Income & Spending....the November 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 November report--

I have 2 goals for November.....

The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.

The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to tuck back into a slush fund.  This slush fund may be applied toward unforeseen bills that are coming due in subsequent months, to spend on "extras/wants" during the year or to just sit there and grow until the end of 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 November in the black.

The amount extra we ended the month of November with?....$2,650.86

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in November---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $2,530.11

*  SS income of $3,828.70

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $970.48

Total "Income" for November....$7,329.29

Expenses in November---

*  Irregular bills in November were $3,683.05

*  Variable expenses in November came to $287.95

*  Medical Premiums in November were $707.43

Total Expenses....$4,678.43

$7,329.29-$4,678.43=$2,650.86.

Slush Fund coming into November of $83,268.64 and the addition of $2,650.86 in November, our end of November 2024 Slush Fund comes to $85,919.50.

The Slush Fund, on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog), shows an addition of $2,650.86.

Outgo

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

Here are the GOOD THINGS

*  The water bill is the same as the previous month.
*  The WAM was the same as in October.
*  The electric bill was $42.08 lower than the previous month
*  The Hubs Amazon card was $191.81 less than in October.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The cellphone bill was $10.08 higher than in October.
*  The My Amazon card was $35.59 higher than last month.
*  Hubs Aviator card was $531.99 higher than in October.
*  My Aviator card was $491.92 higher than last month.:
And we had some one off bills in November--
*  We had additional Car Insurance due to the tune of $223.97 because the new car is newer than the old car we traded in.
*  We had an AARP bill of $16.00.  Because of my UnitedHealthcare medigap plan I am forced to have an AARP membership. 8-(
*  We paid a Doctor copay out of the regular account for $20.00.
*  We had a bill of $27.98 for the coat I bought.

The Food Budget costs for November 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 November 2024---We had a few extra bills in November, but nothing we couldn't handle.  The extra monies was smaller than it could have been but we still had a surplus once the month was out.

GOING FORWARD INTO December 2024--I don't think I'll spend as much in December but the bill for the car is arriving in December. ouch
We will have the Long Term Care premiums due plus expenses for the Holidays too.

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

So how was your November financially?

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

Did you stay within your budget or not?

What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?

Did you pay down/off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or 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 2022...the November 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 November report---

I had 2 goals for November.......
The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to tuck back into a slush fund.  This slush 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 November in the red.

The amount we ended the month of November with?...-$8,816.68

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in November---

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

*  SS income of $3570.00
*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $104.30

*  Storage deposit refund from PA $25.00

*  C/C credits on m/c statement of $76.04

Total "Income" for November....$6,986.15

Expenses in November---
* Irregular bills in November were $1,661.66

* Variable Expenses in November came to $11,915.04

* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,226.13

Total Expenses....$15,802.83

$6,986.15-$15,802.83=-$8,816.68

Slush into November of $70.334.97 in that Fund, subtract November's shortfall of $8,816.68 and we get $61,518.29 going into December's 2022's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows a subtraction of $8,816.68.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The cell phone, WAM,  as well as the Health Insurance premium were all the same as last month.

*  There was no water bill in November.  It will be due in December.

*  The gas cc bill was $90.48 lower than in October.

*  We got a small deposit refund from the storage in PA,

HERE are the BAD THINGS(so many bad things...)

*  The Mastercard was $3,550.74 higher in November.

*  My Amazon c/c was $210.30 higher last month(mostly groceries).

*  Hubs Amazon c/c bill was $1,528.44 higher in November than in October.

*  We had many irregular bills due in November too--

  *  2 Vet bills for the dogs(1 for well check and shots, then Dixie got sick so another visit and meds.)

  *  Had to pay for an HVAC guy to put a dryer vent in.

  *  6 months of car insurance.  I think we'll change companies in the new year as the rate seems high.

  *  We paid the garbage service in advance for a full year and this is higher here than in PA.

  *  I had a small balance on a c/c I don't use much and don't remember what I bought. lol

  *  Car inspections once we registered the vehicles them in LA.

  *  New LA driver's licenses were bought and paid for as well.

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

FINAL THOUGHTS on November 2022---

November was another very expensive month.  Lots of bills from the move came due and were paid as well as having to purchase needed stuff like a bed, chairs, storage units, etc.  While our PA house sold on November 29th we have some residual utilities to pay there and theses will carry over into December bills.  I think November saw the last of the "move" bills.  After the house sale check arrives we can set up a bank account nearby which will make paying bills easier than it's been so far and we can close the PA account down and have those funds transferred here.  It will be nice to have our money settled down and consolidated again.  8-)))

THOUGHTS going forward into December 2022--Won't be around to spend much here but we'll be spending elsewhere in December.  There will continue to be small charges here and there as we fix things, remove and improve things, replace things that didn't come or make it to LA.  There will be an irregular bill as Long Term Care comes due in December and we'll be making the third house insurance payment(this is so weird here--you pay it over the first 5 months of your policy and then you are done for the year?).

So how was your November 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 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  

Food Spending 2021....The November Report

  Onward to November's Food Spending report......

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for NOVEMBER 2021.

I have posted November's totals on the Total Grocery Savings Page located HERE and have updated the Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in November.  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(2-3 eating at home this month). No "kids" under 25. 
*****************

ALDI

OOP  $38.27

Value  $65.83

Savings  41.87%

CVS

OOP  $0.40

Value  $8.77

Savings 95.44%

DOLLAR GENERAL

OOP  $12.09

Value  $45.62

Savings  73.50%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC/Gift Cards  $2,018.33

Value  $2,018.33
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE

OOP  $.99

Value  $.99

Savings  00%

WALMART
OOP  $64.89

Qs/free Gift Cards  $211.47
Value  $276.36
Savings  76.52%

WEIS

OOP  $83.57

Qs/Sales  $38.33
Value  $121.90
Savings  31.44%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, CVS at 95.44% and Walmart at 76.52%.

The worst rate was at Shursave at 0%.  Can't get much worse than Zero saved, right? lolz
I shopped at 7 different stores in November.  

TOTAL Spent in November.................$200.21

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards...$319.26

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased....$519.47

TOTAL Savings of .............................61.46%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for November w/R-A..............$200.21

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards w/................$2,337.59
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid...$2,537.80
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items....................92.11%

This closes out the November food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....It was a GREAT lower spending month!  Spent almost half of what I usually shoot for so I am pleased.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 22.70% in November 2021 to 92.11% compared to the October's 69.41% savings average.  Rite-Aid Black Friday sales always skew my percentages in November.  Go me! ;-)

With 11 months accounted for, I have spent a Year-To-Date Total of $3,472.74 on food/toiletries in 2021.

2020 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$3,472.74

2020 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$20,755.87

2020 Grand Total Saved...............................$17,283.13

2020 Yearly Savings Total.............................83.27%

The average per month amount spent is $315.70 in 2021 so far.

My Ibotta rebate, Coupons dotcom, Checkout51 and Aisle totals for the year so far through October comes to $3,085.13 once I cash out.  Put that next to a full spending of $3,472.74 for the year so far and I've "actually" spent only $387.61 on food/toiletries for the year or an average of $35.24 per month.  Plus I've been able to donate to the food bank and share my haul bounty with others.

I love that I can do that!

LOOKING AHEAD To December 2021.......

Not sure what December will hold as far as grocery spending goes.  We are good on all but perishables(fresh milk, fresh produce).  Not sure yet if and whom will be here for Christmas entertaining if anyone.  I'll set the bar low at my usual $400 spend but I suspect we won't reach that or even be close unless I go nuts and buy porterhouse steaks and lobster for Xmas dinner for 12. lolz

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 November?

*  Do you track your yearly food spending?  It's really not that hard or time consuming; just have your receipts and either track it in a notebook or on a spreadsheet.

*  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

Income & Spending 2020.....the November 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 November report---

I had 2 goals for November.......
The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to tuck back into a slush fund.  This slush 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 November in the black.
The amount we ended the month of November with?.....$187.70

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in November---

* 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 $433.06

* Deposit for Booze I bought for someone on our trip  $35.00

Total "Income" for November.....$5539.41

Expenses in November---

* Healthcare Premium for November was $1,883.76(paid for with RMSA reimbursement)
* Irregular bills in November were $520.43
* Variable Expenses in October came to $2947.52
Total Expenses....$5351.71

$5539.41-$5351.71=$187.70
Slush into November of $32,178.08 in that Fund, add the $187.70 November overage and this brings the Slush to $32,365.78 going into November.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $187.70 for November.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Internet and cell phone were the same as last month.

*  There was no gas bill(these stations were too high in price).

*  The WAM was the same amount taken as last month.

*  The water bill was $1.22 lower than October's bill.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The electric bill was $25.18 higher than last month's bill. This one will continue to rise as Winter sets in.

*  The credit card bill was $1204.06 higher than in October.  This was mostly due to some big purchases by Hubs and the bill's from our October trip were on this statement.

*  We had a $390.86 bill from my Amazon card.  I don't use it much and I did help to lower that bill which I'll explain in tomorrow's Frugal Friday post. ;-)

*  There was an irregular bill due in November, the semi-annual car insurance premium of $520.43.

The Food Budget costs for November 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 November---
It was a good month overall financially.  No unusually high normal bills other than the c/c due to our trip but we knew that was coming. Any month we don't spend more on outgo than comes in is a good month with the monies.  Some large bills were due so not much overage to carry forward into the Slush Fund in November, but some months are like that.

THOUGHTS going forward into December 2020----Most of my Christmas shopping is done already so not much more will go on the credit card for December(besides food spending for the month).  My big expense this December will be the cost to mail/ship gifts.  I've got 7 packages(not counting Giveaway boxes)to ship to what seems like every state in the country this year! lol  Lots of $$ going to the USPS this year.....

We've got 2 irregular bills due in December-the Long Term Care Insurance premiums but that's it for non-usual bills this month.

Then we get to sit down and "Monday Morning Quarterback" the 2020 finances and plan out our 2021 spending.

So how was your November financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in November?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?
Did you pay 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

$30K Savings Challenge...November 2010 Totals

I have posted my NOVEMBER 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 November in the black....with a nice healthy addition!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of November with was.......$3,984.99.

Income
We had $3,954.49 left over of DH's salary after expenses were deducted. Add in $3 of Rebates applied to the food expenses, along with $27.50 in rolled Coins and you have a deposit of $3,984.99 toward the Savings Challenge!

Our monthly target is an average of $2,500.00 to reach our Year End Goal.

Outgo
As for the expenses in November.....it was pretty much a 'normal bills' type month.   The credit card bill(which is paid off each month)was under $450.  There was a vet bill for the beagle this month and some smallish school related bills that are out of the ordinary but otherwise, it was a low spending month here.

The Food Budget costs for November are in another post, which is located HERE.  The actual Food/Toiletries spending in November was right on target, unlike October's out of control spending....egads, that was bad.lol

Looking Ahead to December....

As like most people who celebrate a Holiday in December, we will have some larger than normal expenses this month.
Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Winter Solstice....no matter which you celebrate, the extra spending will raise your monthly costs this month....unless your surname is Scrooge.
Since I operate on a budget for Christmas, our spending is planned & budgeted for months ahead so we have no surprises coming up with the cash to cover those expenses.
You know December is coming every year.....so make sure you figure how to pay for things in advance of it's arrival.  It just makes prudent financial sense, right?

The problem for us this December is the unexpected expenses that are coming up.  My car needed repair work done on it last month and the bill will be coming in sometime this month.  That will be in the neighborhood of $600.  Plus Daughter destroyed her orthodontic mouth guard and we need to pay $300+ this month for the new one that was made.  To add to the spending rampage, my computer died a few days ago and can't be fixed.  Since the monitor, etc. are fine still, we had to buy a new processor to the tune of $400(including back-up storage).  Then my machine was not compatible with my ancient printer so we purchased a new laser printer at a bargain price.  Not only was the price good but this printer will continue to save us money since the cartridges for it last a whole lot longer than the ones for inkjet printers....but I digress.
So just those 4 items will result in over $1400 in unexpected/not planned spending in December.
Even with those expenses, we should still be able to eek out a small savings for the Challenge in December though because of that 2nd extra paycheck for the year.  December has 3 pay periods for us since Hubs is paid on a biweekly schedule, so an extra paycheck this month....yippee!
And it's a very good month to have an extra paycheck coming in if I do say so myself!lol

I am just glad at this point that we have an ample income and can cover all our bills, no matter if they are expected or not....plus, we have enough to put some money away!
It's a very good feeling knowing you are solvent and living well below your means, especially in this economy.

YTD Standings....
We have a Year To Date Total of $30,232.62 in Savings. 
With one month of savings to go, we have hit our goal of $30 Thousand Saved in November!
I am thrilled to pieces!!
Even though we reached our goal early I will still keep tracking our progress to see how far over our goal we can reach in December.

So how was your November 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