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

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals(some months), I am still going to keep track of our monthly spending and income, and hopefully we'll still be able to live BELOW our means and I'll have some leftover monies each month to tuck aside.

  I am trying to be as transparent as I can with how much is coming in and how much is going out.  8-)

On to the July report---

I had 2 goals for July.......
The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to tuck back into a slush fund.  This slush fun may be to apply toward unforeseen bills that are coming due in subsequent months, to spend on "extras/wants" during the year or to just sit there and grow until the end of 2020.

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

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in July---

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

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

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

Expenses in July---

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

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

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

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

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

HERE are the BAD THINGS

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

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

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

* A cash birthday gift was given in July.

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

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

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

So how was your July financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in July?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?
Did you pay off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check out your progress too and celebrate or commiserate with you!


Sluggy

Dollar General & Rite-Aid Last Saturday

On August 1st I made a quick run to the Dollar General Store in town and tried to put together a transaction to use my $5 off $25 Coupon.  I've been watching some YouTube DG vloggers to see what would be free or cheap using mostly digital DGQs.

Of course my store didn't have certain of those free/cheap after Q products or I didn't get certain DG digital Qs so I had to make it up as I went along.

Let me add that Ex-College Boy had moved out the previous day taking with him a portion of my stockpile for him and his new apartment mate.  Mostly it was foodstuffs we don't eat(or only eat sporadically)but he also took a part of my toilet paper and facial tissue stockpile(the boy can go through paper goods like nobody's business!lol)so I was looking for a deal on tp especially.

Here is what I got...........

3 x Scott 12 roll tp $5=$15 *$3 off Instantly when you spent $15 on Kimberley-Clark paper goods so it was $12 total

2 x Rice Chex boxes $2.25 ea.=$4.50

3 x select GM cereals $3 but $2 ea. wyb3=$6.00

1 x Ivory body wash aloe scent=$1.50

1 x 32 pack Arm and Hammer laundry pods on sale=$3.95

2 x travel size Head and Shoulders $2 ea.=$4.00

SubTotal...$31.95 *with the tp instant discount*

Coupons Used

1 x $5 wyspend $25=$5.00

1 x $1/2 GM cereals DGQ=$1.00

1 x $1/2 GM cereals IPQ=$1.00

1 x $1.25/1 Ivory body wash DGQ=$1.25

1 x $2/1 Arm and Hammer laundry pods DGQ=$2.00

1 x $3/2 Head and Shoulders DGQ=$3.00

Coupon Total........$13.25

*And $16.25 with the $3 Instant Discount on tp*

$31.95-$13.25=$18.45+.45¢ sales tax=$18.80

I restocked on tp and cereals(the Reese's will go to the local food bank or Ex-CB), the little Head and Shoulders were .50¢ each and will be stocking stuffers come Xmas, the 32 pack of laundry pods was a great deal at $1.95 after DGQ(the smaller 17 ct. packs were the same price after DGQ!) and the body wash was .25¢ after DGQ(some stores this body wash is only $1.25 reg. price but not mine so it might be free after Q at your store).

I didn't get the Bic pencil DGQ that would have made those free, and my store doesn't stock the $1 Denta Life dog sticks I had IPQs that would have made those free, the 7 oz. Dawn for $1 that would have been 75¢ after DGQ or the $1 Crest variety that their $2/1 DGQ was attaching to which made it a $1 moneymaker.

But I think I did ok considering 3 big packs of tp! ;-)

Then I went to Rite-Aid for a quickie...........hehehe

4 x Cold-Eeze drops 75% off(reg. $8.49)$2.12 each=$8.48

I used 4 x $2/1 Cold-Eeze IPQs from their website so $8 off, making my total .48¢ which was paid with Bonus Cash.

Hubs loves this stuff for when he gets colds in the Winter so we are well supplied now.

Lots of cold and flu OTC meds are on clearance at R-A right now.

It seems like they are slowly resetting all the shelves at Rite-Aids, department by department this Summer so check out all the clearance in your store.

That's the extent of my shopping so far this month.

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

This Week on the Dining Table

The "WTF!?!?" Edition..........

First it was zucchini in the garden that I purposely didn't plant!

I went into the kennel garden last week and found TWO of these back there among my yellow squash plants......ACORN SQUASH!

Should I mention I did NOT  purposely plant those either?!?!

Whatever squash curse Anne has put on me, please for the love of the Squash gods, take it off! ;-)

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning-

This is what was planned.........

1. Sunday--Leftovers
2. Monday--Cheeseburgers, Green Beans
3. Tuesday--something Pasta for Hubs, Spinach Salad for me and him

4. Wednesday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, Squash and Onions
5. Thursday--Taco or Taco Salad

6. Friday--Lobster(which will go on Aug.'s tally), leftover sides(green beans, squash)
7. Saturday--Caesar Salad w/Grilled Chicken or BLT sandwiches

And this is what really happened.......

1. Sunday--Leftovers(I had a piece of Chicken Marsala and a banana)
2. Monday--Cheeseburgers, Green Beans
3. Tuesday--Leftovers(I had leftover Green Beans)

4. Wednesday--Chinese Take-out
5. Thursday--Taco Salad

6. Friday--FFY(I had leftover Hot and Sour Soup)

7.Saturday--TV Dinners

Last week saw 3 nights of home cooked dinners, 3 nights of leftovers/FFY, and 1 night of Take-Out/Eating Out.

Except for the taco salads and cheeseburgers nothing else happened as planned last week.  The pork tenderloin and maybe the chicken Caesar salad will happen this week.  I am mourning not having lobster though.(The sale at PC this week isn't as good so we'll wait on that one.)

What got put into the freezer last week....
* Not a damned thing

What got taken out of the freezer and used.....
* Not a damned thing either lol

We spent nothing else in July. July spending came in at $492.02. 

We have spent $18.80 so far in August when I went to Dollar General on Saturday, August 1st.

I earned $0 on Ibotta in August so far.

My savings percentage for last week was 52.96%(without "regular"Rite-Aid trips)for July and the monthly savings total for July came in at 56.70%(w/out R-A).
I still have a super low savings rate for July so I'm all good with the food spending even though it's more than $400.

Leftovers going into this week.......taco meat. 

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--Pork Tenderloin sandwiches, TBD veg from freezer
2. Monday--Applebee's Salads Take-Out using a gift card
3. Tuesday--Hamburgers, Sweet Potato Fries

4. Wednesday--Hubs Surprise
5. Thursday--Hubs Surprise

6. Friday--Hubs Surprise
7. Saturday--Hubs Surprise

What needs buying for this menu?

Beats me!

With my leg still screwed up Hubs has been coerced into making volunteered to make all meals after tomorrow so I can stay off my leg.  I have no clue what he'll pull out of the freezer and make(and neither does he). lol

What's left on my master list of meals we can make from what's at home(not that I'm referring to/using it at this point with the heat).
* Shrimp Scampi
* Tuna Casserole
* Roasted Chicken
* Shrimp/Crab Ravioli
* Cheese Ravioli

* Breakfast for Dinner

* Haddock Fish Dinner  new
* Chicken Tenders  new

* Beef Liver  new

Plus lots of thinly sliced Chicken Breast, grass fed Ground Beef and Ground Turkey in the freezer.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy

A Quickie Update on Kim

I got a call from Kim's Sissie today.

Kim is all moved into her new house.

I didn't say settled or unpacked though.....that will take time.

Sissie says Kim is happy with her new home.

She doesn't have internet service there yet so that's why she hasn't posted.

And the new grand baby arrived Saturday night!

But I won't steal her thunder because I am sure she will want to tell y'all all about that when she gets online again. 8-)))

Sluggy

Food Spending 2020....the July Report

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JULY 2020.

I have posted June'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 July.  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(3 at home this month). No "kids" under 24.
*****************

AMAZON
OOP  $15.10
Value  $26.97
Savings   44.01%

BIG LOTS

OOP  $11.16
Value  $23.16
Savings  52.73%

BREAD OUTLET
OOP  $4.00
Value  $13.87
Savings  71.16%

CVS
OOP  $19.02

Qs/Ads/ECBucks $100.61
Value  $119.63
Savings  84.10%

DOLLAR GENERAL

OOP  $21.22

Qs/Ads  $57.40

Value  $78.62
Savings  73.01%

MALACARI'S

OOP  $28.90
Value  $46.72
Savings  38.14%

PandR DISCOUNTS

OOP  $44.76
Value  $181.52
Savings  75.34% 

RITE-AID *
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC/GCard  $463.82
Value  $463.82
Savings  100%

SCHIFF'S
OOP   $33.01
Value  $90.68
Savings  63.60%

WALMART
OOP  $118.69
Value  $239.57
Savings  50.46%

WEIS
OOP  $196.16
Qs/Ads  $149.00
Value  $345.16
Savings  43.17%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, CVS at 84.10% P and R Discounts at 75.34% .   My worst savings rate was at Malacari's with 38.14%.  Lots of great savings rates this month!

I shopped at 11 different stores in July(1 of which was online.).

I also earned $149.73 in cash rebates in July(Ibotta/SavingStar/Checkout51)which helps offset the spending once I cash those in at the end of 2020.

TOTAL Spent(without R-A)...................$492.02

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales................$807.65
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased........$1136.35

TOTAL Savings of ................................56.70%

Add in the Rite-Aid purchases and we get.........

TOTAL Spent........................................$492.02

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales................$1108.15
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased........$1600.17

TOTAL Savings of ................................69.25%

This closes out the July food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....We were on track to stay around my $400 per month food budget in July but a combination of some good deals and Eldest son staying for a week here derailed me.  We kept under $500 so that's not bad considering everything.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 2.68% in July 2020 to 69.25% compared to the June 2020 rate of 66.57% savings average.  

With 7 months accounted for, I have spent a Year-To-Date Total of $2668.09 on food/toiletries in 2019.

Going into 2020 before the pandemic blew the wind out of my sails I wanted to stay at or under $4K for the yearly food spending.  At this point I don't think that will happen but we'll keep plugging along anyway.


2020 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$2668.09

2020 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$7689.03

2020 Grand Total Saved...............................$5020.94

2020 Yearly Savings Total............65.30%

The average per month amount spent is $381.16 at this point in 2020 which went up some from June's average.  As long as I'm around $400 per month with 3 people in the house, it's all good.  Going forward though my food budget needs to go lower as you'll see why below.

LOOKING AHEAD To August 2020.............

Two changes in August--first Ex-College Boy no longer lives here.  I did give him a buttload of pantry items, paper products and cleaning supplies to take with him(thus depleting the stockpile here)and I am sure I'll either send him and his roommate dinner portions when I cook sometimes so I'll still be partialy feeding him and his buddy.  But I expect our food "nut" to go down a bit from now on.

Secondly, Hubs and I will be attempting to clear out freezer foodstuffs(the "old dogs in there")so we can refill the chest freezer in September with locally harvested foods.

For these two reasons I expect my food spending to go down in August substantially.  At least $100-$150?  I am hoping.

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 July?

*  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