I already have an ING account where I have the bulk of my savings. With Christmas coming and going and having extra expenses that I didn't really account for, I am going to be more careful to save for next year.
I opened two accounts for a "Vacation Account" and a "Gift Account".

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I would really love for my fiance and I to take a nice trip every 2 years or so. Heck, maybe even more often than that. I rigged my ING account so that it will transfer $50 a pay into this account just for vacation savings.

I also opened up a "Gift Account". Starting next year, I would really love to be able to send my siblings and nieces and nephews gift cards on their birthdays. This saved money can also go towards Christmas.

I find that putting money directly into my ING account helps me a lot - because I don't even really see it in my paycheck. My spending money goes into my bank of america account and the rest (savings) goes to the ing account. I just hope I can keep up with saving that extra amount each month...I might have to tweak this amount to make sure I have enough for groceries and other necessities. Either way, I am happy that I am committing to saving a bit more!

I decided that I really needed to spend less...actually I decided this back in February when I joined the Saving Advice forums. Christmas was no exception. My sister brought up the idea of only buying for the kids (my nieces and nephews) and I thought it really sounded GREAT!
I decided to set a budget for $25 for each child. I bought each of them a hooded sweatshirt from Aeropostale (they are teenagers - so these were a hit).
It went really well. They loved their stuff and I didn't have to spend a lot.
I'm toying with the idea of opening up a "gift" fund. If I would put $15 a pay (26 pays a year) into this fund, it would take care of birthday gifts and Christmas presents...I think I am going to do this!

::makes an ING sub account::

1. Stay out of debt: I don't have any credit card debt as of now, and although I will my marrying into some student loans, I want to make sure that I am never, ever carrying a monthly balance on my credit card.

2. Bring my current savings from $10,000 to $30,000. This savings goes towards the purchase of a home (it's my down payment fund).

3. Get married in September and pay for my portion of the expenses in full.

4. Get back to my healthy weight of 135 lbs.

2009 is going to be a pretty big year!