Sometimes it’s easy to go through your week and not realize the small steps you take to get sh*t done. In today’s climate of being busy and constantly being distracted, accomplishing even the smallest, most mundane tasks are worth noting. Here are the five things I accomplished this week that I’m excited about…and trust me…none of them are really all that exciting. But I’m glad that I got them accomplished.
1. Returned to work. After the 35-day government shutdown, it was nice being back in the office. It was also quite an adjustment. Remembering passwords, and figuring out where I left off before the holidays was a challenge. But I’m back in stride and it feels good!
2. Reactivated Qapital and Acorns apps. Because I was on furlough, I stopped using these apps while I wasn’t receiving pay. If you do not use these, I highly recommend them.
Here’s a quick summary on both apps…
Qapital is an app that’s perfect for those of us that have money that they SHOULD set aside for a rainy day, but don’t do it. Or for those of us that want to accomplish goals, make purchases, or take trips, but swear we don’t have the money to do so. You link this app to your banking account, set up goals, and determine the way you want Qapital to set aside your funds. You will be surprised how quickly a few dollars each week adds up. I have some goals where I set aside a set amount every week and I have some that I set aside using other factors. It’s up to you how you do it. Withdrawing the money is really simple, and takes about two days for the money to be deposited into your bank account. This has come in handy for emergencies. It also came in handy when I wanted to go on a trip and happened to have enough money set aside in Qapital that I didn’t have to use money in my bank account or a credit card. Or when my car needed work done, and I had the funds right there to use.
Acorns is similar to Qapital, but this app is a tool for investing. You link the app to your bank account, set up rules (round up to the nearest dollar when you make purchases, set aside certain amounts per week, etc.), determine an investment strategy, and watch your money at work!
3. Purchased new jeans and boots. I’ve been eyeballing them but couldn’t justify buying while I was on furlough. Sometimes you have to treat yourself, right??
4. Logged in my first flex account reimbursement receipt for medical expenses. Does your employer offer a flexible spending account benefit for things such as childcare or medical expenses? If so, I hope you are taking advantage of them. One of my biggest challenges is logging in my receipts before I lose them. Somehow, taking a picture, emailing the picture to myself, retrieving the picture from email, logging into the website, creating the claim, etc. was just all too much for me. I missed out on a lot of potential reimbursements because I didn’t quite have my sh*t together. To remedy that, I downloaded the new app they use for submitting claims and immediately submitted a claim for a prescription the day I got it. I am determined to do this going forward.
5. Set up an Instagram page for my blog. Follow me @justa_mdgirl!
I hope your week was productive. And if not, there’s always next week! What did you accomplish this week?
Just a Maryland Girl 
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