Another month, another spending post! I am feeling pretty good about how the numbers shook out this month. No-Spend July was such a good exercise for me to reset my spending habits and allow me to understand how I want to spend my money. As a reminder, in these posts, I am only talking about what I am spending. I do not include anything that comes out of my paycheck before it lands in my bank account. You won’t see anything about insurance premiums, FSA deductions, 401k deductions, or anything like that.
Bills (51.6% | -6.8% from July): This category comprises rent, my phone bill, Internet, my car payment, electric, my gym, Care Credit, and student loans. I paid a lot less for my phone bill in August than I did in July (due to switching carriers) but my electric bill was higher ($263, sheesh).
Food (15.5% | -.3% from July): Hey! I’m happy with this. I wasn’t on my spending freeze in August so I expected this number to be a lot higher. I came in a smidge under-budget, which is great. I spent more money on restaurants/fast food than I did on Ubereats orders, and a lot of that was grabbing a quick breakfast from Einstein’s or McDonald’s. Hence the goal to eat breakfast at home in September. I need to rein in that spending a bit!
Cats (7.7% | +4.5% from July): Oh, have these cats gotten expensive recently! One of my Chewy orders this month totaled over $200! Imma need them to get a job soon. This month, Eloise had a routine vet appointment and got some shots. I also bought two bags of litter, a new bag of dry food, and two bulk orders of wet food (prescription + non-prescription). I also got them some treats and couldn’t help myself to a set of cute ceramic bowls at Home Goods one afternoon.
Savings (5.5% | -1.1% from July): I put the same amount of money away in savings, but it just shook out differently in terms of percentages.
Shopping (5.4% | +2.1% from July): I was a bit over-budget in my shopping category, but not by as much as I feared. In August, I spent a lot of money on home organization (remember those 11 bins I bought from Target?) and other home items, like Wallflowers and a candle from Bath & Body Works. I also bought some books, a new planner, and some workout attire.
Gifts (3% | +.6% from July): This year is making me understand how much larger my gifts budget needs to be. Oof. This was another busy one on the gifts front, as I had several gifts to buy for friends.
Beauty (2.9% | +2.9% from July): I didn’t spend any money on beauty products in July thanks to my spending freeze, but in August, I needed to replace some skincare products and also spent around $75 on hair coloring dye/supplies.
Subscriptions (2.7% | -.5% from July): I unsubscribed to two subscriptions in August: my air filter subscription (I’ll just buy them in bulk from Amazon, I think) and one of my photo-editing app. The air filter subscription was bimonthly so it shakes out to a little over $30 back in a two-month cycle. However, one of my Patreon subscriptions increased as The Popcast announced a new tier and I upgraded to it. It’s only $5 more a month, so it felt reasonable to me.
Car (2.5% | +1.2% from July): I had some overdue tolls to pay and I also got gas twice in August.
Entertainment (1.6% | -1.3% in July): I was a little less social in August (thanks, depression). I had dinner with book club and then lunch with a friend, and that’s about it. I also spent more money than I probably should have on Cooking Fever tokens.
Supplies (1.2% | -.9% from July): I spent a lot less on supplies in August – hooray! I bought shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash, deodorant, tub cleaner, and some Swiffer duster refills.
Medical (0.6% | +0.6% from July): I haven’t spent money on medical things for a while thanks to my FSA, but in August, I had to buy some Covid tests and cold medicine and figuring out how to use my FSA card on my Target app was confusing. So I just bought them with my own money!
Overall Thoughts
- I am very pleased with how August shaped up and it was another month I did not spend above my means. Imagine that! I came just over $300 under my overall income for the month, so I’m very happy about that. Good things happen when you pay attention to your spending, Steph!
- I would still like to rein in how much I spend in my shopping category (my goal is $150 or less and this month I spent $193). I just need to be more intentional about checking my bank account on a daily basis so I can keep track of how much money is going out.
- Another category I’d like to tighten up is my food category, which is forever a difficult one for me! I did pretty well about only getting Ubereats once a week (although I faltered a little bit during the time I was dog-sitting; it’s just easier to get takeout rather than bringing over groceries). But I have steadily decreased how much I’ve been spending on food throughout the year, so I’m proud of myself for that.
What’s a fun, small purchase you recently bought?
These posts are always fascinating – FASCINATING.
August was a big spend month for us because we had a 2-week family vacation. And I got home to learn I have to pay my taxes up front in instalments this year. Le sigh.
A fun small purchase. Hmm. I bought some new earrings when we were on vacation. They cost 1 euro, but they’re cute!
Oh that is NOT what you want to return home from vacation to find out! Bah.
I think I saw those earrings in one of your posts! Very cute and well worth a single euro!
I just bought an Owala coffee cup and I LOVE it– no weird taste like a Yeti. Do you go to Costco? The Kirkland brand breakfast sandwich tastes EXACTLY like one from Starbucks and is DELISH in the air fryer.
I have never even thought about doing breakfast sandwiches in the air fryer! Genius! I don’t have a Costco membership but I’ll have to see what Publix has for me.
So many spending wins in August for you! Yay you!!!
I don’t know if I bought anything fun last month- maybe going out for boba tea. It was an expensive month, though, because all the kids’ activity sign ups were in August.
Gah, I can only imagine how expensive it can be with all of the activities that kids are in these days! Prayers to your bank account!
Great job on your spending this month, Stephany. As you know, I enjoy these posts and I think they can teach (the universal) you a lot about your spending habits and setting priorities.
A small purchase that I made recently was one of these silicone mini-ice cube trays at Target.
Oh, that’s a fabulous small purchase! I don’t use ice cube trays, but I do think the silicone ones work so much better than the plastic ones.
Oooh Steph we are on the same wavelength, my friend! This month’s favourite things is all about small inexpensive things I love! So I’ll save it for then 🙂
Ooh, suspenseful! I’m excited to read your list.
I’m laughing about how your cats have gotten expensive recently! It happens and there’s no going back. Your overall budget and your ability to stay within it this month is inspiring. A small thing I bought in August? I replaced all my hair elastics with new ones, both in neutrals and some snazzy colors. Same ponytail but oh so stylish now.
Oh, that is a FANTASTIC small purchase! I love when I buy new elastics. Something about it just feels like self-care, haha.
Nice job! Our electric bills are high down here, aren’t they? I also spent a little money recently on some small, fun things from Target- a fall candle (which I love so much!) and some hand towels. Oh, and I bought some books. All good things to spend money on IMO.
The electric bills are KILLING ME. And yet, I am going to run my damn AC because I need to be comfortable.
Fall candles and hand towels and books! The best kinds of small purchases.
Way to go on keeping your spending below your income. I know food can really creep up easily.
A fun, small purchase I made recently was getting macarons for the boys and me after their swimming lesson yesterday. They both did so great, especially Taco with it being his first swimming lessons without me in the pool with him. He was not at all scared – so it’s a way different experience than Paul’s first lesson. Both boys said they didn’t want to go to lessons so I am glad they went so well.
I’m so glad that swimming lessons are going better! I know that was a huge struggle so HOORAY for Taco being easygoing about it (at least when he was there!). Macarons after swimming lessons is a great treat!
It is so interesting to read how and why you spend what you spend.
you are doing such a great shop analyzing your spendings and cutting back and reining in while also allowing yourself to indulge in some things.
These days I a rather frugal. Which is nice because I know November/December will definitely not be.
November and December are always brutal for my budget. I’m hoping I can rein in my spending a bit this holiday season, but we’ll see!
So many successes here! Yay, you! Seriously, food spending? Win. Canceling subscriptions? Win. Think of the $$$ saved and the possibility that you could use that for rent, or even another necessary purchase. <3