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Home > Archive: January, 2007

Archive for January, 2007

unbudgeted spending

January 27th, 2007 at 07:07 pm

doing well this month with spending.

We've only had 6 no spend days, but this is because we need to gas up our cars approximately every 5 days (long commutes to work - in opposite directions) and I tend to pay bills when we get them rather than sitting down once a week to do this.
Unplanned spending this week was limited to $5.50 at the library book sale.
Overall unplanned this month was $51.90 (and $25.00 of that was to bring dinner to a coworker and her family while she is out on medical leave.

We basically try to budget, but then end up spending the extra in a category on the unplanned spending. This month I'm starting to put the extra from each category into the savings account for when we run over in the future (example: lower electricity bills in the winter than summer)

looks like this may work.

visa bill

January 23rd, 2007 at 01:31 am

I've been trying to spend less and I though I was doing okay with this then came the visa bill. I was logging in most items on a monthly spending log so I thought I knew how much was charged. Unfortunately, DH was not always telling me when he spent money, or how much (usually didn't have receipts). According to my log, I should only owe apporximately $300.. This is after paying off a couple hundred here and there. (We use the visa for everything as we get rebates back).
The bill was $1500.00!!!!!! It took a bunch of research to find out why it was so high. My last 2 payments totalling $700 hadn't been credited yet. So that left a total of approximately $800, I knew about $300. The rest were Christmas presents (to me so he couldn't tell me as I was logging things in December), and some gifts I knew he bought, but didn't have receipts for me.

I hate January, between Christmas bills, life insurance, car insurance and all the regular bills I feel like I spend more than I have. Realistically, the money is there, I just hate these large bills.

big unplanned spend day

January 20th, 2007 at 03:07 pm

we've been having a rough week at work - there's a GI bug going around. Not fun when you are dealing with the cleaning and comforting.
anyway, DH was supposed to go out with the guys after work which meant relaxing time for DD and myself. Some coworkers wanted to do takeout.... at my house.
although it'f the furthest from everyone (25 miles from work and the closest friend coming over lives about 15 miles away). We have a decent size house and it's comfortable. (it was the most logical place to relax as the three people coming over -one lives with her parents, one has a toddler and one has a wierd husband).
Anyway, we split the wings so 9.00 there, pizza for DD= 10.50, beer and margaritas (definately necessary) at 20.50 and chips and such 10.
DH was home before everyone came over so he ate with us, but then hung out in the family room so we could sit in the library and complain.
I guess $50.00 for my sanity is worth it.

another day... another dollar (or three)

January 18th, 2007 at 10:50 pm

unfortunately it was outgoing money as opposed to incoming.

on the way home from work last night, I saw a billboard promoting the lottery. It was up to 180 million. I let my daughter choose the numbers and spent $2 on the lottery (and she just had to have a box of alphabet macaroni so we spent $3.09 total).

now I just have to check the numbers, maybe I'm rich!!!!!!!

lurking no more

January 16th, 2007 at 05:48 pm

I've been lurking on this blog for a while now and I guess it's my turn to start a journal.
My goal is to keep my family's expenses down. Hopefully, by putting it "on paper" I'll be more likely to do what I plan as I now have to hold myself accountable. Budgeting has never been easy - we are the kind of people who spend what we have and everything goes onto the credit card (I do not carry balances from month to month). I did learn a few tricks. If I don't have it, I don't spend it. So I started a seperate savings account for all the bills that come less than monthly and the money is direct deposited. I started a credit union account for christmas / birthdays. I put 15% into my 401k.
Now it's just trying to cut corners and stop myself and my family from buying the "stuff" that we think we want.

wish me luck