Sunday, March 29, 2009
Savings Update!
Andrew received $120 from overtime pay, so we put that into the Money Market savings account (now at $350). Our second savings account has about $100 in it currently.
Friday, March 27, 2009
March Purchases
Hmmm I've been rather naughty this month in terms of purchases...
As a couple, we also spent $17 on three used appliances: Crock Pot, George Foreman grill, and toaster over, and $5 on other yard sale finds.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Savings Update!
Andrew's account received $230 from the Navy Reserves, so we put that right into savings. We have a balance in savings again! YAY! Now we must resist the urge to spend it!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Goals
I forgot to mention our goals for savings:
- Saving for an emergency fund!
- I'd like to save for some trips, especially for going to Ireland to renew our vows for our 5th wedding anniversary (in 2013) and also to visit Japan at some point. This fall, we might accompany my sister and her family to Florida for a few days, so we're saving towards that, too.
- We'd like to get a Honda Fit eventually, but if both of our cars keep running we'll be fine for a while.
- Saving to eventually put a down payment on a house :)
- Saving for an emergency fund!
- I'd like to save for some trips, especially for going to Ireland to renew our vows for our 5th wedding anniversary (in 2013) and also to visit Japan at some point. This fall, we might accompany my sister and her family to Florida for a few days, so we're saving towards that, too.
- We'd like to get a Honda Fit eventually, but if both of our cars keep running we'll be fine for a while.
- Saving to eventually put a down payment on a house :)
1st Paycheck of March
Andrew brings home about $860 each paycheck after taxes, 401k, and insurance (I am so, so, so glad that we finally have insurance!!! Not so happy about the $212 taken out per month, though). In addition, he brings in an extra $250 from one weekend of Navy Reserves, per month.
So $860 x 2 = $1720 + $250 = $1970 or so per month of income.
Out of the $1720, we pay $500 a month ($250 per paycheck) to my mom for rent/utilities and to cover my $25 a month cell phone bill (I'm still on her plan). We also have $108 (his cell phone ($55), Netflix ($16), and storage building rent ($37)) in bills per month. I pay my car insurance (around $55) out of my 'allowance' of $240 a month, leaving me with about $95 per paycheck of spending cash. Andrew (theoretically, anyway) has an 'allowance' of $95 per paycheck, as well.
1720
-500 rent
-240 my allowance
-108 bills
-190 Andrew allowance
____
$682 ($341 per check)
That $682/month goes towards groceries, eating out, any necessary gifts, pet expenses, gas, and savings.
[Are you still with me after all of that? ;)]
Andrew is hoping to put that extra $250 per month straight into savings. Whatever is left from the $682 will go into savings, as well.
So far this month we've spent a bit more than we would have liked to on pet expenses (nearly $100 this first check alone). Andrew's saying that he's going to forego this allowance and put that $95 into savings. I'm not so selfless, unfortunately. I've already spent part of mine: $25 on a vintage bag from eBay and $13 on a Japanese memo pad (one of my obsessions). We've also eaten out a few times already.
So, as it stands right now, we have $244 left til the next paycheck for everything (including Andrew's allowance). Not so good, eh? Luckily, he's out of town for a month for a job training class, so we shouldn't be eating out as much nor getting as many groceries.
We shall see.
So $860 x 2 = $1720 + $250 = $1970 or so per month of income.
Out of the $1720, we pay $500 a month ($250 per paycheck) to my mom for rent/utilities and to cover my $25 a month cell phone bill (I'm still on her plan). We also have $108 (his cell phone ($55), Netflix ($16), and storage building rent ($37)) in bills per month. I pay my car insurance (around $55) out of my 'allowance' of $240 a month, leaving me with about $95 per paycheck of spending cash. Andrew (theoretically, anyway) has an 'allowance' of $95 per paycheck, as well.
1720
-500 rent
-240 my allowance
-108 bills
-190 Andrew allowance
____
$682 ($341 per check)
That $682/month goes towards groceries, eating out, any necessary gifts, pet expenses, gas, and savings.
[Are you still with me after all of that? ;)]
Andrew is hoping to put that extra $250 per month straight into savings. Whatever is left from the $682 will go into savings, as well.
So far this month we've spent a bit more than we would have liked to on pet expenses (nearly $100 this first check alone). Andrew's saying that he's going to forego this allowance and put that $95 into savings. I'm not so selfless, unfortunately. I've already spent part of mine: $25 on a vintage bag from eBay and $13 on a Japanese memo pad (one of my obsessions). We've also eaten out a few times already.
So, as it stands right now, we have $244 left til the next paycheck for everything (including Andrew's allowance). Not so good, eh? Luckily, he's out of town for a month for a job training class, so we shouldn't be eating out as much nor getting as many groceries.
We shall see.
Adventures in Budgeting: Welcome!
Welcome to the sibling blog of Gnome-tastic!
I've been trying to delve a bit more deeply into the world of budgeting and saving, and I figured creating a blog to help me track my progress would be beneficial. I've always been much more of a spender than a saver, and while I don't think I'll ever be more of a saver than a spender, I hope to at least balance the two.
My husband currently works for NCR and I'm a housewife (a domestically challenged housewife, but a housewife all the same). We just got married in October of 2008 and we're currently living with my mother, partially because it's cheaper than living in our own place and partially to help her pay her bills. Luckily, we all have a great relationship so things work pretty well.
My husband and I have a relatively small budget to work with, so it's essential that we track purchases and organize our money efficiently.
I hope that this blog can help us to pay our bills, save some cash, and still have some spending money to have fun with!
I've been trying to delve a bit more deeply into the world of budgeting and saving, and I figured creating a blog to help me track my progress would be beneficial. I've always been much more of a spender than a saver, and while I don't think I'll ever be more of a saver than a spender, I hope to at least balance the two.
My husband currently works for NCR and I'm a housewife (a domestically challenged housewife, but a housewife all the same). We just got married in October of 2008 and we're currently living with my mother, partially because it's cheaper than living in our own place and partially to help her pay her bills. Luckily, we all have a great relationship so things work pretty well.
My husband and I have a relatively small budget to work with, so it's essential that we track purchases and organize our money efficiently.
I hope that this blog can help us to pay our bills, save some cash, and still have some spending money to have fun with!
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