Income & Spending Report.....the July Edition

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals, 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.

Two changes we implemented for 2019 at our financial meeting in Jan.--

* Hubs wants to take $150 per person WAM(aka Walking Around Money)in 2019.  I found last year's $100 per month adequate but Hubs chafed at that little so we are upping it this year to $150 per person per month.
                                                                                                                                                 
*As for our 2018 Slush Fund, this is how we are going to handle it in 2019......
We won't be taking a quarterly 401K withdrawal in 2019 until we "need" to, instead of taking one each quarter as we had planned back in 2017 when Hubs retired.  Why pull 401K monies out when they are earning more than our other regular bank funds?  Use those instead for now!

Since the Slush Fund ended 2018 with $23,164.17 in it and the Sinking Fund ended 2018 with $468.37 in it, we are, for now at least, not taking any more 401K withdrawals and using what is in the Sinking Fund and/or Slush Fund to cover all irregular bills that come up in 2019 plus a few projects around the house.

I have set up a page to track the Slush Fund.  Click on the tab marked "Slush Fund 2018-2019" at the top of the blog.

  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 2019.

I can report that we finished up July in the RED!
The amount we ended the month of July with?.....-$483.46

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in July---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3222.24(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1848.67
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $599.43
* Blog Revenue of $103.08
Total "Income" for July.....$5773.42

Expenses in July---

* Healthcare Premium for July was $1,848.67(paid for with RMSA reimbursement)
* Variable Expenses in July came to $4408.21
Total Expenses....$6256.88

We also had an expense we planned to be paid out of the Slush Fund instead of regular "income" in July--the carpet and installation in the bedroom(aka the sewing room). That was one of the big expenses/improvements we are paying for in 2019.  This cost $555.09 out of the Slush Fund.

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 approximately the same as last month.(Within $2 or so).
*  The water bill was $16.92 lower than June.
*  The electric bill was $48.15 lower than last month(still no a/c used).
*  The WAM was the same as in June.
*  The health insurance premium was the same as last month.
*  The Chase c/c was $40.59 lower than June's bill.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The electric bill was $37.26 higher than last month(a/c turned on now).
*  The gas card bill was $54.52 more than in June.
*  The c/c bill was $2,573.49 higher than last month.
*  We had $43.79 in medical charges I paid out of income instead of HSA funds.
*  There were $79.39 in vet charges 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).

So we end July "income" in the red taking $483.46 out of the Slush Fund.
After subtracting the $555.09 for the carpeting as well, we had $1038.55 in charges beyond our income for July, which leave the July Slush Fund ending at $19,971.81 going into August.

The Sinking Fund goes into August 2019 standing at $468.37 since nothing was paid out of it in July.

FINAL THOUGHTS on July----

Lots of "out of the ordinary" expenses put on the credit card(over $2500 worth) and the carpet installation had us OOP over $3K extra and put us over budget in July.
Luckily we could tap the Slush Fund for that overage. ;-)


THOUGHTS going forward into August 2019----
We have one irregular bill due in August, the house insurance.  This bill actually went DOWN $71 from 2018's homeowner's insurance bill. *gasp* A yearly bill that goes down??  Where is Alan Funt and his Candid Camera? lolz

Electric will be higher due to more a/c usage.

The credit card bill will be another whopper.....$700 in car maintenance/repair(Hubs car), $134 in take-out and amusement park charges while eldest son and GF were here, and my $200 yearly Ancestry subscription renewed, along with all those grocery store purchases in July that will hit in August when the c/c is due. Oh and Hubs bought an expensive gun plus accessories that go along with that purchase and this will all be on the August c/c bill.
It won't be pretty. 8-(

But no worries here on going over the "income".  We have all that overage from last year when we were withdrawing from the 401K so we just use that overage to absorb extra costs until that is gone and then we'll sit down and re-evaluate the spending.

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

2016 Food & Toiletries Spending.....October Update

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for OCTOBER 2016.

I have posted October's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2016 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.  I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in September.  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 5(4-5 at home this month). No kids under 20.

******************

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $4.00
Value  $13.64
Savings   70.74%

MAINE SOURCE
OOP  $87.90
Value  $166.74
Savings  47.28%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/PPs  $166.10
Value  $166.10
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE MARKET
OOP  $174.48
Qs/Ads $91.73
Value  $266.21
Savings  34.46%

TARGET
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/Gift Cards  $15.92
Value  $15.92
Savings  100%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $250.34

Qs/Ads  $279.69

Value  $530.03

Savings  52.77%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, Target at 100% and the Bakery Outlet at 70.74%.  My WORST savings rate was Shursave Market at 34.46%.  For all but 1 store shopped at, the savings rate was at least 47.28%.
I shopped at 6 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket..........$516.72

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$641.92

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1,158.64

TOTAL Savings of ..................................55.40%
TOTAL Savings w/o Rite-Aid of ..............47.94%


This closes out the October food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into October wanting to do a $300(then changed to a $400)food budget for the month.
I actually spent $516.72, $116.72 over the extended goal amount.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went down by 7.49% in October to 55.40% compared to September's 62.89% savings average.
Still over 50% savings over regular retail is mighty fine though. 8-)

With 10 months accounted for, I have spent a total of $4,174.72 on food/toiletries so far in 2016 which averages out to $417.47 per month spent.  This is $11.02 higher per month than September's average.  My savings rate for the year is holding now at 60.99%.  This is a number I can easily live with. ;-)

LOOKING AHEAD To November 2016.........can it really be November already?.......
I've got a free meat item coming this month for Thanksgiving so Turkey dinner will just require some fresh produce purchases mostly as I've been gathering all the other fixings for that big holiday meal....unless I get a free ham instead to use for Christmas which makes sense frugally since Turkey is cheaper than Ham, so go for the one that is worth the most.  That means I'll have to buy a turkey but I am sure I can get a good price on one as other grocery stores around here have deals on them.

We will try to eat down some of the frozen assets here in November.  My food/toiletry spending will probably in the $400+ range but I'll try to keep it under $400.  No promises though with all the adult mouths I need to fill plus more on Turkey Day as we host the family dinner.

I'm going to put it out there now that I wish to stay under $5K total for food/toiletries spending in 2016. My thought was to do a $4K or lesss food year but then we gained two more adults fulltime in the household so that's that.
Staying at $5K means I have $825.28 left to spend this year on food.
Did I mention that there are still 2 months left in the year too?
Gulp!

To augment what I can spend out of the food budget, I have a $25 Weis gift card, a $20 Giant gift card, about $17 left on a Visa gift card too, so another $60+/- in "free" money to use beyond the $825.28.
Plus I have many Holiday foods/ingredients already acquired and a well stocked pantry/freezer to boot.
This will still be a struggle to mean everyone's needs here and not skimp on Christmas/Thanksgiving and stay under this mark.
But I am up for the challenge.....

Let the Holiday Food Games Begin!!  8-)))

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 October?
*  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

$32K Savings Challenge for 2011.....May Totals

I present to you May of the 2011 $32K Savings Challenge!

I have posted my MAY End of Month $32K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals really each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $2,666.67.

I have to report that we finished up May in the black!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of May with.......$3,297.11.

Income
We had $3221.15 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted.
Add in $75.96 of Rebates applied against the food expenses and you have a deposit of $3,297.11  toward the Savings Challenge!

Our monthly target is an average of $2,666.67 to reach our Year End Goal.  We came in well over that amount for May.  This is only the second month so far this year that we have met or exceeded the monthly target amount for this challenge.

Outgo
As for the expenses in May....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS
*The electric bill went down another $141.
*We had NO car maintenance expenses in May.  But we did lose a car. 8-(
*We had no annual/bi-annual/quarterly payments to make.
*The WAM money was lower than usual.

HERE are the BAD THINGS
*The credit card bill was up again in the $1K range.
*Lots of Doctor visit co-pays, most of which were for camp physicals.
*$195 for annual dog vet check-ups and meds.


The Food Budget costs for May are in another post, which is located HERE.  The actual Food/Toiletries spending in May was more than $190.26 over budget or $114.30 when you take off my rebate check total which I use toward the food bill.

What's ahead for June.......
There are the usual suspects: electricity, water, phone, cable, credit card bill, food cash, etc.

Non-monthly bills include the summer camp payment for #2 son(ouch!), and the quarterly garbage pick-up payment.

So If I can keep the food spending on budget, we should be able to put away a good sized amount into savings this month.

YEAR-TO-DATE TOTAL.....
With 5 months behind us, our Savings total to-date for 2011 is $14,933.99.
We finally are ahead of schedule with the Savings goal for the year!


And if you need to start putting money into savings......What's that you say?  You don't have an emergency fund of 6-8 months worth of expenses!!??....consider playing along in 2011 with me and Challenging Yourself to Save Money each Month Toward a Realistic for YOU Savings Goal!
Not everyone can shoot for $32K, I fully get that!
But everyone can shoot for some number, right!?

Find a money goal that works for you and put that number out there for everyone to see.  It will help keep you accountable to your goal if other eyes are on you.
Ooo, that sounded kind of creepy didn't it? ;-)

So how was your May financially? 
Did you spend less than you made?
Did you stay within your budget or not?

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

$32K Savings Challenge for 2011.....March Totals

Since I foresee food prices, as well as other expenses/costs/taxes to rise in 2011, I am only upping my Savings Challenge Goal by $2,000.  While I hope to bring in more income this year, I feel we will be spending more on necessities in 2011, thus the small increase in goals.

So I present to you March of the 2011 $32K Savings Challenge!

I have posted my MARCH End of Month $32K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals really each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $2,666.67.

I have to report that we finished up March in the black!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of March with.......$2353.56.

Income
We had $2282.19 left over from our income after our expenses were deducted.
Add in $71.37 of Rebates applied against the food expenses and you have a deposit of $2,353.56 toward the Savings Challenge!

Our monthly target is an average of $2,666.67 to reach our Year End Goal.  We came in about $313 short in March.

Outgo
As for the expenses in March....
HERE are the GOOD THINGS
*The credit card bill was well under $1K.
*The electric bill went down about $50.
*We ONLY spent $342 something on car repairs/maintenance.  Unfortunately, this amount is a good thing for us. ugh
*Hubs took less WAM out of the bank this month....yay! 8-)
*I didn't need to take any cash out of the bank since I was able to do the last 2 month's food/HBA shopping on what I withdrew in Feb.

HERE are the BAD THINGS
 *The quarterly sewage bill came due this month, I went ahead and paid up for the full year, earning a 3% discount....hey!, it's something.lol
*I paid the garbage bill ahead for 3 months, which is good overall but not for this month's outgo.
*The Final BIG marching band payment(for #2 son's trip in the Spring)came due...$460. bleh.


The Food Budget costs for March are in another post, which is located HERE.  The actual Food/Toiletries spending in March was more than $100 under budget.

What's ahead for April.....
Looking back at last year's check register, I see that the County/Local taxes are due this month....that's a big one!
We also have another car repair to pay.
The credit card bill is up to $400 with another 10 days to go until the billing cycle closes.  I'm hoping to keep it under $600 by the time it closes on the 10th.
Other than that it's just the usual suspects this month--electric, water, phone, cable, food, prescriptions, dr. visits, etc.

YEAR-TO-DATE TOTAL.....
With 3 months behind us, our Savings total to-date for 2011 is $5,136.53.

And if you need to start putting money into savings......What's that you say?  You don't have an emergency fund of 6-8 months worth of expenses!!??....consider playing along in 2011 with me and Challenging Yourself to Save Money each Month Toward a Realistic for YOU Savings Goal!
Not everyone can shoot for $32K, I fully get that!
But everyone can shoot for some number, right!?

Find a money goal that works for you and put that number out there for everyone to see.  It will help keep you accountable to your goal if other eyes are on you.
Ooo, that sounded kind of creepy didn't it? ;-)

So how was your March 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

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for SEPTEMBER 2010.
I have posted September's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2010.

I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in September.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom information.

These Totals include Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(between 5 & 2 at home this month) & 3 dogs. No kids under 14.

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP $20.56
Value $70.81 

Savings  70.96%

CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP $18.50

Qs/Ads $6.96

Value $25.46

Savings  27.33%

FAMILY DOLLAR

OOP $8.06

Qs/Ads $6.51

Value $14.57

Savings 44.68%

GERRITY'S

OOP $76.37

Qs/Ads $114.82

Value $191.19

Savings 60.06%

RESTAURANT SUPPLY

OOP $16.15

Value $29.95

Savings 46.08%

RITE AID
OOP $12.78 (whole amount put on Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads $687.93

Value $700.71

Savings 98.17% before gift cards/ 100% savings after gift cards

WALMART
OOP $.14
Value $38.14
Savings 99.63%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town)
OOP $127.39

Qs/Ads $247.01

Value $374.40

Savings  65.75%


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 SEPTEMBER

Finesse Shampoo...$2.50
Focus Group Payment....$75.00
Lypsyl Lip Balm....$2.39
Pinecone Research....$6.00
Rite-Aid SCR....$40.98
Sure TMF Rebate...$2.63
Subtotal........$129.50

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES

$0.00
 
TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$129.50

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%, WalMart at 99.63% and the Bakery Outlet at 70.96%.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$267.17

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1178.06

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$1445.23

TOTAL Savings of..........81.51%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$129.50

TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$137.67
TOTAL Savings of..................................90.47%

This closes out the September spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-

The garden was giving us an ample supply of goodies but I did stock up on some frozen veggies with a Catalina deal.  I resumed moderate use of coupons when shopping this month after not using many in August.
While I went over slightly on the budgeted $250 amount for the month, the rebates & focus group payment added to the food budget kitty went a long way to help keep my OOP under the set amount.

What's ahead for October 2010.....

Since we just got the new fridge I haven't stocked up on much fresh farm stand veggies for winter yet, but I'll be doing that in early October. 

I am setting the October 2010 Food/Toiletries Budget at $250. I am figuring $150 for regular monthly purchases and the other $100 for the stocking on farm buys and any good seasonal deals(sugar, flour, pumpkin, eggs, pork, apples, etc.)

As always, any rebates received this month will be added to the food budget spending.  I have 4 outstanding rebates due in but I have no rebates going out so these 4(plus any Rite-Aid SCRs)will probably be all the rebate money for the rest of the year.

With nine months of the year behind us, we have averaged $179.21 per MONTH after rebates on food/toiletries spending for 2010 for a family of 4-5 adults/teens + 2-3 pets.

How did you do in September 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

October BUDGET RESULTS-Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for OCTOBER 2009.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in October.
These Totals include Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(4 at home)& 3 dogs. No kids under 13.

AMELIA'S (Discount Outlet)
OOP $32.32
Ads/Sales $37.18
Value $69.50
Savings 53.50%

CARONE'S(local Independent Grocery that doesn't take IP Qs)
OOP $23.42
Qs/Ads $13.13
Value $36.55
Savings  36%

CVS
OOP $1.06
Qs/Ads $80.94
Value $82.00
Savings 98.70%

ENTENMANN'S OUTLET
OOP $16.78
Ads/Sales $31.22
Value $32.00
Savings 47.50%

FARM STAND(I use local retail grocery prices to figure Value)
OOP $26.50
Qs/Ads $00
Value $70.00
Savings 62.15%

FLEA MARKET(items bought from farm vendor-figure Value same as Farm Stand entry)
OOP $17.25
Qs/Ads $00
Value $23.50
Savings 26.60%

KMART(1 round of double coupons this month)
OOP $81.28
Qs/Ads $470.60
Value $551.88
Savings 85.25%

OLLIE'S (local Discount chain Store that doesn't take coupons)
OOP $2.46
Qs/Ads $1.04
Value $3.50
Savings 29.70%

RITE AID
OOP $188.93(before rebates)
Qs/Ads $357.10
Value $546.03
Savings 65.40%(100% after rebates of $229.13 due)

TARGET
OOP $23.35
Qs/Ads $102.36
Value $125.71
Savings 81.50%

WALGREEN'S
OOP $13.76
Qs/Ads $111.95
Value $125.71
Savings 89.05%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town)
OOP $175.73
Qs/Ads $289.56
Value $465.29
Savings 62.24%

I've decided NOT to 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' & go toward Food/Toiletries budget purchases, 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 SEPTEMBER

CVS Lamp Rebates....$8.00
Dove Hair Repair...$5.00
Goody Headband...$3.99
Kellogg's Fuel for School...$10.00
Kraft/Super Valu....$20.00
Pinecone Research....$3.00
Rite-Aid SCR........$155.42(counting old rebate check lost in mail reissued)
Snapple......$11.98
Zantac........$5.00
Subtotal........$222.39

FREE ITEMS

Betty Crocker Garlic Mashed Potatoes(full sized!)
Chik-Fila Sandwich

Secret Deodorant Sample

COUPONS

Kashi Go Lean-Vocalpoint

GIFT CARDS & STORE CHECKS
Rite Aid  $40.00
Staples  $30.00 Visa Card
Staples  $24.00 (ink rewards)
SubTotal...$94.00

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$316.39

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from CVS at 98.70%, Walgreen's at 89.05% and K-Mart at 85.25%.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$602.84
TOTAL of Rebates...................................$222.39

TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$380.45

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1751.22
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2131.67

BUT....I have additional income this month to put into the Food Budget!
Remember I sold a bunch of stockpile items in Oct. at the flea market.  $600 of the $932.25 net made was put toward the $60K Savings Challenge and the rest, $332.25, was put into the Food Budget to offset any OOP spending in October.  So my OOP becomes.....

$380.45-$332.25=$48.20


$48.20 OOP
Value of Items remains at $2131.67

Amount of Savings becomes $2083.47
Bringing the TOTAL Savings % for OCTOBER to...............97.74% (71.70% before the flea market $)

This closes out the October spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
With the high amount of income from Rebates And the Flea Market income received I was able to have a tremendously low out of pocket for this month. Though I initially spent well above what I had planned for the Food Budget, having the extra income streams this month helped me take advantage of a lot of unexpected stock-up opportunities on in season farm produce to freeze and meat buys at the store and still come in under budget.
Outside of Rite-Aid, which I practically lived at in Oct. I was there so much this month, I made very few trips to drugstores.

What's ahead for November.....
I'm going to keep the Food/Toiletries Budget at $250 for November.  I may make 1 trip to the Discount Grocery Outlet this month for cheap dairy/frozen chicken and any special deals I may find.  There is nothing we need at the moment in the way of Toiletries.  The only Drugstore trips will be for any freebies at Rite-Aid and to roll ECBs and RRs at CVS & WAGS or to spend Gift Cards. I'll be picking up the seasonal cheap items this month.....cranberries, canned pumpkin, sugar, flour, etc.  The things I won't be buying are cold cereal, granola bars and pop-tarts...I don't care how cheap they are, I am overrun with those things!lol

How did you do in October 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

$60K Savings Challenge SEPTEMBER Totals...This Won't Be Pretty!

I have posted my SEPTEMBER End of Month 60K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right(near the bottom) for the specific numbers.

Ok, I am hanging my head as September was an utter failure!
I know I had 2 HUGE payments this month--#1 son's Tuition/Room/Board bill for the 1st Semester and then the New Roof bill that nearly doubled in price from the estimate we had gotten.
UGH.
But those items were paid for from other savings pots we have--the College Fund & the Home Repairs Fund.
They didn't figure into the September money pool at all.
There are other reasons why this month was a financial disaster.

With deep regret, I have to report that we finished up September IN THE RED!

The amount we ended the month of September with was -$1163.35.
That's a NEGATIVE Savings of $1163.35.


We had no rolled coins and I am still sitting out on eBay.  I think it's time to get back into selling there for the Holiday Season.

On the recurring utilities front, we saw an increase of $.44 in the electric bill from August, so that bill basically stayed the same.  Once the heat gets turned on in this month, it's a slow steady increase in electric usage until the PEAK Month of Cold known here as February.
Ugh.

The water bill saw an increase of $20.64.  That's about a 45% jump from August.  It was expected as both kids were home from camp and since starting school, are showering more and having me do more loads of laundry.
All other regular bills...Cable, Internet, Phone, etc. were within normal parameters.

The Food Budget costs for September are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food/Toiletries spending in September was my lowest monthly total for the year.  I'm hoping to stay out of the stores more this month and am dropping the October Food/Toiletries Budget to $200.

So where did things go horribly wrong?
I'll tell you.
*  I paid the Garbage bill(which is due monthly)ahead to the end of the year. That was an extra $126 that didn't HAVE TO come out this month.
*  The quarterly Sewer bill also came due this month, so add on another $90.  At least I got a break for paying it on time. woohoo....lol
*  The 3rd car(the Family Heirloom)needed it's yearly checkup and maintenance.  There goes $914.97.
We figure this car will cost us about $1K a yr. to keep it roadworthy so it's not unexpected having to spend this.  It's just that the cost snuck up on me in September.
*  Then the school taxes came due.  Around here this is a separate tax from any municipal, city or local taxes. I always pay them during the "discount period" so we get a small break on the amount.  I should have paid them last month and would have if I had remembered that the Family Heirloom had it's yearly repair appointment in September.  This tax adds another $1800+ to the budget.
So that's just shy of $3,000.00 of non-monthly recurring expenses.

Add to that a higher than usual Credit Card bill I paid in September for August charges, that included the hotel lodging/meals/gas for taking #1 son to college, some modest back-to-school clothes shopping, college textbook rentals, #1 son's new laptop for school, pool supplies, the graphing calculator that daughter's class required me to buy, breaking down and paying through the nose for #1 son's graduation photos(ouch!), and a bit too much of eating out from August because it was too hot to cook(yah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!lol).....and we get a CC bill for $2,333.31.
Gulp.
Oh.
My.
Clear as mud now why I am over $1163.35 on my budget for September.

It's a good thing there is money saved at times like this.
*  I don't have to resort to getting a cash advance on my credit card to cover this amount and pay the outrageously HIGHER Interest Rate on Cash Advances as opposed to the rate for regular purchases of goods & services.
*  I don't have to borrow money from a relative or get a payday advance loan from one of those predatory snarky Payday Loan places.
*  I don't have to pawn or sell things to cover this shortfall.
*  Or worse, not pay the bills and have things shut off or repossessed.

Nope.
Because I had extra money at the end of the month for 7 of the last 9 months AND I tucked it away and did NOT SPEND IT, I can easily cover the extra bills this month.
Piece.
O'.
Cake.

Of course, it totally sucks and is disheartening to see In The Red at the end of this month.
But it makes me more determined NOT to let this happen again this year.

We are Nine Months into this $AVING$ Challenge, and we have a Savings Total of $14,472.06 for the year.

What's ahead for October....
Even less food spending.
Trying to get hubby to make less large cash withdrawals from the account and trying to get him to keep receipts/account for the money.  I don't think he has any idea how much he spends since he won't track it.
No travel this month so no unusual hotels, gas, food expenses.
The credit card bill should be substantially lower.  With 2 days to go before the statement closes for this period and we are under $1000.  And that includes the new bed purchase for #2 son.

I'd love to stash away $2K this month.  It should be do-able unless something comes up.  I really need to make up for September's loss in the savings column.  And it would be nice to have a low expense month before the Holidays hit because even though we don't go HOG WILD on stuff at the Holidays, expenses do happen.

Be sure and check out how others are doing with their finances this month at Money Saving Mom.

Sluggy

It's Almost Time for the End of Month Totals....

I was just sitting and doing some monthly calculations while my macaroni cooked for the homemade Mac & Cheese I am making tonight.
With 1.5 days left in September it looks like I'm going to have both good and bad results.  My monthly food & toiletries budget will be under my $250 mark but my $60K $AVING$ Challenge will dip into the negative for September.
Ugh.
September is turning out to be another bad month for squirreling cash away. Haven't had a negative savings month since February.  And this month's number will blow that Feb. negative total out of the water!

I'll try not to stick my head in the oven with the Mac & Cheese over this.
Oh wait....we don't have a gas oven so that won't work anyway.

I guess I'll live to try to save again in October.
**Sigh**

Sluggy

$60K Savings Challenge JUNE Totals...Halfway There!

I have posted my JUNE End of Month 60K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I am once again able to say that we finished up JUNE in THE BLACK!
The Savings for June was under $1000. Not great but good. At least we didn't Live Beyond Our Means this month, which is NEVER a good plan.

The MasterCard bill(which is paid off each month-NO BALANCE EVER!)was just over $1584.33 this month. We had some big unusual purchases like the CAR RENTAL(while my van was in the shop due to daughter's accident), the purchase from the local nursery for the garden & #1 son needing new pants & shoes(that boy is so compact that I haven't bought him clothes in 1.5 yrs!). Those 3 purchases alone account for $973.62 of the cc bill.

We had a bit of rolled coins as usual, but I am still sitting out on eBay for now.
I do plan on having a Yard Sale soon. I'll be selling some of my stockpile to raise some cash.

On the recurring utlities front, we saw a $1.20 reduction in the cost of the electric bill from May. We did have a couple of days early on in June where the A/C was run but this hasn't had any impact on the electric bill. The water bill was an identical amount to May's bill which is freaky. Last month water usage was up because of opening the pool for the season. Hubby has been dealing with pool problems in June, where he's had to partially empty and refill the pool so usage is still up. Gas purchases went up, as the price of gas at the pump rose.

The Food Budget costs for June are in another post, which is located Here. Food/Toiletries spending in June was my lowest monthly total for the year. I am determined to bring that total down even more in July. No stockpiling is needed & the garden should start producing this month, so if I can stay out of the grocery stores I can have a VERY low monthly food spending for July.

We are Six Months into this Challenge. At the HALFWAY MARK, we have a Savings Total of $12,146.75 for the year.

Not the $30 Thousand(halfway to the $60 Goal) I was shooting for at the halfway point, but still, $12 Thousand could have a significant impact on anyone's life.

What's ahead for July.....I plan on a much lower Food/Toiletries Spending. We also have a bonus week in the pay schedule so a 3rd paycheck is coming this month. Between those 2 things and the normal amount we usually save in a given month, I am hoping to realize approx. $4000 toward the Savings Challenge for July. It might have been a higher number, except for some CC charges coming due(4 pair of prescription eyeglasses, hotel stays, food & gas bought for the 970 mile trip we had to take last week)later this month.
If I get around to doing the Yard Sale too, that should add to my Savings total for July.

Check out Money Saving Mom's Blog May Financial Update Post to see how others are saving money and living more frugally Here.

Sluggy

$60K Savings Challenge MAY Totals...Getting Traction on Saving!

I have posted my MAY End of Month 60K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I am once again able to say that we finished up MAY in THE BLACK!
Hoo-rah! It's not anywhere near my $5000.00 monthly target but it's all good. Every dime saved is a dime NOT SPENT!

While 1 month's of savings may not look like much when you are putting those dimes away, when you get some months of putting them away under your belt, and look back, it adds up quickly!

$11K can accomplish alot if needed....a new roof(which we need), a "new-to-us" replacement car for commuting(hubby's car has 'issues'), a repair of the ceiling in the kitchen or the walls in the bathroom(which we can also use), or almost enough to pay for a full year's college tuition at a state school. That's our list of how to spent the Savings, I am sure you have a similar list. The "To Spend" items may be different but it's filled with needs that are no less important to you.

The MasterCard bill(which is paid off each month-NO BALANCE EVER!)was just over $800 this month. This is delightful but with some big unusual purchases like the CAR RENTAL(while my van was in the shop due to daughter's accident), the purchase from the local nursery for the garden and a few other things like #1 son needing all new jeans & pants(that boy is so compact that I haven't bought him clothes in 1.5 yrs!) added to the usual gas station fill-ups and hubby's online purchases, etc., June's bill is looking 'big scary'. bleh....

We had a bit of rolled coins as usual, but you will notice there is NO eBay income again for May. eBay is still not worth the effort/expense. Financially it is more advantageous for me to either sell the stuff at a garage sale or donate it & take the tax write-off. That may change in the fall, so I'll be holding off doing eBay until I can re-evaluate the situation at that time.

The only 'other' income I've been able to realize since stopping eBay selling is any rebate money that comes in during the month. The Staples rebates on all that printer paper helped boost the Rebate total this month.

A big Annual Vet Visit Bill for the 3 doggies & a $441 car repair for hubby's vehicle brought the NON-Credit Card, out of the ordinary expenses for May to $900.

On the recurring utlities front, we saw a $76 reduction in the cost of the electric bill since the heat has been turned off & no A/C is needed yet. The water bill went up by $21, as hubby has been dealing with opening the pool, meaning the use of more water for that. Gas purchases went up, as the price of gas at the pump rose.

The Food Budget costs for May are in another post, which is located Here. Those are still high but I am determined to bring them down in June. No or little stockpiling is necessary this month and if I can keep out of the grocery store, I should be successful in reducing the Food bill.

Five Months into this Challenge, & so far we have a Savings Total of $11,206.16 for the year.

Now is the PERFECT time to start saving money if you aren't already. Get started today!
Just doing 1 thing will get the ball rolling.
I'll be putting up a post concerning practical ways to save money later this week. Check back for that about Friday. I'll put a LINK to it in this post when it's up.

Check out Money Saving Mom's Blog May Financial Update Post to see how others are saving money and living more frugally Here. (Looks like Money Saving Mom's Financial Check-Up Post isn't up yet....give her a few days and then check the link.)

Sluggy