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.
We went into retirement in June of 2017 with no debt, no mortgage nor a car payment.
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 June report--
I have 2 goals for June.....
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 2024.
* I do not include/report on our retirement accounts here, just the non-retirement ones.
I'm happy to report that we finished up June in the black.
The amount extra we ended the month of June with?....$2,579.89
Income or Funds We Can Access
The "income" in June---
* Monthly annuity payment of $2,530.11
* SS income of $3,828.70
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $1,078.07
* Savings Bonds Cash out & NCL Refund of $635.23
* Stock Dividend of $19.95
Total "Income" for June....$8,092.06
Expenses in June---
* Irregular bills in June were $3,570.72
* Variable expenses in June came to $1,234.02
* Medical Premiums in June were $707.43
Total Expenses....$5,512.17
$8,092.06-$5,512.17=$2,579.89
Slush Fund coming into June of $62,687.88 and the addition of $2,579.89 in June, our end of June 2024 Slush fund comes to $65,267.77
The Slush Fund, on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog), shows an addition of $2,579.89.
Outgo
As for the variable expenses this June, here are the good and bad side of things.....
Here are the GOOD THINGS
* The cellphone bill was $173.86 less than in May.(Remember we were in Europe last month so cell usage was higher there.)
* The WAM was the same as the previous month.
* My Amazon card was $69.46 less than in May.
* The Joint Mastercard was $32.64 less than last month.
HERE are the BAD THINGS
* The Water bill was $1.25 more than May.
* The electric bill was $71.09 more than the previous month(hello, 90F and 100F days).
* Hubs Amazon bill was $38.13 more than in May.
* The Aviator M/C bill was $595.64 more than the previous month(most probably charges from the cruise ports and my car work).
* We had 3 irregular bills in June--
* The BOA c/c was $250.(It's our deposit for the Alaska cruise.)
* We had to buy house skirting to replace what this manufactured home came with. $2,177.55 and that's just the materials, not the labor. ugh
* The Quarterly Long Term Care Premiums came to $1,143.17 ouch
The Food Budget costs for June are in another post HERE. Food costs are included in the credit card payments(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).
FINAL THOUGHTS for June 2024---We stayed within our means for the month. Even with three irregular bills(one small/two LARGE!)we came out ahead. Two large irregular bills added up to $3,320.72. blech WE had to have 1 tire sensor replaced on my car which is on one of the credit cards. Overall it was a good money month.
GOING FORWARD INTO JULY 2024--
We have a big irregular bill due, the payment for the cruise. And Hubs may have the dogs groomed while I am in Virginia which comes to about $120. And the handyman may be installing the new house skirting.
Luckily we have a Quarterly 401K withdrawal hitting our bank account in July and that will cover the cost of the cruise, the skirting andmaybe a bit more. rah.
