Now that we are living on an annuity, 401K$ withdrawals, personal savings and social security payments, I am still going to keep track of our monthly spending and income, and hopefully we'll still be able to live BELOW our means and I'll have some leftover monies each month to tuck aside.
I am trying to be as transparent as I can with how much is coming in and how much is going out. 8-)
On to the November report--
I had 2 goals for November....
The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to tuck back into a slush fund. This slush fund may be applied toward unforeseen bills that are coming due in subsequent months, to spend on "extras/wants" during the year or to just sit there and grow until the end of 2023.
I'm happy to report that we finished up November in the black.
The amount extra we ended the month of November with?....$1,243.53
Income or Funds We Can Access
The "income" in November---
* Monthly annuity payment of $2,608.66(after tax withholding)
* SS income of $3,672.00
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $953.52
Total "Income" for November....$7,276.18
Expenses in November---
* Irregular bills in November were $1,450.94
* Variable Expenses in November came to $3,410.52
* Health insurance premiums totaling $1,171.19*
Total Expenses....$6,032.65
$7,276.18-$6,032.65=$1,243.53
* Now that Hubs is on Medicare, I include his Vision Care, and his Medicare supplement in this number with my Healthcare Premium. His Part B comes directly out of his SS check before we get it.
Slush into November of $44,604.70 and the addition of $1,243.53 November's 2023 Slush Fund comes to $45,848.23
The Slush Fund on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $1,243.53
Outgo
As for the variable expenses this November here are the good and the bad side of things.....
HERE are the GOOD THINGS
* The WAM, the water bill, cell phone bill, Health Insurance premium, vision care, Hubs supplement plan and internet were the same as last month.
* The electric bill went down by $5.92.
HERE are the BAD THINGS
* The Mastercard c/c was $37.56 higher than in October.
* Hubs Amazon c/c was $64.02 higher than last month.
* The Aviator c/c was $1044.98 higher than in October.
* We had 4 irregular bills in November--
* The bill of $420.00 for yearly garbage pickup.
* We had an irregular bill for $208.37 for a yearly vet visit.
* Hubs had a car repair of $810.57(brakes and tires).
* I had to join AARP to get the Medigap Supplement/Part D Plan I wanted so $12.00 paid for a year.
The Food Budget costs for October are in another post HERE Food costs are included in the credit card payments(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).
FINAL THOUGHTS for NOVEMBER 2023---Even though we paid OOP less for groceries/HBA/paper products this month we also had more credit card charges for non-food/household stuff. Interest earned was up in November which is good.
THOUGHTS going forward into DECEMBER 2023---Who the heck knows?? Long Term Care Premiums will be due in the irregular bill department, the dishwasher "may" be installed this month and the dogs are being groomer this month. I have to pay in full for the cruise we booked plus it's Christmas and my daughter's birthday this month so that will cost us. And we are going to PA to see our youngest, with stops in MD, VA and maybe AL on what may be my Farewell Tour Road Trip which will put more mileage on the credit cards. December will be a financial hit but we can afford it.
So how was your November financially?
Did you spend less than the income you had in November?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?
Did you pay down/off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow all your excess monies after bills were paid on a "want"?
If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check out your progress too and celebrate or commiserate with you!
Sluggy
Well middle kid broke his tooth in half so there is the dental bill…….and it is Christmas with my oldest kid having a birthday. I sent toys to grandkids and usually give all the kids cash. So yes it is more expensive. Cindy in the South
ReplyDeleteMore expensive. Hubby had cardio rehab 3 times a week along with me having blood work every 3 days due to potassium drop. Add fuel because of where we had to go for treatment. Electric bill is not in yet but everything else was average. Groceries was double but I stocked up to not go shopping except for dairy and fresh veggies in Jan. So some of Christmas meals are on Nov.
ReplyDeleteGot the 30 kids, grandkids, great grandkids money for Christmas.... every single one goes shopping on Black Friday. NOT ME.
Work truck had to have brakes $2000. and then one of it's batteries (it has 2) died so that was another $500.
I stocked more in groceries and OTC meds so not to spend so much come Jan. We will be focusing on paying down the mortgage during 2024.
We will be saving $9,000 a year going on Medicare, part B. AARP medigap. Hubby has Aetna for part D, I have Wellcare. We also have GoodRX Gold. My inhaler, his nitro and nasal spray is 1/4th of what is was on Part D.