spreading my savings out within the other options.
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Thanks for sharing, Tiffany! It sounds like you started off by getting all of your safety nets built up first and then branched out to other kinds of savings. I like that approach, especially for folks (myself included) who might feel hesitant to spend. By having all the basics and essentials covered, you know that there’s something to fall back on if needed.
I like that. I do have my 6-month emergency savings separated, but I could break my other savings down into some specific goal categories. At a minimum, having a separate savings fund for home repairs would feel very safe - I love having my own home, but not having a landlord to call for emergencies does up the money stresses!
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June Update!
Hello Goodbudgeters – We’re almost halfway through the challenge. Great job getting this far! This month, we’re taking some time to celebrate. Feel free to share about…
- How much you put towards your goal in May 2021.
- How much you plan to contribute in June 2021.
- One way you celebrate when you reach a milestone on your way to a bigger goal. For example, do you celebrate with ice cream or some other small gift to yourself and budgeting partners?
- Which milestone you’ve hit so far on this challenge. How did you celebrate that win?
Leave a comment below!
Well, my new bathroom is nearly finished, and my home projects budget is near 0! So I am just starting to build again. We went a bit over estimate, related to problems “behind the walls” that we could not anticipate - fortunately, I had a lot of good advice to have “extra” money on hand for just such problems.
I don’t have a specific thing I’m saving for at this point, but I loved the idea of keeping a home projects envelope. I’m planning to add $500 to that monthly for the rest of the challenge so that I have a start on whatever home project emergency pops up next.
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Thanks for sharing! And, WOW, your bathroom looks amazing! 
Congrats on nearing the finish line for that project.
I love that you’re still planning to set some cash aside each month for future home projects even though you’ve finished your bathroom goal! If there’s one thing I’ve learned from owning a home, it’s that there’s always something to work on, so it’s nice to have something available when a project arises.
July Update!
Hello Goodbudgeters – We’re officially into the second half of 2021. Keep up the great work as you continue working on your money goals!
Things won’t always go exactly the way we planned when it comes to our budgets or our spending. Sometimes our income changes, sometimes an unexpected expense or three appear. When change occurs, we have to adjust our budgets (and therefore, our goals) so that we’re still able to pay for the essentials first.
That’s our topic for this month. Feel free to share about…
- How much you put towards your goal in June 2021.
- How much you plan to contribute in July 2021.
- If something has changed in your budget since the start of the challenge, how are you revising your goal for the second half of the year? Are you going to contribute less? Have you shuffled around other parts of your budget so that you can keep your contributions stable?
Leave a comment below!
I’m in the middle of re-analyzing my budget for a great reason - my student loans are paid in full! My payments were over $600/month, so that’s not a small change by any means. I want to be sure that I allocate that money intentionally and don’t let it just sort of ooze into more spending in my current categories - my budget/lifestyle is working fine as is and I want to stick with it.
I’m going to continue with the $500 in my house projects category - that was already in the budget. I have 7 months of emergency savings but want to expand that to 12 months, and I want to start adding more to retirement. I’ve decided on an extra $200 to a Roth IRA each month and $400 toward emergency savings. That will be about a 2 year process if I’m able to contribute that each month, so well beyond this challenge! That leaves me with an extra $30 of “fun money” each month, added to my dining out and entertainment envelopes.
I also realized this month that I don’t enjoy saving as much without an end goal in mind - $500 for unknown future house issues is just not the same. So my goal for that money right now is new doors and door and window trim in my home. Most likely it will be a new roof first, but new doors is more fun to think about.
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Congrats on paying off your student debt! That’s AMAZING!
I think it’s so helpful to hear you mention how you’re trying to use that extra $600 intentionally. Whenever I’ve gotten a windfall or had a boost in leftover cash by paying off debt, I’d also have to be really intentional and plan out exactly how I’d spend or save that cash. Otherwise, I’d use it mindlessly. For me, I’d do a mix of saving and boosting some categories that might have felt tight. But I’d also give myself a little boost in discretionary so that I could have a little fun too.
Thanks again for sharing! I really do love reading your updates, so keep 'em coming!
P.S. I agree that doors are more exciting to think about than roofs 