Payday:

My paycheck was deposited yesterday, 1/14/22, and it was fairly uneventful.  The amount I estimated my take home pay would be was slightly off - it was slightly less than I had estimated but that's ok, because I had built in a buffer.  I still have lots of changes coming to take home pay this year, so I will wait to make any big changes in the budget until that settles down.  I was happy to see my increased autosave amount, and was able to increase the amount I transfer to my mom for loan payback.  All in all, a nice positive payday.

The tuition reimbursement from the fall semester was also deposited - I am happy to say that is already gone!  I paid off 401k loan #1 completely as planned, and sent the rest to 401k loan #2, also as planned.  Processing it quickly and getting it out of my greasy little fingers removes any temptation.  I have gotten much better about spending impulsively, but as you'll see in the last section of this entry, I am not completely cured lol.  I think there will be 1-2 more payroll deductions for loan #1, and I am a little ways away from paying off loan #2 as of right now.  Excited to see those updates hit my balances though.  By the time I get my tuition reimbursement for spring, the balance on loan #2 should be low enough through my regular payments to be paid off completely.  

Weight Loss Goal Achieved:

On Thursday, I weighed in at exactly 100 pounds down from my high weight.  It was a little emotional, knowing how much work I have put into this journey.  I am not done yet, but this was the big milestone I really wanted to hit.  I wanted to hit this weight before the end of the month, which is 4 years since my bariatric surgery.  CHECK!  Now, the next goal is to get down a few more pounds before the next appointment with the plastic surgeon at the end of Feb.  He initially said last year that he wanted me at a weight that is 10-15 pounds away from where I am right now before surgery (it was 25-30 at that point), but then revised it to "as long as my BMI was under 30", which is where I am now.  I am hoping for another 5 pounds before I see him, and then will ask if he wants me to lose another 5-10 before surgery or focus on staying where I am.  Because of lots of different factors, I am not too worried about putting weight back on, which is usually a big concern.  

Spending:

My spending so far this year has been a little out of control, I think I am missing my structure from being so busy with work and school.  Plus I cracked open the door on using credit to buy stuff I want but don't need.  So now I am reining that back in!  I did run up a little bit of a balance on cards, but the damage isn't too too bad.  I am reassessing what I want to keep vs return, and once I can see what the final numbers are will make a plan to attack it.  One good thing is that I ordered a new duvet cover....and two ended up being shipped.  I obviously only need one, so I will be returning the extra, and will essentially get one for free.  Almost makes up for the minor issues I am experiencing with a few other purchases/orders.  Almost.    I definitely think I need to start budgeting money for clothing though, I am at the point where I need to replace a lot of things, and it is becoming more difficult to cashflow it, so into the budget it has to go!