January Credit Card Update

Happy New Year!

This post is being released a few days late, but my numbers reflect January 1, 2023! The last few weeks of 2022 were pretty quiet in my house. Tax season starts in January, so I spent the end of December reading books and working on other projects before work gets busy. I also went to the dentist this month for the first time in a long time. Without insurance, going to the dentist is expensive, and I didn't have an immediate need to visit. I finally decided to go this month, which was great but went on a credit card. In addition, general holiday spending ended up on a credit card. So my goal of not adding any debt in December did not happen.

Jumping into 2023

The New Year is a fantastic time to set goals and intentions or create new habits. I have high hopes for this year. Now that it's my second year at my job, I got a raise and have a 401k match. My big financial goal for 2023 is to increase my net worth by $20,023. The game plan: My fingers are crossed for student loan forgiveness, but I'm not counting on it. To increase my net worth by $20k this year, I plan to completely stop using my credit cards, pay off my credit card debt, increase retirement savings with the 401k match, focus on cutting spending in areas that don't bring me value and increase my income outside of my full-time job. 2022 was the first year I had a full-time salaried job, so I let myself be a little lax with my spending goals. Fresh Debt for 2023

Here's where we are:

December Debt: $3,903

January 1 Debt: $5,376

Progress: $+ 1,473

Am I excited that I added over $1,000 of debt in one month? No. As I mentioned at the beginning, a massive chunk of this debt was two trips to the dentist, which were long overdue, some work purchases that were reimbursed, and the holidays. The new year is an excellent time for a fresh slate. This first week, I made massive progress on the debt with my first new paycheck, but I wanted to keep it transparent and share where I was on January 1, so stay tuned to see where we are in February. What are your financial goals for 2023? Let me know in the comments or send an email to thehungryartistny@gmail.com