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April 30, 2016 · Leave a Comment

April 2016 Budget

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Budget· Our Monthly Budget

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I was looking forward to our April 2016 budget after having a budget in March that, while we didn’t go negative, it did not go as we had planned for it in the beginning of the month.  This month was a nice breather month, and allowed us to get back to our typical budgeting.  I did spend quite a bit on food and fuel this month compared to previous months.  While reviewing how May went last year, I’m going to expect the same for next month simply because it’s the end of the school year and there’s a lot of things going on while things wrap up.  On top of that, May also means Mother’s Day, Memorial Day and a birthday.

april 2016 budget

Income

Salary: $3,757.43
March Debt Savings {& Accrued Interest}: $0
Total:   $3,757.43

Expenses

Mortgage:  $500

Cell Phone:   $44.73
When I was driving my sister home for a funeral last month, my phone had deactivated for some odd reason.  I still haven’t completely figured out why, but I’ve assumed it was because I rarely use it and the company will deactivate inactive accounts.  When I got home, I logged into my account to reactivate my number and they gave me a discount for a few months for being a returning customer.

Home Phone / Internet:  $74.08
I’m really starting to dislike this bill, and yet we’re stuck.  It’s variability each month is based solely on our Internet price, and I have no clue why.  Our landline is only $20 of this bill, and sine we have no cell service where we live, I need to keep our landline.  At the same time, I can’t understand why our Internet is varying in price {between $33 and $40} each month.  To add to the frustration, they are the only company that services our area, and their customer service, for lack of a better term, sucks.

Credit Card 1:   $452.75
The total payment on this card was $781.22.  After breaking down the purchases, $60 came from our gifting fund, $268.47 came from our savings designated for additional raised beds in our garden, and the remaining balance, shown above, is our reoccurring charges {Netflix, newspaper subscription, etc.} and also for items related to repairs for our chimney fire last month.

Credit Card 2:   $210
As with the first credit card, the total payment on this bill was $360.  The extra
$150 came from our debt payment for the month and went to paying all the travel expenses for when I had to travel home for a family emergency.

Student Loans:  $160

Car Payment:   $528.21
After paying nearly $800 on our car last month, we don’t have a payment due until the end of June since they’ve advanced the due date.

Electric:  $100.27

Insurance:   $246.77

Piano Lessons:  $0
Bookworm’s piano lessons are a generous gift from my mother-in-law.

Fun Money:    $80

Annual Savings Account:  $240
Every week I put aside money for non-monthly expenses that come up throughout the year.  You can read more about what I include in this savings and how I calculate how much to save up in my post about our Annual Savings Account.

Gifting Savings:   $200

Debt Savings:   $39.05
$8.06 of this savings this month was from rounding up the change from our purchases throughout the month.

Groceries:  $591.30

Household:  $14.25

Gas:  $74.87
Fuel expenses are a little more this month for three reasons.  Fuel prices have risen again in our area, I drove to town every day for two weeks straight, and we’re buying some more fuel for the lawn mower.

Miscellaneous:   $51.15
This month’s miscellaneous expenses consisted of rabbit food, charcoal for our grill, and sun hats for Lady Bug and I since I sunburn very easily and sunscreen doesn’t play well with my skin.

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Next Post: May Meal Plan »

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makingcentsmatter

makingcentsmatter
Our January 15th paycheck is officially in the boo Our January 15th paycheck is officially in the books. Since we're paid monthly, and we tend to leave wiggle room in our budget for things that come up (like atom projects for a 6th-grade science class), our budget tends to look messy by the end. And that's totally okay!⁠
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Even though we went over in some categories, we were under in others, and under in our overall budget! This $75 remaining stays in our checking account for the time being. We've got some dental procedures coming up in this family, and I'm not sure what the actual OOP costs will be.⁠
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To see how we did, you can check out by January Paycheck Review here: https://youtu.be/GtGRIYTX_8c⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #monthlyincome #monthlybudget #zerobasedbudget #paycheckreview #budgetreview #budgetwithme #budgeting #budgettips #budgetworkbook #frugalliving #savingmoney #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress
Payday is today! Actually, payday was Friday the 1 Payday is today! Actually, payday was Friday the 12th because we completely forgot today is a bank holiday in the US. The feeling of being paid and not needing it is a nice one.⁠
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Here's what our paycheck needs to get us through for bills until March 14th. For a full look at our budget over the next month, head over to my budget with me on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rb8uyi1-rNc⁠
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#monthlyincome #monthlybudget #monthlybudget #zerobasedbudget #payday #budgetwithme #budgeting #budgettips #budgetcalendar #frugalliving #savingmoney #paycheck #makingcentsmatter #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress
This weekend was focused on a pantry shop and meal This weekend was focused on a pantry shop and meal plan creation! This meal plan to get us to our February payday. We also picked fast meals, because it's a busy two weeks between doctor's appointments,. Academic Decathalon, dance, and drama. I'm unsure we'll be able to shop on payday, hence the extras.⁠
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Total spent: $112.39 for items to get us through this and lunches.⁠
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Keep in mind, just over $112 for 12 meals isn't sustainable for our family, just in times when we need to stretch the last bits of our monthly income. I really wish $112 was enough to feed two teenaged boys in our household.⁠
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The point being... do what works for you, and your situation based on your location. Don't try to fit yourself into someone else's situation!⁠
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#mealplan #mealplanning #frugalliving #frugalmom #makingcentsmatter #savingmoney #monthlyincome #budgeting #budgetmom #groceryshop
January's real numbers:⁠ .⁠ House: $511.13⁠ January's real numbers:⁠
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House: $511.13⁠
Citi: $720⁠
D NelNet: $100⁠
K NelNet: $100⁠
K Chase: $150⁠
Explorer: $343⁠
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Extra Payment to Citi: $500⁠
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Noteworthy... our car payment had a late fee assessed because the mail was SLOWED down over Christmas. Three headaches later, and we potentially have online banking finally set up with them. It is still a headache. And we are never taking another car loan out with this bank!⁠
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How was January?⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejouney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #monthlyincome #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom
Sometimes in order to see progress, you need to ta Sometimes in order to see progress, you need to take a step back.
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I'll be honest, I didn't think that we got this far in 2020. With everything going on - and more importantly, everything NOT going on - we didn't keep up with this every month. We just threw what we could at our goal. I'm simply amazed at how far we came.
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Things are still hectic, and I'm simply mentally exhausted between remote learning, extended remote learning, offset quarantining children... it goes on and on.
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But I also cannot wait to see what strides we will make in 2021.
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#makingcentsmatter #debtfreejouney #debtfreeprogress #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #monthlyincome #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance
This is what school looks like when it's a hybrid This is what school looks like when it's a hybrid model, and your house does not have unlimited space. I was standing in our kitchen when I took this picture, the kids behind me making lunch.
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Our district is carefully monitoring our local infection rates, and we are currently in a hybrid form. That means they divided the district into two groups; half are in school on Monday and Tuesday, the other half on Thursday and Friday. They are offering an all remote option, but Verizon for some reason supplies our house with speeds so slow that it would shock a tortoise. Remote was a no-go.
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This set-up has taken some trial and error to get to where we currently are. Because no matter how prepared you are and how much you've planned, once you're in the weeds, actually doing it, there is no telling how your best-laid plans will work.
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Our home is a 1800sqft one-story, open living area, 4 bedroom, 1 bathroom, ranch-style house in a very rural area. It has no home offices. No guest bedrooms. Yes, that is a desk in the corner of our dining room. 🤣
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Each kid gets their own color bin for their school work. This includes school-issued Chromebooks and other standard items they need to get work done - headphones, pencils, and so on. When we are done for the day, we clean up everything, place them neatly in these bins, and place them in cubbies (on my current left) at night while the Chromebooks charge.
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I do NOT bother to clean up at lunchtime. It would take us more time to clean up and reset everything than it takes us to eat lunch. So we only pack it all up for the day and call it done.
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During the day, I sit between my younger two and field any questions they may have, troubleshoot technical issues we all have, and be the overall bouncer when things get off-topic. My high schooler will occasionally emerge from his bedroom, which opens to the kitchen. So he is close by when he has questions.
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Please remember that with all things in life, you need to work with what's available to you. And there is no shame in that. Don't ever feel like you're not doing good enough because it's not picture perfect. Work with what you have available to you, and you'll do amazing things.
School is in session, the garden is slowing, and I School is in session, the garden is slowing, and I’ve finally realized I haven’t shared our payoff numbers for July or August. Yeah……
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Please keep in mind, we are paid monthly on the 15th, but we don’t go by a “monthly” budget. So I have to go back and look at these numbers based off their due dates in the calendar. Because our pay falls in the middle of the month, I can’t tell you what portion of our income went to debt. It’s going to vary paycheck to paycheck anyways because our priorities vary with each check. Nothing is ever the same month to month, and pay to pay.
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That said, inJuly we paid off $2,694.43.
In August we paid off $1,673.40.
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The difference here is that our priorities shifted between the two months.
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During August, we were doing more prep for whatever school would look like this year, and we had some savings goals make their way to the top of the list as well.
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Of those goals, in August we made progress!
EF Reimbursement: $146 / $1,200
Checking Buffer Reimbursement: $227 / $500
Vet Sinking Fund: $40 / $200
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Remember this is a journey, not a race. There is no point wearing yourself ragged and still making no progress. Make progress where you can, and celebrate it. Even if it’s $5.
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It’s progress, and that’s what matters!
While I wait for the canner to finish the last rou While I wait for the canner to finish the last round... I rearranged our recipe binder. It's only taken me 8 or so years. 🤣😶😭
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I miss the days when zucchini was my problem. Now it's tomatoes. I can only find so many ways to use up spaghetti sauce! So the next 50lbs or so will be chili base and unseasoned sauce.
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On top of this school is starting with a hybrid in building & online system. And I'm seriously slacking on some things I need to do. I'm not good at juggling multiple things and the balls are falling. But I keep reminding myself... be patient. This too shall pass. This is only a phase. So I pick and choose what's the most important, focus on that and go from there.
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So if you feel overwhelmed with your current phase, remember, this too shall pass. It's okay to rearrange priorities. It's okay to take a breather.
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This too shall pass.
If you didn't start finding interesting ways to ge If you didn't start finding interesting ways to get rid of the squash, can you say you even planted any?
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Good news, I'm almost caught up! Bad news, the garden has more.
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