2018 Income & Spending Report.....the October Edition

Now that we are living on an annuity(like a pension) and 401K$ withdrawals(retirement savings), 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.

But this money leftover at the end of each month, at least for now(as we find our new financial "normal")won't be saved toward a yearly Savings Challenge.  This leftover cash will go into a "Slush Fund" for now to be used if we have any emergencies come up during the year.  If we still have Slush Funds at the end of the year we'll decide then what to do with those funds.

I have set up a page to track the Slush Fund.  Click on the tab marked "Slush Fund 2018" 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 October 2018 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 2018.

I have to report that we finished up October in the black.
The extra amount we ended the month of October with?.......$402.22

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in October---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3218.16(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1813.48
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $377.04
* Blogging Revenue of $113.20

Total "Income" for October......$5521.88


Expenses in October---

* Healthcare Premium for October was $1813.48.(paid with RMSA reimbursement)
* Variable Expenses in October came to $3306.18
Total Expenses....$5119.66

Sinking Fund--The balance in the Sinking Fund coming into October was $468.37. No irregular bills were due or paid so the Sinking Fund goes into November at $468.37.


We went into October with $24,000.37 in the Slush Fund.
Add in October's overage of $402.22 to the Slush Fund and it stands at $24,402.59 going into November.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Phone charges and internet were approximately the same as in September.(Within $1 or so).
*  The water bill was $2.35 lower than last month.
*  The health insurance premium was the same as in September.
*  The gas card bill was $22.88 lower than last month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The electric bill was $157.27  higher than last month. !!!  It turns out that the Aug. and Sept. electric bills were estimated as they didn't come out and read our meter.  Both months should have been higher than what we paid thus the October bill was double what we usually pay. ugh.
*  The cash WAM withdrawals were $80 higher than last month(due to the trip to Maine spending)
*  The c/c bill was up $142.81 higher than in September.
*  There was a $89.88 charge card bill on my Visa card this month.
*  We spent $150.00 at the church auction in September.
*  Chester was due for rabies and an annual check-up so there was a $100 vet bill this month.

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

So we end October in the black with $402.22 in new general overage to add to the Slush Fund.
The Sinking Fund goes into November standing at $468.37.

FINAL THOUGHTS on October---
I knew going in that October would be a tight month--no 401K withdrawal, trip bills made the credit card high plus we took a bit more WAM out($80)than usual.  Then we had a vet bill for an appt. that I forgot was coming up in Oct. and a secondary c/c bill.  Add in the electric bill was double due to a correction. bleh.  Had we not had interest and a blogging revenue check come in we would have been $88.02 in deficit in October and would have had to pull money from the Slush Fund.  I don't like being so close to the monthly financial edge if avoidable.

THOUGHTS going forward into November 2018----
November.......let's see what's coming up.
Normal WAM withdrawal this month.
Normal food spending planned.
The credit card will be high but not as high as in October(The bill runs mid-month to mid-month so a few NC trip charges will be on it.).
Semi-annual car insurance will be due from the Sinking Fund and there isn't enough in it to pay it fully so we'll pull from Slush Fund or any general Overage in November to cover most of it.
No unusual financial stuff in November.....steady as she goes.

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!

Make this year was the one were you clean up your finances and pay off your debts.
Plan to set something aside if you didn't already or increase what you have banked now for your future self.
Or pay extra on the principle of your mortgage if your house isn't already paid off.

Live below your means and keep some change for a rainy day....because no matter how sunny it is in your life now, dark clouds come along and you'll be glad you have that umbrella to keep you dry.

Sluggy

Inspecting & Whittling Down the "Nut"...A Ramble

Since we are slated to retire in less than 3 years I am obsessed with figuring out what our "nut" or household/living expenses need to be compared to what we are spending now, pre-retirement.
I am trying to reduce our "nut" every year to try to get it as low as I can post retirement. 
I figure if we commence retirement with our expenses lowered  as much as possible and find we can in fact afford to spend more, it will be easier to expand our spending, rather than to head into retirement and find we are still spending more than our savings can handle.
Sounds like a plan, right? 8-)

Using my monthly spending/expense sheets from 2014, I have concluded that we spent $53,278.52 of our regular income that year. (This doesn't count the money I paid to buy my car in 2014 which came out of the Bonus money.)
That comes out to $4,439.87 spent per month on our "nut".

So far in 2015 we've spent $23,924.09 of our regular income to "live". (Again this doesn't count the money we paid to buy Hubs car in 2015 which also came out of the 2015 Bonus money.)
This averages out to $3,417.72 spent per month for the last 7 months. 

If we stay on this track we will have approximately a $41,012.72 nut for 2015. 
(Granted this isn't all the income we have spent as there was money taken out of the check before we got it for healthcare premiums, life insurance and long term care insurance.  These items will still need to be funded in retirement and will need to be accounted for in our "nut" spending.)

So far in 2015 we have spent about $1000 a month less than we did in 2014.
July has been out lowest month of living costs so far in 2015.  Our "nut" for July was $2200 out of our regular income.  February's spending was $2500+ change.
$2,200 in July.
Gosh I wish our monthly "nut" was this low every month......

Looking at the spending for 2014 compared to 2015 so far, here are a few of the categories where we have reduced the spending......

*  A lot less money spent on car repairs.  Buying a new car in 2014 meant no car repairs on 1 of the 2-3 cars we owned.  Buying another almost new car in 2015 meant even fewer car repairs compared to what we are use to spending on vehicles. We spent $2786.72 on car repairs in 2014.  So far in 2015 car repairs have run a mere $441.61. (Sssh, don't say that too loudly lest we offend the car gods.....)

*  Ditching cable tv.  Since getting rid of cable we are saving $70.80 per month or $849.60 per year.

*  Since putting in the mini-split heating/ac system Fall of 2013 we are shaving a bit off of the heating bill each month we use it.  It's more efficient than the system the house came with.  Yes, it cost a chunk of cash to install it/buy it but we are reaping the benefit of lower utility bills in winter and it will be an added asset when we go to sell this house.  We should recoup some of the expense of having this system put in with a higher selling price. 
It's difficult to quantify an exact figure for the savings in our heating bill since weather conditions vary from one year to the next plus the cost of electricity goes up every year here but we are trending toward lower heating bills.

*  We are no longer paying for private music lessons for College Boy out of our regular income.  He take lessons at college and that cost is included in the tuition/fees we pay for his education and that money comes from a college fund set aside years ago for that purpose.  We are saving approximately $1600 a year on this item.

*  We seem to be spending less on alcohol, clothing and "stuff" in 2015.   There has been little spending on replacing clothing, shoes, household goods and "wants" so far this year.  We just haven't felt the need to buy much "stuff" this year.
I'll have to wait until the year is over to run the numbers on adult beverage spending for 2015 but with how much we spent in 2014 on liquor I am SURE that number will be down. 8-)

*  We have no pet related expenses in 2015 since our last doggy died near the end of 2014.   We paid $450ish in vet bills and kennel fees for our dog in 2014.  There were more costs such as meds and food but I don't have a figure for this portion of pet expenses.  Let's just call that another $400 a year, so a savings in 2015 of $900+/-?

So with just these categories we are "saving" at least $6000 a year in 2015 over 2014's spending.(This is without taking into account any less spending on "stuff" and "wants" this year.)  $6K a year comes out to a $500 per month reduction in spending in 2015 over 2014.

Looking over our spending categories now there really isn't much more we can cut out of our fixed bill costs.  We have basic phone service(no fancy cell plans), basic internet/cable, have cut utility expenses, gas to get to work can't get cut, taxes are what they are, keeping medical co-pays low as possible by exercising/eating well/taking maintenance drugs/etc., and not performing "retail therapy".

Once College Boy is out on his own(hopefully in 3 years! Yes I am an optimist...lolz)there will be even less spending.  No paying for his food/drink, water and electricity use, clothing, no more paying for his glasses and healthcare, incidental monies, no fetching in back and forth to/from school and no third car to maintain and insure. 
Add in downsizing to a smaller house(less space to heat/cool and lower taxes)in a cheaper area once we move and there will be some more reductions in spending.

The only way to save more would be to cut out vacation trips and the costs associate with those.  This year we have/had taken a 2 week trip to Southern Virginia to see my brother in January, a 2 week road trip to Louisiana in May, a 2 day apartment hunting trip in July, a 3 day trip to move Eldest in July, a 3 day family reunion trip in September and a 4-5 day trip to Ocean City Maryland in October.
For a year of traveling that seems financially reasonable to me.  I would hate to have to cut out what little traveling we do per year.  Traveling, sightseeing and visiting family and the associated costs are my one "wants" spending vice other than a nice meal out now and again and buying adult beverages.  I don't spent much money on house "prettifying" or crafts or buying more fashionable clothes to cram into my closet or upgrading tvs, phones or doing entertainment or recreational things that cost lots of money.
Everybody needs to spend a little of their income on leisure and this is mine. ;-)

Even if you are trying to cut your living expenses what are the things you are reticent to give up?
What things do you spend on that are justified by helping you maintain your sanity?

To conclude this long ramble.......we seem to be bringing our expenses down slowly every year over the next.  I hope to get the "nut" down a little more over the next 3 years before we launch into that unknown territory called "retired".

Sluggy
 

Food and Toiletries Spending.....JULY Update

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JULY 2014.

I have posted July's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2014 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in July.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Summary.

My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable. We are a family of 4(3 at home this month)& 1 dog. No kids under 18.

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

BIG LOTS
OOP  $50.57
Value  $80.74
Savings  37.36%

MAINE SOURCE(restaurant supply store)
OOP  $150.29
Value  $207.80
Savings 27.67%

PEPPERIDGE FARM OUTLET
OOP  $1.32
Value  $4.98
Savings  73.50%

RITE-AID
OOP  $15.73
Qs/Ads/+UPs  $87.42
Value  $103.15
Savings   84.75%

 

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $71.34

Qs/Ads  $39.40

Value  $110.74

Savings  35.58%

SURPLUS OUTLET(discount food store)
OOP  $27.91
Value  $51.12
Savings  45.40%

WEGMAN'S
OOP  $40.93
Value  $53.55
Savings  33.56%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $44.06

Qs/Ads  $22.75

Value  $66.81

Savings  34.05%
 

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 84.75%,  the Pepperidge Farm Outlet at 73.50% and Surplus Outlet at 45.40%.  My WORST savings rate was at Maine Source 27.67%(which IS surprising!).
I shopped at 7 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........$402.15

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$276.74

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$678.89

TOTAL Savings of...................................40.76%

This closes out the July food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I came close to a $400 food month, going over by $2.15.
But looking back at last month's post I see I had hoped for a $350 spending month.
Oh well.....we can try again next month, right?  ;-)

The yearly savings percentage went down .75% in July compared to June's average.    Savings is still in the 40's which is good.

LOOKING AHEAD TO AUGUST......

I am going to try for a $300 food budget in August.
This is the month the teen who is still at home goes away to college mid month, so our food costs "should" drop in August.
Crossing my fingers this happens. ;-)
 

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

Total spend on food/toiletries so far this year after 7 months.....$2,901.99.
The average monthly food/toiletries spending to-date for the year so far is $414.57.
Maybe August will be the month I get it down under a $400 per month average again.

 

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in July?
*  Do you track your yearly food spending?
*  If so, how are you doing thus far in the year?
 

Sluggy

December Budget Results.....Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for DECEMBER 2010.

I have posted December's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2010 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in December.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Summary.

My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(4-5 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 14.

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP $19.45
Value $68.63
Savings  71.66%

BIG LOTS
OOP $5.70
Value $11.90
Savings  52.11%

CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP  $80.26

Qs/Ads  $73.88
Value  $154.14
Savings  48%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $5.00
Value  $15.45
Savings  67.64%

GERRITY'S
OOP  $47.85
Qs/Ads  $51.36
Value  $99.21
Savings  51.77%

REDNER'S(does not double coupons)
OOP  $70.38
Qs/Ads  $33.34
Value  $103.72
Savings  32.15%

RITE AID
OOP  $23.03 (whole amount put on free Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads  $2.044.01
Value  $2,067.04
Savings  96.19% before gift cards/ 100% savings after free gift cards

UNI-MART(local minimart/gas station)
OOP  $3.50
Value  $3.50
Savings  0%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town/doubles up to $1 total)
OOP  $35.64
Qs/Ads  $52.18
Value  $87.82
Savings   59.42%

I don't track Rite-Aid's +Ups here, nor 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 DECEMBER
Google Ad Revenue....$102.35
Pinecone Research....$6.00
Rite-Aid SCR(various months)...$66.90

Subtotal........$175.25

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
MyBlogSpark Safeway Gift Card...$25.00

VISA Preloaded (Giveaway win)...$10.00
Rite-Aid Oral Care....$5.00

Rite-Aid GOS Certificates....$40.00

Subtotal....$80.00

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$255.25

COUPONS and FREEBIES

Tim McGraw CD.....Giveaway win

Hamburger Helper....Giveaway win
Fun Serving Dishes....Giveaway win
Pyrex Dish & Marinade....Giveaway win
Fiber One...Free Box Coupon
Rachel Ray....Free Dog Food Coupon
Food Should Taste Good Chips....Free Coupon
Rite-Aid Glam Bag Offer....Free Bag and Samples

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%, The Bakery Outlet at 71.66% and The Dollar Store at 67.64%.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$274.82
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$2,335.59
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2,610.41
TOTAL Savings of...................................89.47%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$175.25

TOTAL Out of Pocket After  Rebates.........$99.57
TOTAL Savings of....................................96.19%

This closes out the December spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-

I went over my budget for December by $25.  With all the extras bought for the Holidays(soda, baked goods, appetizer type foods, etc.), it's no surprise I went over a little.  When you add the rebates received in December toward the food spending my out of pocket goes down to under $100 which is awesome!

What's ahead for 2011.....
I need to sit down with Hubs and analyze what went well and not-so-well in 2010.  Then I can decide if I want to publicly track our Food/HBA spending on the blog in 2011.
If you want any input on this, please leave a comment.
And stay tuned for further developments.....

With all 12 months of 2010 accounted for, we spent a total of $2,291.67 on food and toiletries in 2010.  That's an average of $190.97 per MONTH or $44.07 per WEEK after rebates for a family of 4-5 adults/teens + 2-3 pets.

Not only did $2,291.67 allow our family to eat well for an entire year, it also supplied our local food bank with 4 large food/hba donations during 2010, supplied a relative with approx. $500 in regular retail value of food during the year and we sold some excess items at a local flea market and banked $700!
So really, after putting $700 cash back into our pockets, we 'spent' about $1,600.00 Total for the year!

How did you do in December with your Food Budget?
Will you be tracking your food spending in 2011?  If so, what is the method you will use?
Please leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear about your progress in 2010!  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