by Hope
Without further ado…my Q1 budget.
| Line Item | Yearly Amount | Monthly Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Household Expenses | ||
| Rent | $7,800.00 | $650.00 |
| Auto - Gas | $2,340.00 | $195.00 |
| Auto/Renters Insurance | $6,000.00 | $500.00 |
| Groceries | $5,200.00 | $433.33 |
| Netflix | $180.00 | $15.00 |
| Spotify | $180.00 | $15.00 |
| Amazon | $144.00 | $12.00 |
| Personal | $5,200.00 | $433.33 |
| Utilities | $3,600.00 | $300.00 |
| House/Yard Maintenance | $1,200.00 | $100.00 |
| Allowance | $1,560.00 | $130.00 |
| Household Savings | ||
| Auto - Maintenance | $900.00 | $75.00 |
| Life Insurance | $268.00 | $22.33 |
| EF Savings | $5,000.00 | $416.67 |
| Gifts - birthdays, misc | $600.00 | $50.00 |
| Christmas | $1,000.00 | $83.33 |
| Travel | $600.00 | $50.00 |
| Family Vacation | $5,000.00 | $416.67 |
| Princess Senior Year | $6,000.00 | $500.00 |
| Prepare for Moving | $3,000.00 | $250.00 |
| Debt Payments | ||
| Car Payment | $6,000.00 | $500.00 |
| Student Loan | $10,000.00 | $833.33 |
| Totals | $71,772.00 | $5,981 |
I think everything is pretty self explanatory, but definitely open to your feedback or questions.
With this budget, I will knock out about 1/3 of my student loans. And I have already explained the “up in the air” nature of the car situation so that will play out and then I’ll make a decision on it as well.
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.
