I’ve spent a bit of time this weekend reviewing my financial situation, so I thought I’d stop in and update all of you as well. I’ve been a little upset about the way things are going lately, so I thought a check was necessary. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not upset that I can’t afford things like cruises or expensive vacations, but I don’t like that it’s difficult to afford a day off because my budget is so tight. I’ve been really feeling like I haven’t gotten anywhere, so it was definitely time to step back and look at the big picture.

When I started this journey in February, I had a total debt of $33,470.07. That includes my credit cards, car loan, and student loans. As of today, it stands at $30,589.55, which is a difference of $2,889.52. I am making progress, but it’s not as far as I’d hoped I would be in 6 months. Part of that is my own fault, as one of my credit cards went the wrong direction this month. But part of it is just a function of having such a tight budget when my obligation to, oh, clothe myself hasn’t changed.

The panic that I’ve been dealing with related to my finances comes from looking forward to the next 6 months. I need to pay for glasses in September, Christmas is coming quicker than I want to think about, and my car insurance is due on December 1st (somewhere in the neighborhood of $600, and I have only $70 set aside so far). On top of all of that, I want to continue making forward progress on my credit cards rather than just treading water. Looking at everything, I just don’t see where it’s going to come from, and that’s got me a little freaked out.

A few months ago, I was looking at getting a second, part-time job, and even had a one day stint as a paper delivery girl, but I never made it any farther than that. Now I’m thinking that as much as I don’t want to go from one job to another, maybe it’s time to seriously think about finding something to bring in some extra money. I don’t need to pay everything off in a couple of months, but I would really love to have a little extra breathing room, especially as we approach Christmas.