by Tricia
Thanks to finally sitting down yesterday and going through my receipts, I found the ones that I needed so I could finally be ready to post November’s income and expense report. My comments are below.
We were still able to spend less than we made. Next month will be different, because not only will there be purchases for Christmas, but also two months of our health insurance, hopefully our home repair (still waiting for the handiman to come out), and something that I purchased for myself for $200. I’ll be posting later about that.
You’ll notice on the report that I spent a bit last month on continuing education. I bought some books to study and to learn so I can move up within my current position. So, I consider the spending almost like an investment because I will be increasing my earning potential. Now, I just have to find the time and motivation to study!
As for the increase in gift spending, last month my little guy turned 5 so we purchased him birthday gifts. We also started Christmas shopping.
The household category is a little high last month. We broke down and purchased a media cabinet for all of my son’s videos and to hold video games. We also bought a slip cover for our older couch.
I’m pretty pleased with how we spent money in November. I thought it was going to be worse than it was, probably because we purchased a media cabinet and I bought books to study. But, we didn’t spend as much on dining and our grocery spending is hovering around $300. Things sort of evened out.
It will be interesting to see what December brings, and to look at the entire year. It will also be a time to set up my budget for the new year.
It looks really good, even with the drop in income, you managed to stay under. You should be very proud of that. I also noticed the reduction in bank fees. Great job!
You spent less than you made, so even if you’ve got more expenses than you were expecting you’re still making headway.
Tricia,
Maybe I’m missing something, but do you have a housepayment? Rent?
– Bryan
http://www.BryanCFleming.com
I have to ask – how do you only spend $300 on groceries?? We shop at the commissary (military family and we don’t pay taxes there though we do pay a surcharge of 5%) and our bill is at least twice that every month, at least. Oh and that is strictly groceries, not eating out (which is rare, but still).
Bryan- I do have a mortgage payment of $327/month. Some of that goes to escrow (around $80), ~ $30 goes towards principal, and the rest goes to interest. The interest is included in the report under interest expense. I think I will try to include more information in my reports so everyone can get a better idea of cash flow.
MOMM – to be honest, we do not eat that well. Hamburger helper for $1.00?…load up the cart. We do not buy fruit that often and vegetables are not even on the menu (except for canned corn). We are trying to get better with buying healthier foods, but it’s hard because they do cost more. I think starting with the new year we may be revising our grocery spending and perhaps spending a little bit more. I would like to try to make menus and sticking to them. I used to save a lot of money by doing that.
how close do you live to work? my husband and i are only each about 10 minutes away from work and our auto fuel monthly expense is around $200.00 a month. i run the errands on the way to or from work also.
also how is your gas utlility bill so low? I have already had a $200.00 bill in ohio.
Hi Kim – I work at home and my husband works a mile away from home. Most of the driving is done when we “go to town” on the weekends to go shopping. We also have our Toyota Echo and that gets over 35mpg.
Our home is 1,100 square feet and it’s rock solid. It’s an old home, but they knew how to make homes back then to withstand the cold weather. It also has blown-in insulation (done a few years before we bought it). Probably the biggest reason our heating bill is low is because we heat the home at 65 -66 degrees during the day and we turn it down to around 58-60 at night. I also waited as long as I could before we turned our heat on this year.
Our highest monthly bill last year was $157.00. We had our heat even lower last year. But with the cost of gas lower this year, I hope that our overall costs will be lower this winter.
Hi Tricia..
Maybe it’s time for process of elimination, in order to start that emergency funds..
The above list has a few things are that falls on under the “I want” list and the the “I need” list..
think about it
i did that also,
i mean i’m an internet freak, one of my highest bills, top of the line conecction, love Mc’s but after talking with the experts, i gived in..
Sometimes it hurts to cut back on the “I WANTS” but after a year or so, and and the savings are seeing, the feeling is good.
Cut the internet from top of the line to something smaller, less days at the Mc.
funds saved, going towards the emergency funds…
Unfortunately, I cannot cut our internet. I need the high speed connection for working from home. But you are right, there are some things that I can cut down on.
Yesterday I went to Walmart and purchased a programmable thermostat. I hope that will help to cut our heating bill. I also will be getting some power strips so we can cut power to appliances that still draw power when turned off. I also plan on looking at phone service that goes through our DSL connection. We also really need to try to cut our dining expenses.