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April 18, 2018 · Leave a Comment

May Budget Categories

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Budget· Budget Tips

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May is right around the corner.  I don’t know how that’s even possible because it seems like we just left February, but here we are.  As you start setting up your budgets for next month, don’t forget to add these May budget categories.

May budget categories

 

Lawn & Garden

In the northeast, May is when we can start mowing our lawns.  Whether you pay someone to care for your lawn, or you do it yourself, it’s not free.  Look at your lawn expenses in the past to get an idea of how much you’ll be spending throughout the growing season.

The end of May is when we’re able to transplant a lot of our seedlings for the garden.  If you’re purchasing transplants at a local greenhouse, be sure to make a list and set a budget for it so you don’t go over.  It’s so easy to go over budget when surrounded by all the things you want to plant this year.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is known as the unofficial start of summer.  Whether you’re going out to a BBQ or celebration, or just staying home and spending some time in the garden, make sure you include your Memorial Day plans in your budget.

Farmer’s Markets

May is also when the Farmer’s Markets start to open.  Aside from getting some fresh local produce at a great price, our local farmers markets also sell fresh meat, plants, baked goods and crafts.

But don’t limit yourself to just that! I also like to scout out pecks and bushels of produce that I can’t realistically grow on my mountain without a larger greenhouse.  Not only am I keeping what I buy local, I’m also supporting families close by.

You-Pick Farms

You-pick farms are excellent ways to support local farmers and provide your family with fresh produce.  They don’t open up until the beginning of June in my area, but I do like to save up for any purchases I anticipate on making throughout the summer.

Summer Activities

Whether it’s visits to your community pool, for camp, or sports, make sure that budget and save for these expenses.

Pool Care

We’re finally able to open up our pool around Memorial Day, so we also make sure to budget money in for any chemicals and pool care items needed.

By the way, I’m totally jealous if you’re able to open your pool before the end of May.  Your weather is the stuff of my dreams!

BBQ / Patio

Whether you need to purchase some cleaning supplies to care for your current items, or you’re saving up to buy or replace, make sure include some extra money in your May budget.

Medications

Even though cold and flu season is behind us, the peak of allergy season is ahead of us.  This is the time of year I’m going through my Claritin, Ventolin and Flovent like they’re my lifelines.  Because let’s face it, they are.  If you don’t have a sinking fund to save up for prescriptions year round, you’ll want to add any anticipated expenses to your May budget categories.

Sinking Funds

Speaking of sinking funds, be sure to keep up with your sinking funds throughout May.  They do help keep your budget in line for non-monthly expenses throughout the year.

Thrift Stores

Spring cleaning tends to bring a large influx of items to our local thrift stores.  Now would be a good time to check them out for any children’s clothes, practice clothes for sports, and possibly even school clothes for next school year!

Spring Clearance

Most of my thrift stores are hit or miss, so I also try to check out the clearance racks for any discounted spring clothing.

Summer Clothing & Footwear

Spring clothes aren’t the only clothing I can find at a deep discount in May.  Memorial Day weekend is when I can find some deep discounts on summer clothing, and aside from clearance, is the only time I’ll buy summer clothing.

But before you go crazy with all the sales, make a list of what is needed and set a budget.  Don’t be afraid to shop around either; sometimes I can get better deals at discount clothing stores than with Memorial Day sales or at local thrift stores.

Vacation

If you are planning on a vacation this summer, now is the time to research costs and set a budget.  You’ll be able to make sure you have fun on a budget and aren’t tempted to put things on a credit card or go over budget.

Back To School Savings

Yeah, I know school is almost over, but it’s never too soon to start saving for items for next school year.  In our region, school supplies come out in July, and school starts in August.  It’ll come faster than you think!  I’ve learned to not wait very long because as we get closer to the start of school, the pickings become very slim for classroom requirements.

 

Looking to set up your budget for another month?

  • April Budget Categories
  • March Budget Categories
  • February Budget Categories
  • January Budget Categories
  • December Budget Categories

Are there any other categories you included in your May budget that I aren’t on this list?  Let me know in the comments below and I’ll be sure to add them!

May budget categories

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makingcentsmatter

makingcentsmatter
Only you can determine what your financial goals a Only you can determine what your financial goals are. If that means you're adding money to your savings account, or contributing to your retirement, while you are paying off debt, then so be it!⁠
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Do what looks right for you and your personal finances.⁠
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The trick to meal planning is to make it predictab The trick to meal planning is to make it predictable. But predictable doesn't mean the same thing week to week. You could have a chicken meal, a soup meal, a pasta meal, a leftovers meal, a family favorite meal, and so on.⁠
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We always try to go with themed days, but some weeks are so hectic the theme is literally "fast". Thankfully that hasn't been the case lately.⁠
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I can only hear about my extended warranty I never I can only hear about my extended warranty I never purchased so many times. 😣⁠
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March Debt Paid numbers are in!⁠ .⁠ House: $51 March Debt Paid numbers are in!⁠
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House: $511.13⁠
Citi: $0 – this has a residual $3 in interest charges since payoff, due in April⁠
D NelNet: $100⁠
K NelNet: $100⁠
K Chase: $600⁠
Explorer: $336.27⁠
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Total Paid in 2021: $8,258.84⁠
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Extra Payment: There isn’t one this month since we were $25 away from zeroing out the budget for our February 15th monthly paycheck. That $25, and monies left from our January 15th paycheck, covered our OOP costs for Hubs’ filling. We also have some savings goals coming up that need to be met, making our debt payments a little lower for the time begin.⁠
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The battle for who can charge what tonight is abou The battle for who can charge what tonight is about to begin. 😬⁠
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My kids run off with my charger, plug it into one outlet 5 feet from where they found it like that particular outlet is the only one in this house, and then proceed to fight over who can charge their device first at night.⁠
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Then they get grumpy when it's their turn and it's not the proper input cable. #itwasmychargerfirst #dontlikeitgofindyourown⁠
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A needs his wisdom teeth taken out. I've talked a A needs his wisdom teeth taken out. I've talked a bit in our February Budget Check-In about how much of this I think we'll owe, and you can check that out on my YouTube channel if you're interested, but I wanted to say here...⁠
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To the mother with little kids struggling to get your finances in order, it will get better. I wish I could have heard those words years ago.⁠
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Nearly 10 years ago we were facing a $1,400 out-of-pocket portion for A's Phase 1 orthodontic work (I looked it up after I uploaded the video... we had a $1,400 portion).⁠
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It was a lot of money for us at the time. Our kids were 6, 2, and 3 months old. I don't think we even had $500 in savings, and I just left a part-time teaching job because it wasn't paying the part-time daycare bill, so paying our portion in full was just a dream I didn't think was achievable.⁠
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I was even stressing about the monthly $100 payments. We were so strapped. It was our breaking moment to start cutting costs and budgeting more effectively. We've learned a lot in that time period.⁠
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What we've learned is that it does no good to stress about it all the time. Life happens. All you can do is try to plan ahead, and if it's something that's unplanned, readjust. It won't always be easy, especially at first, but it will be worth it.⁠
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Nearly 10 years later, we are still paying off our debts. Student loans suck. But I see this bill as a reminder of how far we have come. Seeing a bill like this doesn't stress me out like it used to, and I know we can easily create a plan that can get it done and out of the way.⁠
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Will it delay our debt-free date more? Yes. But it's not worth stressing over. Life happens, readjust, and continue on down the path. It's called a journey for a reason.⁠
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It's almost payday! Here's how our variable budget It's almost payday! Here's how our variable budgeting categories are working out for the pay month.⁠
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Food is looking good this far into our paycheck, probably because miscellaneous - which includes eating out - took a hit with unexpected purchases. Pet is low for this time of the month, and Household is spot on.⁠
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Fuel looks like it'll be lower than last month (yay for weeks of snow days & delayed school starts), and Therapy had one more appointment than initially planned.⁠
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Garden, Dental, Medical & Propane are not included in these estimates so far because those expenses are coming from sinking funds. Once we're done with the month and review the budget, I'll move over the total amount spent from those sinking funds.⁠
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How's your paycheck budget coming along?⁠
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Automating your finances makes saving money and bu Automating your finances makes saving money and budgeting more convenient, and therefore easier on you. Out of sight, out of mind, right?⁠
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What's one thing you can automate this week to make your finances easier?⁠
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Me? I'm going to set up our sinking fund transfers to automate every payday (the 15th of every month). Our bank set up a feature on their app where we can schedule savings transfers now, and I'm going to take advantage of it!⁠
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#personalfinance #personalfinancetips #budgeting #budgettips #personalfinancemadeeasy #savingmoney #savings #sinkingfunds #cash #frugalblogger #frugalmom #frugalliving #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogess #financialfreedom #makingcentsmatter
Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone a smidgen overboard this month!⁠
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I foresee a goal for March's paycheck to at out less than twice. That's where this category went awry. $99.16 of it went to eating out. 😑 Some of it was avoidable, but not all of it. Having to drive to multiple appointments in one day during snow squalls and rearranging our whole day was one of those unavoidable instances.⁠
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Tracking our expenses - much like a budget review - is vital to sticking to your budget!⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #budgetcategories #monthlyincome #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom #expensetracking #budgetfail
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