Financial Roundup 3/3-3/4

Sadly the tree pictured here is not growing in my backyard. LOL. However it was a happy week financially. On the first both my paycheck and our death benefits check rolled in together. I was able to pay all the outstanding bills (electricity and cell phone come in due mid month) and take the grocery shopping trip I posted about on Monday and still have some cash left in the checking account!! Yesterday I worked my cleaning gig, more money in my pocket. In addition I got a check for the special baking class I did with our aftercare kids and put that into my savings account.

Expenses for this week:

Monday 3/3: Haircut for youngest son: $15 (including tip for barber), Groceries: $217.36 (my goal is no more than $250), nonfood household items: $20.46 (out of the $50 goal I set myself)

Tuesday 3/4: $18 for bowling

Wednesday 3/5: $0

Thursday 3/6: $0

Friday 3/7:$0

Saturday: $15 for the deluxe car wash for my SUV (it needed some serious attention and with the weather being in the low 50s and sunny this was the time to do it). Today I will clean out the interior myself. 

As far as the bills I paid go I was extremely happy with them all. My gas bill for the month of February which is traditionally the highest bill of  year for me was still a reasonable $219, even with the series of bitterly cold and windy days we had here. I think our program of using a programmable thermostat to lower heating temps when we are not home or awake, covering windows, and covering the steps leading to the basement which prevents drafts from the side door going directly to the furnace is having an impact. As for the electric, we once again read our own meter and submitted the reading online and the bill due on the 18th is once again a more reasonable $69. I still can't believe the electric company does not read my meter. (funny story there, they called my across the road neighbor to schedule a reading of his meter, the truck showed up and sat in front of my house for 10 minutes then drove away..no one ever even got out of the truck and approached his house...crazy).

This week looks to be a nice one financially as well. There will be the usual gas and bowling expenses and the electric and cell phone to pay at the end of the week but other than that I don't anticipate any additional spending.