Women in Red Savers 2015

[sealy]

None of my savings goals survived in 2015. I was more focused on racing. 
I'm excited for 2016 I will work harder on saving. 

[tobinikui]

End-of-2015 post:

Tobinikui ER Fund: $4,086.97 (Start $0, Goal $25,000) Current: 16.3%

I only have my one big Emergency Fund to track, so it's pretty easy as far as tracking accounts go! That is about $105 dollars more than it would take to pay off our one remaining consumer loan, however, I am going to keep this cash in the bank until late-October 2016 when my pay comes back up to 100%.

Other positive changes we've made lately:

1) Sold one car (we are now a one car family, and so far, so good!)

2) Used the proceeds of the car sale to pay off the siding loan (HEL) in its entirety

3) Switched phone plans (once this kicks in, it should save us close to $60/month)

4) Upped my biweekly contributions to my retirement plan from 0% to 10%, effective early December 2015

5) Upped our mortgage payment to the next round $100, so we're now putting an extra $71.44 to principal every month

6) Closed one credit card

7) Attempted to close another credit card, but got a "one time deal" so it makes more sense to keep it open & use it for 6 months (I already put a reminder in my phone to call back and cancel it 6 months from now.)

Here's hoping 2016 has fewer (bad) surprises in store for all of us, and more GOOD ones!!

[seriousthistime]

Year end smilies

	Stars	Name	Amt. Saved	Goal	% Saved	Roses	Smilies
1		azucena	$35,788	$39,300	91.1%
2		forwardwego	$10,818	$11,378	95%
3		megaptera	$15,000	$15,000	100%
4		minnesota paintlady	$20,100	$20,400	98.5%
5		movinonup	$3,123	$4,046	77.2%
6		Ombud	$25,500	$30,000	85.0%
7		PauletteG	$9,000	$9,000	100.0%
8		Saving4Norway	$15,000	$14,500	103.0%
9		scrgrl47	$22,138	$19,080	116%
10		seriousthistime	$11,121	$14,498	76.7%
11		snapdragon	$4,796	$6,500	73.8%
12		speechchick71	$20,405	$20,005	102.0%
13		Sugilite	$1,662	$8,300	20.0%
14		tobinikui	$4,087	$25,000	16.3%

You might notice a few dancing bananas for Savers whose numbers suggest they didn't meet their goals.  But some of you actually did meet them, though these numbers don't reflect it.  You might have gotten a dancing banana for meeting your goal, then you increased the goal and did not meet the new goal. Or you might have met the goal and then had to dig into the savings for an unforeseen need.  Either way, you earned that dancing banana and you get to keep it.

When I do this chart each month I think of the posts I've seen over the past month and year, and the challenges we all face.  We all deserve a huge pat on the back for meeting those challenges and not giving up.  Some of us work on multi-year goals, and it will take a long time to earn a  , or a   .  We come from different financial situations.  Some of us are DINKS, some are single parents, some are squeezing the pennies for retirement savings, and so on.  Some of us save methodically.  Some save sporadically. 

Don't compare your progress to the the progress of others.  You are only racing yourself.  Did you save more in 2015 than you would have if you'd not been part of the Savers?  I'm guessing yes!  If so, that makes you a winner in anyone's book. 

[seriousthistime]

Shoutouts 

Sugilite, welcome to 2016!  Just think how much better you felt with a bit of savings under your belt, when you thought you'd have to move soon, and when you did a bit of much needed shopping.

movinonup, you've done a great job this year even when faced with significant challenges.  I am sorry you lost your MIL this past year.  You are in good company with other Savers who've lost someone close to them.  I am glad you could weather the storm financially, and also glad you will soon be reimbursed by the estate.  Looking forward to seeing you on the Savers 2016 thread!

snapdragon, a number of us are at the stage where burial expenses are a financial concern.  Paying off the second mortgage is an excellent goal.  As you know, some of us here are WIR Racers as well as Savers.  It is possible, and wise, to do both.

tobinikui, congratulations on selling the car.  You have a lot on your plate for 2016 (good things!) and I am looking forward to reading your updates.  Yay for family members who pay back their loans!

Saving4Norway, I took your comments into consideration when I set my 2016 savings goals.  We shall see if that helps in meeting my goals.  I do know this, setting goals that I don't attain has a demoralizing effect on me. Other people are motivated by setting stretch goals. I guess it helps to realize I am not a stretch person.  I do agree about setting small goals as opposed to one big one.  My Voya (formerly ING) account has multiple sub-accounts and I have changed the name on some sub-accounts more than once. 

forwardwego, I am so glad you love the 52-week challenge.  I agree that the idea is an excellent way to start saving (for people who have never been able to save before) or to add to other targeted savings goals.  As you have demonstrated, there is more than one way to reach a goal.  I am looking forward to reading your shoutouts in 2016!  You are a great cheerleader for all of us. I'm blown away by the 18% savings you reaped by paying your insurance every 6 months instead of monthly.  I'll have to check how much less mine would be if I did that.  

Ombud, you are doing great!  Stop beating yourself up.  You are so amazingly resilient.  Step back and see the progress you made this year.  Helping your DS and DD is a good thing.  Wow!  You got your house back to yourself.  Take pride in helping DD through everything to get her to this point.  Where would your grandchildren be without you?  You are amazing. 

PauletteG, I don't remember if you have children, but St. Louis is a great place to visit with kids.  We used to go there a lot with the kids.  Now they have the City Museum, which I haven't been to but it seems as if it's a hands-on experience for kids and adults!  My kids are grown now but two of them have been there and highly recommend it.  I love visiting St. Louis (not right now, though ).

azucena, you exude excitement and confidence in meeting your 2015 goals and establishing 2016 goals.  I love this:  "I'm proud that I was able to increase my savings by almost 80%."  Where else would people understand that you get a little giddy when you look at your savings balance?  See you in the 2016 thread!

teachermom, I know it's been a tough year for you, and I don't even know the details.  But you are a warrior. You are out there fighting the good fight, and every day is a challenge for you.  I hope that 2016 is YOUR year, and that you get some much needed financial "breathing room."  

megaptera, congratulations on the rescue pup.  Whether you get pet insurance or set up a pet savings fund, just be prepared that pets cost more than you think, but they more than make up for it in the love they bring. Building a house is quite a goal.  It's usually a once-in-a-lifetime endeavor, so remember to stop and smell the roses from time to time.  Stressful, but exciting!

speechchick71, again, I am so sorry for your loss.    What a great thing you did with all the excess food in your father's pantry.  It is a wonderful way to get rid of expired and unexpired food. I have done something similar with freezer burned meat.  People will take it and feed it to their big dogs.  One person I have given my old frozen meat to has a Great Dane that eats 4 pounds of meat per day (she says).  It's better than having it go to waste. Wow, and your car too?  You need to find another home for Murphy in 2016. 

sealy, saving and racing go hand in hand.  Looking forward to seeing how you handle things in 2016. Where there's a will, there's a way -- so "they" say. 

Savers, 2015 is a wrap.  Sorry for any typos or other errors, which I can't fix.  This thread will now be locked, and we are officially moving over to the 2016 Savers thread.  

See you there!  ymam.proboards.com/thread/48062/women-red-savers-2016?page=1&scrollTo=2390954

[Jaguar]

Locking this thread and moving on to 2016 ....... Happy Saving Everyone !