Stephany Writes

Categories: Personal Finance

What I Spent | May 2024

Oh, friends. This one is going to be a doozy. May was one of the spendiest months on record and it was not pretty to sit down with 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 (37.6% | -9.9% from April) – My percentage this month was way lower than previous months because I overpaid on my car loan and didn’t have to make a payment in May. I should have still made a payment but I knew May was going to be a spend-y month so I gave myself the break.

Shopping (13.2% | +7.2% from April) – You guys, I am embarrassed how much money I spent shopping in May. Now, I did spend $300 on new shoes (a new pair of Birkenstocks and two new pairs of Asics), but still. This is mind-boggling.

Food (10.3% | -7.8% from April) – While I’m happy with where I landed with my food budget, I was traveling for the last few days of the month so I don’t know if those numbers would shake out quite as well if I was at home. I adjusted my food budget to accommodate my vacation time ($525 as opposed to $800 as normal), and went over a bit ($596), but I’m okay with that. My Ubereats budget was down $120 from April, and that makes me very, very happy.

Beauty (9.9% | +9.4% from April) – I expected my beauty category to increase a lot from April to May because I had an expensive hair appointment that included balayage, color + toner, and a haircut and style. It was too much money, honestly. I think it’s time to look at at-home hair coloring options. I also bought some make-up (mascara, lipstick, eyebrow pencil) and replaced some skincare products (cleanser, a serum, etc).

Travel (7.0% | -3.7% from April) – My mom and I always split costs 50/50 when we travel. A lot of my travel expenses cleared in early June, so this number is a bit lower than I expected. It included Lyft rides, excursions, food, and drinks.

Cats (4.2% | +1.5% from April) – The cats were a bit expensive this month! I had to buy food and treats and also spent a lot on fun cat toys from the cat event I went to. Eloise also had a vet appointment + two different sets of bloodwork done, but my out-of-pocket cost was only $75 total since I have been funneling money away into a separate savings account for a time such as this. That savings account is now depleted (wah), but at least it was there when I needed it.

Savings (3.9% | -.6% from April) – I put away the same amount in savings that I normally do; it just shook out differently percentage-wise.

Entertainment (3.6% | -1.1% from April) – Book club, dinners with friends, and Cooking Fever tokens.

Gifts (2.1% | +1.9% from April) – Two friends had birthdays at the end of April/early May and I bought presents for them.

Subscriptions (2.1% | no change from April) – This month, my subscriptions included Patreon, Netflix, Spotify, Paramount+, Canva, Prime, a Substack newsletter I support, my bimonthly air filter subscription, and a photo-editing app.

Car (2.0% | +1.2% from April) – Gladys got a bath, I got gas once, and I paid for parking downtown.

Toiletries/Supplies (1.9% | +1.2% from April) – Lots of little supplies needed in May: mouthwash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toilet paper, trash bags… fun stuff!

Medical (1.2% | +.6% from April) – This category mostly comprises some of the stuff I bought to help with my scalp psoriasis flare. Blegh.

Misc (.9% | -.1% from April) – I have to pay an annual fee (just under $54) at my gym and it comes out every May. So I just put it in a miscellaneous category since it’s not something I’ll need to worry about too often.

Overall Thoughts

  • I have got to get my shopping under control. As of June, I am limiting myself to $100 a month for shopping. I have been averaging vastly higher than that, so this will be quite the mission even though it doesn’t feel like it should be. I’ve gotten into a mode of buying things just because I want to (and there is also some “being a poor kid” mentality where now that I can buy the things I want, I feel like I deserve it). I need to nip that in the bud!
  • I need to start living as if my rent is higher than it currently is. I am pretty certain I am going to move when my lease is up at the beginning of November, which means my rent will be increasing in a few months. I don’t want that to be a shock to my budget, so I’d like to start funneling $400 every month into savings. That’s going to be difficult with the way I’m spending money, but crucially important to help with any anxieties I have surrounding higher rent.
  • I need to build up my emergency savings + pet fund once again, as I had to dip into those savings accounts in May due to Eloise’s extensive bloodwork and the stupid $400 I paid to the locksmith when I came back from vacation.

When’s the last time your car got a bath? Tell me something fun you spent money on recently!

Categories: 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?