Note: This is a spending report, so I’m only talking about money I spent after it hit my bank account. Don’t expect to see anything about my 401k, FSA, health insurance, etc.
Bills ($2,683 | ↑ $301 from April): This includes rent, phone, electric, Internet, gym, car payment, and school loan. The only surprise here was that I had an extra payment from my gym that I completely forgot about. We have to pay an annual fee ($64), and I wish I had remembered that because cancelling my gym membership before the fee came out would have been ideal.
Food ($871 | ↑ $77 from April): Oy vey. I went over my food budget in May, and that’s mostly because of online takeout. It’s a vice, you guys! I did not meet my goal of spending less than $100 on Uber Eats orders, so no bougie pedicure for me. This month, it was a very hefty $211. Eeps!
Savings ($660 | ↓ $710 from April): Another good money for savings! I can’t put away four figures into my savings every month (what a world I’d be living in if I could!), but I still put away a bit more than I typically do. Yay!
Shopping ($484 | ↓ $156 from April): Yay, my shopping category came down a bit! Last month, I stated that I’d really like my shopping category to stay under $500 and look at me go! And how did I decrease my shopping budget? This is going to come as much as a surprise to you as it did to me, but I spend ZERO DOLLARS ON BOOKS. ZERO. DOLLARS. NO BOOKS PURCHASED. I’m still trying to recover from this news. Am I okay? Did I have a fever in May? WHAT HAPPENED TO ME? I guess every book hoarder can have a zero month. My highest categories this month were home ($204 – new pillows, a throw, organizational baskets, and a handy jar opener) and clothes ($127 – a new bralette, a new nightgown, a few pairs of shorts, and some underwear).
Spa ($380 | ↑ $276 from April): I had a hair appointment (color/cut/style) as well as a waxing appointment in May, which accounts for most of the overage this month. I also got a very bougie pedicure (which was a lot more expensive than I thought it would be, oof), and paid for my massage membership.
Entertainment ($336 | ↑ $210 from April): The theme of my month was “The Introverted Social Butterfly,” and that tracks with how much money I spent in my entertainment category in May. A lot of this covered meals with friends and my mom, and some of it was experiences, such as our escape room for book club.
Car ($286 | ↑ $3 from April): Things stayed pretty stable! I got gas twice, paid for my car wash membership, and put money away for car insurance.
Pets ($245 | ↓ $61 from April): I’m excited to see this number continue to decrease (it was also lower in April). I spent $100 at the beginning of the month on food (wet + dry) and then also paid for their wellness plans.
Travel ($203 | ↓ $408 from April): I paid my friend for the Airbnb she reserved for us for book club weekend!
Gifts ($167 | ↓ $56 from April): I bought birthday gifts for two friends and also paid for our pottery for Mother’s Day. (I love it when I can surprise my mom by paying for something she expected to pay for herself. Muahaha.)
Household Supplies ($146 | ↑ $38 from April): Another pricey month for household supplies! I bought a pack of special, rodent-repellant trash bags (that do not repel rodents, FYI) and stuff I don’t replace all too often, like dishwasher pods, Clorox wipes, and all-purpose cleaner.
Subscriptions ($105 | ↑ $12 from April): I paid for another year of Emily in Your Phone’s Substack (I think it was $30, totally reasonable!). The increase is less than expected this month, though, because I did not use my Book of the Month credit in April, so it rolled over into May.
Medical ($21 | ↑ $21 from April): One of my supplements ran out, so I had to replace it!
Overall Thoughts
I’m pretty happy with my spending in May. I can pinpoint some problem areas, but for the most part, my spending was aligned with my values.
What went well?
- Spending below my means – My spending was just around $200 less than my total take-home income, so I’m continuing to spend below my means. Since I was consistently overspending last year, I’m taking this as a huge win, especially given that my expenses have increased significantly in 2026.
- Meeting my shopping goal – I continue to reduce my spending in this category. I didn’t spend any money on books in May (!!!), and I spent a good amount of money on purchases for my home. Creating a beautiful, well-organized home is important to me!
- Investing in creators that I care about – No, I probably don’t need to spend $30 a year to access Emily in Your Phone’s premium substack, but she’s a creator who is doing good work that deeply aligns with my values, and I am happy to be able to support her in this small way.
Where can I improve?
- Ubereats – I went way overbudget in this category. I’m hoping that my new routine of grocery shopping twice a week is going to help keep my Ubereats spending in check. We’ll see how it goes in June!
- Entertainment – This one is hard because I want to be social and do fun things with the people I love! But it’s definitely a category I need to be mindful of, as it can quickly get out of hand.
What’s something you spent money on recently that brought you joy?
I have been clothes shopping like a maniac, but I think it’s going to make the rest of my summer so easy if I have 5-7 easy outfits I can wear. Right now I have six dresses I can wear to work and three pairs of summery pants. This issue is that since I mostly wear dresses, I don’t have summer tops that are work appropriate, so I bought two new tops. And, it turns out, I also need underwear and maybe a new bra or two. But once I buy this, I won’t have to think about clothing again for MONTHS. And then I’ll get stressed out about what to wear in colder weather. I’m sort of jealous that you can just have one wardrobe and be done. Imagine how much closet space you must save!
It’s so nice to have a summer wardrobe and just have stuff that feels good! I totally understand. I need to be comfortable but also not feel like I’m dying from the oppressive heat.
And yes, a lot of closet space. I won’t go into how much. 😉
I would say you did great- spent below your means, and your spending aligned with your values. Okay, there was a small matter of Ubereats, but even that wasn’t INSANE. I would feel good about this month!
Thank you, Jenny! I want to keep the online takeout spending in check, but hey, it’s going to happen every now and then. I think my new grocery routine will definitely help!
The most joyful purchase I made last month was the 85 min massage I got on a day when I did another round of exposure therapy. It was such a great splurge.
We are coming to the end of the DoorDash gift cards we got from coworkers after the fire incident. I have ordered so many Poke bowls over the last 3-4 months. That habit will come to a screeching halt when I have to pay for it out of pocket.
I’m sad your poke bowls will have to come to a screeching halt. Wah! But I understand. Online takeout is SO DAMN EXPENSIVE.
My therapist recommended exposure therapy for me to help with my OCD so, hey, maybe we’ll have something else in common soon. Promise I’m not trying to SWF you!
Exposure therapy has worked really well for me. It’s unpleasant but really effective! I wish we had less in common these days though!! 😰
i am interested to hear how the extra shopping changes the eating out for you. I have also been cutting back on convenience foods, and I have also started shopping more frequently. Not something I can keep up during busier seasons, but it really does help me spend less on takeout because I actually like the food I have at home…
I think that shopping a bit more often is going to help you cut back on food delivery, because you can be more tuned in to what you want rather than what you think you might want in 4 days, etc.
Congrats on coming in under budget!