While I was making our October budget, I found some categories you may have forgotten about in making yours. I only say this because I’ve been known to forget these categories too. A lot. So on top of your usual October budget categories, don’t forget about these expenses throughout the month.
Halloween
This one is set in stone. It’s always October 31st, but it’s so easy to go over budget on constumes, decor and candy. Be sure you include a reasonable and set dollar amount when you’re putting Halloween into your budget. For us, $20 per kid on costumes is more than enough to buy one or get creative with what’s available.
Fall Travel
Two years ago, we drove to the Great Smokey’s in Tennessee. Round trip, it took us about a week. It was a wonderful experience that we all still talk about today. But the other side of that is, like any vacation, we had to account for the money we would be spending from our budget. While some of it was planned and saved for ahead of time, other monies came from shifting our usual monthly budget {lowering our grocery budget and increasing our eating out budget}.
If you’re going on a vacation this time of year, make sure you include a reasonable amount of money for fuel, lodging, and food in your budget. Nothing is worse than underestimating how much money you’ll need while away from home.
Fall Festivals
Fall festivals are a wonderful way to support your local community, but don’t forget that beyond spending cash at the festival, you might need money for parking and admission, two things I frequently forget about.
School Activities
Fall brings loads of fun activities for the kids at their school. There are occasions when I can’t donate my time helping, I donate any snacks or supplies that are needed. If you happen to forget to add this category in your budget like I have done so many times, you can use a reasonable amount from our grocery budget for the week.
Fall Sports
Whether October marks the end of your sports season, or the start, be sure to include some room in your budget for snacks, fundraisers, fees, fuel, gear and uniforms because it can add up fast!
Also, don’t be so fast to gloss this category over if your child doesn’t participate in sports though. My oldest was in field shows for band last year, and I wasn’t expecting to pay admission at the JV game to get into the stadium to see him perform. While it may not have been much {it was $10 for 4 of us}, it’s still money out of the budget. This year though… it’s on my list of expenses for the month!
Fundraisers
These come in all shapes and forms, from band or sports, to PTO. If you’re committed to spending your money in support of these organizations, you’ll need to have that extra room in your budget for them, and a maximum amount that you’ll spend.
Apples & Pumpkins
Early October marks the end of the harvest season for us. It’s the perfect time to go the apple orchard or the pumpkin patch. With all that comes pies, cider, butter, and applesauce! Where I live, you find farms with pumpkins at $3 – $5 each. Apples are relatively cheap per bushel where I live, at under $20 per bushel depending on the type.
No matter your preference, it’s a cost that needs to be taken into consideration when making your budget. {Also, if you’re looking to make and can your own applesauce, you can check out my step by step tutorial here.}
Cold Weather Prep
Where I live, October is the month for major changes. It starts out really warm, and by the end of the month we’ve welcomed our first snow. It doesn’t stick around for long, but it’s a reminder that colder weather is on the way. October is the month that we go through all our fall gear {sweaters, boots, etc} and see if there’s anything that needs replaced.
Car Maintenance
Don’t forget about prepping your car for the cold weather too! October can be a perfect month to get your car serviced so it’s ready for the cooler weather. For us this year, that means new tires, an oil change and flushing the coolant.
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