A July Challenge Update….a little late.

Photo by Jorge Urosa on Pexels.com

I apologize for this late update, a lot of unexpected stuff came up and my blog fell to the wayside. I closed out July on Saturday, and thankfully it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Spoiler alert: I did not meet my challenge goal.

Let’s just get right to the numbers–

July’s spending:

• Groceries/Eating Out: $623.00
• Personal Care: $182.00
• OTC/Medical: $74.00
• Clothes & Accessories: $395.00 (hubby bought a few items too!)
• Gasoline: $32.00
• Gifts/Spontaneous giving: $352.00
• Mom &Dad: $80.00
• Pet: $66.00 (dog food and misc. accessories)
• Travel (road trips and misc. travel products): $665.00

Total: $2,117.00

I was $1,367 over my goal of $750.00. I can honestly say I do not regret any of the spending. After analyzing the different categories and amounts, I realized that at least $1,000 of the $1,367 overage was for my trip to Italy this September. Planning this trip has sparked so much joy, that I’m not the least bit discouraged from failing this challenge. I’m actually energized and excited for more opportunities to travel, especially in retirement. 🙂

I know some of you were doing the challenge with me, and have been successful! Congrats! Please let me know what you are going to do with all that extra money you saved!

How was July for you?

July Challenge Update: July 11-17

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

It’s been a crazy week for my July challenge. There has been a lot of buying and returning — primarily travel-related and clothing. I will try to be more diligent with my online orders, and hold off purchasing clothes until September. I’m definitely a work in progress as far as online spending.

In other news, I decided to go ahead with the bone stimulator ($2,000) for my foot, because I will try anything before surgery. That will come directly out of our Health Savings Account fund.

An Unexpected expense.

I spoke with my son this week. He is still on deployment and unfortunately got Covid as did most of the sailors on his ship. He told me he was pretty sick for a while but thankfully he is now on the mend. He was vaccinated and boosted, so I imagine he contracted the new variant while in a port. He never asks for anything, but this time he asked for snacks. I was out the door as soon as I ‘hung up’ the phone (as any Mama would do 😉 ). $180 later (and worth every penny), a 14x14x14 care package was on its way. 🙂 Included items: Vitamins, Emergen-C’s, cough drops, toothbrush, soups, mac and cheese (add water), cookies, beef jerky, chips, and candy (the non-chocolate variety, as chocolate would melt). It was filled to the brim. He is in a port now, so I hope his package will get to him soon!

An idea of what I sent. 🙂 (via)

Without further ado, here is my July 11-17 spending:

• Groceries & Eating Out: $51.00
• Misc.: $3.00
• Pets: $99.86 (dog food and dog pool)
• Misc. travel: $99.00 (Travelon backpack/cross body bags)
• Mom & Dad: $38.00
• Spontaneous Giving: $180.00

Total spend: $371.86

It is clear that I won’t make my $750 challenge, especially since I’ll need to do a large grocery shop soon. Unexpected expenses will always pop up, and as long as I can keep my usual categories within limits, I’ll still be able to sock a little money into savings.

How was your week?

June Spending: Adding it up.

Every Monday during 2022, I am posting an update on what I spent for the week (variable spending only) as a way of keeping myself accountable for my impulse spending. Also, to see my true savings, I am tracking items I was tempted to buy but didn’t.

Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

(I thought I would post this a day early)

June is in the books, as well as the first half of 2022. It’s hard to believe how fast this year is going, and also how slow. (I’m anxious, for many reasons, for this year to be over!).

This week’s spending is rather high, mainly because of gift-giving. I was late in getting wedding cards out (to weddings we didn’t attend) and a family friend’s baby. I decided to just get it down all in one fell swoop. Ouch. I also filled up my gas tank on the 30th, and both categories felt a bit like ‘cheating’ before going into July’s challenge, but I wanted to be fully transparent.

Here is the spending for June 27 – 30th:

• Groceries: $121.31
• Eating out: $45.00
• Personal Care: $7.00
• Gifts: $506.00! (2 family birthdays, two weddings, and a baby shower!)
• Gas: $41.65

Total: $720.96

June’s recap of spending by week:

• June 1-6: $1,660.73
• June 7-13: $321.13
• June 14-19: $724.52
• June 20-26: $384.66
• June 27-30: $720.96

Total Spending for June: $3,812.00.

Not the best month, but pretty consistent with my average spending. Hopefully, I can whittle that down to at least half going forward.

How was June for you?

June Spending: Week 4 update

Photo by uff2cuff41uff52uff41 on Pexels.com

Every Monday during 2022, I am posting an update on what I spent for the week (variable spending only) as a way of keeping myself accountable for my impulse spending. Also, to see my true savings, I am tracking items I was tempted to buy but didn’t.

This week has been a pretty quiet week. The only ‘extras’ I have spent this week were a pool float for the pool and ice cream treats for the grandkids. Money well-spent if you ask me. 😉

What I spent from June 20 – 26:

• Groceries/Eating out: $68.81
• Pool float/Ice Cream: $41.00 (the ice cream was double the pool float!)
• Mom: $53.00 (a new coffee pot)
• Pet Meds: $221.85 (Heart meds and flea and tick for 12 months) RETURNED. Waiting for refund.

Total: $384.66

How was your week?

A question for my readers.

Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

What is the average amount you spend per month on variable expenses which include the following categories?

• gas
• food (includes eating out)
• clothes
• household (batteries, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, etc.)
• personal care
• spending
• pets
• misc.

I’m working on a savings challenge for July and I would love to compare my expenses with yours. I know we are all in different financial situations, but I’m curious to know where we stand in comparison. Especially all you retired folk….

Thanks for your help!!!