by Hope
Sometime back, I would post regular updates on where I had money going that week or month. I cannot remember the cadence. It might be a good idea for me to revisit that strategy to hold me more accountable.
The goal will be to publish where I plan to spend money every month. I realize I’m starting towards the middle of this month so many of my budgeted items have already been paid, so I’m starting with just those that have not already been paid or in many cases, are waiting to be cashed, having been sent previously.
For the remainder of August, these are my line items:
| Amazon | -500 |
| Giving | -300 |
| Groceries | -200 |
| House – Electrical | -750 |
| House – Flooring | -1690 |
| Kennel | -400 |
| Lawn Care | -100 |
| Auto – Gas | -100 |
| Student Loan – interest only | -163 |
| Netflix | -18 |
| Gym | -50 |
| Princess college | -1500 |
| Princess move | -200 |
The Details
I think most of these line items are pretty self explanatory, but I will do my best to predict the ones that might not be.
Amazon
I still have an open line of credit with Amazon which I use regularly for many subscribe and save items…Using this credit line gets me discounts on the items and cash back on the line of credit. I pay it off every month and rarely spend more than a hundred or so. These items include: toilet paper, trash bags, toothpaste, soap and now dog food.
That is not why the bill is $500 this month…I bought myself a dishwasher. It is a fancy one but I got a great deal and have been watching it for years. We have not had a dishwasher in 7ish years. I’m so freaking excited!
It should get here towards the end of the month and I should be able to install it myself with minimal outside help.
Housing Bills
Since purchasing the house, I have tackled a few larger projects that I felt were more needs than wants…
I am replacing all the old linoleum that was 50ish years old, pulling up and just pretty terrible with ceramic tile. One bathroom, the kitchen, dining room and laundry room are done and the other bathroom is prepped and ready for floor. I’ve used the same tile throughout.
This cost includes tile for a kitchen backsplash which I hope to install myself when it gets a little cooler. They had 10 boxes of white subway tile on clearance, dirt cheap so I got them all.
The electrical bills were to install outlets in the kitchen. We literally had 1 outlet on the 2 walls of the old kitchen. And I had to get one installed to hook up my new dishwasher.
Kennel
The kennel costs are estimated as I’m not sure what it will cost. But I am paying $200 for my new puppy to attend a obedience class. (It’s been decades since I had a puppy so I’m really good at spoiling her, but not so much as training.)
And then I’m boarding her for Princess’ move. I’ve asked for a quote, but haven’t received it yet.
What do you think of this new monthly post? I think it will help keep me much more accountable for how I’m spending my money every month.
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.
