Personal Finance

What I Spent | April 2024

Hi, friends! It’s time to break down my spending in April. It was a doozy of a month, and I’m not proud of a lot of these numbers. As a reminder, in these spending reports, I do not include anything that comes out of my paycheck before it lands in my bank account. You won’t see anything related to health insurance, FSA payments, my retirement savings, etc. This is about what I spent from my net income. Here’s what April looked like:

Bills (47.5% | -.5% from March) – My overall percentage for my bills category (which comprises rent, phone, electric, Internet, gym, student loans, car payment, and LASIK bill) was lower than March (which was also lower than February) so that’s something!

Food (18.1% | +1.9% from March) – My food spending went up almost 2% in April and that’s because I went overboard with my Ubereats orders. I’m embarrassed at this amount, but these posts are about transparency, right? I spent $288 in April on Ubereats orders. That’s insane! How did I do that? OOF.

Travel (10.7% | +5.8% from March) – I bought my flight to Chicago for The Popcast Live in June, and wow, flight prices have increased dramatically. It was $500 for this flight! I don’t remember paying such a steep price in 2021 when I went to Chicago for the first time. I also bought travel insurance.

Shopping (6% | +.7% from March) – Ughhh… another spendy month on shopping. My spendiest categories were books ($83), kitchen ($50), and home essentials ($46).

Savings (4.5% | +.2% from March) – Same ole, same ole. I’m so glad I have these automated savings set up (for my car insurance, Christmas fund, and a sinking fund for the cats) because I don’t have to think about them!

Entertainment (4.5% | +2% from March) – I had a lot going on in April, and it led to going way overbudget in my entertainment category. All good things, though! There was a fun book club outing, some dinners with friends, a beach day with Bri… I can’t complain! I just need to remember to pull back in other areas when I have a busy month of social plans.

Cats (2.7% | +1.5% from March) – The girls were a little spendier in April. I had to re-stock their wet food and treats, and I got them lots of fun toys for their birthdays.

Subscriptions (2.1% | -.6% from March) – This month, my subscriptions included Patreon, Netflix, Spotify, Paramount+, Canva, Prime, a Substack newsletter I support, and Befunky.

Misc (1%) – I had to pay for my domain registration and my Akismet spam protection plan.

Car (0.8% | -1.7% from March) – I got gas once!

Toiletries/Supplies (0.7% | -2.3% from March) – I bought lightbulbs, a fly trap, and hand soap.

Medical (.6% | -2.6% from March) – I bought a two-pack of magnesium glycinate gummies that my psychiatrist recommended. They aren’t covered under FSA, so this was my only medical out-of-pocket purchase.

Beauty (.5% | -3.3% from March) – Pretty low-key month for beauty purchases, just an eyebrow tinting kit.

Gifts (.2% | -.9% from March) – I bought one item for a friend’s birthday gift.

Overall Thoughts

I was over-budget in seven categories this month: groceries, Ubereats, medical, cats, entertainment, shopping, and travel. The categories that I have the most control over and need to tighten up are Ubereats orders and shopping. I have some solutions to improve these categories:

I can only order Ubereats once per week, and only for lunch. Lunch orders are generally cheaper ($20-$25 versus $35+) and are typically more satisfying than dinner. The crazy thing about Ubereats is that I’m usually disappointed in my meal. Why do I keep ordering these expensive meals when they aren’t enjoyable or satisfying? Well, that brings me to my next point.
I need to stock up on easy meals so I always have something on hand. Many times, I’m ordering Ubereats because I don’t have time to cook or the meat didn’t defrost in time or I don’t feel like cooking. But if I have easy meals – like chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, breakfast for dinner – available, I am less likely to choose Ubereats.
I must get better about my shopping budget. Right now, I have my shopping budget set at $200 per month, and that number can increase or decrease based on what other things are going on during the month. (For example, if I have a hair appointment that month, the shopping budget will have to decrease.) What I’d like to do is use Amazon as my prize at the end of the month. If it’s the end of the month and I haven’t depleted my shopping budget, I can buy whatever I want off my Amazon wishlist. We’ll see if that’s enough of an incentive for me!

This was my worst month of spending above my means: I went over by $350. Life is expensive right now, but I am also not spending my money wisely. I know I will get to a place where I am spending below my means (and I must get there if I want to move to a bigger apartment at the end of the year)—I just have to keep trying to get there and being upfront about the challenges I’m facing right now.

What’s a monthly subscription you have that you love?

Categories: Personal Finance

What I Spent | March 2024

Hello, friends! It’s time for my March spending report, which wraps up my Q1 spending. I sat down and figured out the averages for Q1 for a whole bunch of categories, which was very eye-opening and will help me create a budget that works better for my needs. That’s the goal, of course! But first, let’s dive into the numbers:

Bills (48% | -1.7% from February) – I added two new bills to this category in March: Care Credit (for my laser eye surgery, which I am paying off) and my new gym. But somehow this category took up less of my overall total than February, which is odd.

Food (16% | -1.7% from February) – I was over budget again in this category, but I keep reducing how much I am over budget, so that’s a bit of progress. This month, it was by $230, which is $30 less than in February and $122 less than in January.

Shopping (5.3% | +1% from February) – It was a spendy month for me, yikes. My spendiest shopping categories in February included books ($97), home essentials ($42 – I went a little crazy at Bath & Body Works), and tech ($39).

Travel (4.9% | +2.7% from February) – I bought tickets for my mom and me to see Nate Bargatze in New Orleans. Since we are traveling to see him, I’m categorizing this as a travel-related expense.

Beauty (4.8% | +3.4% from February) – I had a hair appointment, got some skincare products, and also had a brow waxing/tinting appointment, so things were a bit more expensive on the beauty front.

Savings (4.3% | -.6% from February) – I have automated savings set up for car insurance ($150 per month), Christmas ($75 per month), and the cats ($50 per month).

Medical (3.2% | -1.5% from February) – Medication, a doctor copay, a heavy-duty ice pack for my sciatica, and a massage are all wrapped up in this category. (Listing the massage as a medical expense as I scheduled it for a medical reason.)

Toiletries/Supplies (3% | +2.8% from February) – I have been way under budget in this category in January and February, but in March, I placed a bulk order of body wash (I use body wash for my bubble baths so I go through it like crazy!) and also needed more mouthwash, dishwasher pods, mopping pads, and mopping solution. I still came in $117 under-budget for the quarter in this category so that’s nice!

Subscriptions (2.7% | +.2% from February) – My subscriptions this month included Patreon (I support three podcasts), Netflix, Paramount+, Spotify, two photo-editing apps, and Prime. This month also included my yearly premium subscription to Overcast (my preferred podcasting app) and my bimonthly air filter subscription.

Entertainment (2.5% | -.5% from February) – This category includes two book club events, Cooking Fever tokens, and tickets to an event in June.

Car (2.5% | +.8% from February) – I treated my car to a fancy car wash (she desperately needed it!), got gas twice, and paid for parking a few times.

Charity (1.4%) – I donated to Amnesty International (anyone who listened to my podcast this week will know why…) as well as the Pediatric Cancer Foundation for Olive.

Gifts (1.1% | -.1% from February) – I bought gifts for Chip and Lucy for their birthdays!

Cats (0.2% | -6.2% from February) – I was shocked to learn that I only bought the cats a toy in March and there were no other expenses!

Overall Thoughts

I finally had a month where I did not spend above my means, but that’s only because I got my end-of-year bonus this month so if I hadn’t gotten that bonus, I would have been above my means again. But only by $43 this month, which is closer than I have ever been to breaking even! We’re making progress, friends. And with April comes my pay increase from my promotion so I hope I’ll be able to not only break even but actually spend less than what I make? How crazy would that be?!
Averaging out my food spending, I spent $880 per month in Q1. This is way above my previous goal of spending no more than $600 a month on food, so I think it’s time to make some changes to this goal since inflation is real and food costs are just way up. My new goal is going to be $800, which is still below my average, but that feels way more doable than $600 right now. I’ll re-evaluate this number at the end of Q2.
Some other averages for Q1 that can help me as I build a Q2 budget that works better for my needs:
- Gifts – $66
- Cats – $81 (this does not include Lila’s vet visit)
- Toiletries/Supplies – $61
- Entertainment: $121
- Beauty: $200 (includes hair appointments, which can be pricey)
- Shopping: $249

Obviously, I have some work to do on my spending habits! But that’s what these posts are designed to do. I’m writing these posts to 1) help people who also might be struggling with their spending habits feel less alone and 2) help me better understand where my money is going so I can set up a budget that works for my spending habits, not what I think they should be. I do hope to put some budget restrictions in place for things like shopping and beauty, but for some of these other areas (like cats, gifts, entertainment, etc.), I need to know how much I’m spending not to spend less, but to help me reevaluate my budget so I’m not spending above my means. For example, I can see I probably need to raise my gifts budget a bit, which means I need to bring down my beauty and/or shopping budget to accommodate.

Again, the goal for me is not frugality. I like spending money. I like online shopping and fun travel experiences and going out to eat with my girlfriends. But I do want to spend within my means, and that’s the big goal for Q2.

When was the last time you went to the hair salon?

Categories: Personal Finance

What I Spent | February 2024

Happy Friday! Who’s ready for another nitty-gritty deep dive into my spending habits? As a reminder, in these spending reports, I do not include anything that comes out of my paycheck before it lands in my bank account. You won’t see anything related to health insurance, FSA payments, my retirement savings, etc. This is about what I spent from my net income. Here’s what February looked like:

Bills (49.7% | +3% from January) – As a reminder, I include all of my non-negotiable bills in this category, which is why it’s about half of my total spending in February. This category was a smidge higher this month because I had to make two student loan payments. (Sometimes I can get away with one if my tuition reimbursement goes through quickly enough.)

Food (18.7% | -1.6% from January) – I was over budget again in this category, but only by $260 (compared to $352 in January). I spent $62 less in groceries and $50 less in Starbucks, but my Ubereats orders were up by $43. I do think I need to bring up my food budget due to rising costs, but I’ll give it one more month to figure out my new normal.

Cats (6.4% | +3.9% from January) – Lila had a vet appointment that came with one shot and a prescription. I also bought wet food (that went up NINE WHOLE DOLLARS from January), litter, two toys, treats, and a new food mat.

Savings (4.9% | +.1% from January) – I have automated savings set up for car insurance ($150 per month), Christmas ($75 per month), and the cats ($50 per month).

Medical (4.7% | +1.6% from January) – Some doctor copays, vitamins, and medication. I’ll start using my FSA in March (there’s a long, boring story about why I haven’t used it until now), so these costs will go down a lot. (Since I’m only tracking what I’m spending after my paychecks hit my bank, I don’t account for FSA spending here.)

Shopping (4.3% | -1.5% from January) – My spendiest shopping categories in February included books ($50), tech ($40 – included my laptop backpack!), and accessories ($29 – included a new purse and wallet).

Entertainment (3% | +.1% from January) – This category included my day out to the strawberry market/strawberry picking and two separate girls’ nights.

Subscriptions (2.5% | -.4% from January) – My subscriptions this month included Patreon (I support three podcasts), Netflix, Paramount+, Spotify, two photo-editing apps, and Prime. A little less this month because my air filter subscription is every other month.

Travel (2.2%) – I’m excited to have something to add to my travel category this month! I bought tickets to see The Popcast live in June. Since I’m going to travel for this event, I categorized it as a travel expense, not entertainment.

Car (1.7% | +1% from January) – I bought gas once, had to pay some tolls, and I put $25 in my Parkmobile app for parking downtown.

Beauty (1.4% | -5.1% from January) – I spent around $60 on new skincare products and bought dry shampoo. Last month, I had an expensive hair appointment, which is why my percentage was way down.

Gifts (1.2% | -.7% from January) – I bought gifts for my nephew’s birthday and donated to my other nephew’s baseball fund.

Toiletries/Supplies (0.2% | -.2% from January) – I bought delicate laundry detergent and freezer bags. Exciting!

Overall Thoughts

It was another month of spending above my means, sigh. And this month was worse: I spent $306 above my means compared to $238 from January. That’s not good! I really have to be so much more careful about how I’m spending money and be more intentional with my purchases, especially considering my food budget is so high right now.
The average money I spent on food between January and February was $906. My food budget (which has remained the same for years) is $600, but I’m going to have to increase that soon. Maybe even to $800, which feels astronomical for one person. My goal is to only use Ubereats once a week for lunch (which is around $20-$25 a meal, compared to dinner which can be double that) and get better about having good meals on hand to eat at home. I know that will decrease my food spending.

What was the last beauty product you bought?

Categories: Personal Finance

What I Spent | January 2024

I haven’t been doing spending recaps for a few years now, and it felt really good to get back to my itemizing ways in January. I won’t say that it helped me spend less, but I do have a new awareness of how much money I’m spending in certain areas (the food category isn’t pretty, sigh). Some disclaimers before I get into my spending recap:

I do not include anything that comes out of my paycheck before it lands in my bank account. You won’t see anything related to health insurance, FSA payments, my retirement savings, etc. This is about what I spent from my net income.
I am not looking for ways to be more frugal. I understand that this advice is given with a good heart, but frugality is not one of my values and I’ve learned to be okay with that. I like to spend money and my goal is to earn more, not spend less.
A reminder that I am single and only paying for myself. It’s not always pretty, but I’m committed to transparency and honesty on my blog so that’s what you’ll get. Please be kind.

January Spending

Bills (46.7%) – In this category, I include all of my non-negotiable bills. So this includes rent, my car payment, my phone bill, my electric bill, Internet, and student loan payments. Most of these are fixed expenses, but electric will vary from month-to-month (right now, my electric bills are beautiful since I’m rarely running my AC—only $80 in January!) and so will my student loans since sometimes one of my student loans is paid for by my company’s tuition reimbursement. (I get $100 tuition reimbursement monthly, but sometimes that payment doesn’t clear in time for the due date.) To get the ultimate Alberta electricity rates call us and we can help with the sign up.

Food (20.3%) – Oof. I went $352.82 over budget in this category in January. The majority of this overage was due to groceries. I have been trying to eat at home more (and since I came underbudget for Ubereats orders, I somewhat succeeded) and we all know that groceries are more expensive these days. It’s something I need to keep an eye on to determine if I need to increase my food budget, or if January was an anomaly.

Beauty (6.5%) – I had an expensive hair appointment in January ($230) and I also had to replenish some skincare products (facial cleanser, niacinamide serum). I also bought some nail strips to try and a new lipstick.

Shopping (5.8%) – I bought quite a few things in January, including two pillows, rugs for my bathroom, a cell phone case, 2024 calendars (a desk and wall calendar), and some decorations. Oh, and I bought my cozy reading chair!

Savings (4.8%) – I have automated savings set up for car insurance ($150 per month), Christmas ($75 per month), and the cats ($50 per month).

Medical (3.1%) – Therapy appointment, psychiatrist appointment, a dentist fee for a filling appointment, and then some medications like Lexapro and psoriasis cream.

Entertainment (2.9%) – I bought salad supplies for book club, some tokens/gems for my favorite iPhone game Cooking Fever, and had a few dinners out.

Subscriptions (2.9%) – I would like to cut down on my subscriptions, but I don’t know what I would cut out because all of them feel essential to me. Ahh! My subscriptions include Patreon (I support three podcasts), Netflix, Paramount+, Spotify, two photo-editing apps, an air filter company (this is bimonthly), and Prime. Honestly, I should get rid of Prime. I don’t need it and definitely don’t use it to its full ability.

Cats (2.5%) – Nothing too crazy here! I bought wet + dry food and some treats.

Gifts (1.9%) – I bought a few goodies for a Galentine’s celebration happening in February and gave money to a collection being taken up for a friend in need.

Misc (1.5%) – I didn’t know how to categorize my nose piercing, so into miscellaneous it goes! This paid for the piercing itself and the tip to the piercer.

Car (0.7%) – I only needed to fill up my car with gas once this month. That’s crazy!

Toiletries/Supplies (0.4%) – A startling low number for this category. I usually budget $100 but this month, I only bought a two-pack of toothpaste and two bottles of mouthwash.

Overall Thoughts

Once I sat down with my final January numbers, I found out I spent $238.05 above my means! Oops. I know I have been living above my means (otherwise, I wouldn’t have this damned credit card I’m still paying down), but sometimes seeing the actual number in front of me helps to put it all in perspective. I need to rein things in a bit so I’m living below my means. If I want to move apartments at the end of this year, I know I need to spend at least $500 below my means now to afford the spike in rent.
I spent $100 this month on Starbucks, which is double my budget. I get Starbucks at least once a week because that’s where Mikaela and I meet for our writing dates, but I was also stopping by at least once or twice during the week for a quick peppermint mocha. I’m going to be strict with myself in February that I can only add $50 to my Starbucks app and when it’s gone, I have to get creative.
I want to get better about tracking my spending on a more regular basis so I can keep a better eye on how much I’m spending in some of my more problematic categories (like my food budget). Ideally, it’s something I would do every morning but at this point, even twice a week would be better.

What’s a fun purchase you bought in January?

Categories: Personal Finance

My Final 2022 Budget

Okay, guys, I have one more 2022 post for you guys. (That’s not true; I still need to post my Everyday Moments from December, but that’s different!) Today, I’m revealing my final 2022 budget with comparisons to my final 2021 budget. It was an interesting year with inflation, three trips, and lots of wayward spending, but I’m here to show you the truth of my spending habits, even if I’m not the most frugal person to ever live. (A title I will never achieve, nor do I want to.)

Housing (37%; -3% from 2021) – I spent $14,112 on rent (+$1,302 from 2021), $1,355 on electric (+$26 from 2021), $574 on water and utilities (+$21 from 2021), $960 on Internet (no change), $1,367 on my phone bill (+$65 from 2021), and $1,155 on my student loan (-$105 from 2021).

Notes: Since my rent went up by nearly $300 in November, I expected my rent to increase, but it actually increased less this year than it did in 2021. Weird! I’m pleased that my energy and water bills stayed relatively the same. I’m also pleased that my Internet bill has not increased in many years. I keep waiting for that to happen!

Food (14.1%; -.8% from 2021) – I spent $4,444 on groceries (+$941), $1,726 on Ubereats orders (and $324 on tips paid to the drivers), $665 on restaurants/fast food, and $331 at Starbucks (+$156).

Notes: Ah, my dear friend inflation. I’m not surprised I spent nearly $1,000 more on groceries this year than last year! But it still is a staggering realization about how much food prices have increased this year. Last year, I didn’t separate out my Ubereats orders from restaurants/fast food so I’m interested to see how things compare when I do this post next year.

Auto (11.1%; +6.1% from 2021) – Since 2022 was the first time in many years I had a car payment, this category got a massive upgrade from 2021. I spent $3,991 on car payments, $422 on gas (+$61), $1,219 on car insurance (+$121), $160 on maintenance (car washes, an oil change/tire rotation), and $83 on miscellaneous.

Every interaction with https://www.autozin.com reaffirms my belief that online car shopping can be straightforward and rewarding. Their meticulous attention to detail and user-focused design is a breath of fresh air.

Travel (7%; +5% from 2021) – I went on three trips in 2022 (six days in Canada, a girls’ weekend trip away, and a six-day cruise) so I knew my travel category would be much bigger than 2021 (when I only went on one short trip to Chicago). The Niagara Falls trip was the most expensive ($2,313, and this includes my passport renewal), the cruise came in second ($980), and the girls’ trip was a cool $425.

Shopping (7%; -5% from 2021) – I really surprised myself with this percentage! Once I really looked into my 2022 shopping habits and compared them to my 2021 shopping habits, I realized I spent a lot less money this year. Some categories that decreased: clothing (-$157), books (-$294), office (-$189), tech (-$182), and accessories (-$125). My spendiest categories in 2022 were beauty, clothing, and furniture.

Savings (5%; -3.9% from 2021) – And now let’s bring things down again. I only saved around $2,625 this year, which is pitiful. My average was $219 per month, which is a decrease from 2021 by $82. Womp, womp.

Health (4%; +2.6% from 2021) – I went back to therapy in 2022 and since I was on a high-deductible HMO plan, I had to pay a pretty penny for each therapy visit (it started at $121 a visit but then increased to $141 in the latter half of the year). Now that I’m on a PPO plan for 2023, my therapy visits will decrease to just $30 a visit! I am super, duper happy about that! This cost also includes my Peloton membership and medications throughout the year.

Spa (3.2%; -1% from 2021) – I spent $241 on pedicures (-$236 from 2021), $660 on massages/facials (-$236), and $791 on hair appointments (+$114).

Subscriptions (2.2%; +.2% from 2021) – Most of my subscriptions carried over from 2021, but I had Apple+ for a few months and added a Canva subscription. I averaged $98 per month on subscriptions, which is a $20 increase from 2021.

Supplies/Toiletries (2%; no change from 2021) – I averaged $87 a month on supplies/toiletries (+$13 from 2021), but I had a few months where I was buying multiples of all my toiletries/household supplies to build up a backup supplies closet, so I think that could have messed with the numbers a bit.

Pets (1.7%; -.4% from 2021) – Yay, a decrease! You guys, having cats is so much cheaper than having dogs! (*knocks on wood*) The girls only go to the vet once per year right now for an annual check-up and to get any shots they need. They haven’t needed any other vet visits, thankfully! I spent $248 on vet visits (-$8 from 2021), $180 on litter (-$32), $159 on food (+$13), $162 on treats (+$34), $102 on toys (+$11), and $104 on supplies (-$55).

Entertainment (1.6%; -.4% from 2021) – I spent a little less money in my entertainment category in 2022, mostly because I didn’t go on any dates! Let’s hope that changes in 2023.

Christmas (1.5%; -.2% from 2021) – I ended up spending a little bit more on Christmas this year than I did in 2021 by $37.

Gifts (1.2%; -.1% from 2021) – Not much to share here! I averaged around $52 per month in gifts, which is right in line of what I spent last year.

Emergency (1.1%) – Hopefully, this is not a budgeting category I’ll have to worry about this year! An emergency evacuation at the end of September ended up costing around $567 total for a last-minute Airbnb, food, etc.

Charity (.4%; +.1% from 2021) – Even though I didn’t meet my charity goal for 2022, I did give $100 more to charity in 2022 than I did in 2021, so that’s a good thing!

2023 Financial Thoughts

There are some things I want to change about my spending habits, but I also don’t feel the pull to live a super frugal lifestyle where I try to find the best deal on everything and spend as little money as possible. That’s enjoyable for some, but it’s not for me. I like spending money. I like buying things for myself. I like getting takeout a few times a week. I would like to take a few steps for investing through online sites like roth ira uk as to start my lifestyle in saving rather than spending.

This year, though, I do have some pretty big savings goals in mind:

Adding $2,000 to my emergency savings – My emergency savings is at a level I am very uncomfortable with, so I want to prioritize building it back up to a more comfortable level. This amounts to saving $167 per month.
Saving at least $2,000 for my move at the end of the year – I need to get serious about saving money for my move, as I will need to pay all of the usual fees (application fee, security deposit, pet fee, etc) as well as pay for movers and build in some “spending money” because don’t we all love doing a big shopping trip at Target when we move into a new place? I know I do, and I should make sure I can do it in a responsible way. This would add another $167 per month to my savings goal.
Continuing to add $50 per month to my savings account for the girls, my Christmas savings account, and my “rainy day” fund. This amounts to $150 per month.
Stretch goal: Start adding to a savings fund for a trip to London/Paris. This has been a travel dream of mine for so many years, and I want to make it happen in 2024. I would love to be able to add somewhere around $1,000-$1,500 to this fund this year.

In March, I will find out what my official raise will be (I am expecting it to be pretty good, so keep those fingers and toes crossed for me!) and I am hoping I can just use the difference of what my new take-home pay will be vs what my take-home pay is now to funnel into savings. (AKA, live life as if I didn’t get a raise; all extra money goes into savings!) Excluding my stretch goal, I need to be able to sock $500 away into my savings every month. I’m also aiming to start putting money in options trading. It’s doable on what I make now (with the knowledge that I would need to watch my money a lot more closely than I do now), but it would make it much easier to accomplish with a good raise in March. Time will tell!

What’s something fun you’re saving for?