Not only did I go over budget at StickerCon, I also went to Komiket (komiks market) and bought more stickers and stuff. Also some zines and two graphic novels for ~30 USD total but tracked elsewhere. I also stocked up on some snacks that brought me over budget: green ChaTraMue 3-in-1, Nissin instant ramen (pork bone, black garlic), and of course more iced coffee. My gifts budget also went over, but that includes Christmas things for extended family and an emergency personal donation to someone at work.
Stationery was definitely emotional spending, got carried away by the excitement of face-to-face hobby events after three years. Hopefully no more big spends until the next event next year. For snacks and gifts I think Iāll just have to adjust my budgets going forward, tbh it would be unrealistic to expect to spend any less in those categories the way prices are going.
Canceled $110/month in recurring subscription payments.
For mutual aid group spending, I spent a total of $346.04 of my own funds. $100 of that was pre-purchasing extra supplies that were on super sale, which tells me Iām generally spending around $250 of my own money. Iād prefer that to be below $200, but Iāve been able to maintain a decent saving rate so Iām not too worried about it. From party funds, we spent $261.17 with $75 of that being a significant outlier expense (t-shirt order so we can sell merch). Iām going to try to keep tracking this for a couple months to get a better handle on whatās normal for the purpose of determining fundraising needs.
Stuff with partner and his anxiety around spending on low-moderate cost things and activities he really enjoys is hard to quantify but I feel like we made meaningful progress. He determined it is worth spending $ on a fun activity we do together weekly, seems more confident budgeting for groceries, has been able to save more in our joint fund, and seems less stressed about finances.
I also did, after a 3 month hiatus, update my financial totals and net worth chart, and Iāve broken $25k and am now at $26,778.74, Not terribly impressive, but great considering that 3 years ago I was over $22k in debt, and I do not have a high income, lol.
This week: another $85 from Costco and $18 in takeout. Also $67 on special birthday dinner for Mr krmit.
The budget is now up to date and it feels more possible to return to my monthly maintenance!
Food budget:
Groceries: $385
Takeout for me: $26
Going out with mr krmit: $175
Wow, this FELT like a spendy month, especially in date night spending, but it was actually not that bad.
My rough grocery budget is $400, all good there
The takeout category seems reasonable
Date night - as part of budget review I increased this line item from $100 to $150. I feel like we went out SO MUCH this month, and we only went over budget because itās his birthday month!
Spent 57 dollars on baby stuff, flange inserts, size 2 nipples, and diapers because we went to costco. Out to eat 2 x. Need to check my other entries to get a running total.
Week 4 check in: $2695.47 total spent this month (doesnāt include mortgages, just groceries, medical, car, etc). Total without flights for next Feb: $1305.50, was definitely higher than expected, I forgot how much we used to spend on groceries but I have noticed prices doubling or even more over the last few weeks so I guess itās to be expected. Might keep tracking another couple months just to get a bit more of an average but it was good to at least get one month tracked after not doing so in nearly two years
Eating Out: $115 Within the outer budget. Included some last minute friend treats.
Groceries: $270 Under budget, even without sifting through the receipts super hard
Transport: $9.84. (Closer to 89.84 if I include the bus ticket for the trip Iām taking in November.) Almost suspiciously under budget. I may have forgotten to input two rides.
Non-budget goals: 3/4 I still need to get rid of the desk, but Iāll call this good enough considering the pain weirdness Iāve been going through.
Final checkin, one more trip to the grocery store on Saturday for produce. Although āproduceā in this case was two pumpkins and a variety of squash that are currently doubling as Halloween decorations, and sometime in the next day or two Iāll move them to the basement to store until I get around to processing/eating them.
This month was a good check that if I stick to scratch-and-dent (and some frozen) produce those costs havenāt gone too haywire, but protein is definitely a bigger chunk of my budget than it has been in the past. And restaurants have also gotten more expensive, although I donāt usually have weekend trips to factor in food-wise.
grocery: 20.86 + 33.87
utilities: 101.66 + 152.28 + 80.42 (propane, electric, cell)
pet - dog medical: 42.88 (diabetes supplies (insulin))
pet - cat food: 101.06 (dry and wet stock up)
entertainment: 46.44 (Paramount+, subscriptions)
bulk apples: 78
restaurant: 25 + 14.49 (dinner with CA friends - this was actually week 3 but I forgot)
patreon: 2.50
electronics: 32.96 charger block and cord for new phone because it didnāt come with a charger only a cable)
Honestly, not bad. Pet medical is mostly a big lumpy expense, if we remove the dental (which is < 1x per year) the total is ~1100. Grocery was low compared to the new normal (plus it includes almost 2 bushels of apples), but my food was paid for for 5 days at work, so chalking it up to that. Plus Iāve been eating down the freezer - next Costco-analog trip is going to be horrifyingly expensive - it is what it is and it all evens out. Utilities, as horrifying as it seems, is less than last yearsā monthly average. We havenāt gotten into the really cold weather yet though. My propane fill-up was a surprising 2.40/gallon - I really thought it was going to be on par with heating oil (>5/gallon!), so my partial fill-up was only ~100. I donāt know what my medical bill is going to be, but since I havenāt paid it yet I am not including it . I canāt for the life of me find my Target receipt (I will probably find it in 5 minutes now) - this is why I normally record immediately when I get home. Nevertheless, I think it was mostly home goods, some leggings and underwear, a candle for warming the wood stove chimney, Lindt truffles (this was medical emergency day)ā¦ if I find it I will reallocate (honestly half was probably clothing as I got 2 pairs of leggings and 2 packs of undies), but just going to put it in misc - home for now.
With mortgage + extra towards principal itās ~3100, not bad. Without the extra itās definitely sub-3000. I like to aim for 3000, so weāll call it good. This means next month I can spend all the $ on all the home goods I have been waiting on, right? Bidet here I come. Also considering buying my own fancy desk and chair ($$$), because I donāt want to be responsible for whatever garbage the office manager will pick. My back has been suffering for too long.
The most delicious bloody mary Iāve ever had.
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. I canāt for the life of me find my Target receipt (I will probably find it in 5 minutes now) - this is why I normally record immediately when I get home. Nevertheless, I think it was mostly home goods, some leggings and underwear, a candle for warming the wood stove chimney, Lindt truffles (this was medical emergency day)ā¦ if I find it I will reallocate (honestly half was probably clothing as I got 2 pairs of leggings and 2 packs of undies), but just going to put it in misc - home for now.
My back has been suffering for too long.