Monday, June 17, 2013

Keeping a close eye on expenses

Beautiful blue eye close up | Stock Photo © Viktor Prushenoff ... Now that school is done for the year I am keeping a closer eye on expenses while realizing I was going to be putting out some extra money for my stepdaughter's wedding, a Pampered Chef show I was invited to & Father's Day this month. Planning ahead for the remainder of the summer I put away enough in my savings to equal what I'd pull in if I was still working for the next two months. I got paid at the beginning of June and will get a paycheck this Friday for the last week I worked (half a regular pay amount) but then it will be a long dry spell until September . There may be some relief in the form of unemployment checks but the final determination on that remains to be seen. I recently learned through someone who is also an hourly wage employee of a school that I am eligible to apply for said benefits so I went ahead and did so but the jury is out on whether or not I'll see any money (and if I do it is usually only 1/3 of what you earn and takes 3-4 weeks to get the first check). I am planning my expenses as if I will not receive any money. Better safe than sorry. Here is my first two weeks of June expenses.

5/31: $200 cash withdrawl to help cover travel expenses to my stepdaughter's wedding.  $21.37 at Target for snacks & drinks to take with us in the car.
6/1: $100 of the cash withdrawl went into the card as a gift
6/2: remaining $100 of cash withdrawl went to gas and lunch on the drive home (GF paid the hotel bill and I will give him my half when the bill comes in)
6/3: $0
6/4: usual bills, mortgage, car loan, insurances, tv, electric, & gas
6/5: $0
6/6: $0
6/7:$149.00 on Pampered Chef kitchen stuff (some things to be put away as gifts for adult daughters/stepdaughters/daughter in law)
6/8:$0
6/9: $47.01 gas for the SUV
6/10: grocery shopping $341.25 (out of budget of $350); nonfood household items: $40.36 (out of a budget of $75)
6/11: $0
6/12: $0
6/13:$0
6/14:$0
6/15:$0
6/16: $56 for breakfast out to celebrate Father's Day with kids, GF; $32 for movie matinee tickets to celebrate Father's Day; $47.00 for gas for SUV.

Looking ahead I will have expenses for a graduation party for my daughter, a gift for my sister & brother in law's 50th anniversary,  and also for a graduation gift for my daughter's boyfriend. Talk has been thrown around about a long weekend camping trip (which we traditionally take each summer with the GF) as well. I took all these things into account when building up the savings.


1 comment:

  1. Sounds like a plan. Summer is a dry spell, financially for us her as well, purse strings are drawn tightly at the moment, as well.

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