Income & Spending Report.....the August 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 August report---

I had 2 goals for August.......
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 August in the Black.

The amount we ended the month of August with?...$3,752.90

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in August---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,235.81(after tax withholding)
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $156.86

* 1/3 of Quarterly 401K withdrawal=$1,733.38

*  SS of $3,570.00

Total "Income" for August...$8,696.05

Expenses in August---

* Irregular bills in August were $607.00

* Variable Expenses in August came to $2,110.02

* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,226.13

Total Expenses....$4,943.15

$8,696.05-$4,943.15=$3,752.90

Slush into August of $45,133.11 in that Fund, add $3,752.90 and we get $48,886.01 going into September's 2022's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

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

*  The electric bill was $7.03 lower than in July as we had a few days where we didn't need he a/c.

*  The Amazon c/c bill was $174.30 lower than last month as we didn't put as much on the c/c.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The water bill went up by $1.31 compared to last month.

*  The gas bill was $77.58 higher last month.

*  The Mastercard bill was $254.75  higher in July.

*  We had 1 irregular bills due in July--

  *  The yearly house insurance premium was due.

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 August 2022---Total of all bills was well under our income for the month.  Regular bills were a mixed bag of some higher, some lower.  It was a good month for the money. 8-)

THOUGHTS going forward into September 2022--This is moving month.  Lots of bills will happen due to the move(gas to drive to LA, the cost of the dumpster and the cost of the POD to move out stuff to LA) and the regular bills(utilities mostly will go down and then go away-only to be replaced with new bills once we are in LA).  Health insurance, cell phone, storage and WAM will remain the same for at least September.  We also have to pay the real estate taxes in September(we pay it in full to get the discount but if the house sells before next September(God willing!)we'll be getting a pro-rated refund.  We also contacted our garbage hauler(as we pay for the year in January)and will be getting a pro-rated refund on that bill as well.

So how was your August financially? 

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

Frugal Friday....the September 2nd Edition

Here's what went on this past week at Chez Sluggy........

*  Another 2 loads went to Salvation Army this week.

*  I used more Bonus Cash.  Finished using it on one card and am down to $10 or so on two more cards.

*  Another load went to the food bank.

*  I gave away a bunch of stuff to my friends at Rite-Aid this week.

*  Refilled all my Rxs for the last time before we leave for Louisiana.

*  Been packing up what we are taking with us in this move.

*  I found money this past week!                  

Found a penny and a dime last Friday at Weis(PMITA)Markets, one was under two different self-checkout machines.

This dime was found by the register at Rite-Aid on Wednesday evening.

Total Found in last Week.... .21¢
Total Found This Year.....$15.10

*  Been staying home(other than going to Rite-Aid or to pop into the grocery store)and going through stuff to give away, trash or move with us.

This monster has been parked in our front yard since Monday and we've been filling it out with detritis.

Sorry but my life is boring as far as frugality goes.

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 Labor Day weekend!  And stay cool.

Sluggy  

Food Spending 2022....the August Report

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for AUGUST 2022.

I have posted August'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 August.  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 2(and 2 dogs).
****************

FARM STAND

OOP  $1.00

Value  $3.54

Savings  71.75%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC/Gift Cards  $453.01

Value  $453.01
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE
OOP  $1.99

Value  $1.99

Savings 00%

WALMART
OOP  $18.93

Qs/free Gift Cards  $23.36
Value  $42.29
Savings 55.24%

WEIS

OOP  $24.03

Qs/Sales  $3.11
Value  $27.14
Savings  11.46%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%,  Farm Stand at 71.75% and Walmart at 55.24%.

The worst rate was at Shursave at 00%.  
I shopped at 5 different stores in August

TOTAL Spent in August................$45.95

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards...$29.01

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased....$74.96

TOTAL Savings of .............................38.70%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for August w/R-A..............$45.95

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards w/................$482.02

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid...$527.97
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items....................91.30%

This closes out the August food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....I only bought items that were absolutely needed to make meals for things that I didn't have on hand.  That means not buying on sale price for most everything bought which means my savings rate went into the toilet in August.  It is what it is.  I am grateful that my well stocked pantry/freezer meant keeping my OOP spending to under $50 for the month.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 43.87% in August 2022 to 38.70% compared to the July's 82.57% savings average.  Thank goodness for all that free stuff I got from Rite-Aid to boost my monthly overall savings rate! 8-)

With 8 months accounted for, I have spent a Grand Total of $1,826.77 on food/toiletries in 2022.

2021 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$1,826.77

2021 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$9,964.60

2021 Grand Total Saved...............................$8,138.13

2021 Yearly Savings Total..............................81.67%

The average per month amount spent is $228.35 in 2022.

LOOKING AHEAD To September 2022.......We are here 11 more days then gone so the only food spending will be for the bare necessities.  There will increased eating out as a result, especially after we leave for Louisiana.  No clue where the spending will end up when September is over.

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 August?

*  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

This Week on the Dining Table

The "I Keep Telling Myself This" Edition....

Yep, this is where I am mentally now.  Meal planning and keeping to it is sooo far down my list of important sh*t to do right now.  By next Monday it might not even be on my radar. ;-)

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned.....

1. Sunday--Beef Pie

2. Monday--Liver and Onions, Mashed Potatoes, Harvard Beets

3. Tuesday--Fish, Collards

4. Wednesday--Mac and Cheese, ?

5. Thursday--Pecan Chicken, Veggie TBD

6.  Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Take-Out

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

1. Sunday--Beef Pie

2. Monday--Fish, Harvard Beets

3. Tuesday--Liver and Onions, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, leftover Beets

4. Wednesday--Leftovers

5. Thursday--Subway subs

6.  Friday--Chicken Strips, Corn on Cob

7. Saturday--Take-Out lunch, no Dinner

I have a good excuse for why I didn't cook the later half of the week.  Yah see, one of my Rite-Aid ladies belongs to a church that has an emergency food pantry and she said she'd take the bulk of the non-expired food we still have to get rid of.  I started piling her stash up on the chest freezer not realizing until later that her stash would be overwhelming and I wouldn't be able to get into the freezer until she came and got it all on Saturday.  She also relieved me of some freezer items as well as boxes of canning jars(for her neighbor).

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

*  Nothing

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

*  1 package of liver

*  1 package of bacon

*  1 package of Ground Beef

*  1 package of Fish

*  1 bag of Chicken Strips

*  Also butter and roll sausage that my R-A lady took

                                                   

I spent $17.25 on food/toiletries/HBA this last week at Weis.

This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Grand Total to $43.96 for August.  

There are 2 shopping days left in August.

I've earned $39.98 on Ibotta in August(mostly at R-A).

I've earned $3.15 on Checkout51 in August.

I've earned $0 on Coupons dotcom in August.

I've earned 1,075 points from shopping on Fetch in August.

I earned 200 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in August.

I've earned $9.00 from food shopping on Swag Bucks in August.

That's $43.03 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $43.96 in grocery spending so in reality it's .93¢ spent after the 3 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 16.00%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)and the monthly savings total for August comes in at 39.75% so far(w/out R-A).  

Leftovers going into this week.... beef pie, liver and onions, mashed taters, fresh baked bread(I got ambitious Friday night)and homemade pickles.

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

1. Sunday--Pork Teriyaki stir-fry, Rice

2. Monday--Salmon, Collards

3. Tuesday--Mac and Cheese and Veggie TBD

4. Wednesday--BBQ sandwiches, Cole Slaw

5. Thursday--Hot Dogs and whatever else I find in the freezer

6.  Friday--Beef Stroganoff, some leftover Veggie

7. Saturday--Pecan Chicken and whatever else I can scrounge together

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  More milk for the mac and cheese, a bag of slaw mix.  One trip to the grocery store on Tuesday for a few items to close out August.  The plan is to spend about $4 on that.

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 deals on food at your stores this week?  I have barely been IN a grocery store in weeks and I haven't even looked at an ad in that long either. 8-)

Sluggy 

Happy 40th!

So today Hubs and I had our 40th Anniversary.

Ex-College Boy came over to give us this card.......

I've always said this family is bilingual....we speak English and Sarcasm. lol

Inside the card was a gift card to a fancy pants restaurant located near where we are going to be living that all three of them contributed to purchase.

My idea of celebrating a 40th wedding anniversary is NOT going through all your earthly possessions and either packing them up or pitching them into the trash but that's how we got to celebrate it.  We bug out of here in 2 weeks and 1 day.

Go us.

Sluggy