Alright so last month I promised myself I’d finally tackle my messy money situation since it was Scorpio season and you know how that goes – all intense and transformational. Turned out November was Aries season ramping up so I thought, why not channel that fiery energy into finances?
First Move: The Budget Beatdown
First thing Monday morning I grabbed my laptop and all those paper receipts stuffed in my wallet. Opened up a basic spreadsheet – none of that fancy software, just rows and columns. Started plugging in numbers from October: takeout, impulse Amazon buys, that streaming service I never use. Man, seeing it all laid out felt like a punch in the gut. Highlighted every non-essential in bright red. Felt like I was bleeding cash. Goal was simple: slash the red stuff by 40% for November. No magic, just raw willpower. Told myself no DoorDash unless it’s literally pouring rain and I have zero groceries. It sucked.
Move Two: Chasing Down Extra Dough
Okay, cutting spending felt like tightening a belt. Needed some breathing room, so figured I’d hunt for cash hiding in plain sight. Did two things:
- Decluttered Attack: Went full tornado on my closet and garage. Snapped pics of clothes, old games, that juicer gathering dust. Posted everything on marketplace apps late one night. Lowballed prices just to move stuff fast. Surprisingly, junk added up! Made like $200 extra.
- Side Hustle Ping: Shot a quick text to my old freelance client I hadn’t bugged in months: “Hey, got any overflow work? Even small stuff?” Didn’t expect much. They actually replied with a quick logo refresh gig! Took me a weekend, put another $500 in the pocket. Pure luck, but you gotta ask!
Final Shakeup: The Bill Blitz
Last weekend, armed with coffee, I called everyone wanting my cash. The script? “Hey, looking at my plan and your competitor has a better rate. Can you help me out or should I switch?” Practiced sounding tired but determined. Got my internet bill down $15/month after threatening to jump ship. That Netflix subscription I share with my sister? Realized she barely uses it. Called her: “Yo, either pay half this month or I’m out.” Felt kinda awkward but saved myself $9.
Result wasn’t mind-blowing, but it added up: saved about $250 from cutting back, scored $700 extra cash, trimmed bills by $24/month. Not quitting my job yet, but that fire sign energy? Yeah, it got me moving. Wallet feels less anemic now. On to December…
