Budget

I've updated my totals on the side.  My goals, set at the end of August, were fairly arbitrary really and it doesn't look like I will achieve them.  Or at least not in the way I was thinking.

1. Reduce cc debt to 3,500: still 350 left to go on this one, if I gave myself a budget of almost nothing for December I could manage to do this.  But I won't.
2. Reduce overdraft to 2,250: just over 100 left to go on this one - achievable, this is only slightly off-track
3. Save 400 in annual expenses account: won't be achieved as I hadn't accounted for one expense that needed to be paid. 
4. Save 20 each month for my birthday present: haven't managed this at all
5. Have 40 no-spend days between 30 August and 5 December: completely forgot to start counting these - probably managing three a week on average

What will make a difference is that we actually are going to get a bonus in work this year and this will be paid out at the end of November.  I've gone through various options of how to allocate this money but what I have decided to do is throw almost all of it at my overdraft, keeping just a small amount as a 'treat'/birthday/christmas money.  Many might say that I shouldn't do that because I haven't 'earned' it but I know myself and I know that letting myself do this will make January and February much easier.  I have a tendency to overspend in January, it's one of the months I've always been most likely to reach for the credit card and it's better to try and get myself into a position where I don't feel under pressure.  Allowing myself to have a bit extra during December, regardless of whether I actually spend it or not, is the right thing to do as long as I don't try to fool myself into thinking I can spend recklessly.  I'm not talking about keeping hundreds aside!

I hope to get some tax back soon as well and think I can also send in my application to get some of the money for my tooth implant back soon.  Work have a scheme where you can apply for one-off financial help in unusual circumstances.  There's a certain budget set aside for this every year and a committee decides on each case individually as far as I understand.  However, one of the things that they do help out with, is expensive dental work (crowns, implants, bridges and so on).  It's limited to about one thousand euro and they may deduct an amount equal to how much you would have paid for a supplementary insurance which would otherwise have covered the cost, or some of the cost of the work.  So hopefully I might be able to get something under that scheme as well.  So by January or February I might be very close to clearing my overdraft.  It would be nice to have one debt less!