So far good! Working on eating through my pantry and freezer so no big grocery shop this week. My cell phone bill was higher than I anticipated because I switched services early last month so I essentially paid 2 months in on one bill. Whoopsie. And I did dip in to the misc. catagory for some home organization tools. I know it’s early in the month and I’m mostly spent. For the week ahead, I’ll wave the magic wand at some point and reallocate. Tracking has been empowering!
My check-in: I have not really done anything so far. However, I DID remember that in addition to my considerations about building a pair of side tables… I also wanted to build a worm bin (I’m pretty sure that buying the materials AND tools for that is still going to be less than the abject insanity that is buying a commercial worm bin). A pair of side tables and a worm bin will both be delightful things.
So, I guess maybe I should buy a saw or something, and hit up the lumber yard. o_O
There was some other thing that I had been thinking of getting for the house and I cannot for the life of me remember what it was now. I remember thinking it would be a VERY good idea, though, the kind of thing that genuinely makes your life better. Argh!
We don’t have any space for more bookshelves. This is, in fact, a sad and terrible thing.
I mean, if we really were going big, what I really need for the house is an extra room to turn into a study. As that costs significantly more than $100, I suppose I’ll settle for other methods.
I’m now looking into what hand tools I’ll need to find for making the side tables and the worm bin! It’s only like 5 things, so yay. And I should be able to store them all in the water heater closet.
I’m not doing budgetober but am following along and always have to jump in for worm bin discussions! Are you making an indoor our outdoor bin? I ended up making this for my indoor bin: DIY Simple Toy Box with Lid - Jaime Costiglio
But what ended up working best was to put in two plastic bins inside the box since they are easier to deal with and I can better control the airflow with holes in the lids. At least it still looks cute from the outside though!
Outdoor is more likely, given how tiny our house is, although there are pros and cons both ways. The plan is to do a tiered wooden worm bin similar to this, which should allow our small amount of scraps to get fed in quick. If we decide we need Moar Bin, I can just make extra tiers. And if we need extra airflow, I can drill more holes.
(I’m trying to avoid buying more plastic stuff for it because the point of this thing, for me, is about biodegradation and keeping things out of the landfill – wood will be able to decompose. So, this is where I’m leaning right now.)
Groceries: $70
Restaurants: $42 (samosas, hot chicken)
Mr. flan and I have a tradition of “Sunday fun dinners” where we like to stroll to a neighborhood restaurant and eat something fun to stave off the Sunday night blues. Naturally we’ve been ordering in or doing pick-up during the pandemic (except when we were COVID-19 positive and wanted to spare everyone our germs), and it’s honestly one of my favorite traditions! Therefore, I want to try to save my restaurant budget for these Sunday fun dinners rather than spending it on impulse orders during the week.
Recurring charitable donations: $52.07 to local racial justice org.
Annual charitable auction is going on until tomorrow evening - on my to-do for tonight or tomorrow morning to confer with mr. krmit, then either bid on something or just donate a flat amount. Will be minimum $100 if we bid on anything at this point.
Groceries: $67.92/ $150 (big produce box with local bread and tortilla add ons from the food co-op, cupcake supplies and donations for the community fridge from ShopRite)
Impulse food/eating out: 0/$10
Alcohol: 0/ $20
“Other”: $74.30/ $75
Waved magic wand and allowed myself to purchase heavier dumbbells, which were $87 including shipping. That money came from my fitness sinking fund.
I knew this was going to be a high spend week but yeah, all the “other” category got used up basically by deciding Sweaty needed more birthday presents (just over $30) and that I needed new houseplants for the planters I got for my birthday ($23), plus IPSY subscription, shipping my bother his birthday present, and renting Romeo + Juliet to rewatch.
So I’ll be pinching pennies the rest of the month, but I can still buy booze and snacks (and save money, haha).
Oh, I also did some tinkering with my budget/net worth spreadsheet, and factored in things like what I owe on my cell phone, co-op equity, and my ownership of half the car.
I also decided I need to make a plan to budget for buying things for the new community fridges in my neighborhood, as it’s an initiative I really like but need to be intentional about contributing too.
October Budget/Spending - Check In 10/9 Monthly Bills
Mortgage - 1007
Phones - 56/56
Internet - 70 - Bumped out of promotional pricing
Electricity - 176 - Really hot!
Water & Sewer - 95
Life Insurance - 102
Propane - 20
Bank Fee - 1
Student Loan - 65
Food ----> These are the categories I need to watch closely
Groceries - 337/625 - two big trips, meal replacement powder
Dining Out - 44/150 - Indian
Kid
Formula, Diapers & Wipes - 150/190 - Subscribe & Save order
Kid Other - 34/100 - toothbrush, toy
Pet
Expense Budget - 104/104 - Subscribe & Save order
Save 75 for medical expenses
Everyday Expenses
Household - 130/150 ----> My dad decided to visit and help with child care, so HB knocked out several household projects. This has power strips, 3 drawer organizer, shower curtain, lighter, broom, mop, toothpaste, etc. …
Gas - 20
Subscriptions - 24
Irregular Expenses
Car Insurance: Spent 328/328 Save:33
Car Taxes: Save 34
Amazon Prime: 120; Save 10
Taxes: Save 10
Targeted Savings Contributions
House Maintenance: 30/567 - new stud finder - overbudget - was hoping to save all, but it didn’t make sense not to do projects while by dad was here to help.
Auto Maintenance: 91/85 - overbudget - oil change and new air filter for car - pull excess from sinking fund. again, doing household chores since my dad is here to watch the baby.
Out of Pocket Medical: Spend 523/523 on medical bill, spend 25/69 – copay
Gifts & Birthdays: $60
Groceries weighted toward the beginning of the month but I think I might have to wave the magic wand to reset next week, depending on how much my grocery pickup ends up being. I usually average $40 per week at the regular grocery store.
I did the two things that involved me spending money! I got my patreon going again and I donated 1500 to a combo of abortion funds and mental health advocacy.
All I have left is to do the actual work of figuring out how much fun money I spent and I don’t wanna do it.
Nine days into the month and I think I’m starting to get the hang of YNAB. I decided since it had been a while since I’d really gotten into budgeting that I might as well learn a new system.
As long as my estimated expenses are good, I should have ~$800 to throw at fitness equipment. So far I’ve grabbed a new pair of shoes (these will be indoor use only) for $79 and a mat for $48. The biggest purchase will be a treadmill, I’ll hold off on that until early next month.
The most surprising line item in my budget is food, I may be over estimating. My purchasing and eating habits have changed a lot since COVID.
I have a price for all of the items on our list. Done!
Patio decor had to be seperated into health & safety (mosquito net, curtains) and purely decor, but budget is complete and I’m purchasing items over the rest of the month.
My cell phone bill was higher than I anticipated because I switched services early last month so I essentially paid 2 months in on one bill. Whoopsie. And I did dip in to the misc. catagory for some home organization tools. I know it’s early in the month and I’m mostly spent. For the week ahead, I’ll wave the magic wand at some point and reallocate. Tracking has been empowering!
Not the 7 I wanted, this is my sticking point all the time