budgeting,  mom

2021 Goals

January 8, 2021 /

My main goals are typically similar each year but with each year, I hopefully gain some wisdom, learn some new skills and tools to reach those goals. My two main goals have to do with the blog and my spending.

Budget

Clothing

  •  With a more flexible income and budget often comes more spending! I was disappointed in myself last year with how much I spent on clohtes. I did not add it up like I planned to but I know the numbers would be scary! So this year when I record my spending in my ledger, I will be highlighting my own clothing purchases as a category. Highlighting it in its special color will give me a idea of how much I am spending with just a glance and it will be easy to record my total.
  • I also want to stick to a monthly budget for clothing. I am not sure yet what that amount should be but I definitely want it to be $50 or less a month. I do want to thrift at least every other month and I am going to create a list of what I would like to add to my closet. I do know I want a lighter wash pair of jeans and some bright colors for summer tees. Otherwise I have no holes in my closet!
  • Take my Amazon and Target app off the phone to reduce impulse buys and make it harder to order things.
  • Before going through Stories on Instagram, remind myself that I do not need every cute item!
  • Set out my clothes for the week: I have noticed that when I create outfits for the week, I tend to shop less or want less because I realize how much I can create with what I have.

This is an example of shopping my closet and creating something new! The skirt was thrifted and given to me, the shoes and blouse are years old (4 to 5?) and the belt was a clearance find for $4.

Food and Other Categories

  • I have mentioned the Budget Mom many times when talking about budgeting. At the end of the year, I used one of her worksheets to tally up how much I spent each month for certain categories. Since I highlight my expenses by colors on my ledger, it was fairly easy to do. It gave my some good insight on how much I should allocate to my food budget (I pretty much spent about $700 to $750 on groceries/household items each month) but made me realize that allocating only $100 for miscellaneous purchases was not realistic. I typically spend about $300 in that category. Now that used to include my clothing, the kids and things such as birthday presents or any miscelleanous Target trip, so it will take a month or two to set an amount for it in my budget.
  • Prepare more crockpot meals and budget meals this year! It is an easy way to cut on some food expenses. I also want to buy less processed foods. We have started making more smoothies for snacks and breakfast but I want to get back to making more snacks and bread.

Yum!

Blog

  • Write more budget inspired posts such as my inspired by looks and my 3 or more ways to wear something. While I would like to eventually monetize my blog, I also want to inspire others to shop their closet and only buy something that will truly add to their wardrobe.
  • Get more followers on the blog and Instagram. Instagram is tricky, it sure takes me a while to add new followers there especially as I delete the crazy dudes trying to follow me, lol!
  • Have enough followers to be accepted in the shopstyle collective standard program. When I tried last, the response was to grow more!
  • Add little shopping widgets to my posts. Haven’t figured it out yet!

And then I just need to continue what I am doing: walk/run regularly with my 2 friends, try to drink more water and eat healthy. Realize when I make mistakes as a mom and spend time with my husband. Just improve those areas that need to be improved!

A bientôt!

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26 Comments

    • mimifce

      January 8, 2021 at 12:54 pm

      Well the goals just help me strive for improvement! I would like to think I grow as a person a little each year and learn from my successes and failures.

  • Ellibelle

    January 8, 2021 at 12:13 pm

    Great goals, I’d love to bake more too, especially bread. It’s easy enough I don’t know why I don’t do it! And it tastes so much better!!
    I really need to get through my instagram and delete some of the weird followers too!

    Ellibelle’s Corner

    • mimifce

      January 8, 2021 at 12:53 pm

      I got a new cookbook just for bread that I am going to browse for a recipe next week. The one for little breads this week was a fail. Took a cute pictures and tasted them but ended in the trash lol!

  • Mica

    January 8, 2021 at 9:33 pm

    These are great goals to have! I hope that the $50 a month budget works for you for fashion spending! I would like to spend as little as I did last year, but it was a very low spend year for me on fashion! I’m hoping this year even if I don’t spend that little that I do manage to buy less fashion items – so far I’m on track with buying less as I didn’t go overboard in the sales at Christmas, haha! But who knows what the future holds!

    Hope that you are having a great weekend! It will be a quiet one here, we are all in a 3 day lockdown due to a case of the virus being found outside of hotel quarantine for the first time in 113 days.

  • Jill

    January 8, 2021 at 10:19 pm

    One of my goals this year is to do more meal planning and I love recipes that use the crockpot. We spend way too much on groceries. Planning out your outfits in advance really makes a difference, doesn’t it? One less thing to worry about!

    Jill – Doused in Pink

  • Michelle

    January 9, 2021 at 3:14 am

    Those all sound like very worthy goals, Mireille. I, too, keep track of our expenditures. It’s always been my belief that people need to know where their money is going.

    Had to giggle about the crazy dudes following you on Instagram. I get those too. Sometimes, I delete them, sometimes not. Depends on my mood. Ha! I always delete the ones who message me though.

    Michelle
    https://mybijoulifeonline.com

    • mimifce

      January 9, 2021 at 9:29 am

      Lol! Who has time like those dudes! I really like having a good idea of what goes in an out, it can be really revealing about spending patterns.

    • mimifce

      January 9, 2021 at 9:27 am

      I have always been watchful of what I save and spent but now I really like to make sure I am not spending money just to spend money.

  • Shelbee on the Edge

    January 14, 2021 at 1:43 pm

    Wonderful goals, Mireille! I am definitely committed to buying much less clothing especially new retail pieces. I am enjoying the shift to sustainability and focusing on preloved and second hand items when I get the urge to shop a little. And groceries are ridiculously expensive, aren’t they?! We spend about the same as you on food and we have less people! I don’t know where it all goes either because I feel like I rarely eat these days. LOL. Thanks for sharing and linking with me.

    Shelbee
    http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com

    • mimifce

      January 15, 2021 at 8:16 pm

      Thanks, Shelbee! I set up atime to pick up my mom next week to check out the same two store we went to last time. Too bad I can’t leave my youngest to hang out with grandpa while we go!

    • mimifce

      January 15, 2021 at 8:15 pm

      But they are painful at the toes so I don’t wear them for a long time lol! Can’t part with them though because they are my only pair.

    • mimifce

      January 16, 2021 at 4:33 pm

      And the nice thing is that for January/February I have some fun money to use if I do get something for selling things from our garage. Need to plan next week’s outfit tomorrow!