For whatever reason, November seems to be the month for challenges, like Movember, National Novel Writing Month, etc. I’m not sure why November–maybe as the year winds down, people feel a last urge to accomplish something big before ringing in the new year. I get that, and I’m going to try my own version.

While this year has been full of adventure and amazing personal, professional, and romantic experiences, I’m not leaving it in the best financial shape. And while I had been content to put off digging out of the proverbial hole until I got a job, it’s taking too long and there’s something big I want to start saving for (more on this later). I realize I just did a post about how I had 10+ credit cards and such a great credit score because I paid them off every month, but I willingly went into debt on a few things this year (LASIK, plane tickets I didn’t want to use miles on, living abroad), and now have a small amount of debt to pay off before I start building my savings back up.

This month, instead of using money I would generally spend on unnecessary food, drinks, or activities, I’m going to pay my rent, utilities, any other essential items, and the rest of my budget will go towards the debt. I need to feel proactive and it’ll be nice to completely buckle down.

I’m going to track my spending and post updates–today wasn’t the best start as I had to take my cat to the vet for the first time ever (he has worms and it’s all so gross I want to vomit and die at the same time). I did find a well respected vet that offered free first visits, but the medications were about $90. Not ideal, but taking care of my cat is definitely something I’d list as essential.

Wish me luck!