I have my budget set for holiday gifts: $900 total, with breakdowns for each individual. It was really illuminating thinking about what I’d like to spend on each person separately and then being uhhh dissatisfied with the total and changing a few things I keep hearing about supply chain issues, and Hanukkah is early this year, so focusing the bulk of my gift shopping this month feels good. I haven’t bought anything this week but I did receive a few past purchases in the mail.
Ok, official week 1 check in:
What I am really paying attention to this month is how much I spend on groceries/eating out per month, entertainment, and miscellaneous (i.e. impulse buys).
For groceries, I’m a 1/4th of the way through so that tracks so far.
For entertainment, I haven’t spent a thing, I’ve been out to parks and gone on walks and to the library instead of random outing. I want to keep this absurdly low this month, because next month I go on vacation for the first time in 2 years. It’s full of little outings and trips, nothing too intense or expensive, but I don’t want to feel guilty for taking care of myself.
For miscellaneous, I haven’t eaten out or done anything, but an annual subscription for DnD beyond hit this month that I wasn’t expecting, so I’m having that come out of Miscellaneous. Cuts that bucket in half for the rest of the month, but I think I’ll be ok.
I’m hoping to spend under ~$100 in each category and move money around when I need to, but I do mostly want to just get used to this “new” budget tracking (before, I was relying on handwritten notes in my bullet journal that got Disorganized Fast).
Week 1 update: We managed to stay within our weekly food $ allotment that is 25 percent lower than last month. We even had money left, 20 percent to be precise. Yeah I did say our food budget was way out of control.
This next week will be the real test. We had to say good bye to one of our fur babies last night. Our hearts are broken and we have a terrible habit of using food particularly take away in these moments. If we can navigate this next week with good made at home food that will be a huge win on more than one front.
I’d forgotten to say my favorite part of October. One it’s my husband’s second favorite holiday so he decks our house full out for Halloween. Second we had two Bombay cats Midnight and Shadow, now one, who are the perfect Halloween reps. No costumes needed. Our girl Shadow will be missed but she is with us in our memories.
I have a new normal after years of insecure income so I want to find my new baseline. I also have some unexpected expenses (sad trombone) to take care of in the next few months. Eager to make a plan for addressing those.
Okay so this hasn’t changed yet. Although today I’m going to Costco (we get a lot of groceries there) because I have a credible lead they have TP in stock
Week 1 update, I’m tracking this summary in Notion too:
Coffee
Bars
Eating Out
Groceries
Goal
$20
$60
$60
$150
Week 1 (Oct 1-8)
$0
$0
$0
$51.59
Did not go out at all this week, so I didn’t spend any categories other than groceries. On the other hand, we went to Grocery Outlet while hungry and bought way too many random things Hopefully that ends up paying off in terms of lower grocery spending in the coming weeks because I’ve already used 1/3 of the grocery budget in the first week, oops!
Week 1:
Grocery: $97.79 - restocking after a week’s vacation and $40 spice restock at Penzey’s.
Self care/fun money: $64.40 - $15 to Patreon and $49.40 on a new planner (Mossery Twinbook)
Income post tax (just me, not mr krmit): $318.12
I have two sinking funds. One for vacations, one for house/health.
Things like magazine subscriptions I just cash flow in the budget along with groceries, restaurants, clothing, books, craft supplies as misc cash/credit.
For hair cuts, you probably could figure out your annual cost - how many months/weeks between cuts, average cost of cut, desire for complex things or wash & blow dry events. You wouldn’t have it exactly, but I don’t think exact is important for this.
The restaurant was prepared food to eat on our 20km walk Thursday. I could have made something portable, but I didn’t feel inspired to do a frittata or get fixings for fancy sandwiches. Given that this was our only eating out of the week, I think that is a reasonable thing for vacation.
Oct. 8 check-in as of lunchtime on the 8th. Likely will be more spending as we’re heading out for a weekend event this afternoon, but I’ll include that next week. Just tracking our top variable spending categories for this challenge - we will still pay bills this month, promise!
Category
This week
Cumulative
Goal
Notes
Grocery
$109.69
$109.69
of max $300
Includes pet food at $30
Fuel
$36.20
$36.30
of max $230
Shopping
$58.06
$58.06
Just monitor this
New phone case and Christmas gifts
Puppy
$37.43
$37.43
Whatever they need (or “need”)
New harness and collar for Raptor as she outgrew hers
Eating out
$9.36
$29.88
Just monitor this
Going to be higher than past months – forgot an event this weekend
Home/Hardware
$0
$0
Just monitor this
Auto
$650.00
$650.00
Just monitor this
Instead of buying a “new” vehicle, we’re getting a junkyard engine put in our Wrangler with dead engine. This is the junkyard engine; labor will be later, but under $1k
Check-in for week 1: I’ve spent half of my fast food budget already. On one breakfast on October 2. But! I haven’t eaten any other fast food this week. I was considering raising my budget for the rest of the month but I think I’ll leave it as is for at least the next week.
Week 1 check in:
10/2 veggie sandwich and cookie $9.21
10/5 black bean burger and chips $16.36
10/7 ramen $15.50 I met up with a friend for lunch and she suggested ramen, I probably could have aimed for something cheaper, but hot soup on a cold fall day just sounded too lovely.
Total eating out: $41.07
Lessons/adjustments for the future: try to keep my personal eating out to the cheaper locations on weeks when I’m planning to go out with friends at some point.
Also, I realized that I never put my favorite thing about this time of year. Hot tea and more use of my favorite mugs.
I keep hearing about supply chain issues, and Hanukkah is early this year, so focusing the bulk of my gift shopping this month feels good. I haven’t bought anything this week but I did receive a few past purchases in the mail.
Hopefully that ends up paying off in terms of lower grocery spending in the coming weeks because I’ve already used 1/3 of the grocery budget in the first week, oops!