Income & Spending....the March Edition

***Sluggy's Boring Blog Giveaway ends soon!  It ends Monday, April 7th at 11:59pm Central time  Go HERE to enter.***

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 March report--

I have 2 goals for March....

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 2025.

*  I do not include/report on our retirement accounts here, just the non-retirement ones.

I have to report that we finished up March in the red.

The amount extra we ended the month of March with?....-$10,184.04

Income or Fund in March We Can Access

The "income" in March---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $2,530.11

*  SS income of $4,104.00

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $1,460.21

*  Rebating Cash-out  $28.99

*  Stock Dividend  $20.79

Total "Income" for March....$8,150.77

Expenses in March---

*  Irregular bills in March were $13,694.87

*  Variable expenses in March came to $4,005.53

*  Medical Premiums in March were $634.41

Total Expenses....$

$8,150.77-$18,334.81=-$10,184.04

Slush Fund coming into February of $83,904.58 and the subtraction of -$10,184.04 in March, the end of March 2025 Slush Fund comes to $77,145.15. 

The Slush Fund, on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog), shows a subtraction of $10,184.04.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this February, here are the good and bad side of things.....

Here are the GOOD THINGS

*  The water bill and the WAM were the same as last month.

*  The electric bill went down $26.92 in March.

*  The cell phone went down $9.08 from las month.

*  The Mastercard went down $26.23 in March.

*  Hubs Amazon c/c went down $272.16 from the previous month.

*  My Amazon c/c went down $118.90 in March.

*  Hubs Aviator c/c went down $1,697.07 from last month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  My Aviator c/c went up $1,865.20

And we had some "one off" bills in March--

*  Doc Co-Pay of $20.00
*  Long Term Care Premiums of $1,244.02
*  Security Deposit for the new rental $2,102.49
*  I paid for the June cruise $10,328.36(ouch)

The Food Budget costs for March are in another post HERE. Food costs are included in my credit card payments(mainly because I buy the food but sometimes these costs come out of our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS for March 2025--The cruise payment is due in March. ouch  The cruise payment put us in the negative for the month but we planned for that.  Other than that the rest of the bills were about the same, except the heat may be off more days than on because March is deep Spring here in the deep South so the electric bill should be less. 8-)

THOUGHTS GONG FORWARD INTO APRIL--We'll have more bills associated with moving(2nd payment to the moving company, paying first month's rent on the house, setting up utilities,  getting renter's insurance, etc.) Plus my car died the end of last week so that's going to be a pricey repair.  My car needs to make it 1,350 miles to PA without any issues.

On the flip side food expenses should be way down as we empty the freezer.  I foresee only buying fresh produce until we leave.

Here's hoping 2025 treats us all even better financially! 8-))

So how was your March financially?

Did you spend less than the income you had in March?

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 retirement account?

Or did you blow all your excess monies after bills were paid on a "want"?

If you post 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 

Income & Spending.....the September Edition

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 September report--

I have 2 goals for September.....

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 September in the black.

The amount extra we ended the month of September with?....$3,811.54

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in September---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $2,530.11

*  SS income of $3,828.70

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $1,413.06

Total "Income" for September....$7,771.87

Expenses in September---

*  Irregular bills in September were $0.00

*  Variable expenses in September came to $3,252.90

*  Medical Premiums in September were $707.43

Total Expenses....$3,960.33

$7,771.87-$3,960.33=$3,811.54.

Slush Fund coming into September of $67,630.38 and the addition of $3,811.54 in September, our end of September 2024 Slush Fund comes to $71,441.92.

The Slush Fund, on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog), shows an addition of $3,811.54.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this September, here are the good and bad side of things.....

Here are the GOOD THINGS

*  The cellphone bill was .06¢ higher than in August.
*  The WAM was the same as the previous month.
*  My Amazon card was $229.32 less than in August.
*  The Joint Mastercard was $32.64 less than last month.
*  Hubs Amazon card was $326.91 less than in August.
*  Hubs Aviator card was $2,484.14 less than last month.
*  My Aviator card was $289.68 less than in August.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The Water bill was $2.10 more than August's bill.
*  The electric bill was $46.65 more than the previous month.
*  The joint Mastercard was $8.08 higher than in August.(not a big thing)

The Food Budget costs for September are in another post HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payments(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS for September 2024---Financially it was a good month.

GOING FORWARD INTO October 2024--We've got three irregular bills--house insurance(ouch!) and the dogs go to the vet and the groomers.  So the 0outgo will be about $1,600 higher in October for those alone.  We are also still trying to recoup what we paid out for the Alaska cruise we couldn't go on in August due to a medical issue.  The cruise line only refunded 25% of what we paid and is making us go through the travel insurance we purchased to get the rest of what we are out.

Here's hoping 2024 treats us all even better financially! 8-))

So how was your September financially?

Did you spend less than the income you had in September?

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 retirement account?

Or did you blow all your excess monies after bills were paid on a "want"?

If you post 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

Income & Spending....the May 2024 Edition

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 May report--

I had 2 goals for May....

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 May in the black.

The amount extra we ended the month of May with?....$1,465.66

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in May---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $2,530.11

*  SS income of $3,828.70

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $1,012.32

Total "Income" for April....$7,371.13

Expenses in May---

*  Irregular bills in May were $3,251.00

*  Variable Expenses in May came to $1,947.04

*  Medical Premiums in May were $707.43

Total Expenses....$5,905.47

$7,371.13-$5,905.47=$1,465.66

Slush Fund coming into May of $61,222.22 and the addition of $1,465.66 in May, our end of May 2024 Slush fund comes to $62,687.88

The Slush Fund on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $1,465.66.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this May  here are the good and the bad side of things.....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The water bill was the same as in April.

*  The WAM was $200 less than last month.(We took out $300 more for the cruise.)

*  The electric bill went down in May by $89.09

*  Hubs Amazon c/c bill was $55.00 lower than last month.

*  The Mastercard was $1,517.03 less than in April.

*  The American Airlines c/c was $649.19 lower than last month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  We had 2 irregular bills in May--

*  We paid the yearly car insurance bill of $1,805.00.  It went up quite a bit from last year. 8-(

*  We paid the State Taxes of $1,446.00.

*  My Amazon C/C was $313.87 higher than last month.

The Food Budget costs for May are in another post HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payments(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS for May 2024---We stayed within our means for the month.  Even with two large irregular bills we came out ahead.  It was a month.

 GOING FORWARD INTO JUNE 2024--The only irregular bill due in June is the Long Term Care Premiums.  And of course, Hubs premium went up since he had a birthday since the last LTC bill. ugh  Not much going on here in June other than the usual and hoping that sensor in my car stays off and we don't have to have it replaced.  And the dogs aren't due for a grooming again until July.  And I'm trying to use up some freezer and pantry staples instead of buying more at the grocery store. hahaha  We should be under our means again for June unless something untoward happens.

Go.

Us.

Here's hoping 2024 treats us all even better financially! 8-))

So how was your May financially?

Did you spend less than the income you had in May?

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

Income & Spending....the April 2024 Edition

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 April report--

I had 2 goals for April....

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 April in the black.

The amount extra we ended the month of April with?....$5,916.83

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in April---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $2,530.11

*  SS income of $3,828.70

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $680.88

*  Quarterly 401K Withdrawal of $6,215.06

*  Blog Revenue of $125.13

Total "Income" for April....$13,379.88

Expenses in April---

*  Irregular bills in April were $2,786.00

*  Variable Expenses in April came to $3,969.62

*  Medical Premiums in April were $707.43

Total Expenses....$7,463.05

$13,379.88-$7,463.05=$5,916.83

Slush Fund coming into April of $55,305.39 and the addition of $5,916.83 in April, our end of April 2024 Slush fund comes to $61,222.22

The Slush Fund on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $5,916.83

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this April here are the good and the bad side of things.....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The water bill and the cell phone bill(.08¢ lower)were all the same as in March.

*  The electric bill went down in April by $44.61

*  Hubs Amazon c/c bill was $389.11 lower than last month.

*  My Amazon c/c bill was $0.

*  The American Airlines c/c was $191.24 lower than in March.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  We had 2 irregular bills in April--

*  We had tree removal for $400.

*  We paid the Federal Taxes of $2,386.00(Will be adjusting our withholding so this isn't so bad next year.)

*  The WAM was $200 more in April due to taking a little extra $$ on our cruise.

*  The Mastercard was $1,844.79 higher than in March. Most of that was dog boarding we paid upfront while we were on the cruise.

*  Hubs Medigap Supplement went up by $9.41 per month as he had a birthday in April.

The Food Budget costs for April are in another post HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payments(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS for APRIL 2024---This month turned out a bit better than expected, even with paying Federal Taxes, dog boarding, etc.  Food spending was about half of what it was last month since we were not home and food shopping for about half the month.  The quarterly 401K withdrawal also was a bonus this month to keep us in the black.

THOUGHS GOING FORWARD INTO MAY 2024--That 401K$ quarterly withdrawal will come in handy in May what with State Taxes due and c/c spending on the Cruise will come due.

Here's hoping 2024 treats us all even better financially! 8-))

So how was your April financially?

Did you spend less than the income you had in April?

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

Income & Spending....February 2024

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 February report--

I had 2 goals for February....

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 February in the black.

The amount extra we ended the month of February with?....$1,131.53

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in February---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $2,608.66

*  SS income of $3,828.70

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $729.37

Total "Income" for February....$7,372.61

Expenses in February---

*  Irregular bills in February were $1,279.32

*  Variable Expenses in February came to $4,263.74

*  Medical Premiums in February were $698.02

Total Expenses....$6,241.08

$7,372.61-$6,241.08=$1,131.53

 Slush Fund coming into February of $51,104.06 and the addition of $1,131.53 in February, our end of February 2024 Slush fund comes to $52,235.59

The Slush Fund on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $1,131.53

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this February here are the good and the bad side of things.....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The water bill, the cell phone bill were all the same as in January.

*  We didn't take any WAM last month(used leftover trip money in December for WAM).

*  The electric bill went down in February by $61.96.

*  My Amazon c/c bill was $643.15 lower than last month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  Hubs Amazon c/c was $1,453.23 higher than last month.

*  The American Airlines c/c was $148.67 higher than last month.

*  We had 2 irregular bills in February--

*  The TJMAXX c/c was $50.14(that's a one off)

*  The BOA c/c went down in February by $3,09.65.  We paid for the cruise in January and the Shore Excursions in February.  There should be no charges in March. Yay!

The Food Budget costs for February are in another post HERE.   Food costs are included in the credit card payments(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS for FEBRUARY 2024---This month turned out a bit better than expected, even with the high grocery spending.  Didn't go anywhere but doctors and grocery stores and didn't do anything that cost additional money(except a couple of times eating out).

THOUGHS GOING FORWARD INTO MARCH 2024--Other than doctor appointments and grocery shopping, there is nothing going on in March that will cost money.  The electric bill should go down again in March.  The water, cell and WAM should remain the same as before.  The credit cards are the wild cards in March.  We will have the Long Term Care premiums come in March and will pay those irregular bills.

Here's hoping 2024 treats us all even better financially! 8-))

So how was your February financially?

Did you spend less than the income you had in February?

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

Income & Spending....January 2024

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 January report--

I had 2 goals for January....

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 January in the black.

The amount extra we ended the month of January with?....$3,424.39

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in January---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $2,608.66(after tax withholding)

*  SS income of $3,828.70

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $987.68

*  Quarterly 401K Withdrawal of $5,200.13(after texes)

Total "Income" for January....$12,625.17

Expenses in January---

*  Irregular bills in January were $5,837.18

*  Variable Expenses in January came to $3,363.60

Total Expenses....$9,200.78

$12,625.17-$9,200.78=$3,424.39

 Slush Fund coming into January of $47,679.67 and the addition of $3,424.39 in January, our end of January 2024 Slush fund comes to $51,104.06. 

The Slush Fund on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $3,424.39

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this January here are the good and the bad side of things.....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The water bill, internet were the same as last month.

*  The WAM was $300 lower since we didn't take any in January.  We used leftover cash we had taken out in December for the Holiday trip.

*  The Mastercard c/c was $509.33 lower than in December.

*  The Health Insurance premiums(Medicare, supplements and Part D plans, as well as Hubs vision care), are now $379.06 lower than we I was on private health insurance and Hubs was on Medicare. Plus we no longer have those high deductibles for my private insurance coverage. yay! 

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The electric bill went up by $173.12(it's Winter, duh!)in January.

*  My Amazon c/c was $42.22 higher than last month.

*  Hubs Amazon c/c was $50.49 higher than in December.

*  The American Airlines c/c was $494.38 higher than last month.

*  We had 4 irregular bills in January--

*  A small bill for Roaman's

*  A much bill to Talbot's(both for new clothes)

*  I bought Supplements

*  We needed Toner(stocking up)for the new printer we had to buy

*  A small Sunoco gas card bill

*  We had a Vet Bill for Chester

*  Paid for the Cruise(ouch)

The Food Budget costs for January are in another post HERE.   Food costs are included in the credit card payments(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS for JANUARY 2024---Well the healthcare premiums got tunred on it's ear in January as I went onto Medicare like Hubs.  Yay.  No more $1K+ a month for private insurance for me(only Hubs' vision benefit costing $15.91 per month, which he keeps for life).  Now we have 2 x Medicare Part B premiums, 2 x Medigap supplement premiums and 2 x Part D drug supplement premiums.  All those still end up costing a bit less than what we paid before I hit Medicare age.   Go us.  

THOUGHS GOING FORWARD INTO FEBRUARY 2024--

More credit card charges for the trip from the Holidays will roll in, heating bill will be higher(it's Winter, duh! and it's unseasonaly cold in Louisiana now) and I have a modest payment due in February for the shore excursions for this April. I'll use c/c points again toward the excursions bill as I paid the cruise off in January

I am going to try to keep the purse strings closed in February on food/toiletries and any other miscellaneous spending.  Let's hope the power and water don't go off anymore, which will mean more spending.

I've got 3 medical appointments the first week of February, the Painful doc later in February and more Neurologic testing come March as well as a Painful doc follow-up that month.  Not sure yet how much OOP that will entail.

Here's hoping 2024 treats us all even better financially! 8-))

So how was your January financially?

Did you spend less than the income you had in January?

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

INCOME & SPENDING...DECEMBER 2023

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 December report--

I had 2 goals for December....

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 do not include/report on our retirement accounts here, just the non-retirement ones

 

I'm happy to report that we finished up December in the black.

The amount extra we ended the month of December with?....$1,847.63

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in December---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $2,608.66(after tax withholding)

*  SS income of $3,672.00

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $985.66

*  Stock Dividend of $19.95

Total "Income" for December....$7,328.270

Expenses in December---

*  Irregular bills in December were $1,608.86

*  Variable Expenses in December came to $4,057.97

Total Expenses....$5,480.64

$7,328.27-$5,480.64=$1,847.64

 Slush Fund coming into December of $45,848.23 and the addition of $1,847.63 in December, our end of December 2023 Slush fund comes to $47, 695.86. (This isn't counting the $35K I siphoned off to invest into a high rate CD in October.)

The Slush Fund on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $1,847.64

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this December here are the good and the bad side of things.....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The WAM, the water bill, Health Insurance premium, vision care, Hubs supplement plan and internet were the same as last month.

*  Hubs Amazon c/c was $172.10 lower than in November.

*  The Aviator c/c was $1,247.61 lower than last month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The electric bill went up by $119.00(it's Winter, duh!)in December

*  My Amazon c/c was $465.36 higher than last month.

*  The Mastercard c/c was $228.17 higher than in November.

*  We had 4 irregular bills in December--

*  The bill of $784.55 for quarterly LTC premiums.

*  We had an irregular bill for $160.22 for property taxes.

*  We paid $170.00 to have the dishwasher installed.

*  We took $480.00 in cash for our December trip.

The Food Budget costs for December are in another post HERE.   Food costs are included in the credit card payments(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS for DECEMBER 2023---December was a moderatly heavy expense month(Daughter's birthday, CHRISTMAS, irregular bills, etc.)but we knew we'd take a hit in the financial realm and were prepared for it.  Also most of the trip spending for December won't hit until the January(as it was put on credit cards that we pay off each month in full)so we've got that to look forward to. rah.  January may be a worse financial month than December turned out to be.

I am just happy to see we didn't go into the red in December. 8-))

THOUGHTS going forward into JANUARY 2024---Well the healthcare premiums get turned on it's ear in January as I go onto Medicare like Hubs.  Yay.  No more $1K+ a month for private insurance for me(only Hubs vision benefit of $15.91-which he keeps for life)but now we have 2 x Medicare Part B premiums, 2 x Part D drug supplement premiums and 2 x Medigap supplement premiums.  All that still ends up costing a bit less than what we paid before I hit Medicare age. go us. 

There will be higher than normal credit card bills(trip-gas, hotels, food), Christmas bills(some paid in December thankfully), I bought new clothes and supplements on the trip, heating bill will be higher(it's Winter, duh!) and I have a big payment due in January for the cruise for this April.  We will have a quarterly 401K withdrawal hitting our account in January which will pay for the cruise balance(I used about $500 worth of c/c points to put toward that which helped lower that bill).  In the end, January bills may end up putting us in the red for the month but we can handle it.

In 2023 the "Perfect Storm" of bills put us in the red for only two months-February and June(for a total of -$10,005.79, while we came out ahead the other 10 months for a total of $33,146.26 for 2023.  Subtracting those 2 months when we went negative we had a yearly gain of $23,140.47 overall.*

* While we had a gain of $23,140.47 some of those funds aren't "liquid", as in CD interest and Bond interest.  We'll realize those funds once these investing instruments mature.

Here's hoping 2024 treats us all even better financially! 8-))

So how was your December financially?

Did you spend less than the income you had in December?

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

Income & Spending for October 2023

Now that we are living on an annuity, 401K$ withdrawals 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 October report--

I had 2 goals for October....

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 October in the black.

The amount extra we ended the month of October with?....$6,653.23

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in October---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $2,608.66(after tax withholding)

*  SS income of $3878.950

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $842.25

*  401K Quarterly withdrawal of $5,200.13

Total "Income" for October....$12,365.04

Expenses in October---

*  Irregular bills in October were $2,746.91

*  Variable Expenses in October came to $1,793.71

*  Health insurance premiums totaling $1,171.19*

Total Expenses....$5,711.81

$12,365.04-$5,711.81=$6,653.23

* 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 October of $72,951.47(take $35,000 out which we moved into a CD leaves $37,951.47) and the addition of $6,653.23 October's 2023 Slush Fund comes to $44,604.70

The Slush Fund on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $6,653.23.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this October here are the good and the bad side of things.....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The WAM, the water bill, Health Insurance premium, vision care, Hubs supplement plan and internet were the same as last month.

*  There were no charges on my Bank of America or Amazon c/cs in October.

*  The electric bill was $89.76 less than in September.

*  The cell phone bill was .78 lower this month.  

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The Mastercard c/c was $37.56 higher than in September.

*  The Aviator c/c was $1044.98 higher than in September.

*  Hubs Amazon c/c was $64.02 higher than last month.

*  We had an irregular bill of $1,173.63 for a year of homeowner's insurance.

*  We had irregular bills for $1,448.65 for work done in the kitchen.

*  I paid 2 small medical bills out of reg. checking instead of the HSA totaling $124.63.

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 OCTOBER 2023---Not a bad month considering the 401K withdrawal got dumped into our checking account this month.   Even though we had a few irregular bills the 401K funds more than covered those.  I'm calling October all good.

THOUGHTS going forward into NOVEMBER 2023---We have the yearly garbage disposal bill, a vet bill for the dogs and Hubs car needs work this month.  That's about all the big bills coming due in November other than credit cards bills.

So how was your October financially?

Did you spend less than the income you had in October?

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

Income & Spending....the March Edition

Now that we are living on an annuity, 401K$ withdrawals 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 March report---

I had 2 goals for March.....
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 fun may be to apply 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 2022.

This month I also had a goal to survive the move and have a little fun.  So far, so good.;-)

I can report that we finished up March in the black.

The amount we ended the month of March with?...$1,606.35

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in March---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $3,235.81(after tax withholding)

*  SS income of $3879.00

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $170.23

*  Stock Dividend of $19.11

Total "Income" for March....$7,304.15

Expenses in March---
* Irregular bills in March were $1,180.55

* Variable Expenses in March came to $2,246.26

* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,270.99

Total Expenses....$5,697.80

$7,304.15-$5,697.80=$1,606.35

Slush into March of $61,183.25 in that Fund, add the overage of $1,606.35 in March and we get $62,789.60 into April 2023's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $1,606.35.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this March here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The cell phone, WAM, Health Premium and internet were the same as last month.

*  The water bill was $3.08 lower than in February

*  The electric bill was $166.17 lower than last month.

*  My Amazon c/c was $145.85 lower than in February.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  Hubs Amazon c/c was $13.75 higher than in February.

*  The Mastercard c/c was $78.72 higher than last month..

*  We had irregular bills due in March too--

  *   Long Term Care quarterly premiums of $784.55

  *  Federal 2022 taxes paid of $330.00

  *  PA 2022 state taxes paid of $66.00

The Food Budget costs for March are in another post .  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on March 2023---Regular bills were nice and low.  We did have 3 irregular bills come due this past month  but those didn't tip the scales out of our favor.

THOUGHTS going forward into April 2023--

Still having limited mobility(now it's my bum knee)so we still need to unpack stuff. ugh.

Louisiana state taxes will get filed in April(and we will owe about $700).  

No other irregular bills due in April but the lawn tractor purchase and cruise excursions will be paid for in April on credit cards(and promptly paid off).

So how was your March financially? 

Did you spend less than the income you had in March?
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 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 it 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   

Income & Spending 2021....The October Report

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals(some months), 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 October report---

I had 2 goals for October.......
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 fun may be to apply 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 2021.

I can report that we finished up October in the black.
The amount we ended the month of October with?....$349.68

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in October---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,222.24(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1,971.99
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $173.90

* Money moved to pay for Cruise of $4281.98

* Blogging Revenue of $109.06

Total "Income" for October.....$7,787.18

Expenses in October---

* Healthcare Premium for October was $1,971.99(paid for with RMSA reimbursement)
* Irregular bills in October were $2,950

* Variable Expenses in October came to $4,487.50
Total Expenses....$9,409.49

$9,759.17-$9,409.49=$349.68

Slush into September of $37,977.07 in that Fund, add in $349.68 and we get $38,326.75 going into October's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $349.68.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this October here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Internet was the same as in September.

*  The WAM was $52 less than was taken last month.

*  The Water bill was $6.44 lower than in September.

*  The cell phone bill was $11.75 lower than last month.

*  The Amazon c/c was $489.76 lower than in September.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The electric bill was $4.36 higher than in September.

*  The gas bill went up by $69.64 from last month.

*  The MC c/c was $1,484.29 higher than September.

*  We paid for the powder room renovation so $2,950.00 in irregular bills.

The Food Budget costs for October are in another post, which is located HERE  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on October---It was a good month as we were able to cover the bathroom reno without dipping into savings.  I did have to take money out of one of the non-retirement accounts to pay for the December cruise but that's what the account is for...to use for fun things. ;-)
 

THOUGHTS going forward into November 2021---One irregular bill in November, the semi-annual car insurance.  Not a very large bill and it's doable.  We are not hosting Turkey day so that will bring some food costs down but the gas bill will be higher due to two trips to New Jersey(bridal shower and Thanksgiving invite).  Plus a shower gift will come out of November's income but won't break the bank.

So how was your October financially? 

Did you spend less than the income you had in October?
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 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 it 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

Income & Spending 2020.....the July Report

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals(some months), 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 July report---

I had 2 goals for July.......
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 fun may be to apply 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 2020.

I can report that we finished up July in the black.
The amount we ended the month of July with?.....$2241.06

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in July---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,222.24(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1,883.76
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $507.19

* Some of my excess WAM cash to cover my Ancestry subscription and a cash birthday gift to Eldest so=$200.00

Total "Income" for July.....$5813.19

Expenses in July---

* Healthcare Premium for July was $1,883.76(paid for with RMSA reimbursement)
* Irregular bills in July were $89.00
* Variable Expenses in July came to $3483.13
Total Expenses....$3572.13

$5813.19-$3572.13=$2241.06
Slush into June of $27,118.01 in that Fund, add the $2241.06 overage brings Slush to $29,359.07 going into August
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $2241.06 for July.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this July, here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Phone charges and internet were the same as last month.
*  The water bill was $3.37 lower than in June.
* The Amazon c/c bill was $99.93 lower than last month.

*  The Mastercard c/c bill was $136.05 lower than in June.
*  The WAM was the same amount taken in June

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The electric bill was $14.31 higher than last month.

*  The gas bill was $52.45 higher than in June.

*  Dixie Belle needed her rabies shot and a parasite check so that was $39.00 paid we didn't plan for.

* A cash birthday gift was given in July.

The Food Budget costs for July are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on July---
Two small irregular bills last month so that was good but I did spend what I consider a lot at the grocery stores.

THOUGHTS going forward into August 2020----
The house insurance is due mid-August as far as irregular bills go.  The Mastercard c/c bill will be high due to the new love seat we purchased for the den.

So how was your July financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in July?
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 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 it 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

Income & Spending 2020.....the June Report

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals(some months), 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 June report---

I had 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 fun may be to apply 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 2020.

I can report that we finished up June in the black.
The amount we ended the month of June with?.....$1,273.10

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in June---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,222.24(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1,883.76
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $490.14
* Dividend income of $18.27
Total "Income" for June.....$5614.41

Expenses in June---

* Healthcare Premium for June was $1,883.76(paid for with RMSA reimbursement)
* Irregular bills in June were $555.41
* Variable Expenses in June came to $1902.14
Total Expenses....$4341.31

$5614.41-$4341.31=$1273.10
Slush into June of $25,844.91 in that Fund, add  the $1273.10 overage brings Slush to $27,118.01 going into July.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $1273.10 for June.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this June, here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Phone charges and internet were the same as last month.
*  The water bill was exactly the same as in May.
*  The electric bill was $58.06 less than last month.

*  The Mastercard c/c bill was $21.91 lower than in May.
*  The gas bill was $0.00 so $8.82 less than last month.
*  The WAM was the same amount taken in May.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The Long Term quarterly premiums were due.  The only irregular bills due this month.
*  Both dogs needed vet visits/shots so that was $131 paid we didn't plan for.

The Food Budget costs for June are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on June---
Another boring financial month for the win! lol
Even though I was in VA for half the month I didn't break the bank down there.
Two good news items-Ex-CB went back to work the last of June and his plan to move out are moving forward.  He should be fully moved into his apartment by August 1.(yay!!!)
Looking back at 2019 our savings in June, July, August and September was in the RED so I much prefer 2020's "in the black' numbers.

THOUGHTS going forward into July 2020----
July is another no irregular bills due month so that's a plus.  I don't plan to grocery shop much in July except our eldest son will be here staying with us for two weeks or so before his new apartment in NJ is ready so yeah, take back what I just said about not grocery shopping much this month. ;-)
No plans to go anywhere in July except to the bank to cash out of fully matured Savings Bond.
July is "steady as she goes Cap'n!" as they say in all those bad seafaring classic movies.

So how was your June financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in June?
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 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 it 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

2020 Income & Spending...the May Report

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals(some months), 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 May report---

I had 2 goals for May.......
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 fun may be to apply 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 2020.

I can report that we finished up May in the black.
The amount we ended the month of May with?.....$1,806.57

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in May---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,222.24(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1,883.76
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $510.87
Total "Income" for May.....$5,616.87

Expenses in May---

* Healthcare Premium for May was $1,883.76(paid for with RMSA reimbursement)
* No Irregular Bills in May 
* Variable Expenses in May came to $1,926.57
Total Expenses....$3,810.33

$5,616.87-$3,810.33=$1,806.54
Slush into May of $24,038.37 in that Fund to with the $1806.54 overage brings Slush to $25,844.91 going into June.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $1,806.54 for May.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this May, here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Phone charges and internet were approximately the same as last month.
*  The electric bill was $61.47 lower than in April.
*  The WAM was the same amount taken as last month.
*  The gas bill was $4.65 less than last month.

*  The Mastercard c/c bill was $53.61 lower than in April.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The Amazon c/c bill was $48.33 higher than in April.
*  The water bill was $3.55 more than last month.

The Food Budget costs for May are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on May---
May was an even quieter and more boring financial month than April was(if that's possible).
We don't have jobs to lose and our annuity is a guaranteed source of income so we don't have financial woes from this pandemic and we know we are blessed AND lucky.  

Ex-College Boy's unemployment finally kicked in so he's reimbursed us for his part of the car insurance and has a bit of cash in the bank now.  Thankfully we are in a position to help out financially if his job goes away for good(and he seems to think that's a possibility with the company he works for-plus they still haven't opened back up so he's still unemployed).  Still lots of financial unknowns here at the moment on that front.

THOUGHTS going forward into June 2020----
I may get a chance later in June to go to Virginia to take care of some financial/legal issues or at least get a start on them.  If so, there will be some spending on gas and getting my car checked-up for the trip(along with attorney fees).  The doggies also need vet visits for yearly shots and such in June.

Otherwise, financially, we have one irregular bill due in June, the long term care premiums and that's not a big one.  Expenses with this trip will go up but I don't see having to pull anything from the Slush Fund for them.

So how was your May financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in May?
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 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 it 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