I just finished sifting through my January receipts. I vowed this year I would get better at tracking my money. While I’ve already slipped a bit on keeping a written daily record, I’m proud to say I was diligent about saving receipts.

So now they’re categorized and counted. I know how much I spent on food, entertainment, business expenses, etc. in January. I tallied my total monthly output in every area.

Whew. It’s kind of mind-blowing to see the numbers in black and white. Satisfying, like I have more knowledge to help me plan moving forward. Plus, a friend had helped me tally December’s figures and it’s affirming to know they were very close to January’s.

I feel like I deserve a reward for this. I always recommend that my clients reward themselves for doing tasks they find particularly arduous or unappealing. So why not me? Hmmmmm. What’s it going to be? Something that doesn’t require me to spend much money. (Duh)

I’ll have to get back to you on that …