In January, one of my financial goals was to track ALL of my spending on a daily basis for all of 2007. I am currently on track with that goal. At the end of the month, I total up categories, look at areas that I’ve under and overspent. Then I move on to the next month. But now I’m asking myself, what am I doing with that information.

Well, first of all, I used that data, to determine the amount of money that I’ve spent on medical expenses this year and used that information to get an estimate on how much I probably will spend in 2008. I used that info to make a decision on the amount I would like in my Health Savings account.

I used the grocery data to realize that I have grossly underestimated my grocery expenses, so I am doing 2 things. I am working harder to make my grocery money work for me. AND I have increased my budgeted amount to a more realistic number.

I am looking at house expenses to get an average of money put toward the house, so now I can create a more accurate number in my budget for house stuff/repairs.

I have seen that I grossly overspend on entertainment and need to adjust accordingly. This is going to be my focus for the next few months.

Its great that I have been keeping track of my spending, but unless I use the information, the time and effort that I’ve put into this project has been wasted. So in the upcoming week, I am planning on reviewing all the data to get a better idea