Well, May did not go as planned in the budget department. I spent a lot more money than I should have, especially on takeout and online shopping. It happens, you know? I don’t want to shame myself for any of it, but I do want to keep a closer eye on how much money I’m spending on food and shopping in June. Let’s dive into my monthly recap!

Savings (27.4% – $1,300 compared to $215 in April) – Woohoo! What a great month of saving for me. I must credit the majority of this to my stimulus check. I put a large chunk of it into savings. I put $800 into my house fund and then threw $250 each into my emergency savings and car fund.

Housing (22.9% – $1,085 compared to $1,065 in April) – My electric bill in May was a bit higher than usual, but all other expenses stayed the same: rent, water, Netflix, and Internet.

Shopping (8.8% – $418 compared to $122 in April) – Ahhh, wow. I spent a lot of money shopping this month. Eeks! More than half of this, however, was the purchase of AirPods Pro, which I decided to treat myself to when I received my stimulus check. Other purchases: books (I bought 8 in May in between Book of the Month add-ons and Kindle e-books), a floppy hat, a face mask, and a new bathing suit.

Eating Out (6.9% – $329 compared to $288 in April) – Oy vey, that Uber Eats app gets me all the time. I was trying to limit my orders to twice a week – once for lunch and once for dinner, but that has quickly evolved to multiple times a week as time has passed. I’m definitely going to watch this category a lot more closely in June to try to keep it closer to $200. (Also, to be fair, that $329 number also includes tip money to my driver.)

Spa (6.6% – $313 compared to $50 in April) – This accounts for my monthly massage membership (that I really need to pause!) and my hair appointment. I got the works – highlights and a trim.

Home (6.2% – $292 compared to $112 in April) – I bought a pair of bar stools! I have been wanting to do this for a long time and I’m so happy with the purchase.

Pets (5.8% – $277 compared to $16 in April) – An expensive month for the girls! I needed to refill their flea/tick/heartworm medication and I also bought a bag of litter, a harness (so I can walk Ellie!), a new scratching bed, and some toys.

Groceries (4.9% – $233 compared to $384 in April) – This is positive! I spent wayyy less on groceries in April. Woohoo!

Phone (2% – $97 compared to $142 in April) – I traded in my phone for the iPhone 11, so I got a bit of a break on my phone bill this month since I didn’t have to pay the leasing cost.

Debts (1.8% – $87 compared to $1,065 in April) – Only one of my student loans right now needs to be paid (somehow, I paid over and above my payments for the other one so it’s giving me a bit of a break), so I paid the minimum on that.

Technology (1.7% – $80 compared to $0 in April) – This is for my keyboard replacement. They wanted me to pay half of the cost upfront, and then the remaining $70 will be due when my computer is fixed.

Toiletries (1.4% – $66 compared to $30 in April) – This category is mostly comprised of body wash. I bought 11 bottles of it in April, ha. (Your girl loves her bubble baths.) I also replaced my loofah and bought conditioner and mouthwash.

Gifts (1.1% – $50 compared to $47 in April) – Buying gifts for Mother’s Day and a friend’s birthday comprises this category.

Subscriptions (.9% – $44 compared to $55 in April) – Patreon, Spotify, PicMonkey, and Book of the Month. It’s less this month because Sephora has phased out its beauty box subscription.

Entertainment (.8% – $38 compared to $14 in April) – I bought a set of covers for my Story Highlights on Instagram and also pitched in for pizza at book club. Annnnnd there may have been a handful of purchases on Candy Crush.

Donations (.5% – $25 compared to $28 in April) – I donated to my local community bail fund for the protestors.

Household Supplies (.2% – $11 compared to $31 in April) – All I needed was dish soap and batteries!

Categories with $0 spending in May: travel, health, beauty, and auto. (The last time I filled up my gas tank was in early April. And I still have over half a tank left! Whaaat.)

I wasn’t sure how my April budget was going to shake out. Sure, I was spending less money in some respects—no visits to the salon, no traveling, no random stops at TJ Maxx. But I was also pretty sure I was spending quite a bit of money on food (both groceries and UberEats) and online shopping. And sure enough, some of my categories are the highest they’ve been this year (while many others are the lowest!). Let’s review:

Housing (28.7% – $1,065 compared to $1,055 in March) – This comprises rent, water, electric, Netflix, and Internet. A little higher this month, but nothing crazy!

Debts (28.7% – $1,065 compared to $838 in March) – Student loans and a credit card payment. And with that payment, my credit card is all paid off. Woohoo!

Groceries (10.3% – $384 compared to $276 in March) – Whew, I knew my grocery budget was going to be much higher than usual because I’m buying more snacks, convenience foods, etc. That’s quarantine life for ya!

Eating Out (7.8% – $288 compared to $182 in March) – I ordered UberEats 12 times in March, ooooops. This number is slightly skewed, however, because it includes the tip paid to the driver and, when possible, I added a $5 donation to the restaurant I was ordering from. So this might be closer to $200.

Savings (5.8% – $215 compared to $185 in March) – I’m hoping this category gets a huge boost now that I’m not putting oodles of money toward my credit card. Time to start saving for a house!

Phone (3.8% – $142 compared to $142 in March) – Fixed expense, nothing to see here. 🙂

Shopping (3.3% – $122 compared to $88 in March) – Did a little more shopping this month than I expected! A new pair of flip-flops (Chip destroyed my only pair), a few e-books, a new Bluetooth shower speaker after my old one kicked the bucket, a cloth face mask from Etsy, and a new case for my phone since I upgraded to the iPhone 11.

Home (3% – $112 compared to $48 in March) – I bought a new desk and office chair! Much, much needed purchases.

Subscriptions (1.5% – $55 compared to $55 in March) – This includes Patreon, my Sephora PLAY! box, Spotify, and PicMonkey. It also includes my bimonthly subscription to Second Nature, which sends me an air filter every other month.

Spa (1.3% – $50 compared to $122 in March) – The only charge this month was my monthly massage membership. I probably should have put my membership on pause (which I still might do), but at least I’ll have a ton of massage credits to use when this is all over.

Gifts (1.3% – $47 compared to $20 in March) – A little something special for a friend!

Household supplies (.8% – $31 compared to $41 in March) – This includes toilet cleaner, light bulbs, all-purpose cleaner, and two bottles of dish soap.

Toiletries (.8% – $30 compared to $28 in March) – A new can of hair spray, three bottles of body wash, deodorant, toothpaste, and a new toothbrush.

Donations (.8% – $28 compared to $38 in March) – I sent some supplies to a local animal shelter (the same one I adopted Lila from!) when they sent out an Amazon wish list. (They anticipate getting a lot of kitties that will need to be fostered during the summer, especially since non-life-threatening spays/neuters have been halted due to COVID-19, so they asked for some much-needed supplies.)

Health (.8% – $28 compared to $22 in March) – I bought a new bottle of melatonin pills and didn’t realize until I was at the counter to pick up my three-month prescription of Lexapro that I didn’t have my FSA card with me, so I paid out-of-pocket, whoops. (Thankfully, it was only $20! Praise hands for generic drugs, man.)

Pets (.4% – $16 compared to $75 in March) – The girls were cheap this month. All they needed were treats. 🙂

Auto (.4% – $16 compared to $44 in March) – I filled up my gas tank for $16 (!!!!!!!!).

Entertainment (.4% – $14 compared to $0 in March) – This is embarrassing, but I need to admit it. I spent $14 this month on Candy Crush tokens. I CAN’T HELP MYSELF. (Okay, I can, but I choose not to.)

Beauty (.2% – $8 compared to $17 in March) – I bought a face mask (the skincare kind) and a small bottle of hand lotion.

I wasn’t sure if I should put together my regular end-of-month posts—is it really necessary right now? But I decided to do so because I need a little bit of normalcy in this very abnormal time. I’m craving it. I need a semblance of a routine again. So I will be setting goals for April and recapping March and, of course, reviewing my March budget, as today’s blog post is about.

March’s budget started off pretty normal, but things quickly shifted once stores and restaurants shut down and we all started hoarding toilet paper. One important thing to note in this recap is that I’ve decided to start sharing raw numbers because I feel like it allows me to see the bigger picture of my money. Percentages would be fine if I was doing this quarterly or yearly, but on a month-to-month basis, sharing the actual money spent is more impactful. (It’s also much easier for me to do this since I’m not sharing finances with anyone!) So, anyway, let’s review my March budget:

Housing (26.2% – $1,055 compared to $980 in February) – Housing costs were slightly more this month since February’s final budget didn’t include my Internet bill as I overpaid in January (oops). This includes rent, utilities, Internet, and Netflix. Happy that my housing is less than 30% of my overall budget!

Debts (20.8% – $838 compared to $1,688 in February) – This includes school loan payments and the $650 I put toward my credit card. My credit card should be paid off in April, so that’s good news!

Travel (18.8% – $757 compared to $0 in February) – A new category! I didn’t spend any money on travel in January or February. This includes a flight to New Orleans, half of the hotel reservation, my portion for the Airbnb we stayed at last weekend, and groceries for the weekend. Of course, the New Orleans trip is no longer happening but we got a credit for the flights/hotel so we’re holding out hope we can plan for a late summer/early fall trip.

Groceries (6.8% – $276 compared to $219 in February) – Spent more on groceries because I was trying to stock up more this month, especially near the end.

Savings (4.6% – $185 compared to $200 in February) – I put a little less into savings this month, mostly because I haven’t paid attention to putting money into my “no spend” fund. I want to get back to tracking my no-spend days in April! This includes putting $100 into my apartment fund, $50 into my car fund, and $35 into my “no-spend” fund.

Eating Out (4.5% – $182 compared to $219 in February) – Less eating out, obviously, in March with restaurants closed and safe-at-home orders in effect. And I’m not eating fast food—a goal I set for myself in March and didn’t deviate from even with the pandemic! I had a few meals out with friends in early March and then quite a few UberEats orders.

Phone (3.5% – $142 compared to $142 in February) – Nothing to report here! My phone bill is higher than most because I’m leasing a phone. Ugh.

Spa (3% – $122 compared to $343 in February) – This includes a blowout, my Hand & Stone massage membership, a tip after a massage, and a pedicure. Will probably be a nonexistent category in April!

Shopping (2.2% – $88 compared to $288 in February) – Not much shopping this month! I bought a new wallet, a cardigan, an extra book to put in my Book of the Month box, a wireless charger for home, a Yeti Rambler cup for home, and an e-book.

Pets (1.9% – $75 compared to $283 in February) – I bought two containers of treats, food, and a new scratching pad.

Subscriptions (1.4% – $55 compared to $39 in February) – This includes my PicMonkey subscription, Spotify, the podcasts I support on Patreon, my Sephora PLAY! box, and my Book of the Month subscription.

Auto (1.1% – $44 compared to $604 in February) – Only needed to fill up my gas tank twice in March!

Home (1.2% – $48 compared to $141 in February) – I bought three photos on Mixtiles, a wall holder for my Google Home mini, and an extension cord.

Household supplies (1% – $41 compared to $20 in February) – I picked up toilet paper and a two-pack of Lysol wipes, right before things got really apocalyptic. This category also includes laundry detergent and a few extra bottles of hand soap.

Donations (.9% – $38 compared to $20 in February) – I donated to my nephew’s school as he participated in a jog-a-thon. I donated $1 per lap and homeboy did 38 laps!

Toiletries (.7% – $28 compared to $41 in February) – I stocked up on body wash so I can continue my nightly bubble baths, even more necessary for my well-being now. This category also includes mouthwash and micellar water.

Health (.5% – $22 compared to $48 in February) – This only includes my gym bill.

Gifts (.5% – $20 compared to $66 in February) – I bought my fur-brother a new toy and his favorite bully sticks for his birthday!

Beauty (.4% – $17 compared to $46 in February) – Woooooo… this category has never been this low! I picked up foundation, setting powder, and a new brow pencil. I haven’t worn makeup in weeks so who knows if this category will even show up on my April budget!

Hi, friends! Happy Friday! I disappeared from the blog this week—just couldn’t get my life together to put up a post on Wednesday. Ah, it happens.

Today, I wanted to start a new monthly series, detailing my monthly spending habits. I am trying to be a better manager of my money than I have ever been, which means learning to break bad habits (like eating out when I have perfectly good meals at home, or not checking my bank account for over a week) and reframing the way I view money and spending. Stuff to talk about in therapy, ya know.

This post will serve as a baseline for where I’m at today. Going forward, I’ll be able to compare numbers month to month, which will help me figure out what areas I need to cut back in. I use an old-school spreadsheet to keep track of my money because that system works better for me than any sort of online tool. (Believe me, I’ve tried ’em and there’s just something about creating my own system that makes it feel more meaningful.)

Debts (33.7%) – This number is comprised of credit card payments and student loan payments. It’s the biggest part of my budget because I put $950 toward my credit card in January (praise hands for three paycheck months!). I still have a ways to go but I’m crossing my fingers that I can get it done in February, depending on the amount of my tax refund.

Housing (31.1%) – Rent, electric, water, and Internet. My housing expenses are going to go wayyyy up starting in September so I’m enjoying the low rent while it lasts, haha.

Groceries (5.9%) – My grocery expenses were fairly low this month, which is unexpected but quite nice! I’m interested to see how this fluctuates from month to month.

Savings (5.6%) – I’m saving $100 a month for apartment expenses, $50 a month toward a down payment on a new car, and throwing $5 into a “rainy day” account every time I have a no-spend day. Currently, I have $40 in that account!

Phone (4.4%) – Fixed expense. My phone bill is high because I’m paying off my iPhone, blah.

Eating Out (3.6%) – This includes fast food, those trips to Publix for a sub, and only one or two times I went out with friends.

Pet care (3.1%) – This includes food, litter, toys, and treats. I buy food and litter every other month, but February will be much more expensive as the girls are due for checkups at the vet.

Subscriptions (2.8%) – Netflix, Spotify, my Sephora PLAY! box, my massage membership, and PicMonkey.

Health (2.2.%) – Gym membership and a $50 copay for my orthopedic. Typically, I won’t have medical charges to worry about since I have an FSA but this appointment was in early January and I hadn’t yet replaced my old FSA card with the new one, oops!

Toiletries (1.5%) – This includes body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, a new toothbrush, and toothpaste. And maybe some other things that are slipping my mind!

Beauty (1.3%) – Foundation, setting powder, moisturizer, and maybe a few other items.

Car (1.2%) – Only had to fill up my tank twice this month. Does cold weather help a car use less gas? Because yo… I usually have to fill up weekly.

Spa (1.1%) – A pedicure! This category will be much bigger in February as I have a hair appointment that will include highlights, a cut, and a blowout.

Shopping (.9%) – I didn’t do a lot of shopping in January, coming off Christmas and all that. A new t-shirt, an e-book, a new lunch box, etc.

Donations (.6%) – I’d like to devote at least $20 a month to charity/donations, something I’ve really never done, and this month I donated to Elizabeth Warren’s campaign. 🙂