• About Me
  • Disclosure
  • Shop

Making Cents Matter

  • Home
  • Resource Library
  • Budget
    • Budgeting Tips
    • Our Monthly Budget
    • Meal Planning
    • Free Printables
  • Debt Free
    • Debt Free Tips
    • Our Debt Free Journey
    • Free Printables
  • Saving
    • Ways We Save
    • DIY
    • Free Printables
  • Recipes
    • Recipes
      • Breakfast
      • Lunch
      • Dinners
      • Instant Pot
      • Slow Cooker
      • Soups
    • Meal Planning
    • Preserving Food
  • Garden
    • Gardening Tips
    • Preserving Food
  • Shop

October 6, 2017 · Leave a Comment

October Budget Categories

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.
Click here to read my disclosure policy.

Budget· Budget Tips

219shares
  • 219

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.

October Budget Categories

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

october budget categories

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

october budget categories

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.

 

Do you have any budgeting categories you include in October that I forgot?  Let me know in the comments below and I’ll add them to the list!

october budget categories

Related Posts

  • April 2018 Meal PlanApril 2018 Meal Plan
  • Homemade Laundry DetergentHomemade Laundry Detergent
  • Summer 2017 UpdateSummer 2017 Update
  • Learning From A Failed BudgetLearning From A Failed Budget
  • Chicken ChiliChicken Chili
  • November 2018 Meal PlanNovember 2018 Meal Plan
219shares
  • 219
Previous Post: « September 2017 Debt Update
Next Post: October 2017 Meal Plan »

Reader Interactions

Want access to our resource library? Sign up for our free email list!

* indicates required

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Post Categories





makingcentsmatter

makingcentsmatter
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.⁠
.⁠
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
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#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.⁠
.⁠
Total spent: $112.39 for items to get us through this and lunches.⁠
.⁠
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.⁠
.⁠
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!⁠
.⁠
#mealplan #mealplanning #frugalliving #frugalmom #makingcentsmatter #savingmoney #monthlyincome #budgeting #budgetmom #groceryshop
January's real numbers:⁠ .⁠ House: $511.13⁠ January's real numbers:⁠
.⁠
House: $511.13⁠
Citi: $720⁠
D NelNet: $100⁠
K NelNet: $100⁠
K Chase: $150⁠
Explorer: $343⁠
.⁠
Extra Payment to Citi: $500⁠
.⁠
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!⁠
.⁠
How was January?⁠
.⁠
#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.
.
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.
.
Things are still hectic, and I'm simply mentally exhausted between remote learning, extended remote learning, offset quarantining children... it goes on and on.
.
But I also cannot wait to see what strides we will make in 2021.
.
#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.
.
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.
.
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.
.
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. 🤣
.
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.
.
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.
.
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.
.
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……
.
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.
.
That said, inJuly we paid off $2,694.43.
In August we paid off $1,673.40.
.
The difference here is that our priorities shifted between the two months.
.
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.
.
Of those goals, in August we made progress!
EF Reimbursement: $146 / $1,200
Checking Buffer Reimbursement: $227 / $500
Vet Sinking Fund: $40 / $200
.
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.
.
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. 🤣😶😭
.
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.
.
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.
.
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.
.
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?
.
Good news, I'm almost caught up! Bad news, the garden has more.
Super busy here... but I wanted to share that wins Super busy here... but I wanted to share that wins can come in super small packages. I thought I'd spend $380 to clean the band instruments in this house. I ended up spending $234. So the remaining $146 can go to reimbursing what I pulled from our EF.
.
No matter the win, celebrate it!
.
What are some wins you have had lately?
Load More... Follow on Instagram


Copyright

I love it when you share our content! Please keep in mind that all content, images and text on this site are property of Making Cents Matter. Feel free to use no more than two photos on your own site, provided that a link back to my original post is included. Do not crop, edit, or remove any watermarks from any of my images without obtaining written permission from me first. Thank you!

Privacy Policy & Disclosures

MakingCentsMatter is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and other affiliated sites.

You can read more about our privacy policy and disclosures here.

Copyright © 2021 · Captivating Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in