Income & Spending Report 2022....the May 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 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 2022.

I can report that we finished up May in the Black.

The amount we ended the month of May with?...$2,663.84

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in May---

* Monthly annuity payment of $1,009.68(after tax withholding)
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $887.15

* 1/3 of Quarterly 401K withdrawal=$1,733.37

* RMSA account to pay for health premiums totaling $547.49

*  Blog Revenue of $106.07

*  SS of $2,432.00

Total "Income" for May.....$6,715.76

Expenses in May---

* Irregular bills in May were $642.03

* Variable Expenses in May came to $1,183.76

* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,226.13

Total Expenses....$4,051.92

$6,715.76-$4,051.92=$2,663.84

Slush into May of $41,445.02 in that Fund, add $2,663.84 and we get $44,108.86 going into June's 2022's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $2,663.84.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The Internet, cell phone and WAM was the same as last month(WAM at $10 less actually).

*  The electric bill was $73.28 less than April's bill.

*  The gas c/c was $0.00(because we didn't use Sunoco gas at all but used other stations and put on m/c instead).

*  The Mastercard was $336.24 lower than March's bill.

*  The Amazon card was lower by $83.34 this month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The water bill went up by $5.17 compared to last month.

*  Semi-annual car insurance was due in the amount of $524.81

*  I paid $117.22 for a storage unit(1 month + security deposit)

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 2022---It was a bang up month financially.  Spending was down. rah.  This was the last month with any money in the Medical Retirement Account.  It is now empty and we'll be using most of Hubs SS payment to cover healthcare premiums for the remainder of the year.  I also have the SS payments he received up until May tucked away in a savings account for emergencies.

Semi-annual car insurance was paid/due in May as was the storage rent as we need that to clean/empty the house and get it ready for showings.

THOUGHTS going forward into June 2022--The only irregular bills due in June are the Long Term Care premiums and another month of storage rent so that's not bad.  The dogs are due for annual checkups so that's a third irregular bill coming due. Will try to keep the variable bills low in June and hope the weather stays cooler so the a/c won't be needed too much.  

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 

2019 Food & Toiletries Spending.....the May Report

Onward to May's food spending report.......

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for MAY 2019.

I have posted May's totals on the Total Grocery Savings Page located  and have updated the Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in May.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Sum.  My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable. We are a family of 4-5(3-4 at home this month). No "kids" under 23.
*****************

CVS
OOP  $.88
Ads/Qs  $16.68
Value  $17.56
Savings  94.99%

DOLLAR GENERAL
OOP  $32.18
Ads/Qs  $49.07
Value  $81.25
Savings  60.39%

GROCERY OUTLET
OOP  $47.27
Value  $103.29
Savings  54.24%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP  $39.88
Ads/Qs  $14.85
Value  $54.73
Savings   27.13%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC/Visa Prepaid Rewards  $55.89
Value  $55.89
Savings  100%

WEGMAN'S

OOP  $43.39

Value  $44.89

Savings  3.34%

WEIS
OOP  $244.12
QsAds  $213.94
Value  $458.06
Savings  46.71%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, the CVS at 94.99% and Dollar General at 60.39%.  My worst savings rate was at Wegman's with 3.34%.

I shopped at 7 different stores this past month.  

TOTAL Out of Pocket for May.........$407.72

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales.................$352.06

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.........$759.78

TOTAL Savings of ................................46.34%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for May w/R-A.............$407.72
TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales w/R-A...................$407.95
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid....$815.67
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items.....................50.01%

This closes out the May food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
Well we went over the $400 budget by $7.72 so I am calling this a win. 
Even with feeding more folks with the Graduation and all I did well sticking to a budget.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went DOWN by 4.05% in May 2019 to 50.01% compared to the April 54.06% savings average.
The Rite-Aid haul in April was quite small so that kept my savings percentage down too.


With 5 months accounted for, I have spent a Year-To-Date Total of $1941.75 on food/toiletries in 2018.


2019 Yearly Total Spent To Date....................$1941.75

2019 Yearly Total Value of Items To Date....$8970.12

2019 Total Saved To Date...............................$7028.37

2019 Yearly Savings Total To Date of............78.35%

The average per month amount spent so far is $388.35 in 2019.

LOOKING AHEAD To June 2019.......

Let's see....we have a trip mid-month so no food shopping for a couple of weeks perhaps?  We are still figuring out how meal planning is going to go around here with Ex-College Boy's new work schedule plus what I want to/need to do for meals.
I think June will see us eating down some pantry and freezer items.  Between that and the trip it should be a lower grocery spending month.
Fingers crossed!!

If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in May?

*  Do you track your yearly food spending?

*  What was your savings percentage buying on sale and/or with coupons vs. buying at regular retail price last month, if you track that sort of thing?

*  What are your methods for keeping your food spending in check?

Is anyone out there up for tracking expenditures and trying to spend less but still eat well?


Sluggy

$30K Savings Challenge MAY 2010 Totals.....Not so Good but Still on Track!

I have posted my MAY End of Month $30K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have to report that we finished up May in the black!

The extra cash amount we ended the month of May with was.......$1,183.24.

Income
We had $306.68 left over of DH's salary after expenses were deducted. Add in some rolled coins amounting to $16.00, a $115.81 in Rebates &, along with the flea market profits of $744.75 and you have a deposit of $1,183.24 toward the Savings Challenge!

Seeing as our monthly target is $2,500.00 to reach our Year End Goal, we are waaaaay short this month.

Outgo
As for the expenses in May.....it was a money gobbling month!

The electric bill went down $30+.  It should have gone down more because the heat was off....except we used extra hot water having an extra person here for the month, so more laundry(I use hot for my white loads) and showers plus DH started opening the pool up which uses more electricity as well as water.
The water bill went up too due to the increased water usage mentioned above.

 The credit card bill was up over $1100 due to DH's new glasses(2 pair) and the new cd player he had installed in his car.  There was also paying for daughter's SAT exam.  Those charges accounted for $900 on that bill.  The rest was gas and some eating out charges and was within our normal range of expenses.

Out-of-the-ordinary expenses in May besides the CC Bill ones.....yearly maintenance and repairs on the 3rd car for the teens' use, in the amount of $1,636.99.  Though this car is a workhorse it is very old and the teens are running it into the ground with driving all over the place.  This car needs to last through next school year as daughter is taking dual enrollment classes at a local college while in her last year of high school, and she needs wheels to get to the school  3 times a week.  If it goes, she has no transportation so we are putting a stop to the 'fun' use of this car.  It seems like she/this car has become the way for all the kids to travel places here and that's being ended.  It is going to be for getting to her job and very limited 'fun' travel from now on.  This car is costing us around $2K a yr. in repairs/maintenance at this point.  And then you add in registration, plates, inspections and insurance and it's becoming quite the suck hole.

There was also a yearly veterinarian check-up for the 3 dogs.  That blew a $454 hole in the budget as well this month.

The Food Budget costs for May are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food/Toiletries spending in May was $18.04 over the budgeted $300.00 for May, but by putting the rebate money that came in last month toward that expense I can say we came in under budget there.  After the rebate money we only spent $202.23 on food/toiletries and our Savings percentage was 82.97% which is quite respectable.

Looking Ahead to June....
We have a week long visit from a relative in June, but various teens will be leaving home for weeks at a time in June  so the food spending will probably go down overall.  I have lowered the food budget for June back to $250 but will try to do better than that.
The Credit Card bill as of June 1st is already over $1,300.  More than half of this is due to a car a/c repair.  The rest is just a bunch of smaller $40-$50 purchases like clothing for the kids, plants and manure for the gardens, hubby's internet chess subscription, out of the ordinary gas purchases from retrieving #1 son from college, associated eating out charges from the trip to his school, etc.
We also have another car repair that will showing up on this month's credit card bill.  No word yet on the amount but I am sure it won't be pretty!lol  At this rate, we are looking at a $2K or more cc bill for June.

Plus I put off paying the $1K for #2 son's weeks at camp until June since May was so hard on the budget.
So, that's $3K plus the ordinary utilities and food expenses coming up in June.  All the more reason to keep an extra sharp watch on spending this month.

I am hoping but not totally certain that we will be able to meet our monthly goal of $2,500 saved in June.

YTD Standings....
We have a Year To Date Total of $16,073.74 in Savings.  To save $30K for the year, we need to put away $2,500 per month average.  Even with our lackluster May total saved, we are still ahead at this point in the year of our final goal.

So how was your May financially?  Leave a comment and share with us what you did with your money, both the good and not-so good.   Do you have any tricks or tips that help you to end your month before the money runs out?    Let us know!
If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check you out too!


Sluggy

MAY Budget Results.....Food & Toiletries Spending TOTALS

Since I have finished my food shopping for the month I am posting my May Food Budget Totals today. I have also updated the Totals for the Year on the right sidebar.   It feels nice to be ahead of things for once... ;-)

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for MAY 2010.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in May.
These Totals include Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(5 at home this month) & 3 dogs. No kids under 14.

CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP $144.90
Qs/Ads $110.49
Value $255.39
Savings 43.25%

ENTENMANN'S OUTLET
OOP $22.34
Ads/Sales $52.45
Value $74.79
Savings  68.80%

GERRITY'S
OOP $23.46
Qs/Ads $42.09
Value $65.55
Savings 64.22%

KEYCO(restaurant supply store)
OOP  $47.09
Qs/Ads  $67.86
Value  $114.95
Savings  59.03%

REDNER'S(local chain grocery)
OOP  $40.48
Qs/Ads  $37.47
Value  $77.95
Savings  48.07%

RITE AID
OOP $18.54 ($18.19 put on Rite-Aid Gift Card)=$.35 actual OOP
Qs/Ads $407.69
Value $408.04
Savings 99.91%

WALMART
OOP $8.88
Qs/Ads $26.72
Value $35.60
Savings  75.06%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town)
OOP $29.54
Qs/Ads $125.55
Value $155.09
Savings  80.96%

I don't track CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons".   I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.  Rebate money/gift cards will be considered 'income' & will go into the Food/Toiletries budget, offsetting the Out of Pocket. Cash will go immediately into the Budget kitty, while Gift Cards will be calculated in when spent.

REBATE CHECKS RECV'D. IN MAY

Pinecone Research....$3.00
Prevacid....$24.99
Rite-Aid SCR....$74.84
Snapple.....$12.98

Subtotal........$115.81

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
Rite-Aid Allergy SCR $25 Gift Card

KMart $10 Gift Card(Reese's Pieces)
Staples $9 Ink/Paper Rewards Certificate

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$159.81

FREE ITEMS

Kraft Mac & Cheese x 2

Neti Pot

Fresh Express Salad FREE ITEM Qs x 2(giveaway win)

Kraft

Wheat Thin Bags x 3

International Coffees x 3

Chavrie Goat Cheese FREE ITEM Q

COUPONS

$1/1 EOS Shave Gel x 2
$1.50/1 Better Than Ears

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 99.91%, Weis at 80.96% and Walmart at 75.06%.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$318.04
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$869.32
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$1,187.36
TOTAL Savings of..........73.21%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$115.81
TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$202.23
TOTAL Savings of..................................82.97%

This closes out the May spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
After rebates were figured in, I stayed under my $250 budgeted amount....$47.77 under.  While I didn't do a lot of stocking up, except 'good' hot dogs and dog food, I did do much more food buying without using coupons.  The restaurant supply store is a new venue I am trying and while they don't take coupons(as most of the food stuff is NOT personal consumer sized), there are deals to be had that that end up saving me more.  I'll have a post of this later in the week.  With #1 son home for the month, we ate down on much of the meat/fish/chicken stockpile and I have not replaced much of it.

You will notice that I only frequented 1 drug store this month.  I find that I can fulfill our toiletry/drug needs working the game at Rite-Aid alone, and for basically free.  Unless I feel the need to build up the excess supply of toiletries for another yard sale or flea market venture, I'll be staying out of CVS and Walgreens this summer.  I know I can get it for almost free there too but we don't need it now and Rite-Aid is closer so why bother? ;-)

What's ahead for June 2010.....

The June 2010 Food/Toiletries Budget is set at $250 cash out of pocket since #1 son is leaving for the summer shortly and the other teens will be gone for weeks at a time during June as well so we won't be doing much eating so no need for much spending, right?
  Any rebates received this month will offset this OOP spending. I have almost NO outstanding rebates due(except for Rite-Aid)so there will not be much extra cash to offset the food budget this month.  Even with that, I feel $250 will be a generous budget.

With 5 months of the year behind us, we have averaged $172.92 per MONTH after rebates on food/toiletries spending for 2010 for a family of 4-5 adults/teens.


How did you do in May with your Food Budget?  Leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear!  By sharing our struggles and efforts we can help each other stick to our budgets and learn to be better guardians of our resources.

Sluggy