Published: January 2026
Tags: Real Life Finance, Money Management, System Audit, Plan B, December Recap, Budgeting, Family Finance

🧑‍🔧 Welcome back, everyone.
If Blog #7 was the emotional story of Christmas — the gifts, the puppy, the chaos, and the system holding the line — then this post is the full December audit. The real numbers. The real categories. The real stress test.

December is the hardest month of the year for almost every family.
For us, it was Christmas + a new puppy + kids’ sports + school events + higher fuel + higher groceries + a dental visit + a few emotional spending moments + the usual bills + the unexpected ones.

And somehow…
Plan B handled all of it.

This is the full breakdown.

🎯 1. December at a Glance (The Snapshot)

Total Income: As expected
Total Saved: $500.00
Total Debt Payments: All paid
Total Christmas Spending: Just under $2,500
Total Emotional Spending: More than $500 (hey, it was Christmas)
Tuition Buffer Used: Yes — most of it, and it covered most of Christmas
January Rollover: $0
New Revolving Debt: $0

December was heavy — but it was controlled.

💰 2. Income Breakdown

December brought in income exactly as expected:

• My bi‑weekly paychecks (two checks)
• My wife’s monthly and over‑contract pay (two deposits)

Nothing unusual — just consistent income arriving on schedule.

🏦 3. Savings — Yes, Even in December

This still blows my mind.

Even with Christmas, the puppy, and all the extras, we still saved:

• Kids Savings: $100
• Kids Savings: $100
• Rainy Day: $100
• Holiday Savings (new!): $100
• Share 01: $100

Total Saved: $500.00

December has never been a savings month for us.
This is the first year where we didn’t drain accounts to survive the holidays.

💳 4. Debt Payments — The Heavy Hitters

December included:

• Mortgage: Paid
• Yamaha: $1,200
• BCU Visa: $1,000
• Capital One: $330
• Home Depot Loan: $150
• Aidvantage: $100
• Chase Card: $100
• Student Loan: $242.67

Even with a reduced avalanche payment, we still made meaningful progress.

🧾 5. Credit Card Activity (The Full Picture)

BCU Visa (Tuition Card)

• Tuition: $1,128.51
• Christmas/Household: $667.19
• Interest: $66.02
• Payment: -$1,000

Net: +$861.72
But tuition alone was $1,128.51 — so this is expected.

Capital One (Wife’s Card)

• Ballet Tuition: $74
• Christmas/Emotional: $238.81
• Healthcare: $129
• Payment: -$330

Net: +$111.81

Amazon Chase Visa

• Ghost Hosting: $18
• Christmas/Household: $206.01
• Payment: $100

Net: +$124.01

Important:
Even with all this activity, no new long‑term debt was created.
This is the first December where we didn’t dig a hole.

🛒 6. Spending by Category (Debit + Credit)

Groceries: $353.78
Gas: $326.47
Household / Home Depot: $502.79
Dining Out: $202.60
Kids / School / Activities: $373.00
Pets: $211.24
Healthcare: $41.77
Utilities: $433.91
Subscriptions: $84.95
Emotional Spending: $556.41 (Mostly Christmas)
Christmas (All Sources): ~$2,300–$2,400

This is the most accurate December snapshot we’ve ever had.

🎄 7. Christmas — The True Cost (Final Number)

After combining:

• Debit card Christmas
• BCU Visa Christmas
• Capital One Christmas
• Amazon Christmas

The total lands between $2,300 and $2,400.

And here’s the part I’m proud of:

Christmas did not bleed into January.

Christmas did not create new debt.

Christmas stayed in Christmas.

This is the first year that’s ever happened.

🧪 8. Forecast vs Reality — December Edition

Forecast

• Christmas would be heavy
• Tuition + sports + puppy would stack
• Avalanche payment would be reduced
• Emotional spending would spike
• Gas and groceries would rise
• The system would be stressed

Reality

• No category bleed
• No missed bills
• No January rollover
• No panic
• No chaos
• Savings continued
• Debt payments continued
• System held

Plan B didn’t just survive December — it proved it can handle real life.

💡 9. What We’re Adjusting for 2026

1. Holiday Savings (New Saving Account for Next Christmas)

Goal: $3,000 by July 2026
This will prevent future December stress.

2. Avalanche Flexibility

December showed that the avalanche method can pause without collapsing.

3. Emotional Spending Tracking

Combining small categories into one bucket made December easier to understand.

4. Tuition Buffer Rebuild

We used it exactly as designed.
Now we rebuild it.

🧑‍🔧 10. Wrapping Up

December wasn’t perfect — but it was intentional, controlled, and fully documented.

Luna Shorts has brought joy to the family. She’s been doing really well with the potty training.
Duke is healing — his paws are way better, and he finally has a friend keeping him busy.
The kids had a great Christmas.
And for the first time ever, we didn’t start January in a financial hole.

Plan B worked.

It handled the hardest month of the year without breaking.
It handled real life — not fantasy life.
And now we move into January with clarity, confidence, and a clean slate.

🧑‍🔧 Thanks for stopping by. Goodbye.