expense comparison of 2023 vs 2024
are my expenses aligning with my values?
Now that March is here, a whisper of spring is on the horizon. I’m starting to think about what changes I want to make. Not resolutions per se but just taking inventory, keeping what’s working and amending what isn’t in line with intentions and values.
Early in my blogging days, I started tracking expenses for tax purposes. I would arduously go through credit card statements line by line. And then input different expenses into their respective categories in a spreadsheet.
The spreadsheet is not very exciting. It’s not colorful and it’s a bit cumbersome. The categories are:
website/blog expenses
travel
rent/utilities
car insurance
phone bill
donations
grocery
restaurants
miscellaneous (monthly subscriptions, and just about everything else)
Had I known about Quickbooks earlier, I probably would have adopted a less archaic process. Though this just kind of stuck over the years.
While it is time consuming and somewhat painstaking, it’s allowed me to have a really foundational understanding of just how much I’m spending. I would then discuss these patterns at various points throughout the year with my financial advisor.
Now that I’m square in tax season, I was presented with the opportunity to compare my expenses this year to last.
This week, I’m comparing my 2023 expenses to 2024 expenses, and then zooming out to see where I can make changes to better align with my values.
Let’s do it!
Mentioned in this post:
examining values
It’s Tuesday morning. I began the morning with a 30 minute Range class called Home, followed by 10 minutes of breath work and a meditation from a series on Insight Timer titled Coming Home to Yourself.
the finance dance
When I was accepted to my first job as a PA, I was absolutely thrilled. It was a long process to get this first job and I couldn’t believe it was finally happening. I had attempted to negotiate my salary, though honestly, I wanted that particular job so badly, I probably would’ve accepted anything (way to lay all your cards out there, Katie).
