Money Saving Monday: Back on Track!

Hello friends!  I haven't been participating in The Saved Quarter Challenge Link-Up much because of my travel, and my thesis, and my billion jobs. Something had to give, and unfortunately it was the blog. Now that I can breathe a little bit I'm hoping to be much more active here (and in the literal sense, too!).

So, you ask, what is going on in my life?  How am I doing financially?  Am I meeting my goals?

I am happy to report that, yes, I am on track for my goals! Woo hoo!

Here are my original goals:

1. Paying off a private loan

2. Giving myself some travel for a graduation present

3. Paying off some car repairs (thank you, The National Bank of my parents!)

4. Having a modest emergency fund

5. Save for a $100 holiday

I've marked off the ones that I've either met or don't have to save for anymore (#3 has been taken care of as a graduation present, for example). So, now I'm seriously concentrating on #1. I want that sucker gone! It has almost a 10% interest rate, and would just be a blessing to get rid of. I'm still working on #2, but I am hoping that some of it will be covered by the program(s) that I am applying for. I'll keep you posted!

I am also happy to report that on a recent trip to the bank I switched my savings account. For doing what I would have done anyways (transferring money on a regular basis from checking to savings) I was eligible to raise my rate from 0.5% to 3%. It was really that easy (you also have to be a student, but the rate won't change once I graduate, which is nice), and so now I'm getting much more bang for my buck. If I get to the balance I'm aiming for, it will be a difference of several hundred dollars.

To keep myself on track this next month, I am going to re-create a spending diary. This is one thing I haven't been so good about over the last few months, and I suspect that my latte factor will surprise me (even with serious efforts on my part to lay off the fancy coffee and easily accessible food). 

I'm also working on moving which is the perfect opportunity to sell things, get rid of unnecessary things, and generally make some cash. There is a planned post in the future to show how much I've made based on simply selling my extra stuff.

Are you on track with your goals?