Financial Freedom: October Spending
Of course the first month I start my blog we go over our budget a little bit, but it was planned for and I'll explain below.
First, I want to talk a little bit about how we have created our budget. We started with 10 categories of spending, which is now down to 9 categories spending. Our categories consist of the following: Mortgage, Bailey, Groceries, Utilities, Cable, Internet, Loans/savings, Insurance, and water bill.
When we created our original categories, Bailey had a bigger impact since I wasn't working from home and we either had someone come walk her during the day or took her to daycare. Now, we still have the savings for her there, but we have used it for her daycare when we have been on trips, food, and getting her nails cut. On a normal month, we do not use it all, but we did need it the last couple of months; it is just always good to have that buffer there. Also, we used to have a furniture budget when we first bought our house because we were saving up for a couch and a dining room table. Now that we have those things, we do not have that category anymore. Note, though, we do have a savings for our household for things we want to eventually update or just in case something goes wrong. If you see my original post: "Financial Freedom: The Journey" you can see that we also, separately, have an emergency fund, savings, fun money, & investments which I will not talk much about here.
Now, I want to explain each of these in turn, what our budget is for them, what we actually spend and why. Like I said, this month we went a little over, but there is a good explanation, I promise. Or at least I think there is.
MORTGAGE:
Budget: $2240
Actual: $2237.13
This category is the same every single month. We like to have that few extra dollars in the budget for wiggle room with other things or a "just in case." Tyler is good at saving some of his money so that we put an extra mortgage payment down on our house 2x per year.
BAILEY:
Budget: $166
Actual: $202.40
As I mentioned above, we took a trip this month. We were lucky enough to have someone drop her off at daycare for us the morning we left so we didn't have to pay an extra night, and this category is definitely not tapped out every month. We also got her nails done which were around $15. November I imagine this number will be closer to that $15 mark since she is good on food and we have no trips planned. We do take Bailey to daycare every once in a while just to make sure she gets some time with other dogs and doesn't forget about daycare for when we do go on trips, but we get a pass for her, 20 day passes which we probably use over the course of 6-8 months. I'm sure that'll come up eventually.
GROCERIES:
Budget: $300
Actual: $307.82
Honestly, this is another category we don't always hit. Sometimes, we go over. We use this category for all things grocery store - deodorant, booze, Costco, etc. This month we would've been under if it weren't for Halloween. I kind of waited last minute to get candy and therefore I didn't search around for cheaper candy. In all truthfulness, this category has taken some time to master, but I have become really good at not being wasteful on food. Sometimes that'll mean going to the grocery store in the middle of the week but not often, and that is ok. Extra steps ;)
UTILITIES:
Budget: $75
Actual: $23.56
SOLAR PANELS are where it's at here in Colorado. The previous owners owned the solar panels and now we do. I LOVE how small our bills are. Don't get me wrong, in the winter since we are using gas for heat, this goes up, but a majority of the year, the number is low. Let's be real, I work from home, on a computer, in the basement (lights on always), so for this to be our bill, I'm ok with it. Plus, even though the bill will go up, I just found out that we will get a check for the extra energy because our "system produced less electricity than we estimated for the year, so we owe you a refund." THANK YOU TESLA. They accidently made it out to the previous owners so they are sending one with our name on it, but we are getting it!
CABLE:
Budget: $87
Actual: $96.95
Cable is something I personally could live without. My husband on the otherhand has a different opinion on it. I think our bill is about to go up soon, too. Can't we just have it around football season and then get rid of it?! If you have any suggestions, I am all ears.
Anyway, at some point this was budgeted to the $5 off we were getting a month. Plus, I called after they billed us and cancelled HBO (we had it for GOT) and cancelled the protection fee for our equipment that was supposed to be cancelled a year ago (do NOT get me started on that DirecTv). That being said, we will get the $17.99+$8.99 back on the next bill which will make this go down. Hopefully they refund me the rest of the protection plan I didn't want, but we will see. (And the lawyer in me has it in writing that they cancelled in last year, just so y 'all know).
INTERNET:
Budget: $45
Actual: $45
You know what is great about internet? At least the company we are using, which I can't remember who it is off the top of my head. But it doesn't go up every freaking year just because. AND there are no "hidden fees." That's all.
INSURANCE:
Budget: $109
Actual: $108.88
We have insurance for both the car and our home here. And it went up because of a U-TURN ticket. Yes, a U-turn ticket. Super lame. I thought it was only supposed to go up about $4 a month, but it went up about $16 a month. Tyler is the one who has been working with this guy so I keep telling him to call and figure it out, but he hasn't. Honestly, it might not change, but I would just like to know where that extra money came from!
WATER:
Budget: $100
Actual: $261.25
Alright, this is the second time we have been over on water, and the first time it was only $7 so I was in shock when I saw this. WELL. This is also the first time we were trying to figure out our sprinkler system so we had it going too much. Simple as that. I already know it is going to be $100 cheaper next month since we figured out the sprinkler system, and then I imagine it'll go back down to the $80-$90 a month after that since we won't be using the sprinkler system until next summer. We have it all figured out now, so hopefully that is the highest we will ever see that. You live and you learn, right?!
LOANS/SAVINGS:
Budget: $2800
Actual: $2796.08
Loans and savings we usually hit right on the head with exactness. The last loan payment of the month, though, got switched to a lower payment. It isn't too far off, though.
We have these two together since they are pretty much a guarantee exact amount each month. $2600 towards loans and $200 into savings. This category will be a fun one to check out, though. I get bonuses, and I'll play with this a bit to add more to each.
Plus, this is a great transition into my personal spending, because I save in addition to this.
PERSONAL SPENDING:
I'll be honest. This one is hard for me. I am still trying to perfect it. I am happy to say, though, I have saved more than I have spent, so I will count that as a win. I do not use any of my side-hustle earnings for personal spending, that goes straight to savings. I try to stick to just what I have budgeted out for the month from my full-time job paycheck. Also, note, I did have some money left over from last month. Even though this adds up to more than I'd like, I have to remember that I didn't spend more than I had, which is always the goal!
What I spend money on:
FOOD:
I personally believe we still go out to eat too much. We have become better, but I do think there is room for improvement. I, alone, spent $137.77 on going out to eat.
GAS:
This one used to bother me a lot more than it does now. I had to get gas about 2-3x a month, now, I get it 1x every month or month and a half (sometimes I just get it if I am at Costco). This month I spent $34.04 on gas.
AMAZON:
I wanted new wireless headphones. I had a $5 off coupon. So, I spent $15.59 at amazon.
BEAUTY:
This is something I do about once every 3 months. I want to get to a point where I am saving for it a little each month so I don't have to be like "well, there is that paycheck." On getting my hair done/waxing my eyebrows I spent $162.00
BEACHBODY:
I feel like has been a big month for "I don't spend this much every month on this," but it is the truth. I get a yearly subscription to Beachbody on Demand (you can try it for free for 14-days here), and it renewed this month. Plus, I did get a couple of other items I love (i.e. pre-workout, beachbars, etc.). This month I spent $221.25 at Beachbody.
Total personal: $570.65
Total joint: $6079.07 (goal: $5922, over $157.07)
Last month Student Loan Debt: $194,676.56
Current amount in student loan debt: $192,900.24
CHEAP HEALTHY RECIPE
Buffalo Cauliflower
1/2 head of cauliflower cut up into bite size pieces
1 tbls. EVOO
Following seasonings to taste:
Paprika
Cajun Seasoning
Himalayan salt
garlic powder
onion powder
Mix together in bowl. Place on baking sheet evenly spread out.
Cook at 400 degrees for 25 minutes
Take out. Put Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce on it. Mix.
Add green onions.
First, I want to talk a little bit about how we have created our budget. We started with 10 categories of spending, which is now down to 9 categories spending. Our categories consist of the following: Mortgage, Bailey, Groceries, Utilities, Cable, Internet, Loans/savings, Insurance, and water bill.
When we created our original categories, Bailey had a bigger impact since I wasn't working from home and we either had someone come walk her during the day or took her to daycare. Now, we still have the savings for her there, but we have used it for her daycare when we have been on trips, food, and getting her nails cut. On a normal month, we do not use it all, but we did need it the last couple of months; it is just always good to have that buffer there. Also, we used to have a furniture budget when we first bought our house because we were saving up for a couch and a dining room table. Now that we have those things, we do not have that category anymore. Note, though, we do have a savings for our household for things we want to eventually update or just in case something goes wrong. If you see my original post: "Financial Freedom: The Journey" you can see that we also, separately, have an emergency fund, savings, fun money, & investments which I will not talk much about here.
Now, I want to explain each of these in turn, what our budget is for them, what we actually spend and why. Like I said, this month we went a little over, but there is a good explanation, I promise. Or at least I think there is.
MORTGAGE:
Budget: $2240
Actual: $2237.13
This category is the same every single month. We like to have that few extra dollars in the budget for wiggle room with other things or a "just in case." Tyler is good at saving some of his money so that we put an extra mortgage payment down on our house 2x per year.
BAILEY:
Budget: $166
Actual: $202.40
As I mentioned above, we took a trip this month. We were lucky enough to have someone drop her off at daycare for us the morning we left so we didn't have to pay an extra night, and this category is definitely not tapped out every month. We also got her nails done which were around $15. November I imagine this number will be closer to that $15 mark since she is good on food and we have no trips planned. We do take Bailey to daycare every once in a while just to make sure she gets some time with other dogs and doesn't forget about daycare for when we do go on trips, but we get a pass for her, 20 day passes which we probably use over the course of 6-8 months. I'm sure that'll come up eventually.
GROCERIES:
Budget: $300
Actual: $307.82
Honestly, this is another category we don't always hit. Sometimes, we go over. We use this category for all things grocery store - deodorant, booze, Costco, etc. This month we would've been under if it weren't for Halloween. I kind of waited last minute to get candy and therefore I didn't search around for cheaper candy. In all truthfulness, this category has taken some time to master, but I have become really good at not being wasteful on food. Sometimes that'll mean going to the grocery store in the middle of the week but not often, and that is ok. Extra steps ;)
UTILITIES:
Budget: $75
Actual: $23.56
SOLAR PANELS are where it's at here in Colorado. The previous owners owned the solar panels and now we do. I LOVE how small our bills are. Don't get me wrong, in the winter since we are using gas for heat, this goes up, but a majority of the year, the number is low. Let's be real, I work from home, on a computer, in the basement (lights on always), so for this to be our bill, I'm ok with it. Plus, even though the bill will go up, I just found out that we will get a check for the extra energy because our "system produced less electricity than we estimated for the year, so we owe you a refund." THANK YOU TESLA. They accidently made it out to the previous owners so they are sending one with our name on it, but we are getting it!
CABLE:
Budget: $87
Actual: $96.95
Cable is something I personally could live without. My husband on the otherhand has a different opinion on it. I think our bill is about to go up soon, too. Can't we just have it around football season and then get rid of it?! If you have any suggestions, I am all ears.
Anyway, at some point this was budgeted to the $5 off we were getting a month. Plus, I called after they billed us and cancelled HBO (we had it for GOT) and cancelled the protection fee for our equipment that was supposed to be cancelled a year ago (do NOT get me started on that DirecTv). That being said, we will get the $17.99+$8.99 back on the next bill which will make this go down. Hopefully they refund me the rest of the protection plan I didn't want, but we will see. (And the lawyer in me has it in writing that they cancelled in last year, just so y 'all know).
INTERNET:
Budget: $45
Actual: $45
You know what is great about internet? At least the company we are using, which I can't remember who it is off the top of my head. But it doesn't go up every freaking year just because. AND there are no "hidden fees." That's all.
INSURANCE:
Budget: $109
Actual: $108.88
We have insurance for both the car and our home here. And it went up because of a U-TURN ticket. Yes, a U-turn ticket. Super lame. I thought it was only supposed to go up about $4 a month, but it went up about $16 a month. Tyler is the one who has been working with this guy so I keep telling him to call and figure it out, but he hasn't. Honestly, it might not change, but I would just like to know where that extra money came from!
WATER:
Budget: $100
Actual: $261.25
Alright, this is the second time we have been over on water, and the first time it was only $7 so I was in shock when I saw this. WELL. This is also the first time we were trying to figure out our sprinkler system so we had it going too much. Simple as that. I already know it is going to be $100 cheaper next month since we figured out the sprinkler system, and then I imagine it'll go back down to the $80-$90 a month after that since we won't be using the sprinkler system until next summer. We have it all figured out now, so hopefully that is the highest we will ever see that. You live and you learn, right?!
LOANS/SAVINGS:
Budget: $2800
Actual: $2796.08
Loans and savings we usually hit right on the head with exactness. The last loan payment of the month, though, got switched to a lower payment. It isn't too far off, though.
We have these two together since they are pretty much a guarantee exact amount each month. $2600 towards loans and $200 into savings. This category will be a fun one to check out, though. I get bonuses, and I'll play with this a bit to add more to each.
Plus, this is a great transition into my personal spending, because I save in addition to this.
PERSONAL SPENDING:
I'll be honest. This one is hard for me. I am still trying to perfect it. I am happy to say, though, I have saved more than I have spent, so I will count that as a win. I do not use any of my side-hustle earnings for personal spending, that goes straight to savings. I try to stick to just what I have budgeted out for the month from my full-time job paycheck. Also, note, I did have some money left over from last month. Even though this adds up to more than I'd like, I have to remember that I didn't spend more than I had, which is always the goal!
What I spend money on:
FOOD:
I personally believe we still go out to eat too much. We have become better, but I do think there is room for improvement. I, alone, spent $137.77 on going out to eat.
GAS:
This one used to bother me a lot more than it does now. I had to get gas about 2-3x a month, now, I get it 1x every month or month and a half (sometimes I just get it if I am at Costco). This month I spent $34.04 on gas.
AMAZON:
I wanted new wireless headphones. I had a $5 off coupon. So, I spent $15.59 at amazon.
BEAUTY:
This is something I do about once every 3 months. I want to get to a point where I am saving for it a little each month so I don't have to be like "well, there is that paycheck." On getting my hair done/waxing my eyebrows I spent $162.00
BEACHBODY:
I feel like has been a big month for "I don't spend this much every month on this," but it is the truth. I get a yearly subscription to Beachbody on Demand (you can try it for free for 14-days here), and it renewed this month. Plus, I did get a couple of other items I love (i.e. pre-workout, beachbars, etc.). This month I spent $221.25 at Beachbody.
Total personal: $570.65
Total joint: $6079.07 (goal: $5922, over $157.07)
Last month Student Loan Debt: $194,676.56
Current amount in student loan debt: $192,900.24
CHEAP HEALTHY RECIPE
Buffalo Cauliflower
1/2 head of cauliflower cut up into bite size pieces
1 tbls. EVOO
Following seasonings to taste:
Paprika
Cajun Seasoning
Himalayan salt
garlic powder
onion powder
Mix together in bowl. Place on baking sheet evenly spread out.
Cook at 400 degrees for 25 minutes
Take out. Put Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce on it. Mix.
Add green onions.
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