Income & Spending Report 2022....the April Report

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 April report---

I had 2 goals for April.......
The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to tuck back into a slush fund.  This slush fun may be to apply toward unforeseen bills that are coming due in subsequent months, to spend on "extras/wants" during the year or to just sit there and grow until the end of 2022.

I can report that we finished up April in the red.
The amount we ended the month of April with?....-$616.96

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in April---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,229.07(after tax withholding)
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $148.90

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

* RMSA account to pay for health premiums totaling $2,226.13

*  Cash in Pts. on M/C of $16.21

Total "Income" for April.....$7,353.68

Expenses in April---

* Irregular bills in April were $1,645.58

* Variable Expenses in April came to $4,098.93

* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,226.13

Total Expenses....$7,970.64

$7,353.68-$7,970.64=-$616.96

Slush into April of $42,061.98 in that Fund, subtract $616.96 and we get $41,445.02 going into May's 2022's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows a subtraction of $616.96

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The Internet, cell phone and WAM was the same as last month.

*  The electric bill was $71.23 less than March's bill.

*  The gas c/c was $31.30 less than in March(because we didn't use Sunoco gas much but used other stations and put on m/c instead).

*  The water bill went down by $5.11 compared to last month.

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

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

HERE are the BAD THINGS

All the regular bills were lower but we had 3 Irregular bills to pay in April--

*  Yearly Real Estate taxes of $1,414.58 were due.

*  I paid $200 toward our December cruise.

*  State taxes of $31 were due.

The Food Budget costs for April 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 April 2022---As predicted in March's wrap-up we did indeed finish in the red in April.  Mostly due to vacation expenses in March that got paid in April.  Nothing we didn't anticipate though.  The irregular bills were also expected in April.  We took a small quarterly 401K withdrawal but divided over 3 months it didn't add enough income not to be short in April.  Thankfully we have the Slush Fund to draw from for this overage of bills.

THOUGHTS going forward into May 2022--Besides the semi-annual car insurance(an irregular bill), things should be lower.  Regular bills like electric will continue to go down as we heat with electric but it won't be hot enough for the a/c yet.  If we can keep the c/c bills lower in May maybe we can come out ahead this month.

So how was your April financially? 

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

This Week on the Dining Table

 The "More Brandon Sightings" Edition....

At the chance of offending more readers(!)I was behind this pick-up at the light leaving Rite-Aid last week.  My photo skills suck through a raindrop filled windshield but it reads, "Let's Go Brandon"....or whatever you want it to read. ;-)

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned.....

1. Sunday--Hamburger on Roll, Beans

2. Monday--Ham Steak, Veggies TBD, mac and cheese

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Wild Rice Mushroom Soup
5. Thursday--Hubs cooking

6.  Friday--FFY or Leftovers

7. Saturday--FFY or Leftovers

And here's what actually happened........

1. Sunday--Hamburger on Roll, Beans

2. Monday--Take-Out Pizza

3. Tuesday--Wild Rice/Mushroom Soup

4. Wednesday--Meatloaf, Mixed Veggies, Au Gratin Taters
5. Thursday--Hubs didn't prepare anything so I had a can of ravioli.

6.  Friday--Leftovers(Don't remember what)

7. Saturday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad(I had wild rice/mushroom soup)

I am just not feeling domestic lately, and that mostly  includes cooking.  I am in "just find something easy and heat it up" mode.  Fresh produce season has still not arrived here.  Heck, we had snowflakes falling on Saturday!

What got put into the freezer last week....

*  3 packs of frozen burritos

What got taken out of the freezer and used...

* Pack of Mixed Veggies

* 12 Meatballs

I spent $56.43 on food/toiletries/HBA this last week(mostly drinks, burritos and toiletries). That was in 2 trips to Walmart to do Ibotta deals. This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $291.75 for April.  

There are 0 shopping days left in April.  

I've earned $192.19 on Ibotta in April.

I've earned $4.44 on Checkout51 in April.

I've earned $8 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal in April.

I've earned 27,856 points($27.85)from shopping on Fetch in April.

I earned 3155 Kicks($12.62)from food shopping on Shop Kick in April. 

I've earned 3370 Swag Bucks($33.70) from food shopping on Swag Bucks in April.

That's $205.63 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $291.75 in grocery spending so in reality it's $86.12 spent after the 3 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 55.35% (without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)and the monthly savings total for April comes in at 52.75% so far(w/out R-A).  

Leftovers going into this week....Soup, Baked Beans, Meatloaf, Spaghetti and Meatballs.  

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

1. Sunday--Ham Steak, Creamed Spinach, mac and cheese

2. Monday--Leftovers

3. Tuesday--Breakfast for Dinner

4. Wednesday--Sheet Pan Nachos

5. Thursday--Hubs cooking

6.  Friday--Take-Out

7. Saturday--Chicken Fajitas, Spanish Rice

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu? Mushrooms is it I think(I like to put them in my Fajitas and could make a cheese/mushroom omelet on Breakfast night).  I've got quite a few bags of Tortilla chips so the Nachos will help use some of that up.  Also have peppers strips in the freezer that need using(Fajitas)as well as cheese(Fajitas and Nachos).

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?  I haven't even looked at the grocery ads since early April.  The only food buying I've done is picking up what is required in town or a deal when I am in Walmart.

Sluggy

Food Spending 2022....the April Report

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for APRIL 2022.

I have posted April'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 April.  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, Pet Food & tax where applicable. We are a family of 3(2-3 eating at home this month). No "kids" under 26. 
*****************

MALACARI'S

OOP  $18.50

Ads/Gift Cards  $8.73

Value  $27.23

Savings  32.06%

SHURSAVE

OOP  $2.18

Ads/Gift Cards  $13.19

Value  $15,37

Savings  85.82%  

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC/Gift Cards  $665.03

Value  $665.03
Savings  100%

WALMART
OOP  $190.19

Qs/free Gift Cards  $275.57
Value  $465.76
Savings 59.17%

WEIS

OOP  $80.88

Qs/Sales  $28.28
Value  $109.16
Savings  25.91%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, Shursave  at 85.82%, and Walmart at 59.17%.

The worst rate was at Weis(PMITA)Markets at  25.91%.  
I shopped at 5 different stores in April.  

TOTAL Spent in April................$291.75

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards...$325.77

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased....$617.52

TOTAL Savings of .............................52.75%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for April w/R-A..............$291.75

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards w/................$990.80

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid...$1,282.55
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items....................77.25%

This closes out the April food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....Not too bad on the spending front.  We ate well without spending a fortune and added to the toiletries stockpile in preparation for my sale.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 1.12% in April 2021 to 77.25% compared to the March's 76.13% savings average.  A higher savings rate is always good. 8-)

With 4 months accounted for, I have spent a Grand Total of $1,175.05 on food/toiletries in 2022.

2021 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$1,175.05

2021 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$6,198.96

2021 Grand Total Saved...............................$5,023.91

2021 Yearly Savings Total..............................81.04%

The average per month amount spent is $293.76 in 2022.

LOOKING AHEAD To May 2022.......With the inflationary costs now I'll still try to keep the spending at or under $350.00.  Eating more from what is here and less Ibotta shopping 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 April?

*  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

I Finished the Blossom Ibotta Bonus

 I had 89 offers out of 115 done going into yesterday on the Ibotta month long $35 Blossom Bonus.

I figured I'd buy 7 x $5 gift cards to Walmart which would use $35 of my monthly earnings so I did that leaving me 19 offers away from getting both the $5 Weekend Bonus and the $35 Blossom monthly Bonus(Each gift card you purchase in Ibotta earns you a rebate offer).  I also had a $10 free Fetch gift card and a free $5 Shop Kicks gift card to use, so $50 in gift cards to use.  I also tried to get items that double dipped on more than one platform to get some of the items for very cheap or free after all rebates.

Here's what I bought.....

* 1 x Lipton gallon tea

* 1 x Gatorade Protein drink

* 1 x Breakstone cottage doubles

* 1 x Core Keto Protein bar

* 1 x Kraft mac and cheese

* 1 x Ragu pasta sauce

* 1 x Campho Phenique first aid cream

* 1 x Degree men's deodorant

* 1 x Carbona color grabber

* 1 x Carbona Stain Devil

* 1 x Nice N' Clean flushable wipe 3 pack

* 1 x Thomas' Swirl Bread

* 1 x Wonder Hot dog Rolls

* 2 x Johnson's Skin nourishing products

* 1 x Dove men's ultimate deodorant

* 1 x Dove women's ultimate deodorant

* 1 x Mtn Dew Major Melon drink

* 1 x Mtn Dew Spark Zero drink

* 1 x Mtn Dew Zero drink

* 1 x Suave shampoo

* 1 x Suave body wash

* 1 x Suave hand santizer

Total came to $78.95.
I used $4.75 in coupons making the total $74.20 and sales tax was $3.51for a grand total of $77.71.

I used $50 in assorted gift cards leaving me to pay $27.71 OOP.

I earned back $75.50 on Ibotta for completing 23 regular rebates(2 any item offers and the Carbona items each double attached to 2 separate rebates), the $5 Weekend Bonus, and $35 Blossom Bonus, an extra $1 Breakstone Bonus and .03¢ cash back on each of the 7 Ibotta gift cards I bought/used.

I earned $2.35 worth of points on Fetch for this transaction.

I earned $18.58 worth of points on Shop Kick for this transaction.

I earned .56¢ worth of points on Swag Bucks for this transation.

These items were free or better than free after rebates....Degree men's deo, Dove men's and women's deos, the 3 Suave items mostly because they gave me points/cash back on two or more platforms.

So just on the Ibotta earnings I had a $47.79 moneymaker.   The $21.49 total earned on Fetch/Shop Kick/Swag Bucks will get counted as I cash out for gift cards on those platforms.

Everything bought will get used/eaten/drank or will be given to the food bank or sold at my next stockpile sale.

Not bad at all.  Even with using $35 of my earnings this month I am at $192.19 in rebates from Ibotta for April.

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the April 29th Edition

  So here are a few of the frugal-ish things that happened here this past week.......

*   No food waste this past week. Eating lots of leftovers and bits and pieces we already have.  I made a big pot of Mushroom/Wild Rice soup, using foodstuffs we have in the stockpile.  After our Burger meal on Sunday I took the rest of the thawed ground beef and made a petite meatloaf.  I still need to turn the frozen from last Summer's garden tomato sauce into pasta sauce today.  I can use the rest of the opened can of tomato paste(from the meatloaf making)in the pasta sauce.

*  I cashed in on Fetch for a $10 gift card and on Ibotta for 7 x $5 gift cards, all for Walmart.  Yes, I can't resist chasing that $35 Bloomin' Bonus. ;-)

*  Another 2 purse sized bottles of hand sanitizer for free from Rite-Aid this week.

*  I got rid of some clothes to the thrift store....

This was all ex-College Boy's cast offs.

And 2 tops and a coat that are too big for me now.  There were a few other garments I forgot to get a photo of.  3 big bags in total got carted off to the thrift store.

*   I found money!

Last Friday I hit a different Rite-Aid.  All this change was strewn about the parking lot near my car.

That same day I hit my R-A and found another penny in an aisle.

I went back to R-A on Tuesday and found all these pennies in various spots in the store.

Total Found in last Week...... .32¢
Total Found This Year......$10.67

* On that last trip to R-A I turned in 2 coupons I had forgotten to use when I bought some items on Saturday evening.

I had gotten 2 bottles of Love, Beauty, Planet Body Wash on clearance for $2.24.  Forgot my $3/1 LBP body wash Qs so got $6 post coupon back on that trip making each bottle a freebie plus a .76¢ moneymaker. 8-)

Found a shelf full of 8 packs of Gatorade Zero at Walmart last Friday on clearance for $3 per pack.  That's .75¢ per 2 bottles so I picked up 3 packs.  This is a sugar-free thirst quencher around here in the Summer!

Then I found a shelf full of Great Value burritos at Walmart this week marked down to $1.03 per bag!  Hubs LOVES these for lunch so I picked up 3 packs(only 3 would fit in my freezer otherwise I would have bought more lol).

*  I'm still tending to my seedlings in the house......

Not a great photo but here they are as of this morning.  The leggy ones on the left are watermelon starts.  There is one whole row that never germinated-the third row from the right.  Can't recall offhand what those were suppose to be, I'll have to check my chart later.  Planting season is still 10 days off around here.  I'll start putting this out in the sun everyday the weather is good until then.

That's about all I've got for this past week.

Any frugal wins in your neck of the woods?  Let's hear all about them!

And have a good weekend!

Sluggy