Well, well, well. August was a doozy of a month in terms of my budget, as I had my bi-yearly car insurance taken out and went a little crazy buying stuff for my new place. It happens! I knew August and September were going to be very spend-y months (and saved accordingly for that in previous months) and will hopefully get back to normal in October. But let’s look at what went down in August, shall we?

Housing (31.4% – $1,105 compared to $1,085 in July) – A little higher this month due to an expensive energy bill, which always happens this time of year with my AC running extra hard to compete with the 100-degree temps. This is my last month with a three-digit rent bill, too. I enjoyed it while it lasted!

Home (18.2% – $641 compared to $189 in July) – Eeks! This category got a workout this month, thanks to a new dining room table and a ton of other items for my new apartment, like some organizational systems and an electric drill.

Auto (16.8% – $591 compared to $46 in July) – My bi-yearly car insurance payment was due this month, which accounts for the higher-than-usual amount for this category. I also filled my car up with gas twice.

Eating Out (8.8% – $311 compared to $316 in July) – Well, at least my eating out budget was stable from July to August! There’s that silver lining, perhaps?

Groceries (7.8% – $273 compared to $278 in July) – Again with a nearly identical budget! Maybe this is my sweet spot for my food budget? I’d still like to get my food budget to a more reasonable number for one person, but eh, it is what it is.

Shopping (3.4% – $121 compared to $103 in July) – I bought a new pair of workout shorts, a nightgown, a new iPhone cord, a dry-erase board that I’m going to hang up in my office nook, a book, and some goodies from Bath & Body Works.

Phone (3.1% – $108 compared to $108 in July) – Fixed expense.

Debt (3% – $105 compared to $105 in July) – Eventually, I would like to start making a bigger student loan payment but just doing the minimum right now.

Subscriptions (1.9% – $67 compared to $49 in July) – Patreon, Spotify, Book of the Month, PicMonkey, and my bimonthly air filter subscription.

Household Supplies (1.6% – $56 compared to $43 in July) – I bought a plunger, dish soap, toilet paper, hand soap, and some containers.

Donations (.9% – $32 compared to $52 in July) – I donated to an Internet friend’s classroom wish list.

Moving Expenses (.7% – $26 compared to $0 in July) – Hopefully I won’t have too many moving expenses! This month, I bought four boxes and some packing paper.

Beauty (.7% – $24 compared to $0 in July) – My beauty category has been silent for months, but in August, I bought a new hairbrush, a makeup bag, and a pair of headbands.

Entertainment (.6% – $22 compared to $9 in July) – Candy Crush coins and I bought the ad-free version of another game I play constantly. I also had to pay for parking while downtown last week.

$0 categories in August: spa, pets, health, travel, gifts, and savings. I can’t believe I didn’t spend any money on the cats this month! That seems crazy to me, but the facts don’t lie. 🙂 I’m surprised (but not shocked) that I didn’t put any money into savings but it’s an expensive time right now. I imagine September will be similar as I get settled into my new place, but hopefully in October, I can get back to my savings goals.

Hello, friends! I have the last of my monthly wrap-up posts for you today, going over my budget for July. I feel like the next few months are going to be spendier than usual with the move, but it’s all good! That’s what savings are for. 🙂 Let’s dive into my budget breakdown:

Housing (31.1% – $1,085 compared to $1,065 in June) – Rent, electric, water, Internet, and Netflix. Nothing too crazy to report here!

Blog (10.9% – $378 compared to $0 in June) – I bought a new blog design and then had to pay my hosting fees. I make a bulk payment every three years, which amounts to about $10 a month, which is pretty sweet. (I use HostGator and I recommend them!)

Savings (10.3% – $360 compared to $450 in June) – Another good month of saving for me! I put money into my no-spend fund, my car fund, and my emergency fund. Yay!

Eating Out (9.1% – $316 compared to $249 in June) – Oof. My eating out budget is always one of my highest categories and it was no different in July. Just so easy to scroll through Uber Eats for something yummy to have for dinner rather than cooking myself!

Groceries (8% – $278 compared to $242 in June) – Eeks, went a bit overboard with groceries this month. I’m not sure why! More convenience foods, maybe? I’ve gotten soooo lazy in the cooking department. It’s a problem.

Pets (5.7% – $198 compared to $51 in June) – I bought litter, treats, and a toy for Chip that he destroyed in five minutes. Eloise was also due for shots.

Home (5.4% – $189 compared to $0 in June) – Bring on the purchases for my new apartment! Whew… this category is going to get a workout over the next few months. Some of my purchases: a set of three Mixtiles, two of these divided organizers, a new filing box, and a new set of water glasses.

Phone (3.1% – $108 compared to $82 in June) – I believe $108 is going to be the standard monthly price for my phone bill now. Who knew that trading in a phone and getting a new one would result in so many credits on my account?!

Spa (3.1% – $108 compared to $0 in June) – A pedicure and hair appointment.

Debts (3% – $105 compared to $105 in June) – Monthly student loan payment.

Shopping (3% – $103 compared to $99 in June) – I bought some books, face masks, office supplies, markers, and another Chatbook of the girls.

Charity (1.5% – $52 compared to $0 in June) – I donated to the Loveland Foundation, which provides financial assistance to Black women seeking therapy services, as well as the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which helps pay the fines and fees of returning citizens (formerly incarcerated people).

Subscriptions (1.4% – $49 compared to $65 in June) – Patreon, Book of the Month, PicMonkey, and Spotify. A little less this month since I didn’t have my bimonthly air filter payment.

Auto (1.3% – $46 compared to $18 in June) – I filled up my gas tank once and also got an oil change.

Household supplies (1.2% – $43 compared to $17 in June) – I bought toilet paper, batteries, and dish soap, as well as a new Brita filter.

Gifts (.9% – $32 compared to $49 in June) – I bought a gift bag, a card for my mom’s birthday, and a gift card for a friend’s birthday.

Toiletries (.7% – $26 compared to $20 in June) – Lots of bottles of body wash and a bottle of mouthwash.

Entertainment (.2% – $7 compared to $9 in June) – Candy Crush! 🙂

$0 categories in June: beauty, health, travel, and tech. 

Happy Fourth of July weekend! It’s going to be a weird weekend for me, and I’m sure for a lot of you. While the beaches near me will be open this weekend (WHYYYYY), I will be staying home. I’m hoping to go for a swim in my mom’s pool, though. I could sure use some pool time!

Today, I have my monthly budget report for ya! It was a less spendy month for me, by far, and I’m glad about it! Here’s how it all shook out:

Housing (38.6% – $1,065 compared to $1,085 in May) – Pretty stable, as always. My electric bill was slightly less last month, probably because I wasn’t doing laundry!

Savings (16.3% – $450 compared to $1,300 in May) – Well, I knew I wouldn’t be able to maintain a four-figure saving rate, haha. But I’m still proud of socking away $450 this month! I added a little bit to emergency savings, my house fund, and my car fund.

Eating Out (9% – $249 compared to $329 in May) – Whew, I am glad I was able to have a more reasonable number here for eating out! I know my eating out budget will always be fairly high because I truly enjoy having takeout and truly hate cooking, but last month was kiiiinda ridiculous for one person.

Groceries (8.8% – $242 compared to $233 in May) – It’s exciting to see this category is about the same as in May! I try to spend less than $300 a month in groceries and I’m definitely meeting that goal right now. Yay!

Tech (8.1% – $222 compared to $80 in May) – I bought a new computer monitor and paid the second half of my fee for my keyboard replacement. I also had to buy a new paper shredder after my old one kicked the bucket, so I added that into this category.

Debts (3.8% – $105 compared to $87 in May) – I’m on a graduated payment plan with one of my student loan companies, which I always forget about until I log onto the website to pay my bill and see a higher payment due. Woof. At least it’s just $18 more!

Shopping (3.6% – $99 compared to $418 in May) – May was a very spendy month for me, and I’m happy to see that I kept my spending in check in June. This category is comprised of a Chatbook of my cats, two notebooks, a new mouse pad, two e-books, and five print books that I purchased from bookstores.

Phone (3% – $82 compared to $97 in May) – Listen, I don’t know why my phone bill has been so cheap lately, but I’m not going to question it.

Subscriptions (2.4% – $65 compared to $44 in May) – Spotify, Patreon, PicMonkey, Book of the Month, and my bimonthly air filter subscription.

Pets (1.9% – $51 compared to $277 in May) – A much cheaper month for the cats! They got a new bag of food, treats, and a new blanket.

Gifts (1.8% – $49 compared to $50 in May) – I bought two cards to keep on hand for birthdays and then something special for my mom’s birthday.

Auto (.7% – $18 compared to $0 in May) – Would you believe it? I had to refill my gas tank this month! 😉

Toiletries (.7% – $20 compared to $66 in May) – Four bottles of body wash, yassss.

Household supplies (.6% – $17 compared to $11 in May) – Two bottles of dish soap and toilet paper. Easy-peasy!

Fees (.3% – $8 compared to $0 in May) – I hesitated to put this on my list, but this is all about being transparent, right? I overdrafted this month for really stupid reasons and an $8 fee hit my bank account. UGH. I hate when I do that. It makes me feel like the worst person ever. I need to work toward having a buffer in my bank account to stop stuff like this from happening (and I’m trying to do that—I want to have $500 in my bank savings account, as I can quickly transfer money into my checking that way. I socked away $200 this month!)

Entertainment (.3% – $9 compared to $38 in May) – Candy Crush, my arch-nemesis and favorite time waster.

Health (.2% – $6 compared to $0 in May) – And the best $6 I’ve ever spent! This was for the Dramamine that saved my life when my vertigo last weekend was at its worst.

$0 categories in June: spa, home, travel, and beauty. I also forgot to pick a cause to donate to, so I’ll make a double donation in July!

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.