We got the bill from our 3 year old's visit to the ER (she fell and hit her head on Valentine's day, requiring stitches and staples, but she's fine now) and we got started with braces for our 8 year old to correct his underbite.
Ouch, in more ways than one. I am trying to look at the bright side- we are stable enough that we didn't have to go into debt for either item, but it did completely drain our medical savings account, and it almost completely drained what other savings we had built up, aside from the emergency fund, which I try to dip into only when there is nothing left in our other savings accounts.
Almost the only thing left in there is what we need for bills, so almost all of our discretionary money is gone. I did leave our vacation money in there, since we won't have time to rebuild that before we go this summer.
It is sort of sad, because we were hoping to buy new beds for our girls soon- we even went shopping last weekend and had one ready to order, but we'll have to cancel it. I was going to buy some shorts at goodwill for myself, but that will have to wait (at least until the next paycheck, when we'll start to rebuild our discretionary funds).
This is the difficult part of budgeting- making sacrifices in order to stick to the plan. It stinks, but I would much rather live like this- knowing we had a cushion, and we were able to use it, than to have to scramble for funds, to have to go into debt just to pay our bills. So, I'm trying to revel in the peace of how we are choosing to use our money, because it does give me peace. I am not worried. That is worth it.
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Budget update
| TOTAL INCOME | $ 52,353.60 | $ 4,362.80 | $ 2,013.60 | $ 2,281.25 | $ 2,081.55 |
| Yearly total | Monthly | Average biweekly | Actual | Difference | |
| INCOME TAX | |||||
| taxes, work | $ 3,264.88 | $ 272.07 | $ 125.57 | $ 144.40 | $ 127.67 |
| NET INCOME | $ 49,088.72 | $ 4,090.73 | $ 1,888.03 | $ 2,136.85 | $ 1,953.88 |
| CHARITY 10-15% | |||||
| fast offering | $ 1,056.00 | $ 88.00 | $ 40.62 | $ - | $ 88.00 |
| tithing | $ 5,235.36 | $ 436.28 | $ 201.36 | $ 228.13 | $ 208.15 |
| SAVINGS 5-10% | |||||
| emergency fund | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ - |
| kids savings | $ 85.80 | $ 7.15 | $ 3.30 | $ 4.95 | $ 2.20 |
| retirement | $ 4,711.82 | $ 392.65 | $ 181.22 | $ 199.91 | $ 192.74 |
| HOUSING 25-35% | |||||
| dream home | $ 260.00 | $ 21.67 | $ 10.00 | $ 10.00 | $ 11.67 |
| homeowner's insurance (Jan) | $ 518.00 | $ 43.17 | $ 19.92 | $ - | $ 43.17 |
| Household improvement/ repair | $ 358.80 | $ 29.90 | $ 13.80 | $ 67.00 | $ (37.10) |
| appliance replace | $ 214.50 | $ 17.88 | $ 8.25 | $ - | $ 17.88 |
| real estate tax, county (Jun and Dec) | $ 1,210.40 | $ 100.87 | $ 46.55 | $ - | $ 100.87 |
| real estate tax, town (Dec) | $ 217.60 | $ 18.13 | $ 8.37 | $ - | $ 18.13 |
| UTILITIES 5-10% | |||||
| internet | $ 341.40 | $ 28.45 | $ 13.13 | $ 28.45 | $ - |
| phone- cell | $ 230.62 | $ 19.22 | $ 8.87 | $ 16.10 | $ 3.12 |
| phone- home | $ 189.12 | $ 15.76 | $ 7.27 | $ 15.76 | $ - |
| power | $ 1,946.10 | $ 162.18 | $ 74.85 | $ 133.56 | $ 28.62 |
| water& trash | $ 1,180.14 | $ 98.35 | $ 45.39 | $ 94.34 | $ 4.01 |
| FOOD 5-15% | |||||
| groceries | $ 4,576.00 | $ 381.33 | $ 176.00 | $ 254.28 | $ 127.05 |
| TRANSPORTATION 10-15% | |||||
| car insurance (Jan and Jul) | $ 479.30 | $ 39.94 | $ 18.43 | $ - | $ 39.94 |
| gasoline- buick | $ 749.35 | $ 62.45 | $ 28.82 | $ 54.28 | $ 8.17 |
| gasoline- van | $ 1,089.32 | $ 90.78 | $ 41.90 | $ 107.47 | $ (16.69) |
| registration, buick | $ 39.42 | $ 3.28 | $ 1.52 | $ - | $ 3.28 |
| registration, van | $ 44.42 | $ 3.70 | $ 1.71 | $ - | $ 3.70 |
| repair & maintain | $ 1,703.00 | $ 141.92 | $ 65.50 | $ 217.17 | $ (75.25) |
| replace | $ 1,040.00 | $ 86.67 | $ 40.00 | $ - | $ 86.67 |
| taxes, property- county (Dec) | $ 89.55 | $ 7.46 | $ 3.44 | $ - | $ 7.46 |
| taxes, property-town (Dec) | $ 81.44 | $ 6.79 | $ 3.13 | $ - | $ 6.79 |
| CLOTHING 2-7% | |||||
| me | $ 130.00 | $ 10.83 | $ 5.00 | $ - | $ 10.83 |
| kids | $ 234.00 | $ 19.50 | $ 9.00 | $ - | $ 19.50 |
| husband | $ 130.00 | $ 10.83 | $ 5.00 | $ - | $ 10.83 |
| MEDICAL 5-10% | |||||
| health care | $ 4,160.00 | $ 346.67 | $ 160.00 | $ 3,204.07 | $(2,857.40) |
| health insurance | $ 4,564.82 | $ 380.40 | $175.57 | $ 175.57 | $ 204.83 |
| PERSONAL 5-10% | |||||
| Christmas | $ 286.00 | $ 23.83 | $ 11.00 | $ 46.84 | $ (23.01) |
| gifts | $ 130.00 | $ 10.83 | $ 5.00 | $ 42.11 | $ (31.28) |
| personal, me | $ 78.00 | $ 6.50 | $ 3.00 | $ 10.00 | $ (3.50) |
| personal, kids | $ 1,040.00 | $ 86.67 | $ 40.00 | $ 159.44 | $ (72.77) |
| personal, husband | $ 78.00 | $ 6.50 | $ 3.00 | $ 8.97 | $ (2.47) |
| pets | $ 676.00 | $ 56.33 | $ 26.00 | $ - | $ 56.33 |
| work | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ (499.38) | $ 499.38 |
| RECREATION 5-10% | |||||
| entertainment | $ 260.00 | $ 21.67 | $ 10.00 | $ - | $ 21.67 |
| vacation | $ 390.00 | $ 32.50 | $ 15.00 | $ - | $ 32.50 |
| disney | $ 1,300.00 | $ 108.33 | $ 50.00 | $ 75.00 | $ 33.33 |
| DEBT 5-10% | |||||
| my student loans | $ 573.24 | $ 47.77 | $ 22.05 | $ 47.77 | $ - |
| husband's student loans | $ 7,052.16 | $ 587.68 | $ 271.24 | $ 587.68 | $ - |
| husband's student loans extra | $ 359.06 | $ 29.92 | $ 13.81 | $ 71.06 | $ (41.14) |
| NET SPENDING | $ 43,230.94 | $ 3,602.58 | $ 1,888.03 | $ 5,308.38 | $(1,705.80) |
| DIFFERENCE: NET INCOME/SPENDING | $ 5,857.79 | $ 488.15 | $ (0.00) | $(3,171.53) | $ 3,659.68 |
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Challenge update and where we went over
Even though I'm still allowing myself the same amount of money for groceries, I am amazed at how much more money I seem to have when I really pay attention to what we are using in our house. There really is a lot of food waste, and as much as the kids complain about it, we are eating up more of our leftovers instead of letting them go bad in the back of the fridge. So far, I've only tossed one container of leftovers. I'm even using up bits and pieces of produce in salads and soups, and haven't gotten any complaints about that.
One thing I do have to complain about is myself. I am so bad about checking how much money we actually have to spend in each category before I spend it. I just assume I have a general knowledge, but sometimes that knowledge is off. We went out to eat to celebrate my husband's raises, and we overspent there. We also overspent on car repair, but that was rather unavoidable- my husband's car's tires had the steel belts showing, so it was time for an overdue alignment and new tires.
I hope you're doing better than me this month!
One thing I do have to complain about is myself. I am so bad about checking how much money we actually have to spend in each category before I spend it. I just assume I have a general knowledge, but sometimes that knowledge is off. We went out to eat to celebrate my husband's raises, and we overspent there. We also overspent on car repair, but that was rather unavoidable- my husband's car's tires had the steel belts showing, so it was time for an overdue alignment and new tires.
I hope you're doing better than me this month!
Budget update
| TOTAL INCOME | $ 52,353.60 | $ 4,362.80 | $ 2,013.60 | $ 2,281.25 | $ 2,081.55 |
| Yearly total | Monthly | Average biweekly | Actual | Difference | |
| INCOME TAX | |||||
| taxes, work | $ 3,264.88 | $ 272.07 | $ 125.57 | $ 144.40 | $ 127.67 |
| NET INCOME | $ 49,088.72 | $ 4,090.73 | $ 1,888.03 | $ 2,136.85 | $ 1,953.88 |
| CHARITY 10-15% | |||||
| fast offering | $ 1,056.00 | $ 88.00 | $ 40.62 | $ - | $ 88.00 |
| tithing | $ 5,235.36 | $ 436.28 | $ 201.36 | $ 228.13 | $ 208.15 |
| SAVINGS 5-10% | |||||
| emergency fund | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ - |
| kids savings | $ 85.80 | $ 7.15 | $ 3.30 | $ 3.30 | $ 3.85 |
| retirement | $ 4,711.82 | $ 392.65 | $ 181.22 | $ 199.91 | $ 192.74 |
| HOUSING 25-35% | |||||
| dream home | $ 260.00 | $ 21.67 | $ 10.00 | $ 5.00 | $ 16.67 |
| homeowner's insurance (Jan) | $ 518.00 | $ 43.17 | $ 19.92 | $ - | $ 43.17 |
| Household improvement/ repair | $ 358.80 | $ 29.90 | $ 13.80 | $ 67.00 | $ (37.10) |
| appliance replace | $ 214.50 | $ 17.88 | $ 8.25 | $ - | $ 17.88 |
| real estate tax, county (Jun and Dec) | $ 1,210.40 | $ 100.87 | $ 46.55 | $ - | $ 100.87 |
| real estate tax, town (Dec) | $ 217.60 | $ 18.13 | $ 8.37 | $ - | $ 18.13 |
| UTILITIES 5-10% | |||||
| internet | $ 341.40 | $ 28.45 | $ 13.13 | $ - | $ 28.45 |
| phone- cell | $ 230.62 | $ 19.22 | $ 8.87 | $ - | $ 19.22 |
| phone- home | $ 189.12 | $ 15.76 | $ 7.27 | $ - | $ 15.76 |
| power | $ 1,946.10 | $ 162.18 | $ 74.85 | $ 133.56 | $ 28.62 |
| water& trash | $ 1,180.14 | $ 98.35 | $ 45.39 | $ 94.34 | $ 4.01 |
| FOOD 5-15% | |||||
| groceries | $ 4,576.00 | $ 381.33 | $ 176.00 | $ 176.23 | $ 205.10 |
| TRANSPORTATION 10-15% | |||||
| car insurance (Jan and Jul) | $ 479.30 | $ 39.94 | $ 18.43 | $ - | $ 39.94 |
| gasoline- buick | $ 749.35 | $ 62.45 | $ 28.82 | $ 23.96 | $ 38.49 |
| gasoline- van | $ 1,089.32 | $ 90.78 | $ 41.90 | $ 74.92 | $ 15.86 |
| registration, buick | $ 39.42 | $ 3.28 | $ 1.52 | $ - | $ 3.28 |
| registration, van | $ 44.42 | $ 3.70 | $ 1.71 | $ - | $ 3.70 |
| repair & maintain | $ 1,703.00 | $ 141.92 | $ 65.50 | $ 217.17 | $ (75.25) |
| replace | $ 1,040.00 | $ 86.67 | $ 40.00 | $ - | $ 86.67 |
| taxes, property- county (Dec) | $ 89.55 | $ 7.46 | $ 3.44 | $ - | $ 7.46 |
| taxes, property-town (Dec) | $ 81.44 | $ 6.79 | $ 3.13 | $ - | $ 6.79 |
| CLOTHING 2-7% | |||||
| me | $ 130.00 | $ 10.83 | $ 5.00 | $ - | $ 10.83 |
| kids | $ 234.00 | $ 19.50 | $ 9.00 | $ - | $ 19.50 |
| husband | $ 130.00 | $ 10.83 | $ 5.00 | $ - | $ 10.83 |
| MEDICAL 5-10% | |||||
| health care | $ 4,160.00 | $ 346.67 | $ 160.00 | $ 418.07 | $ (71.40) |
| health insurance | $ 4,564.82 | $ 380.40 | $175.57 | $ 175.57 | $ 204.83 |
| PERSONAL 5-10% | |||||
| Christmas | $ 286.00 | $ 23.83 | $ 11.00 | $ 46.84 | $ (23.01) |
| gifts | $ 130.00 | $ 10.83 | $ 5.00 | $ 42.11 | $ (31.28) |
| personal, me | $ 78.00 | $ 6.50 | $ 3.00 | $ 10.00 | $ (3.50) |
| personal, kids | $ 1,040.00 | $ 86.67 | $ 40.00 | $ 28.48 | $ 58.19 |
| personal, husband | $ 78.00 | $ 6.50 | $ 3.00 | $ 8.97 | $ (2.47) |
| pets | $ 676.00 | $ 56.33 | $ 26.00 | $ - | $ 56.33 |
| work | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ (587.18) | $ 587.18 |
| RECREATION 5-10% | |||||
| entertainment | $ 260.00 | $ 21.67 | $ 10.00 | $ - | $ 21.67 |
| vacation | $ 390.00 | $ 32.50 | $ 15.00 | $ - | $ 32.50 |
| disney | $ 1,300.00 | $ 108.33 | $ 50.00 | $ 50.00 | $ 58.33 |
| DEBT 5-10% | |||||
| my student loans | $ 573.24 | $ 47.77 | $ 22.05 | $ - | $ 47.77 |
| husband's student loans | $ 7,052.16 | $ 587.68 | $ 271.24 | $ 587.68 | $ - |
| husband's student loans extra | $ 359.06 | $ 29.92 | $ 13.81 | $ 71.06 | $ (41.14) |
| NET SPENDING | $ 43,230.94 | $ 3,602.58 | $ 1,888.03 | $ 2,241.73 | $ 1,360.85 |
| DIFFERENCE: NET INCOME/SPENDING | $ 5,857.79 | $ 488.15 | $ (0.00) | $ (104.88) | $ 593.03 |
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