This is the last month I am in my apartment, which means starting next month we will be able to figure out a better budget.

On the one hand, I will no longer be paying half my net income in rent. On the other hand, the utilities for my one-bedroom apartment will seem like a dream compared to paying everything (sewer, water, gas, electric, trash/recycling) on a 2000sqf house.

I’ve not been doing any freelancing for about eight months — I had planned to pick it up again after the summer insanity but then, well, things fell apart. I don’t think I’m in any mood to continue freelancing, at least not just yet, not until Mum and I feel like we’ve got our feet back under ourselves. So that’s a decent chunk of change from my income.

However, there is very little debt. I have a car payment from buying a new (to me) car last year, and some cc debt that, once I won’t have rent payments, I can likely get rid of by the end of the year.

I’d like, by this time next year, to have a better handle on the finances, to not feel the constant stress of the past few years where, if I didn’t have a busy freelancing month, I was struggling to buy food. I’d like to be at a point where, even if I never freelance again, I would still feel comfortable and I can easily pay the bills.

That’s the long-term goal.

The short-term goal, though, is to not buy any crap this month. That’s a long-term goal, tbh, but a “no buy” month is what I need right now. And so far, despite temptations, I have succeeded. Now let’s see if I can succeed in the other half of the month…