Yikes! I went off my budget - and I mean way off - the past week. We decided at the last minute to celebrate my parents' 45th wedding anniversary with a swimming party together with my brother and his family and my sister and her fiance last weekend. Actually, we did not spent that much, but for someone who is trying to save money and keeping her finances on track, any extra expense can be much.

But I guess this one counts as necessary expense. My parents had a great, great time and it was especially fantastic to watch them play in the pool with their 2 grandchildren. After all, 45 years and they're still both healthy, still very sweet and loving with each other, is more than enough reason to celebrate. As my sister said, sometimes creating memories with loved ones can be very expense. =)

My financial life has seen more ups and downs than a roller coaster so this for me is the more important part and I'm sure will be the the hard(est) one - forming new habits.

So far, here are some of the new habits I have in mind:

(1) Make a budget (and stick to it). I have one which I know I should stick to as strictly as I can.

(2) Track my day-to-day expenses. I've tried this many times - for a week, then it gets so tedious that I forget about it. But I know this is important to have an idea of where my money goes.

(3) Think and stay positive. I made a lot of mistakes in the past. I can't help but think about it with much regret. Sadly, this still cause me sleepless nights. But worrying and stressing about it will not help me in any way. I admit, the future seems blurry to me sometimes butI have to stay hopeful and think only positive thoughts that I can still turn my situation around. I have to keep my eyes on the prize.