by Hope
This is my actual income and spending plan for this past week. The items in bold are either different than my anticipated number or were not in my anticipated list from last week.
| Sea Cadet | 24-Aug-18 | 50 |
| Auto – Gas/Main | 25-Aug-18 | -40 |
| CS | 28-Aug-18 | 175 |
| Upwork | 29-Aug-18 | 173 |
| Princess’ Camp | 30-Aug-18 | -200 |
| Loan | 28-Aug-18 | -50 |
| Football Cleats | 24-Aug-18 | -67 |
| Household Supplies | 30-Aug-18 | -27 |
Details:
- Princess had just under $300 saved towards next years summer camp. We went ahead and made a $200 payment, $12 more than was required on the monthly plan.
- I loaned History Buff $50 for something, he will pay me back with his next paycheck. (Please do not presume anything, he is starting to turn his life around and is planning to move home in a couple of months after he ties up some lose ends.) He is working 2 jobs and has learned some hard lessons.
All in all it was a quiet week. Both kids were in sports practice every night until 5:30pm, then we were home to eat and do homework. We are all falling into bed exhausted by 10pm.
Sea Cadet is working his new job and continuing to pursue his Advanced EMT certification at school two nights a week. It’s hard to believe one year from now, he will graduate and be ready to spread his wings.
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
Camp payment question? If your daughter has the money partially saved, wouldn’t you put a $200 deposit into your account from hers with which to pay it? So you zero out since she is paying for camp?
That is correct, I did forget to account for that $200 transfer from her account. Good catch. Thank you! Will remember for the next payment.
Intake amount is $398. Output amount is $384. Is the $14 difference going into savings or is it going into debt repayment? Have you figured out how you are going to handle that with a variable income?
We are mostly living on last month’s income. So while this tracking method works for accountability, it does not show the cushion we are living off of right now.
Right now, I am not putting anything extra into savings other than my $5 cash savings. Debt payments will be shown in weekly updates along with all other bills. Needless to say, the first week of the month is a big one with lots of customer payments and most monthly bills.
That being said, when there is “extra” I look at debt to put it towards. Those number will show up in actual spending if there’s an extra payment made vs regularly scheduled one. Does that make sense? Still working this out.
Living off last month’s income is fantastic! That means you know exactly how much money you have to spend in September based on the income you earned in August. With this in mind, you should be able to create a monthly budget for September. Looking forward to seeing the numbers! Great job!