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Home > Out of budget bounds by $358 and the month's not done yet.

Out of budget bounds by $358 and the month's not done yet.

March 27th, 2015 at 10:33 pm

Budget:

Good
thirteen cents under for Animals.
thirty-three cents under for clothes.
fifty-eight cents under for Hobbies.
eighty-one cents under for Gifts.
$117 under for Entertainment. Attributed to free movie tickets my son either won or earned, YouTube, and heaps of DVD box set library holds coming to us.
$30 under for Supplies.

Money market account finally back above $10000, so we now earn the penultimate weakest interest rate. Progress.

Bad
$28 over for dining, which I upped already for the dinner out earlier in the month.
forty-five cents over for phone service.
$15 over for gifts: postage for overseas correspondence and domestic stamps, before learning we still have over a dozen domestic staps.
$163.42 over for auto. Did not budget for license renewal and car tabs renewal, together summing to $191.75 when they took me by surprise.

Indifferent
Mortgage payment processed a few days ahead of schedule. Fine. Good to know I can wait in excess of five weeks, and three pay periods, before paying mortgage for May. That will redirect $1000 to our Islands Getaway.

$279.49 over for interest (mortgage)
$288.11 over for taxes (real estate)
$201.60 invested in stocks that have since depreciated in value.

My budget for April will be different. It won't have $1356.82 going toward real estate tax, mortgage interest, house insurance, and principal payment.

I have eighty dollars remaining in the food budget until March 31. I average $17/day for groceries for three people, and our frozen animal protein takes up most of our freezer space so I anticipate half of the eighty dollars going to dairy, grains and vegetables.

I have paid over thirty dollars in excess principal to reduce monthly interest on our HELOC and car loans.

True confession: I struggle with my budget because my family and I never plan weekly meetings, never chart in the open our budget, and frankly I don't know how to markedly increase cash flow without spending more money or stealing outright (which I will not do, surveillance is everywhere and my conscience, although selective, is cruel and unrelenting) or disposing of household members. Our budget parameters are strict as they are. I don't know where to look online for meaningful savings. I mostly see "deals" for consumer or processed food items I don't buy.

Posted in untamed budget | 5 Comments »

5 Responses to “Out of budget bounds by $358 and the month's not done yet.”

  1. VS_ozgirl Says:
    March 27th, 2015 at 11:17 pm 1427498240
    1427498240

    Sometimes you can't really talk to openly about your budget with your family because they are bored to tears with that stuff! This is how my family is. I've been keeping a spreadsheet budget for the last three years (can't remember really what I did before that?) and was reflecting a couple of days ago on how we are actually going, profit-wise. This month March, compared to March 2014 and March 2013 is a good month. (Left at the end of the month 2013 was $1386, 2014 $4600 and 2015 $4110). Can you do something like that to help you out?

  2. VS_ozgirl Says:
    March 28th, 2015 at 12:13 am 1427501590
    1427501590

    It sounds like the $1356.82 is what really tipped you over, so I guess reflecting back over past years (if you are able to retrieve the data) for the March month will give you an accurate perspective on how the March month budget should go and give you peace of mind

  3. PauletteGoddard Says:
    March 28th, 2015 at 01:22 am 1427505768
    1427505768

    Hi VS_ozgirl. I have budgeting software and I run budget reports monthly. I have a spreadsheet to record the monthly ebbs and flows of "Metals and Stocks", "Bonds and certificates of deposit and Savings and Money Market Accounts," and weekly "Debt Micropayments" I had an itch of an idea last week to record by percentage how each category ebbs and flows month to month, but now in my sane moment I see that is too much work.

    And it's true -- my spouse runs downstairs and hides in his "Information Technology" cave when I bring up budgeting. Usually because restraint or austerity is used.

  4. VS_ozgirl Says:
    March 28th, 2015 at 02:24 am 1427509496
    1427509496

    And that's ok- not everyone finds the same things interesting- my husband talks motorbikes and I mentally go to my latest happy place (holiday destination of the day!).. Just use perspective to work out how bad is the problem really, and if can perhaps be made up for in the next budget.. Good luck!

  5. rob62521 Says:
    March 28th, 2015 at 09:40 pm 1427578831
    1427578831

    My husband won't sit with me to pay bills so I'm the one doing the budget and paying stuff. When we were starting out we had to have a serious discussion because he was used to spending whatever he wanted. Now he sees what we have leftover after I reconcile the checkbook each week and he is more careful on his expenditures. Although he won't sit with me, we do discuss things. Hope you can find a happy medium.

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