I haven't been posting regularly about my budgeting, but I have been keeping track. For those of you new to my budget posts, this is the first year I've truly kept track of my spending. It's been a struggle, but I'm trying to keep on track.
My monthly budget of $800 includes all groceries, farmer's markets, u-pick farms, clothing, craft stores, dollar stores, office supplies, dining out, pharmacies, and big box stores. I aim for $500 of that to be in groceries and $300 for everything else. At the end of August, I was only over $11.13 and had almost made up for two months of excessive spending.
September was a tough month for me because we had several dinners out with our anniversary and birthdays. Just when I got out of a hole, I dug another one.
Here are my September totals:
- Grocery: $551.00 (saved $319.35)
- Pharmacies: $103.29 (saved $237.37)
- Dining out: $156.19 (saved $33)
- Other: $232.40 (saved $112.36)
Total Spent: $1042.88
Total Saved: $702.08 (40%)
Rebates received: +$13.66
Debt from August: -$11.13
TOTAL: $1040.35
TOTAL OVER BUDGET: $240.35
So did I do any better in October? Here are my October totals:
- Grocery: $622.83 (saved $351.61)
- Pharmacies: $58.71 (saved $245.77--81%!)
- Clothing: $53.00 (son's uniforms on consignment)
- Other: $94.20 (saved $71.67)
Total Spent: $828.74
Total Saved: $669.05 (45%)
Rebates received: +$57.81 (including consignment sale profits)
TOTAL: $770.93
Debt from September: $240.35
TOTAL CURRENTLY OVER BUDGET: $211.28
Though I'm doing better for November so far, I'm not sure I will be able to pull myself out of the hole with the holiday spending on the horizon. I think it's fair to give myself some extra for presents, but I haven't yet set my Christmas budget. I'm totally procrastinating. If you need some tips for setting and staying on budget for Christmas spending, be sure to check out Coupon Katie's posts.
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