Monthly Spending Report | February 2025

My February spending report isn’t going to be quite as nice as January, but there were some bright spots. I’ve broken this post down into five sections:

• Spending Breakdown: Categories That Increased
• Spending Breakdown: Categories That Decreased
• What Went Well
• What Didn’t Go Well
• Goals for Next Month

Let’s get into it!

Spending Breakdown

Categories That Increased

MEDICAL ($445 | ↑ $411)

This was an unavoidable increase, as I had to deal with a CPAP bill from my insurance company. I had hoped I would be able to use the last of my 2024 FSA funds to cover the bill (that was over $400!) but apparently, I spent more than I thought with my FSA so I could only use it for a portion of the bill. The rest had to come out of my own pocket. Annoying!

FOOD ($945 | ↑ $253)

There are two reasons this category increased so much from January to February. The first is that I revamped my categories a bit and added a “Food with Friends” line. I would normally put this in my Entertainment category, but I’m moving it into this area to better understand how much I spend on food, even when I’m out with friends or my mom. I may move this back to entertainment at some point, but we’ll see. The second reason this category increased is those damnable Ubereats orders. UGH. I spent over $200 this month and it’s mostly because I didn’t meal plan very well and some nights I just didn’t have anything at home for dinner. Instead of going through the arduous task of driving to the grocery store, I ordered takeout. After doing that too many times, I decided I needed to have some extra meals on hand for those kinds of nights so I loaded up on freezer meals and ready-made dinners at Trader Joe’s! Let’s hope March is a much better month in this department.

CATS ($249 | ↑ $162)

The majority of this overage is due to Lila’s vet appointment. She needed an updated vaccine so it was around $154 for that appointment. I also spent nearly $30 on restocking treats, if I’m wondering why Lila gains a pound a year.

GIFTS ($87 | ↑ $54)

I had to purchase a few more gifts in February than January – Galentine’s, a gift for a colleague, and a gift for my nephew.

CAR ($251 | ↑ $17)

This month, I had to fill up my car with gas twice (shocked face) so that’s the reason for the increase.

ENTERTAINMENT ($201 | ↑ $12)

It’s impressive that I still managed to increase my entertainment category, even though I took out a major part of this category (food). But there were some important purchases here, such as a ticket to see Ben Schwartz & Friends when he’s here in July and my Galentine’s date with Bri.

Categories That Decreased

BILLS ($2,047 | ↓ $385)

The only reason this category decreased is because I was a few days late with my car payment (I thought I had set up automatic withdrawals, but apparently not!). So this category will increase in March for sure.

CREDIT CARD ($741 | ↓ $509)

I paid off my credit card in February, which was such a good feeling! This amount equals the payoff.

SHOPPING ($382 | ↓ $132)

Hooray! My goal in February was to reduce my shopping spending and I did that. I was hoping to spend under $350, which didn’t happen, but I feel good about this total. I bought a lot of books in February (11), bought some yoga accessories, and replaced my purse.

SUBSCRIPTIONS ($101 | ↓ $14)

I cancelled Netflix in February – woop! Next up is cancelling Amazon Prime.

SUPPLIES ($48 | ↓ $36)

Not much to see here – I just didn’t need to replenish as many supplies in February. Boring stuff: mouthwash, toothpaste, a new toothbrush, Q-tips, conditioner, aluminum foil. Blah.

No change categories

Savings ($125) and my miscellaneous category ($78 – this was my nose piercing).

What Went Well

• Paying off my credit card – It felt so good to pay off my credit card at the beginning of February! I had been chasing after that accomplishment for all of 2024 and just couldn’t get my act together. But now I feel inspired to keep paying it off so I’m never in that situation again.
• A reduced shopping category – Honestly, while I’m proud that I spent less money shopping than I did in January, I didn’t actively track my shopping spending throughout the month and felt like I spent more money than I should have, so it wasn’t a conscious effort. I hope to make this effort a lot more conscious in March.
• Cancelling Netflix – I was very tired of paying so much money for Netflix and they just kept raising the prices. After their latest price hike, I called it quits and that felt really good.

What Didn’t Go Well

• Medical bills – These large medical bills are killing me. I haven’t built up any sort of savings in my HSA yet (since I haven’t had an HSA for a few years), so all of this is coming out of pocket. I’m hoping the HSA will be worth it in the end, but right now, I’m just annoyed by healthcare expenses.
• Not checking on my budget regularly – This was a problem in January and it remained a problem in February. I need to figure out how to make this a part of my daily habits, whether that means combining it with another routine I have, setting an alarm on my phone, or something.
• Spending too much on Ubereats – My goal is to to spend less than $100 a month on online takeout orders and in February, I spent more than $200. Not good! I hope that my new plan of having more freezer/ready-made meals on hand will ensure I don’t reach for that Ubereats app as much as I did last month.

March Goals

• A full boycott of Amazon and Target – It’s time. I use Target for toiletries, beauty products, and household supplies but I’m hoping I can make the switch to Aldi for some of that. For the rest, I’m still deciding. Amazon will be harder but I’ll figure it out!
• Switch from Publix to Aldi – I was supposed to do this last month but I chickened out. I am just so entrenched in my Publix grocery routine, but that’s no excuse for giving a Republican-supported company my money.
• Reduce my shopping budget further – My shopping budget reduced by $132 in February and I’d like to keep that trend going. If I can get it under $300, that would be amazing! I think boycotting Amazon and Target will definitely help with this goal.

When was the last time you ordered food from an app like Ubereats or Door Dash?